Read the following passage. Answer the questions according to the information given in the passage.
Indian’s snake charmers are to be retrained as wildlife teachers under a plan to prevent their unique skills and knowledge from being lost. The charmers, who make snakes dance to the sound of flutes, used to be a traditional feature of Indian life, performing in towns and villages, until they were banned in 1972 to control the trade in snake skins.
The government is now considering a plan to train the saperas, as they are known, to visit schools and zoos to tell children about forests and wildlife. There is also a proposal to set up a “dial a snake charmer” service to help householders to deal with unwelcome intruders.
“For generations they have been a feature of Indian life but now they can’t earn a living for fear of arrest,” said Behar Dutt, a conservationist behind the plans, “if a policeman doesn’t catch them, animal rights activists report them.”
Many snake charmers have continued to work clandestinely(暗中地) since the ban, despite the threat of up to three years in jail. But their trademark cloth-covered baskets, hung from a bamboo pole carried across their shoulders, make them an easy target for police.
The fate of Shisha Nath, 56, from Badarpur, a village just outside of New Delhi, is typical of practitioners(从业者) of the dying art. “I used to earn enough to support my family and send my children to school,” he said. “Now it’s hard to earn even $1 a day. My children want to be snake charmers. It’s our identity. We love the work. But it’s become impossible.”
Next month Dutt’s project to train 30 snake charmers will begin at a snake park in Pune, western India, where experts will enrich their home-grown skills with some formal knowledge.
More than the law, though, it is the dishonest attitude of their fellow countrymen that anger many snake charmers.
“We’re disturbed all the time but when people want a snake removed from the house, they rush to us,” said Prakash Nath, who was ordered recently to the home of Sonia Gandhi, the Congress party leader.
1. What do snake charmers usually do in India? (no more than 8 words) (2 marks)
2. How long will a saperas be in prison if he is caught during the ban? (no more than 3 words) (2 marks)
3.For what purpose will snake charmers in India be retrained as wildlife teachers?(no more than 10 words) (3 marks)
4.According to the passage, what will make snake charmers angry? (no more than 11 words) (3 marks)
Read the following passage. Complete the diagram by using the information from the passage. Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.
A device that stops drivers from falling asleep at the wheel is about to undergo testing at Department of Transport laboratories and could go on sale within 12 months. The system, called Driver Alert, aims to reduce deadly road accidents by 20%—40% that are caused by tiredness. Airline pilots can also use it to reduce the 30% of all pilot-error accidents that are related to fatigue(疲劳).
Driver Alert is based on a computerized wristband(表带). The device, worn by drivers or pilots, gives out a sound about every four minutes during a car journey. After each sound the driver must respond by squeezing the steering wheel(方向盘). A sensor in the wristband detects this pressing action and measures the time between the sound and the driver’s response. Tiredness is directly related to a driver’s response time. Usually, a watchful driver would take about 400 milliseconds to respond, but once that falls to more than 500 milliseconds, it suggests that the driver is getting sleepy.
In such cases the device gives out more regular and louder sounds, showing that the driver should open a window or stop for a rest. If the driver’s response continues to slow down, the sounds become more frequent until a nonstop alarm warns that the driver must stop as soon as possible.
The device has been delivered to the department’s laboratories for testing. If these tests, scheduled for six months’ time, are successful, the markets will bring the product to market within about a year.
1.Driver Alert
Ⅰ. 2. :
To reduce 3. accidents.
Ⅱ. Working principle:
● (the device) based on 4.
● (the device) giving out a sound 5.
● (the driver) 6. by squeezing the steering wheel
● (the device) giving out more regular and louder sounds when response time is 7.
● (the driver) stopping 8. if a nonstop alarm rings
Ⅲ. Present situation:
● (the device) still 9.
● (the device) to be brought to market within about 10. if the tests are
Stepfamilies are commonplace in the United States and their number continues to grow. While stepfamilies differ widely in their make-up, they all consist of a parenting couple and children, one or more of whom is of a previous union. Such combinations of his kids, her kids, and then, possibly, kids of the new union make for complicated and often trying difficulties, more challenging than those of traditional families.
Since stepfamilies involve more people and, consequently, more potential problems from the start than do childless new marriage, it is wise for the couple to do some careful planning prior to (=before) marriage. Not only do the prospective(预期的) marital partners need agreement about their own carriers, life goals, finance and special interests, they must also prepare for new relationship with their children and attempt to accommodate their individual needs and feelings. Furthermore, there are often the rights of other relatives to consider.
As for any family, the basic ingredient(成分) of a successful stepfamily are affection, kindness and mutual(相互的) respect. However, love alone is not enough. Certainly love is the cornerstone upon which the foundation of any family is built, but there are also many other important ingredients involved in building a successful stepfamily.
Surveys reveal that successful families regard the ability to communicate openly as the most important factor in their success. Communication is what keeps families on track and functioning as a unit. Although healthy communication is easier for some people than for others, this skill can be learned and improved. Healthy communication involves speaking clearly and listening carefully.
By their very nature, stepfamilies often are complicated by past events that give rise to ambivalent(矛盾的) loyalties, lingering(持久的) hurts, fears, feelings of guilt and unrealistic dreams. The difficulties that arise within the stepfamilies are human and understandable. However, there are ways to confront(面临) and resolve them. For example, support groups and professional counselors(法律顾问) are available in most communities to provide help and guidance when communications stopped and problems seem overwhelming(压倒性的).
Planning and building a stepfamily is not a responsibility to take lightly. It can be a very trying and, at times, seemingly impossible effort. Many potential troubles can arise and threaten to destroy the stepfamily. Nevertheless, meeting and mastering these special challenges can bring unexpected satisfactions and rewarding depths of family closeness and affection.
1.According to the passage, there are in the United States.
A.no stepfamilies
B.more stepfamilies than ever before
C.fewer stepfamilies than ever before
D.fewer stepfamilies than traditional ones
2.Which of the following can help avoid the potential problems arising in a stepfamily?
A.The pursuit of the same careers.
B.Professional interventions(干涉).
C.The development of special interests.
D.Careful planning before the marriage.
3. Many people believe that contributes most to the building of a successful stepfamily.
A.everlasting loyalties
B.open communication
C.kindness and mutual respect
D.persistent(持久稳固的) affection
4. It is natural for a stepfamily to be .
A.unrealistic
B.complicated
C.ambivalent
D.guilty
5.According to the author, planning and building a stepfamily is .
A.impossible
B.satisfying and rewarding
C.discouraging and frustrating
D.a difficult and trying experience
The history of nomenclature (命名) in Britain is so old that no one knows the beginning of the story. Since written history began, people have had names. It is therefore impossible to do more than guess at how the earliest given names were chosen. Most names appear to have had some sort of original meaning, usually descriptive, rather than being simply a pleasing collection of sounds.
These descriptive names developed both from nouns and adjectives. The Irish Gaelic people used descriptive nouns and adjectives which were meaningful. Early in prehistory some descriptive names began to be used again and again until they formed a name pool for that particular culture. Parents would choose names from the pool of existing names rather than invent new ones for their children.
With the rise of Christianity (基督教), Christians were encouraged to name their children after the holy people of the church. These early Christian names can be found in many cultures today, in various forms. The pool of names in use in England changed basically after the Norman came in 1066. Then French names of Germanic origin became popular within three generations. As a result names like Emma, Matilda, Richard, and William, became common in English nomenclature. At the same time a few Old English names, like Edward and Alfred remained because they were names of holy people or kings; others were kept because they were used with slight changes by Germanic names from the Normans like Robert.
Surnames developed from bynames, which are additional ones used to differentiate people with the same given name. These bynames fall into particular patterns. These started out as specific to a person and were taken down from father to son between the twelfth and sixteenth century. The noble usually used taken-down surnames early or the peasants did so later.
1.We can infer from the text that .
A.the first given names had not any actual meanings
B.people probably had names when there was no written language
C.the history of nomenclature is shorter than written history
D.names began to be used long after there was written language
2. The underlined word “they” (in Para.3) refers to “ ”.
A.Old English names B.other names
C.names of Germanic origin D.names of holy people
3.According to the text, which of the following statements is TRUE?
A.Robert is a Germanic name from the Normans.
B.Church didn’t encourage nomenclature used in the church.
C.Names like Emma and William were the most popular in 1066.
D.Names like Edward and Alfred were French names of Germanic origin.
4. Give the right order of surname development in history.
(a)People used bynames to differ people with the same given names.
(b)People chose given names from the pool of existing names.
(c)Bynames started out as specific to a person.
(d)Surnames became popular with common people.
(e)Surnames were taken down from father to son in noble families.
A.b-a-e-c-d B.a-b-c-d-e C.a-b-c-e-d D.b-a-c-e-d
5. Which group of words can best describe the development of British nomenclature?
A.Additional, Particular and Various
B.Meaningful, Christian and Foreign
C.Descriptive, Meaningful and Germanic
D.Old English-styled, Christian and Original
Further education is officially described as the“post-secondary stage of education, comprising all vocational(职业的) and non-vocational provision made for young people who have left school, or for adults”. Further education thus embraces the vast range of university, technical, commercial, and art education and the wide field of adult education. It is this sector of education, which is concerned with education beyond the normal school-leaving ages of 16 or 18, that has experienced the most astonishing growth in the number of students.
In the 19th century the dominance(统治地位) of Oxford and Cambridge was challenged by the rise of the civic(城市的) universities, such as London, Manchester, and Birmingham. Following the lead of the 18th century German universities and responding to a public demand for increased opportunity for higher education, Britain’s new civic universities quickly acquired recognition—not only in technological fields but also in the fine and liberal arts.
Many new post-school technical colleges were founded in the early 20th century. The Fisher Act of 1918 empowered the local authorities to levy(征收) a rate (tax) to finance such colleges. The universities, on the other hand, received funds from the central government through the University Grants Committee, established in 1911 and recognized in 1920, after World War I.
A new type of technical college was established in the 1960s—the polytechnic, which provides mainly technological courses of university level as well as courses of a general kind in the arts and sciences. Polytechnics are chartered to award degrees validated(使有效) by a Council for National Academic Awards.
Thus, the third level in the United Kingdom is made up of colleges of further education, technical colleges, polytechnics, and universities. The colleges offer full-time and part-time courses beyond compulsory-school level. Polytechnics and universities are mainly responsible for degrees and research. The innovative Open University, with its flexible admission policy and study arrangements, opened in 1971. It uses various media to provide highly accessible and flexible higher education for working adults and other part-time students. It serves as an organizational model and provides course-materials for similar institutions in other countries.
Changes in British education in the second half of the 20th century have, without changing the basic values in the system, extended education by population, level, and content. New areas for expansion include immigrant cultural groups and multicultural content, the accommodation of special needs, and the development of tools and content in the expanding fields of microelectronics.
1.The first paragraph is written to explain of further education.
A.the development B.the history
C.the definition D.the prospects(前景)
2.The new civic universities in Britain .
A.replaced the dominance of Oxford and Cambridge
B.provided further education for all the people who need it
C.met the increased demand of the public for higher education
D.immediately followed the establishment of polytechnic colleges
3.Post-school technical colleges .
A.were completely free of charge
B.were usually financed by local taxes
C.depended mainly on students’ tuition(学费)
D.received funds from the central government
4. Further education is .
A.only for adult students
B.part-time rather than full-time
C.non-vocational rather than vocational
D.created for both young people and adults
5.The proper title for this passage should be “ ”.
A.British Further Education
B.Changes in British Education
C.Polytechnics and Universities in Britain
D.Less Opportunity for Higher Education
Complete the following passage by filling in each blank with one word that best fits the context.
On November 2nd San Francisco became the first major US city to pass a law on controlling give-away toys with unhealthy restaurant meals marketed at kids.
1.______law will take effect on December 1, 2011. It is required that kids’ meals
2.
meet certain nutritional standards 3. they can be sold with free toys.
McDonald’s officials were angry with the decision,4. effectively bans their popular Happy Meals.
But supporters say5. aims to promote healthy habits while combating child obesity(肥胖). “This is a challenge to the restaurant industry to think about children’s health first,” said San Francisco Supervisor Eric Mar.
About 15 percent of American 6. are overweight or obese, which puts them 7. risk of developing heart disease, cancer, etc. In some states, the childhood obesity rate is over 30 percent.
McDonald’s started to sell the Happy Meals in 1979 with toys. In 2006, fast-food companies spent more than $520 million on advertising and toys to promote meals 8. children, according to the US government.