A Canadian University is trying a new way to help reduce students' exam-time stress: dogs.
Dalhousie University is filling a room on campus with dogs from Dec.4 through Dec.6 for students to visit and play with the animals between exams. The pet room will be open for two hours(9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.) on the first two days and for five hours (9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.; 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.) on the third day. The dogs will be provided by Therapeutic Paws of Canada, a non-profit organization that trains animals to help people with practical needs.
Dalhousie’s student union posted an advertisement for the pet room on its Facebook page and within 24 hours, it was shared nearly 2,000 times. Hundreds of students expressed their excitement over the pet room on the Facebook.
Athea Costello wrote, ''This is the best idea ever! ''
Michelle Presse wrote, ''Thank you! I'm so excited. I already feel less stressed now. ''
Alumni complained the pet room wasn't offered when they attended this university (this is the first time the school is offering it).
''I think it should be open to alumni. Although we have already finished the exams and graduated, we are still stressed, '' Lola Doucet wrote.
Some dog owners offered up their own pets for the students, but the student union said only trained dogs are allowed to participate.
Dogs have been helping students at a number of U.S. universities, as well.
From Kent State University in Ohio to Macalester College in Minnesota, more and more dogs are around campus during exams to help students relax.
Richelle Reid, a law librarian who started Emory's pet therapy program said, ''it has had positive effects, helping them to just have a moment to clear their minds and not have to think about studies, not to have to think about books. ''
At Harvard Medical School and Yale Law School, students can ''rent'' pets for some alone time.
1.When could a student visit the pet room?
A.At 11:30 a.m. on Dec. 6
B.At 8:00 a.m. on Dec. 5
C.At 3:00 p.m. on Dec. 6
D.At 3:00 p.m. on Dec. 5
2.From the comments on the blog, we can know ____.
A.someone has already felt the effects of animals
B.many students knew nothing about the new way
C.the university offered the pet room every year
D.some students complained the pet room was useless
3.The pets mainly help the students _____.
A.have a richer college life
B.prepare for the exams better
C.learn a skill for the future
D.relax from the study stress
4.Alumni (underlined in Para. 6) refer to those ____.
A.who have graduated from college
B.who will take exams in a few days
C.who love pets very much
D.who feel extremely stressed
If you think about World Heritage Sites, you probably think of places connected with ancient art and culture, historic buildings and monuments. And of course, many of these are on the World Heritage List (WHL)(世界遗产名录). But the WHL contains a lot of sites that are not so obvious. Let's look at a few of them.
Robben Island in South Africa
This island was used through the centuries as a prison, hospital and military base. But it's probably most famous as a maximum-security prison for political prisoners in the twentieth century. Nelson Mandela was one of its most famous residents. The WHL says it represents ''the triumph of democracy(民主))and freedom over oppression and racism''.
Borders of France and Spain
This is an area of great natural beauty and the mountains have many interesting geological formations. But it is also an area of small farms. People there still use a type of agriculture that used to be common in mountainous areas of Europe in the 17th century but that has almost completely disappeared in modern times.
The city of Brasilia, Brazil
Brasilia is a capital city that was created from nothing in 1956. The WHL calls it ''a landmark in the history of town planning''. The different areas of the city and the buildings themselves were all designed at the same time carefully. Every part of the city shows the ideas of the planners and architects.
Simien National Park, Ethiopia
Simien National Park was one of the first sites to be listed in 1978. It is one of the highest mountain areas in Africa, and the WHL calls it ''one of the most spectacular landscapes in the world''. It is also important for its wildlife. The population of some rare animals is getting smaller and smaller.
1.Which of the following sites was listed on the WHL for its political symbol?
A.Robben Island in South Africa. B.The city of Brasilia, Brazil.
C.Borders of France and Spain. D.Simien National Park, Ethiopia.
2.The WHL has listed Borders of France and Spain probably because____.
A.people there still use a type of agriculture that is common in Europe in modern times
B.this is an area of great natural beauty
C.the mountains there have many interesting geological formations
D.it shows us past European society by the type of agriculture
3.Which of the following sites is famous for the wonderful plan of buildings?
A.Robben Island in South Africa. B.Borders of France and Spain.
C.The city of Brasilia, Brazil D.Simien National Park, Ethiopia.
4.The passage mainly talks about____.
A.the remains of ancient cultures on the WHL
B.some of the less well-known sites on the WHL
C.the household heritage sites on the WHL
D.important places of art and culture
Earthquake rescue robots have experienced their final tests in Beijing. Their designers say that with these robots, rescue workers will be able to have more time to save more lives during an earthquake.
This robot looking like a helicopter(直升机) is called the flying robot . It's about 3 meters long, and it took about 4 years to develop the model. Its main functions(作用)are to collect information from the air, and send goods of up to 30 kilos to people trapped by an earthquake. It has a high-definition 360-degree panoramic(全景的) camera. It can work day and night and is also able to send the latest pictures from the quake area.
Dr. Qi Juntong, a researcher at Chinese Academy of Science, said, ''Unlike other automatic machines, the most important feature of this flying robot is that it doesn't need a distant control. We just set the destination information on it, and then it takes off, and lands by itself. It flies as high as 3,000 meters, and as fast as 100 kilometers per hour. ''
This robot has another different function --- it can change as the environment changes. Its main job is to search for any signs of life in places where human rescuers are unable to go. As well as a detector(探测器)that finds victims and detects poisonous gas, a camera is placed in the 3-meter-long robot, which can work in the dark. Another use for the rescuers is the supply bot, with its 10-meter-long pipe, people who are trapped in the ruins will be able to get supplies including oxygen and liquids.
Experts have said that the robots will enter production and serve as part of the national earthquake rescue team as soon as next year.
1.What can we learn about from the passage?
A.It hasn't been put into production so far.
B.It is a machine with a length of 10 meters.
C.It is a machine carried by a helicopter.
D.It weighs about 30 kilos.
2.Dr. Qi Juntong thinks this robot is different from the others mainly because ___.
A.it has more functions
B.it has a more advanced camera
C.it can change as the environment changes
D.it can work by itself once given the information
3.The underlined word ''which'' in Paragraph 4 refers to___.
A.a camera B.a detector C.a rescuer D.a doctor
4.What is the passage mainly about?
A.The appearance of the robot. B.An introduction to the robot.
C.The reason for making the robot. D.Some information about earthquakes.
Norman Borlaug, who is making a difference, is known around the world. He is often described as the man who has saved more lives than any other person in history. Norman Borlaug is considered the father of what has been called the Green Revolution. His ideas about agriculture increased the crop production and ended hunger in many nations. Mr. Borlaug continues to be a leader among agricultural researchers.
Norman Borlaug was born in 1914 on a farm in the American state of Iowa. In the middle of the 20th century, the world population was expanding faster than the food production. Experts said many people in developing countries would face starvation (饥饿).
Norman Borlaug was an agricultural researcher at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center in Mexico. He developed methods of growing wheat that increased the amount harvested by three times. He later repeated this success in India, Pakistan and Africa.
His methods of farming saved millions of people who would have starved to death. Norman Borlaug was given the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts in 1970.
Norman Borlaug is still urging experts to think about the needs of people around the world. His latest concern is a disease in wheat called UG99. He says it has the power to destroy most of the wheat being grown around the world. He says reductions in agricultural programs have made it harder to take action against such threats.
Mr. Borlaug's granddaughter Julie works at the center named after him at Texas A&M University in Dallas. She says his worry about food problems rises from the belief that hunger is unacceptable. She says Norman Borlaug still believes it is our responsibility as human beings to feed one another.
1.Norman Borlaug was ____ years old when he was given the Nobel Prize.
A.99 B.94 C.65 D.56
2.In the passage, the writer tries to ____.
A.express his respect for Norman Borlaug
B.describe Norman Borlaug and his research
C.show an interest in Norman Borlaug's research
D.introduce Norman Borlaug's own life in America
3.Which of the following statements about UG99 is TRUE?
A.UG99 is a modern software virus.
B.UG99 is a virus that appeared in 1999.
C.UG99 caused increase in agricultural output.
D.UG99 is a disease that does great harm to the wheat.
听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1.What did the speaker want to do as a teenager?
A.Study whatever he wanted.
B.Take a part-time job.
C.Drop out of school.
2.What did the father do after hearing the son’s plan?
A.He took his son to the factory.
B.He called his son’s teacher.
C.He bought his son many books.
3.What did the speaker think of the local factory later?
A.It was terrible.
B.It was fun.
C.It was quiet.
4.What does the speaker do now?
A.He teaches language.
B.He works at the United Nations.
C.He studies at a famous college.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.What is the woman’s telephone number?
A.456-8316.
B.456-8136.
C.454-5454.
2.Where did the man store the telephone number?
A.In his cell phone. B.In his notebook. C.In his head.
3.How many telephone numbers can the man remember?
A.About 456. B.About 81. C.About 100.
4.How can the man remember so many numbers?
A.He has a trick to remember the numbers.
B.He calls the numbers very often.
C.He arranges every number in order.
