Why have so many awards ceremonies appeared recently? Shakespeare never won a prize, nor did Leonardo da Vinci or Adam Smith or Charles Dickens.
It would be possible to say, however, that in the past, scientists and artists could win "patronage" from rich people-a king or a lord would give the artist or scientist money to have them paint their palaces or help them develop new ways of making money. With the change in social systems across the world, this no longer happens. A lot of scientific research is now cither funded by the state or by private companies. Perhaps awards ceremonies are just the most recent face of this process.
However, there is more to it than that. When a film wins an Oscar, many more people will go and see it or buy the DVD. When a writer wins the Nobel prize, many more people buy his books. When a group win the MTV awards, the ceremony is seen by hundreds of thousands of people across the world. The result? The group sell lots more records.
Most awards ceremonies are now sponsored by big organizations or companies. This means that it is not only the person who wins the award who benefits but also the sponsors. The MTV awards, for example, are great for publicising not only music but also MTV itself！
On the surface, it seems to be a "win-win" situation, with everyone being happy, but let me ask you a question-how far do you think that publicity and marketing are winning here, and how much genuine recognition of achievement is taking place?
1.Why are some successful people like Shakespeare mentioned at the very beginning of the passage?
A. To show great admiration. B. To provide the background.
C. To prepare for the topic. D. To answer the question.
2.Artists and scientists used to receive money from______.
A. rich people's support B. ales of their works
C. different awards D. the government
3.The writer thinks awards actually do a better job in____.
A. getting the winners' great achievements recognized
B. financially supporting a scientist's or an artist's work
C. improving the status of the greatest scientists or artists
D. earning more money for the awards ceremony sponsors
4.What is the writer's attitude towards awards ceremonies？
A. Subjective. B. Approving.
C. Doubtful. D. Indifferent.
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C. amazing and imaginative D. touching and critical
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A. culture B. advertisement
C. education D. entertainment
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After eight puppies（幼犬）were abandoned on the side of the road in Texas，an animal shelter came to the rescue and brought them all the way from Brownwood，Texas to Wintersville，Ohio. Their journey was，by no means，a simple one.
The puppies were first found fighting for their lives in a muddy channel. They were extremely weak and dehydrated（脱水）after being forced to protect themselves in the burning Texas sun. Once the puppies were discovered，their journey was far from over. They were immediately brought to what is known as a "high kill" shelter，and after only a few hours，were scheduled for euthanasia. Things weren't looking good for the pups. Luckily，they were rescued once more.
“There's a group that specifically goes around to these high kill shelters and rescues the animals that are scheduled for euthanasia，"said Brandi Damewood，the JCHS Community Outreach Manager. "These guys were rescued by the Corrine T. Smith Animal Center. "
The puppies would eventually end up under the care of the Jefferson County Humane Society. This is because no-kill shelters and rescue organizations often work together to aid in urgent cases. An incredible network of shelters helping other shelters enables these miracle workers to save so many pets in danger of being put down prematurely.
"We have had a lot of other rescue groups come in and they help us get some of our animals adopted out like when we' re too full or things of that nature, so we kind of help each other out, and so this was a favor to help this particular shelter, "said Damewood.
The JCHS has appropriately titled the puppies' journey "the freedom ride". The 20-leg trip required 16 different volunteers to drive a total of 1,300 miles. But it was all worth it to save these adorable pups!
"We have a board member, Michelle Zdybicki, who is very active and involved in these transport groups, "said Damewood. "They would meet at specified stops, then the puppies would be transferred to the next driver for the next leg of the journey. "
Since arriving in Ohio, the puppies have been vaccinated and are hoping to find forever homes in the near future.
1.From the passage we know a shelter ______.
A. is a place to kill abandoned animals
B. can never kill any abandoned animal
C. is a place for abandoned animals
D. can provide anything for abandoned animals
2.The underlined word "euthanasia" in Para. 2 most probably means______.
A. practice of killing without pain
B. medical examination for an animal
C. physical care of a baby animal
D. supplies of food and housing for animals
3.What may happen to the puppies after arriving in Ohio ?
A. They will stay in a shelter forever. B. They may be adopted soon.
C. They cannot escape being killed. D. They may continue their journey.
4.The passage mainly tells us that______.
A. volunteers worked together to find homes for abandoned puppies
B. abandoned puppies caused animal shelters too much trouble
C. eight rescued puppies journeyed 1,300 miles in "freedom ride"
D. shelters tried their best to cure eight abandoned animals in Texas
If you've ever been annoyed by the sound of someone eating，especially as they noisily slurp noodles，don't worry, you're not alone.
A company has recently designed a fork that connects to an app on your smart phone，which will then play noise cancelling sounds if you happen to slurp your noodles too loudly.
The fork was designed with a microphone in its handle that is trained to recognize the sound of slurping. The microphone will then send a signal to the phone app. setting off the noise cancelling sounds.
The company that designed the fork, called Otohiko fork, was inspired by what is called "noodle harassment" by social media users, which is running wild in Japan.
"The Japanese, who generally dislike noisy eating. consider it proper and even preferable to suck up one's noodles with a loud slurping sound".
Unfortunately for visitors, however, such enthusiastic slurping tends to grate on their nerves, which is what lead to the creation of the phrase" noodle harassment" in the first place.
The company behind the fork, Nissin, is the very same company that invented Cup Noodles, who brought instant noodles to the world nearly 70 years ago, so they are definitely concerned about whether or not foreigners are put off by the sound of slurping noodles.
The fork is being sold for a good $130, but those bothered enough by noodle slurpers will likely find it well worth the money.
Nissin is only planning a limited run of 5000 forks for the time being, which can now be pre-ordered only through their website.
The company is planning to begin releasing them just in time for the holidays. Of course, it still remains to be seen if the fork can be programmed to drown out the sound of loud chewers, which is probably of greater concern to sensitive Westerners.
1.From the text we can know that_________.
A. "noodle harassment" is used to reduce the noise
B. the Otohiko fork will encourage noodle sales in Japan
C. the microphone in its handle stops the slurping sound
D. the app on a smart phone operates just like a silencer
2.The new fork was invented_______.
A. to bring noodle eaters more fun B. to solve a practical problem
C. to change the Japanese eating habit D. to popularize instant noodles
3.The new fork will be the most helpful for______.
A. Western visitors to Japan B. fans of Japanese noodles
C. the spread of Japanese culture D. the reform of Japanese food
4.Which of the following can be the best title ?
A. A New Fork Wins Popularity B. Nissin Makes Another Invention
C. A Noise Cancelling Fork Born D. Good News for Western Visitors
假如你是李华，最近在澳大利亚参加了一个国际交流活动。回国后，你决定给新结交的朋友John写一封感谢信。内容包括：
1．表示感谢；
2．参加这个活动的收获；
3．邀请他方便时来中国。
注意：词数100左右（开头和结尾已给出，但不计入总词数）
Dear John,
I am writing to express my gratitude to you while I was in Australia.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours sincerely,
Li Hua
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处错误，每句中最多有两处。错误涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。删除：把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词
2.只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
3.错误类型不涉及单词拼写。
Nowadays, it is very easy to find a student who are nearsighted. What's worse, the number of nearsighted students is still increased. From my point of view, there are many reasons why can cause nearsightedness. First and the foremost, wrong postures will easily result in nearsightedness. Reading on the dark places can lead to nearsightedness too. Moreover, too much reading without a rest can another important reason. My dear friends, it is highly time that we should pay attention to protecting your eyes. The most useful methods is to do eye exercises more often and relax for a while after reading. Watch green trees can also do good to the eyes.
