IN the famous fairy tale, Snow White eats the Queen’s apple and falls victim to a curse; in Shakespeare’s novel, Romeo drinks the poison and dies; some ancient Chinese emperors took pills that contained mercury, believing that it would make them immortal, but they died afterward.
Poison has long been an important ingredient in literature and history, and it seems to always be associated with evil, danger and death. But how much do you really know about poison?
An exhibition, the Power of Poison, opened last month at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, intended to give the audience a more vivid understanding of poison. The exhibition will continue until Aug 2014, reported The New York Times.
The museum tour starts in a rainforest setting, where you can see live examples of some of the most poisonous animals: caterpillars, frogs and spiders. Golden poison frogs, for instance, aren’t much bigger than a coin, but their skin is covered in a poison that can cut off the signaling power of your nerves, and a single frog has enough venom to kill 10 grown humans.
The exhibition also features interactive activities. In an iPad-based game, visitors are presented with three puzzling illnesses and asked to identify the poisons based on symptoms. In one case, for example, a pet dog is found sick in a backyard and visitors have to figure out whether it was the toad (蟾蜍), the leaky batteries in the trash or the dirty pond water that did it.
“Poisons can be bad for some things,” Michael Novacek, senior vice president of the museum, told NBC News. “Yet they can also be good for others.”
This is what visitors learn from the last part of the exhibition, which displays how poisons can be used favorably by humans, including for medical treatment.
The blood toxins of vampire bats, for example, can prevent blood from clotting (凝结), which may protect against strokes. A poisonous chemical found in the yew tree is effective against cancer, which is what led to the invention of a cancer-fighting drug called Taxol. One chemical in the venom of Gila monsters can lower the blood sugar of its victims, so it has been used to treat diabetes.
The benefits from natural poisons are not limited to just medicine. Believe it or not, many substances that we regularly take in – chili, coffee and chocolate, etc. – owe their special flavors or stimulating effects to chemicals that plants make to poison insects.
1.By mentioning Snow White and Romeo at the beginning of the story, the author intends to____________.
A. show that poison has long been involved in literature
B. show that poison is always linked with evil and death
C. draw readers’ attention to the topic of the article
D. get readers to think of more examples of the use of poison in stories
2.What is the main purpose of the exhibition The Power of Poison?
A. To give people more in-depth knowledge about poison.
B. To teach people how to handle poisonous animals.
C. To inform people about which animals are the most poisonous.
D. To show how poison has been used for medical treatment.
3.Which of the following statements about the exhibition is TRUE according to the article?
A. The exhibition will lead visitors to a real rainforest.
B. Golden poison frogs are the most poisonous animals on display.
C. Those who visit the exhibition can join in some iPad-based interactive games.
D. Visitors can listen to lectures on recent studies of poisonous animals.
Harvard University in the United States has been ranked as the university with the best "reputation" in the world.
The Times Higher Education magazine has listed 200 top universities all over the world based on how they are regarded by a group of international college teachers. That is to say the list measures how universities are regarded, rather than how they actually performed.
A subjective, word-of-mouth（口碑的）quality such as "reputation" has genuine economic value for universities, said Simon Marginson, professor of higher education at the University of Melbourne in Australia.
"Reputation is not just an impression, though it might be not as reliable as performance by objective indicators（客观指标）," said Prof Marginson.
Based on the views of 13,000 college teachers around the world, it confirms the power of the big US universities, which dominate this list. Seven of the top 10 are US universities, headed by Harvard and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Furthermore, 14 of the top 20 are from the US. Cambridge is the highest ranking UK university in the list, in third place, with Oxford ranked as sixth.
For students applying to university, reputation might be hard to quantify, but was an important part of the attractiveness, said the president of Cambridge University's students' union, Rahul Mansigani.
"Reputation makes a huge difference. If there is an idea that somewhere is great, it will get lots of good people applying whether it's true or not. Factors such as a sense of history and the presence of outstanding college teachers were part of the reputation of Cambridge," he said.
1.The underlined word “dominate” in Paragraph 5 probably means __________.
A. affect B. decide C. control D. improve
2.What can be inferred from the text?
A. No Asian universities are among the Top 10.
B. At least five UK universities are among Top 20.
C. The Times Higher Education magazine is from the US.
D. Reputation affects students’ decisions when choosing universities.
3.Which of the following would be the best title of the passage?
A. Turning ideas into reputation
B. World’s best universities ranked in order of reputation
C. The top 200 universities in the USA
D. Reputable Universities attractive to more students
Whatsonstage.com is the UK’s biggest and best online guide to the performing arts including theatre, opera, classical music, dance and so on.
◆The Lion King
Musical: The stage adaptation of the Disney film taken from an original African story. A young lion grows up and learns that taking over the pride requires wisdom and maturity(成熟).
Place: Lyceum Theatre, Wellington Street, London
Telephone: 0870 243 9000
Date: Friday, 18 Nov. 2013
Ticket price:￡37.5
◆Oliver
Musical: Dickens’ story of a boy in a London workhouse and his adventures on the way to discovering his family. The songs include Food glorious food, You’ve got to pick a pocket or two，Who will buy this wonderful morning，I am reviewing the situation and Consider yourself at home.
Place: Theatre Royal, Catherine Street, London
Telephone: 020 7494 5061
Date: Thursday, 17 Nov. 2013
Ticket price: ￡25 but now save 20%
◆Jersey Boys
Musical: It tells the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons: the blue-collar kids from New Jersey formed a singing group and became famous. The musical features many of the group’s popular songs such as Big girls don’t cry, Oh, What a night and Can’t take my eyes off you.
Place: Prince Edward Theatre, Old Compton Street, London
Telephone: 0870 850 9191
Date: Saturday, 9 Nov. 2013
Ticket price:￡22.5
◆All’s Well That Ends Well
Play: A romantic story. Helena, daughter of a poor physician, loves Bertram, son of a Countess(女伯爵).
Place: Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, Park Street, London
Telephone: 020 7401 9919
Date: Sunday, 20 Nov. 2013
Ticket price: ￡40.5
1.If Mary is available on Friday, which of the following should she call to buy a ticket?
A. 0870 850 9191 B. 020 7494 5061
C. 0870 243 9000 D. 020 7401 9919
2.If you want to buy a ticket at a discount, you should go to __________.
A. Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre B. Theatre Royal
C. Prince Edward Theatre D. Lyceum Theatre
I really love my job because I enjoy working with small children and like the challenges and awards from the job. I also think my work is important. There was a time when I thought I would never have that sort of career.
I wasn’t an excellent student because I didn’t do much schoolwork. In my final term I started thinking what I might do and found I didn’t have much to offer. I just accepted that I wasn’t the type to have a career.
I then found myself a job, looking after two little girls. It wasn’t too bad at first. But the problems began when I agreed to live in, so that I would be there if my boss had to go out for business in the evening. We agreed that if I had to work extra hours one week, she’d give me time off the next. But unfortunately, it didn’t often work out. I was getting extremely tired and fed up, because I had too many late nights and early mornings with the children.
One Sunday, I was in the park with the children, and met Megan who used to go to school with me. I told her about my situation. She suggested that I should do a course and get a qualification if I wanted to work with children. I didn’t think I would be accepted because I didn’t take many exams in school. She persuaded me to phone the local college and they were really helpful. My experience counted for a lot and I got on a part –time course. I had to leave my job with the family, and got work helping out at a kindergarten.
Now I’ve got a full-time job there. I shall always be thankful to Megan. I wish I had known earlier that you could have a career, even if you aren’t top of the class at school.
1.When staying with the two girls’ family, the author ______________ .
A. was paid for extra work
B. often worked long hours
C. got much help form her boss
D. took a day off every other week
2.What has the author learned from her own experiences?
A. Less successful students can still have a career.
B. Qualifications are necessary for a career.
C. Hard work makes an excellent student.
D. One must choose the job she likes.
Some people are afraid of starting a casual conversation with a stranger because of a fear of not having anything interesting to say. Fear of rejection (拒绝) is also a for keeping silent. Small talk in a conversation can as a way of warming up and getting to each other. Most people, no matter successful they are at work, will find the process of small talk uncomfortable, even pointless. , you will have a pretty small world you refuse to let others in. Starting off with a casual comment or question will make others , and even just greeting them with a simple “hello” will often be enough.
Once you have made the first , there is no turning back. You need to keep things before you can gracefully say goodbye. Think about what you would like to with a new friend and that is what you can ask the other person about. Work, family, hobbies or interests are some points of discussion. To keep the ball rolling, you can show that you are really in what they are saying. Once you find common of interest, things will definitely off from there.
Small talk can out to be a pleasant experience. The conversation be brief and casual without turning into a long and boring discussion. Do not let yourself the conversation. Stop worrying about how big of a fool you may appear to be. You may find out later on that you have the “ ” of getting people to open up to you by engaging them in small talk.
1.A. right B. Reason C. result D. sign
2.A. take B. Use C. mean D. serve
3.A. know B. Learn C. recognize D. help
4.A. what B. Whether C. why D. how
5.A. giving B. Leaving C. making D. forcing
6.A. So B. Instead C. However D. Besides
7.A. unless B. until C. if D. Though
8.A. comfortable B. upset C. nervous D. satisfied
9.A. try B. plan C. wish D. move
10.A. changing B. rising C. improving D. going
11.A. know B. share C. do D. show
12.A. private B. present C. important D. general
13.A. careful B. Surprised C. interested D. encouraged
14.A. ideas B. experiences C. points D. senses
15.A. take B. put C. get D. set
16.A. come B. Turn C. find D. figure
17.A. should B. can C. will D. may
18.A. start B. complete C. consider D. control
19.A. still B. Even C. ever D. almost
20.A. right B. Advantage C. talent D. Habit
—Her father is very rich.
—_______ She wouldn’t accept his help even if it were offered.
A. What for? B. So what?
C. No doubt. D. No wonder.
