People without homes have always been present in America.In the past,they were called hobos,bums,or drifters.It was not until the early 1980s that these people received a new name,when activists named them the homeless.
The types of people who were homeless also changed in the 1980s.No longer were they primarily older men.They were younger,with an average age of 35.Their numbers consisted of women,children,adolescents and entire families.They were of many races and cultures.No longer were they only in the inner city.They lived in rural areas and in large and small cities.No longer were they invisible to the people with homes and jobs.The homeless of the 1980s lived in packing crates (装货箱) and doorways.They slept on sidewalks and in public parks.They begged money from passersby.
Counting the numbers of homeless people is difficult.However,in 1984 the Department of Housing and Urban Development estimated the homeless population at between 250,000 and 350,000.In 1990 the Census Bureau counted about 459,000 people in shelters,in cheap hotels,and on the streets.In 1995 the National Alliance to End Homelessness estimated that there were 750,000 homeless Americans.
The homeless of the 1980s also began to speak out for themselves.Some spoke to Congress and to government committees controlling funding for social programs.Street newspapers,such as Chicago’s Streetwise and Boston’s Spare Change,had stories,poems,and essays that expressed the homeless viewpoint.The visible and vocal presence of the homeless prompted help from volunteers and government agencies.But what is still needed is a solution to the plight of America’s homeless population.
1.This passage is mainly about________.
A.one homeless person’s story
B.the history of the homeless
C.the changes of the homeless in the late 20th century
D.a way to provide homes for the homeless
2. How did the homeless speak out about their problems?
A.By writing books.
B.By moving to rural areas.
C.By being elected to the government committees.
D.By expressing their viewpoints in street newspapers.
3.Who is responsible to get the number of the homeless population according to the passage?
A.Government agencies.
B.Street newspapers.
C.The homeless themselves.
D.The volunteers.
4. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A.The homeless all lived in urban cities in America.
B.The name “the homeless” was given in the early 1980.
C.Not only the disabled belong to the homeless family.
D.There were about 800,000 homeless people in western countries.
Janice Fialka showed a new documentary (纪录片) about her cognitively (认知地) disabled son at schools and seminars across the country.Everyone seemed to enjoy it,but one comment from a teacher proved her family’s investment to Fialka was a success.
“In Baltimore an early childhood teacher came up and said,‘I have to apologize to the family of a 4year old with Down Syndrome (先天愚型),’”Fialka said.“She said,‘I told them to be more realistic about their dreams for him.Now I have to tell them I’m sorry.’”
The story of Micah FialkaFeldman,a 22yearold Oakland University student,is meant to show parents,educators and the disabled anything is possible.
FialkaFeldman wrote in an essay titled “I wanted to go to college and my dream came true”.A lot of people didn’t think he could go to college,but because family and friends believed in him he learned how to take public transportation to campus and found teachers who helped him pick the best classes.
The title of the film Through the Same Door came from a day when FialkaFeldman,who was enrolled in a first grade special education program,told his parents he wanted to walk through the same door as the rest of the kids at his school.It led him to becoming the first student with cognitive disabilities in mainstream classrooms in Berkley.
Though he can’t read or write on his own,FialkaFeldman reached amazing heights with the help of voice recognition computer software,tutors,and the embrace (接受) of his community.
At Berkley High School,FialkaFeldman won the Social Studies Department Award for civic (公民的) involvement.In 2004 he received the Michigan “Yes,I Can” award for selfadvocacy (自强).
He finished high school in 2003 with a certificate of attendance,took a 10day trip through Israel with friends last year,and enrolled at Oakland University through the Transitions Program,which is geared (使适合于) to help the disabled go from high school to college.
Fialka said he’s the happiest kid in the world.Everyone should be so happy.
1.What would be the best title for the passage?
A.Disabled Man Living His Dream
B.Nothing Is Impossible
C.Don’t Look Down Upon the Disabled
D.Through the Same Door
2.What the early childhood teacher said suggests that________.
A.disabled people should be realistic about their dreams
B.she used to believe we should not expect much from disabled people
C.she hadn’t given the 4year old with Down Syndrome enough attention
D.the documentary about FialkaFeldman encouraged the disabled
3.Which of the following is NOT true about FialkaFeldman?
A.He was the first cognitively disabled student in mainstream classrooms in Berkley.
B.He went to school by public transportation and was helped to pick up classes.
C.He benefited from computer software and other people.
D.He received the “Yes,I Can” award for civic involvement and selfadvocacy
4.Which of the following shows the correct order of events of FialkaFeldman?
a.He received the Michigan “Yes,I Can” award.
b.His documentary was shown and welcomed.
c.He was enrolled in a first grade special education program.
d.He finished high school with a certificate of attendance.
e.He enrolled at Oakland University through the Transitions Program.
A.acdeb B.bacde
C.cdeab D.cdbea
Against the supposition that forest fires in Alaska,Canada and Siberia warm the climate,scientists have discovered that cooling may occur in areas where burnt trees allow more snow to mirror more sunlight into space.
This finding suggests that taking steps to prevent northern forest fires to limit the release of greenhouse gases may warm the climate in northern regions.Usually large fires destroyed forests in these areas over the past decade.Scientists predict that with climate warming,fires may occur more frequently over the next several centuries as a result of a longer fire season.Sunlight taken in by the earth tends to cause warming,while heat mirrored back into space tends to cause cooling.
This is the first study to analyze all aspects of how northern fires influence climate.Earlier studies by other scientists had suggested that fires in northern regions sped up climate warming because greenhouse gases from burning trees and plants were released into the atmosphere and thus trapped heat.
Scientists found that right after the fire,large amounts of greenhouse gases entered the atmosphere and caused warming.Ozone (臭氧) levels increased,and ashes from the fire fell on faroff sea ice,darkening the surface and causing more radiation from the sun to be taken in.The following spring,however,the land within the area of the fire was brighter than before the fire,because fewer trees covered the ground.Snow on the ground mirrored more sunlight back into space,leading to cooling.
“We need to find out all possible ways to reduce the growth of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere,” scientists said.They tracked the change in the amount of radiation entering and leaving the climate system as a result of the fire,and found a measurement closely related to the global air temperature.Typically,fire in northern regions occurs in the same area every 80 to 150 years.Scientists,however,found that when fire occurs more frequently,more radiation is lost from the earth and cooling results.Specifically,they determined when fire returns 20 years earlier than predicted,0.5 watts per square meter of area burned are soaked up by the earth from greenhouse gases,but 0.9 watts per square meter will be sent back into space.The net effect is cooling.Watts are used to measure the rate at which energy is gained or lost from the earth.
1.According to the new findings,taking steps to prevent northern forest fires may________.
A.result in a warming climate
B.cause more forest fires
C.lead to a longer fire season
D.protect the forests there
2.The following are the immediate effects after a forest fire EXCEPT________.
A.large amounts of greenhouse gases enter the atmosphere
B.the levels of ozone which is a type of oxygen increase
C.snow on the ground mirrors more sunlight back into space
D.ashes from the fire fall on the ice and darken the surface
3.Earlier studies about northern forest fires________.
A.had analyzed all aspects of how northern fires influenced climate
B.had indicated that forest fires would pollute the atmosphere
C.had suggested that people should take measures to protect environment
D.had suggested that the fires would speed up climate warming
4.We can infer that forest fires in Alaska,Canada and Siberia may________.
A.warm the climate as the supposition goes
B.cool the climate by reflecting more sunlight into atmosphere
C.make more space for the growth of young trees
D.help to gain more energy rather than release more energy
It was the end of my first day as waitress in a busy New York restaurant.My cap had gone away,and my feet were ____.The loaded plates I carried ____ to be heavier and heavier.Tired and discouraged,I wasn’t able to do anything ____.As I made out a check for a family with several children who had changed their icecream ____ a dozen times,I was ready to stop.Then the father ____ at me as he handed me my tip.“Well done,”he said,“you’ve ____ us really well.” Suddenly my tiredness ____.I smiled back,and later,when the ____ asked me how I’d like my first day,I said,“Fun!” Those few words of praise had ____ everything.Praise is like ____ to the human spirit;we cannot grow without it.And ___,while most of us are only too ____ to apply to others the cold wind of criticism,we are ___ to give our fellows the warm sunshine of praise.Why—when one word of praise can bring such ____?
It is strange how chary(吝啬的) we are about praising.Perhaps it’s ____ few of us know how to accept it.It’s ____ rewarding to give praise in areas in which ___ generally goes unnoticed or unmentioned.An artist gets admired for a glorious picture,a cook for a ____ meal.But do you ever tell your laundry manager how pleased you are when the shirts are ____ just right?In fact,to give praise ____ the giver nothing but a moment’s thought and a moment’s effort.
1.A.small B.painful
C.tough D.white
2.A.remained B.looked
C.seemed D.turned
3.A.happy B.special
C.strange D.right
4.A.order B.price
C.colour D.shape
5.A.stared B.smiled
C.called D.nodded
6.A.talked about B.looked after
C.depended on D.thought of
7.A.increased B.continued
C.disappeared D.developed
8.A.children B.manager
C.father D.friends
9.A.made B.changed
C.found D.improved
10.A.heat B.shadow
C.snowstorm D.sunlight
11.A.then B.thus
C.now D.yet
12.A.ready B.doubtful
C.satisfied D.disappointed
13.A.unable B.unwilling
C.bored D.anxious
14.A.attention B.choice
C.pleasure D.advance
15.A.because B.when
C.whether D.that
16.A.finally B.especially
C.probably D.fortunately
17.A.effort B.effect
C.deed D.feeling
18.A.daily B.light
C.perfect D.main
19.A.done B.sold
C.chosen D.given
20.A.takes B.leaves
C.offers D.costs
Alex Taw,a 21yearold student from Wiltshire,England.He spent last summer like any other high school graduate—hanging out with friends,preparing for college,worrying about his university fees.While most of his peers gave up on their pipe dreams,he sat down with a notebook at home,and jotted down (草草记下) the question:How can I become a millionaire?
The result was the MillionDollarHomepage.com.Alex’s initial investment was 50 pounds to buy web space and a domain (领域) name.He divided the blank homepage into one million pixels (电脑上的像点),10,000 blocks of 100 pixels each.Each pixel was worth $1 with minimum purchase 100 pixels.Within a month Alex had earned some $37,000,enough for him to cover the entire cost of his forthcoming three years at university.In just a few months,he became a real millionaire.
How did he come up with the idea of the Million Dollar Homepage?
“Well,I was trying to think of a way to make some money before I started university,as I was about to take on a huge debt and I was already overdrawn (透支).Swift action was necessary!”He said.
He also added,“The important thing is that anything is possible—we are only limited by our imagination.I always had this belief that a good idea can be successful on its own.I think I’ve learnt that if we think deeper there are magical solutions hiding away for us to find.”
His personal philosophy around money is:Money is not everything,but it’s an essential part of the way we live.Having_some_removes_a_certain_amount_of_stress,but,unless_we_are_careful,it_can_create_a_new_type_of_stress.
He also said,“I still want to go to university.Aside from gaining knowledge about business,there are other reasons—exploring your interests,meeting new people,and being in a creative environment.”
Besides making contributions to society,he would try to encourage and inspire people to think of creative solutions to problems,whatever they are.
1.According to the passage,which of the following is NOT an important factor for being a millionaire?
A.Large imagination. B.Quick action.
C.Great ambition. D.Great investment.
2.Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A.Alex Taw is an American millionaire.
B.Alex Taw will graduate from university.
C.Alex Taw doesn’t work hard.
D.Alex Taw was not rich before.
3. What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 6 mean?
A.The more money we have,the more stress we have.
B.Money can be of great help.
C.We should try our best to earn money.
D.Money is helpful in some way,but we should make full use of it.
4. What would be the best title for the passage?
A.Little Money Leads to Be a Millionaire
B.The Success Road to Be a Millionaire
C.Alex Taw:An Millionaire Boy
D.The MillionDollarHomepage.com
Arts and culture is lived and breathed in every corner of Canada.Due to a racial and immigrant population,the variety and richness of art and sports is very evident.
Since World War Ⅱ,Canada has produced an impressive amount of writing.From novels to poetry,the selection is wide.Native writers are also becoming better known across Canada in recent years.
Musicians are reaching a higher level of recognition in the world music scene.Everything from country to pop,classical to heavy rock can be found across Canada and across the globe performed by Canadian artists.
The National Film Board,a film crew in Canada,is the primary producer of movies in Canada.However,many Hollywood studios are turning to Canada as a source for locations and as an alternative to the more expensive US.Many wellknown actors,directors,screen writers and movies come from Canada and often scoop awards for their work.
French art was the first to appear in Canada along the St Lawrence in and around Quebec.Since then the volume of art and artists has increased.Canadian photography as well as painting by Canadians is not wellknown outside of Canada but recognition is increasing.
Sport is a major part of today’s society in Canada.Hockey is the most popular spectator sport with more participants taking part in curling.American style football and baseball are also very popular and all of these sports are played across Canada.
1.What would be the best title for the passage?
A.Brief Introduction to Canada
B.Canadian Arts,Culture and Sports
C.Canadian Artists
D.Canadian Arts and Culture Are World Famous
2.Canada has many forms of art and culture because it has________.
A.a long history B.a large area
C.a large population D.a variety of immigrants
3.Which group of Canadian artists is wellknown all over the world today?
A.Native writers and screen writers.
B.Photographers and actors.
C.Painters and writers.
D.Musicians,actors and directors.
4.Which of the following statements about Canada is NOT true?
A.Canadian arts have been much influenced by French people.
B.Canadian people love sports very much.
C.There are many big filmmaking companies in Canada.
D.Canadian arts and artists are becoming better known.