Getting rid of dirt, in the opinion of most people, is a good thing However, there is nothing fixed about attitudes to dirt.
In the early 16th century, people thought that dirt on the skin was a means to block out disease, as medical opinion had it that washing off dirt with hot water could open up the skin and let ills in. A particular danger was thought to lie in public baths. By 1538, the French king had closed the bath houses in his kingdom. So did the king of England in 1546. Thus began a long time when the rich and the poor in Europe lived with dirt in a friendly way. Henry IV, king of France, was famously dirty. Upon learning that a nobleman had taken a bath, the king ordered that, to avoid the attack of disease, the nobleman should not go out.
Though the belief in the merit(优点) of dirt was long-lived, dirt has no longer been regarded as a nice neighbor ever since the 18th century. Scientifically speaking, cleaning away dirt is good to health. Clean water supply and hand washing are practical means of preventing disease. Yet, it seems that standards of cleanliness have moved beyond science since World War II. Advertisements repeatedly sell the idea: clothes need to be whiter than white, cloths ever softer, surfaces to shine. Has the hate for dirt, however, gone too far?
Attitudes to dirt still differ hugely nowadays. Many first-time parents nervously try to warn their children off touching dirt, which might be responsible for the spread of disease. On the contrary, Mary Ruebush, an American immunologist(免疫学家), encourages children to play in the dirt to build up a strong immune system. And the latter position is gaining some ground.
1.The kings of France and England in the 16th century closed bath houses because .
A. they lived healthily in a dirty environment
B. they thought bath houses were too dirty to stay in
C. they considered bathing as cause of skin disease
D. They believed disease could be spread in public baths
2.Which of the following best describes Henry IV’s attitude to bathing?
A. Curious B. Afraid C. Approving D. Uninterested
3.How does the passage mainly develop?
A. By following the order of time. B. By making comparison.
C. By providing examples D. By following the order of importance.
4.What is the author’s purpose in writing the passages?
A. To call attention to the danger of dirt.
B. To introduce the history of dirt.
C. To present the change of views on dirt.
D. To stress the role of dirt.
Many Beijing residents go to great lengths to avoid breathing the city's smoggy air, especially when it reaches critical pollution levels, but one local entrepreneur decided that canning(灌装) and selling this poor quality air as a souvenir would be a great idea. Believe it or not, he was right.
After seeing a number of companies achieve commercial success by canning fresh air from countries like France, Canada or Australia and selling it in China, Dominic Johnson-Hill, a British-born citizen of Beijing and owner of the Plastered 8 souvenir shop, decided to turn the idea on its head and sell canned Beijing air throughout China and abroad.
"I'd seen people going crazy to buy canned air from Canada and Australia, so I thought it was time to push business the other way," the entrepreneur said. "They' re perfect gifts! What else are you going to take home when you go home from Beijing? A roast duck? A Plastered T-shirt? These cans are light, portable, you can just imagine someone' s face when they unwrap (打开) it for Christmas."
The few mouth-fulls of Beijing air come in standard tin cans featuring a couple of iconic city landmarks as well as a bitter description of the contents: "a unique mix of nitrogen, oxygen and some other stuff". The ironic (讽刺的) souvenirs cost 28 RMB (US $4) and are available at the Plastered 8 shop, as well as on its online shop. But if you're actually considering buying some, you'd better ask shop in advance, as they are virtually flying off the shelves. Johnson-Hill said that his shop is selling hundreds of Beijing air cans every day.
Personally, the well-sold can probably is an awakening for the public to be concerned about the living conditions. Yet one thing that’ s not particularly clear is whether the air is really collected from Beijing, as the cans are labeled as "Made in Shenzhen". There's a big chance that' s just a kind of Plastered 8 humor, as they also list "Choking Hazard" and "May have unidentified objects inside." as warnings.
Anyway, it is probably a unique way to arouse public awareness of protecting the environment.
1.What contributes to Dominic’s idea of canning and selling the poor quality air?
A.Try to get used to it. B.Sell it all over the world.
C.Can it as a souvenir. D.Try to push business the other way.
2.How may one feel when receiving canned Beijing air for Christmas?
A.Satisfied. B.Surprised.
C.Frightened. D.Refreshed.
3.Which of the following can replace the underlined word "stuff" in Paragraph 4？
A.liquids B.objects
C.minerals D.risks
4.What can we infer from the passage?
A.There are unidentified objects in the canned Beijing air.
B.The Plastered 8 souvenir shop is famous for its humour.
C.People should make efforts to protect the environment.
D.Dominic Johnson-Hill likes the poor quality air in Beijing.
Mary Krupa became friends with the grey squirrels during her first week at Penn State, after spotting them running around and idly wondering what they would look like with tiny hats on their heads. Today, everyone at the university knows her as the "Squirrel Girl".
Mary started bringing them food, and gradually they began to trust her. She managed to put a hat on a squirrel and take a picture. Thinking that her colleagues could do with something to lift their spirits, she started posting similar photos on Facebook. The response was greatly positive, and before long Mary and her squirrels became an Internet sensation.
Growing up in a neighborhood outside of State College, Mary was always fond of birds and animals around her home, but she didn't interact with people very much. She was later diagnosed (诊断) with Asperger's syndrome, but the squirrels changed that. "The squirrels help me break the ice, because I'll be sitting here patting a squirrel and other people will come over and well just start like feeding the squirrels together and chatting about them," she said, "I am a lot more outgoing."
And in case you're wondering how Mary is able to get the squirrels to do what she wants for her photos, it has a lot to do with food. For example, whenever she wants them to hold or play with something, she puts peanut butter on the prop (道具), and they'll grab it. But getting to that part took a while. In the beginning, she would throw peanuts up the trees on campus and invite the squirrels to come down and get them, but they hesitated to approach her. She had the patience to earn their trust, though.
This year, Mary is graduating with a degree in English and wildlife sciences. She wants to be a science writer and educate people on how to preserve the environment. As for her furry friends, Mary plans to stay in the area and visit them as often as she can.
1.What is the third paragraph mainly about?
A.The reason why Mary likes animals.
B.The reason why Mary was ill in the past.
C.The reason why people come to chat with her.
D.The big change squirrels bring to Mary.
2.What can we infer from the passage?
A.Mary is known as the "Squirrel Girl" in the community.
B.Mary was more fond of squirrels than any other animals.
C.Mary and squirrels received great attention on the internet.
D.Mary wishes to educate people on how to protect the animals.
3.How did Mary manage to take photos of squirrels wearing hats?
A.By putting them in cages.
B.By playing music to them.
C.By attracting them with colorful food.
D.By building a close relationship with them.
4.Which words can best describe Mary?
A.Patient and caring. B.Confident and strong.
C.Sociable and healthy. D.Traditional and hard-working.
Technology makes listening to holiday music easier than ever. There are endless sources to help you find your favorite Christmas tunes and many other songs. People have explored how to listen to holiday music with high-tech devices.
Apple Music
This is the first year you can use Apple Music to listen to holiday songs. Apple Music has more than 30 million songs and is available in over 100 countries.
Tell voice assistant Siri to "play holiday music" to open the music program on your iPhone, iPad or Apple TV. Apple Music app is available in the Google Play store, but not with a voice assistant.
For the first three months, you can use it for free. After that, users have to pay a subscription fee.
Google Play Music
Google Play Music is also in the holiday spirit. Go to the Google Play Music Holiday page and search for "holiday music."
Google Play Music is available for free if you don't mind the advertisements. If you do, buy a paid subscription to avoid them. Google Play Music offers more than 30 million songs from 58 countries.
Tune In Radio
Listen to radio stations with Tune In Radio. This is an online service and offers stations from all seven continents in the world, including Antarctica. Tune In Radio is available on your computer and is free to online users. In the United States, Britain and Canada, a paid subscription gives you more stations without advertisements.
1.What can we learn about Apple Music?
A.It is a new tool to listen to holiday music.
B.It is popular in over 100 countries.
C.It can only be used for three months.
D.It can only be used after the subscription .
2.According to the passage, Google Play Music _________.
A.is favored by young people B.can always be used for free
C.has the largest number of songs D.doesn't allow any advertisement
3.We can learn that Tune In Radio _________.
A.have over 30 million songs B.is available on our mobile device
C.offers stations from around the world D.is expensive in America and Canada
假定你是李华，你的美国朋友Peter想提高中文水平，进一步了解中国文化。请给他写一封信，推荐学习资源(resource)。内容包括：
1．学习资源：报纸、杂志及其他途径；
2．推荐理由；
3．表达祝愿。
注意：1．词数100左右；
2．可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3．开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。
Dear Peter，
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
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处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅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。
Life is full of variously experiences, some of them are unforgettable. I still remember the hiking experiences with my classmates for 16 kilometers a year later. That summer day, we set off early in the morning, think it would be a great fun to walk for so long a distance. However, with the weather getting hotter and hotter, I found their legs heavier and heavier. Worse still, my feet began bleeding because being pressed against the shoes a long time. At one point, I even wanted to give up. But I manage to drag the rest of the way to the destination. Though not pleasant, this journey was impressive or rewarding. I have learned that life is a long journey like this. No matter what happens, we should never give up.
