Which is sillier: denying we ever went to the moon or trying to convince the true nonbelievers?
Once upon a time – July 20, 1969, to be specific – two men got out of their little spaceship and wandered around on the moon for a while. Ten more men walked on the moon over the next three and a half years. The end.
Unfortunately, not quite. A fair number of Americans think that this whole business of moon landings really is a fairy tale. They believe that the landings were a big hoax (骗局) staged in the Mojave Desert, to convince everyone that U.S. technology was the “bestest” in the whole wide world.
Which is the harder thing to do: Send men to the moon or make believe we did? The fact is the physics behind sending people to the moon is simple. You can do it with computers whose entire memory capacities can now fit on chips the size of postage stamps and that cost about as much as, well, a postage stamp. I know you can because we did.
However, last fall NASA considered spending $15,000 on a public-relations campaign to convince the unimpressed that Americans had in fact gone to the moon. That idea was mostly a reaction to a Fox television program, first aired in February 2001, that claimed to expose the hoax. The show’s creator is a publicity hound (猎狗) who has lived up to the name in more ways than one by hounding Buzz Aldrin, the second man on the moon. Mr. X (as I will call him, thereby denying him the joyous sight of his name in print) recently followed Buzz Aldrin around and called him “a thief, liar and coward” until the 72-year-old astronaut finally lost it and hit the 37-year-old Mr. X in the face.
Anyway, NASA’s publicity campaign began to slow down. The nonbelievers took the campaign as NASA’s effort to hide something while the believers said that $15,000 to convince people that the world was round — I mean, that we had gone to the moon — was simply a waste of money. (Actually, the $15,000 was supposed to pay for an article by James E. Oberg, an astronomy writer who, with Aldrin, has contributed to Scientific American.)
If NASA’s not paying Oberg, perhaps it could put the money to good use by hiring two big guys to drag Neil Armstrong out of the house. Armstrong is an extremely private man, but he is also the first man on the moon, so maybe he has a duty to be a bit more outspoken about the experience. Or NASA could just buy Aldrin a commemorate plaque (纪念匾) for his recent touch on the face of Mr. X.
1.We can learn from Paragraphs 2 and 3 that some Americans believe _______.
A．moon landings were invented
B．U.S. technology was the best
C．moon landing ended successfully
D．the Mojave Desert was the launching base
2.According to the writer, which of the following is to blame for the story about the hoax?
A．NASA’s publicity campaign. B．The Fox television program.
C．Buzz Aldrin. D．James E. Oberg.
3.According to the writer, Mr. X _______.
A．told a faithful story B．was not treated properly
C．was a talented creator D．had a bad reputation
4.The believers think that NASA’s publicity campaign is ________.
A．proof to hide the truth
B．stupid and unnecessary
C．needed to convince the non-believers
D．important to develop space technology
5.The tone of the article is _______.
A．angry B．conversational C．humorous D．matter-of-fact
“Confidence” is probably one of the most noticeable traits(品质)in the Americans. They show confidence in the way they talk, the way they smile, the way they dress and the way they walk. Living and competing with all these confidence American students, I find it extremely important to be confident as an international student and instructor. As a student, being confident means you should never hesitate to raise your hand whenever a question or a point comes to your mind. Don’t mind if it sounds simple or silly. Otherwise you will never get a chance to speak in class at all. What’s worse, the professors may think you are not prepared for the discussion or you do not have your own opinion on the issue-this is the last comment any graduate would like to receive。
Being confidence for me as a foreign instructor means calmly asking the student to repeat what he or she has said if I did not get it. Pretending to understand what you actually did not may just bring yourself embarrassment or even disgrace. But the time I most need to be confident is when my students come to my office and bargain about the grades I have given for their Speeches。(The course I’m teaching here is Public Speaking). Modesty is a trait highly valued in China, but it won’t be of much help here if you want to survive and succeed in a good American graduate program．
1.To compete with American students it’s very important to
A．be quite confident
B．be polite and friendly
C．have more discussions with
D．understand what they think about
2.A professor will have the worst opinion of a student who
A．gives a silly or simple answer
B．tries to seize any chance to speak in class
C．shows no interest in the course
D．is considered to have no opinion of his own
3.The author is most likely to feel embarrassed if
A．he asks a student to repeat what he has said
B．the students bargain with him
C．he pretends to know what he doesn’t
D．he has to give a speech
4.We learn from the second paragraph that
A．we should also remain modest in America
B．modesty doesn’t help modest in America
C．American also like modest people
D．modesty can help you through an American graduate program
5.What can we infer from the passage?
A．American students are ready to accept the grades from the teacher.
B．The writer teaches in Europe for a living.
C．Students are encouraged to present simple questions.
D．One’s ignorance will give away in time.
For the last couple of weeks, I had been stuck in front of my computer working on a project that was very important to me. My every waking hour was consumed by the project and although I imagined that I would feel happy after completing parts of the project, I was confused to find that instead, I was feeling rather depressed. I tried a range of methods to help cheer myself up. I had a relaxing bath, cooked a delicious meal to enjoy with my family and even watched a lighthearted movie, but to no avail. It was only when I turned to meditation(沉思)for a solution that the answer came to me: turn to nature!
The very next day, I grabbed my camera and a bottle of water and set off to spend a few hours walking in a nature reserve, even though it was pouring with rain. Within a couple of minutes I felt alive again. To be honest, I felt like a young school girl again and had to stop myself from hopping along the path singing, "I'm singing in the rain", a song I used to sing when I was a child. I think as adults we often try too hard to control our inner children and as a result we restrain(限制) our own spirits, which only leads to depression and stress.
Interestingly, it has been shown that people who spend 40 minutes walking in a nature reserve have a drop in their blood pressure levels, but this does not happen when they spend a similar amount of time walking in a busy city centre.
If you feel a little low in spirit and know that you have spent too much time indoors, relax completely, remove your shoes and let your inner child come out and play.
1.The author felt depressed because she __________.
A．couldn't consume her waking hour
B．had not seen a film for a long time.
C．had not finished her work on time
D．had worked on a hard job for too long
2.The author walked in a nature reserve in the rain in order to__________.
A．take photos B．find a solution to the project
C．hop along the path D．cheer herself up
3.The underlined part "to no avail" in Paragraph 1 probably means " __________.".
A．unsuccessful B．unrelated C．uninteresting D．unexpected
4.In the author's opinion, __________.
A．a bath can make people relaxed
B．depression is usually caused by hard work
C．walking in a busy city centre harms people's health
D．adults should express their inner feelings freely
5.The last paragraph mainly serves as a(n) __________.
A．explanation B．suggestion C．introduction D．reminder
For high school leavers starting out in the working world，it is very important to learn particular skills and practice how to behave in an interview or how to find all internship(实习)．In some countries，schools have programs to help students onto the path to work．In the Unites States，however，such programs are still few and far between．
Research shows that if high schools provide career-related courses，students are likely to get higher earnings in later years．The students are more likely to stay in school，graduate and go on to higher education．
In Germany，students as young as 13 and 14 are expected to do internships．German companies work with schools to make sure that young people get the education they need for future employment．
But in America, education reform programs focus on how well students do in exams instead of bringing them into contact with the working world．Harvard Education school professor Robert
Schwartz has criticized education reformers for trying to place all graduates directly on the four-year college track．Schwartz argued that this approach leaves the country’s most vulnerable(易受影响的)kids with no jobs and no skills．
Schwartz believed that the best career programs encourage kids to go for higher education while also teaching them valuable practical skills at high sch001．James Madison High School in New York，for example，encourages students to choose classes on career—based courses．The school then helps them gain on—the-job experience in those fields while they’re still at high school．
However，even for teens whose schools encourage them to connect with work，the job market is daunting．In the US，unemployment rates for 16-to 19-year-olds are above 20 percent for the third summer in a row．
“The risk is that if teenagers miss out on the Summer job experience，they become part of this generation of teens who had trouble in landing a job，”said Michael，a researcher in the US.
1.In the author’s opinion．American high school leavers__________.
A．have enough career-related courses
B．need more career advice from their schools
C．perform better in exams than German students
D．can get higher earnings in later years
2.According to Robert Schwartz，_________．
A．there is no need for kids to go for higher education in the US
B．students should get contact with the working world at high school
C．education reform should focus on students’performance in exams
D．teenagers in the US can’t miss out on the summer job experience
3.What can be inferred from the text?
A．Unemployment rates for US teenagers remain hi曲at the moment．
B．Students with career—based courses never have problems finding a job．
C．US companies work with schools to prepare young people for future employment．
D．High school leavers with no practical skills can’t find a job absolutely
4.What’S the main idea of the text?
A．Arguments about recent US education reform．
B．Tips on finding jobs for high school leavers．
C．The lack of career—based courses in US high schools
D．Advice for American high school leavers
5.The underlined word “daunting” in Paragraph 6 most probably means___________.
A．discouraging B．interesting C．creative D．unbearable
What do Chinese college graduates have in common with ants? The recent 16 Ant Tribes about the life of some young people 17 flock （群集） to Beijing after 18 university，describes the graduates，like ants，as smart but 19 as individuals，drawing strength from living together in communities.
The book，which is based 20 two years of interviews with about 600 low-income college graduates in Beijing， 21 in mid-September，about a month ahead of an announcement by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security that 74% of the 6.11 million new graduates from universities and colleges had been 22 by Sept．1.
The book’s chief editor，Lian Sir，tells that piece of statistic says23 about the real situation for many of these graduates．“I am always 24 how many of these employed college graduates are leading a happy life,” Lian said．“I hope this book could offer a window on these graduates，whose stories are __25 known.”
The setting of the book is several so-called “settlement villages for college students” in the outskirts （市郊） of Beijing，where a large 26 of college graduates 27 ．Most of these graduates work for 28 or medium-sized businesses， 29 less than 2,000 Yuan a month．They live together because it’s 30: The rent in these communities is only around 350 Yuan a month．Many of them travel several hours a day for short-term jobs or job interviews.
Tangjialing，a small 31 20 kilometers from Tian’anmen Square，has around 3,000 32 villagers，but has become a 33 for more than 50,000 migrants （移民），most of whom 34 from universities or colleges all over the country．Lian describes the students’ 35 as five or six-storey buildings built by local farmers with 12 rooms on each floor and two or three people crammed （挤） together in each room of about 10 square meters．Up to 70 or 80 people share the same toilet and kitchen.
1. A．film B．story C．book D．magazine
2. A．who B．what C．which D．whose
3. A．leaving B．entering C．visiting D．enjoying
4. A．necessary B．meaningless C．important D．strong
5. A．in B．on C．at D．for
6. A．came up B．came on C．came along D．came out
7. A．fired B．interviewed C．employed D．trained
8. A．much B．little C．some D．more
9. A．wondering B．researching C．studying D．telling
10. A．seldom B．well C．always D．often
11. A．deal B．plenty C．amount D．number
12. A．work B．go C．relax D．live
13. A．small B．big C．famous D．unknown
14. A．earning B．thinking C．shopping D．paying
15. A．expensive B．comfortable C．cheap D．convenient
16. A．city B．town C．community D．village
17. A．original B．young C．rich D．poor
18. A．school B．hotel C．home D．company
19. A．come B．differ C．graduate D．suffer
20. A．lives B．dormitories C．buildings D．restaurants
下面的柱状图（bar chart）显示了不同年龄段孩子与父母谈心的情况
根据上图信息，请以“Heat-to-Heart Talks with Parents”为题，用英语写一篇100词左右的短文。要求如下：
简要描述图中 信息；
说明原因（如忙于学习或工作、缺少共同话题……）
谈谈你的看法。
注意：文章的标题和开头已给出（不计词数）。可根据内容适当增减细节，使语句连贯、符合逻辑、表达准确。
Heart-to-Heart Talks with Parents
As is shown in the bar chart,
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