Turning on the TV, a wonderful scene comes to your eyes---- a group of men, tall, strong and handsome. and women , young, beautiful and attractive, too. Together they eat in the finest restaurant, traveling everywhere around the world by luxurious planes and pleasure ships. They are models.
Do you envy them? What sort of life are model leading? Is it a wonderful life for a young lady or a young man?
A few models are well-known actors or actresses who can make a big money only by showing themselves off in commercials. But the majority of them are just curious to see what it is like. They’d like to be models just because they are attracted by what they imagine— models earn a lot of money and lead a glorious life. This is true for those who are very successful. However, most models find it difficult to get work. Very few can earn enough to live on, and for all models their expenses are high.Their agents claim about 20% of the earnings, and no model will get very far without a clever agent. Besides, they have to buy good clothing. They also have to pay to travel to interviews and reach the places where the work is to be done.
Interviews for a model job are known as cattle-markets in the modelling world, and not without a good reason. A top model can choose his or her work, demand and receive high fee and has his or her expenses paid. But for most models, the situation is quite different. An agent or employer inspects each model much as a farmer inspects cattle at a market. Intelligence, qualifications and personal characteristics count for little against good looks and the tight figure. For all except the very few lucky ones, the life of a model is a continual search for work, trying to sell herself or himself in the face of fierce competition and, sometimes, not particularly moral standard on the part of some employers.
Immigration officials at airport look suspiciously at a girl whose passport shows her occupation as “Model”, and these are men and women of considerable experience of the world. If comes no surprise to find that some models prefer to put “Secretary” or “Businessman” as their jobs in their passports.
Modelling is a changeable world with great rewards for a tiny minority but not for the majority.
1.For models, their good looks and tight figures are_____ , compared with their qualifications and intelligence.
A． more important B． less needed
C．less essential D．more looked down upon
2.Which of the following can lead you to believe according to the passage?
A．A model’s travelling expenses are usually paid by his employer.
B．To be a model ,good looks are the most important qualification.
C．Most models have a fairly easy way of life with high pay.
D．A model can hardly be successful without a good agent.
3.Models often put “Secretary” or“Businessmen” instead of“Model” in their passports because
.
A．they want to avoid being stopped to sign their names by fans
B．a person with the occupation of a model is easily attacked by black societies.
C．models are sometimes looked down upon
D．secretaries and businessmen are free of Customs duty
4.What may be the author’s attitude toward modelling?
A．It is a worthwhile life for a young lady or a young man.
B． He is in favour of young people to try modelling.
C． Before being crazy about a model job ,young people should be aware of the difficulties.
D．It is a field in which everyone has a great chance to succeed.
5.The underlined word “suspiciously” can most probably be replaced by ________
A．doubtfully B．excitedly C．proudly D．sadly
Not long ago, making a baby boy or a baby girl was pretty much a hit-or-miss affair, but not any more now. Parents who have accuracy, as Monique and Scott Collins learned to their delight two years ago, when their long-wished-for daughter Jessica was born after genetic pre-screening at a fertility clinic in Fairfax, Virginia.
And baby Jessica is just the beginning. Within a decade or two, it may be possible to screen kids almost before pregnancy(怀孕) , such as how tall they are likely to be, what baby type they will have, their hair and eye color, and even their IQ and personality types.
In fact , if gene therapy lives up to its promise, parents may some day be able to go beyond weeding out undesirable trials and start actually inserting the genes they want, perhaps even genes that have been crafted in a lab. Parents may be going to fertility clinics and picking from a list of choices the way car buyers order air conditioning or wheels. “It’s the most exciting shopping” experience designing your baby.” says biotechnology（生物工艺学） critic, Jeremy Rifkin, who is concerned about the prospect（前景）. “In a society that is used to cosmetic surgery（整形手术）, this is not a big step.”
The prospect of designer babies, like many of the ethical（伦理）problems caused by the genetic revolution, is causing the doctors, ethicists, religious leaders and politicians of the whole world to start a fierce conflict , who are trying to decide how they feel about it all.
They still have a bit of time. Apart from gender, the only trails that can now be identified at the earliest stages of development are about a dozen of the most serious genetic diseases. Gene therapy in embryos（胚胎） is at least a few years away. And the gene or combination of genes responsible for most of our physical and mental attributes hasn’t even been identified yet, so the idea of engineering genes in or out is of no practical meaning.
1.What is gene therapy supposed to do if it lives up to its promise?
A．Screen a baby for sex. B． Choose a baby’ s eve color.
C． Implant genes. D． Identify genetic disorder.
2.According to the passage , what scientists can do with the genetic testing technology now is to_______.
A．screen a baby’s sex B．screen babies for desirable qualities
C．put in genes parents want D．craft genes in a lab
3.What can best describe Jeremy Rifkin’s attitude toward designing babies through gene therapy?
A．Strongly supportive B． Warmly welcome.
C．Uninterested. D． Critical.
4.From the passage we know that .
A．designing babies is purely scientific not to cause ethical problems
B．designing babies may bring people a lot of ethical concerns
C．scientists are now working against time to design babies
D． people are concerned about the harm clone to science by designing babies
When Xia Min started drinking alcohol with classmates to celebrate her friend’ s birthday, she didn’t realize a tragedy was drawing near. She drank a lot and fell into a coma. The 15-year-old girl from Chongqing never recovered, leaving great sorrow for her family and friends. Xia’ s death is a warning to other students and society. As more and more teenagers are drinking alcohol , the government recently passed a new rule to stop them.
Teens are not allowed to buy or drink alcohol. Shops are not allowed to sell it to them and must display warning signs. The rule will go into effect on January 1 ,2006.
A 1999 Chinese law forbade’ shops to sell alcohol to underage youths. But it is not taken seriously by shopkeepers because it lacks specific punishments.
Experts hope the new rule will work. It sets a 2,000 yuan fine for those who sell alcohol to underage youths. China doesn’t have a legal drinking age.But in China” underage” has been understood to mean under 18.
“I tasted alcohol when having the dinner of the last Spring Festival Eve, “said Liang Yuqi, a 16-year-old girl in Xiamen.She believes that the new rule will stop students’ curiosity about alcohol and help them grow in a healthy way. “Although it may be a little disappointing not to have beer at celebrations, I think soft drinks can serve as well, “she said.
1.The passage is mainly about ________
A．the harmful effects of drinking alcohol
B．the legal age for drinking alcohol
C．a new rule to stop underage drinking
D．students’ ideas about drinking alcohol
2.What can we know from the passage?
A． According to the new rule ,it is illegal for underage youths to drink alcohol.
B．In China there has been no law to forbid shops to sell alcohol to underage youths.
C．Without an ID card, young people can’t buy alcohol.
D．It seems that the young girl, Liang Yuqi, likes to drink alcohol.
3.We can conclude from the passage that _________
A．China’s legal drinking age is clearly defined to be under 16
B．whether the new rule can work still remains to be seen
C． shoppers for alcohol must show their proof of age
D．many teens prefer to drink alcohol to show they’ ye grown up
Terry Thomas has a very boring job ,although it pays very well .What Terry does is sitting in a rowboat all day long .He makes $ 16.37 an hour ,which is certainly an excellent wage for sitting in a little boat and doing nothing.
The boat stays all day under a bridge that is being rebuilt. There is a distance of about 100 feet between the boat and the workers on the bridge overhead. The rest of Terry’s fellow workers are up on the bridge working . Terry’s job is to rescue anyone who falls off the bridge into the water. So far, no one has given him anything to do .Although he’s delighted that none of his companions has fallen into the water, he also admits that the job is very boring because there is nothing to do.
No one on the work crew really wants duty on the boat. But the job is a union requirement ,and it must be filled. To quality for the job, a person must be an excellent swimmer and have training in lifesaving skills. Only a few men on the work crew meet those standards. Before Terry took the boat job, several others had it and gave up because they found it so tedious.
What does Terry do in his little boat all day? He spends a good bit of time making sure that his suntan lotion is adequate for the job of protecting his skin. He reads and listens to the radio .Each day he looks forward to lunch and then to quitting time.
1.What’s the best title for the passage?
A．A Boring Job B．The Man in a Rowboat
C．A Job of Great Skill D．Hard Physical Labor
2.Another word for the underlined word “tedious” is .
A．difficult B．boring C．serious D．tiring
3.Terry uses the suntan lotion because .
A．he likes the smell B．he’s out in the sun all day
C．his shirt is torn D．it keeps the fly away
4.The best part of Terry’s job is .
A．the books they give him B．getting to work with his friends
C．the chance of promotion D．the pay, lunch, and quitting time
Greenwich is on the River Thames. It is five miles from the middle of 1. The first English people were fishermen there, 2they named the place Greenwich, meaning “green village”. Later the English kings and queens lived at Greenwich in their beautiful palaces.
The 3of the earliest palace was Placentia. Henry VIII lived there .He knew that England must be 4at sea. So he started two big shipyards at Greenwich, and for 350 5the ships made there were the best in the world.
But trouble was coming to Greenwich. In 1649, a war 6in England and a for eleven yesrs there was no king. The men who worked for him at Placentia 7to live in the palace themselves. 8sold all its beautiful things and bought small pieces of the palace garden with money. 9, the war ended and King Charles II came 10. But Placentia was falling down. So King Charles II built a new and 11palace, which is now open to the public.
At this time, Charles was 12about losing so many of its ships at sea. So in 1675, Charles 13John Flam Steed, the first astronomer in England, try to find the 14. Flam Steed worked in a new building on the high ground in Greenwich Park. 15it, with a telescope which he made himself, Flam Steed could look all around the 16. And he did night after night, for twenty years. Carrying on Flam Steed’s work a hundred years 17, an astronomer called Garrison finally made a 18which told the time at sea, and help 19to know there they were . Because of Flam Steed’s work, every 20in the world now tells its time by Greenwich time.
1.A．London B．Paris C．Berlin D．Brussels
2.A．because B．and C．but D．so
3.A．title B．shape C．name D．form
4.A．great B．helpful C． strong D．brave
5.A．months B．days C．weeks D．years
6.A．started B．found C．needed D．wanted
7.A．moved B．rushed C．hurried D．decided
8.A．He B．They C．We D．She
9.A．Unfortunately B．Finally C．Mainly D．Gladly
10.A．back B．out C．around D．along
11.A．smaller B．higher C．stronger D．bigger
12.A．interested B．worried C．excited D．puzzled
13.A．got B．helped C．made D．forced
14.A．key B．answer C．question D．problem
15.A．From B．On C．at D．over
16.A．sea B．palace C．park D．sky
17.A．ago B．later C．before D．after
18.A．clock B．computer C．compass D．beacon
19.A．drivers B．workers C．sailors D．farmers
20.A．watch B．country C．ship D．scientist
—Two tickets for Friday evening.
—Sorry, we’ve got left.
A．no one B．quite a few C．nothing D．none
