B
In its early history, Chicago had floods frequently, especially in the spring, making the streets so muddy that people, horses, and carts got stuck. An old joke that was popular at the time went something like this: A man is stuck up to his waist in a muddy Chicago street. Asked if he needs help, he replies, "No, thanks. I've got a good horse under me."
The city planner decided to build an underground drainage (排水) system, but there simply wasn't enough difference between the height of the ground level and the water level. The only two options were to lower the Chicago River or raise the city.
An engineer named Ellis Chesbrough convinced me the city that it had no choice but to build the pipes above ground and then cover them with dirt. This raised the level of the city's streets by as much as 12 feet.
This of course created a new problem: dirt practically buried the first floors of every building in Chicago. Building owners were faced with a choice: either change the first floors of their buildings into basements, and the second stories into main floors, or hoist the entire buildings to meet the new street level. Small wood-frame buildings could be lifted fairly easily. But what about large, heavy structures like Tremont Hotel, which was a six-story brick building?
That's where George Pullman came in. He had developed some house-moving skills successfully. To lift a big structure like the Tremont Hotel, Pullman would place thousands of jackscrews (螺旋千斤顶) beneath the building's foundation. One man was assigned to operate each section of roughly 10 jackscrews. At Pullman's signal each man turned his jackscrew the same amount at the same time, thereby raising the building slowly and evenly. Astonishingly, the Tremont Hotel stay open during the entire operation, and many of its guests didn't even notice anything was happening. Some people like to say that every problem has a solution. But in Chicago's early history, every engineering solution seemed to create a new problem. Now that Chicago's waste water was draining efficiently into the Chicago River, the city's next step was to clean the polluted river.
1.The author mentions the joke to show ______.
A. horses were fairly useful in Chicago
B. Chicago's streets were extremely muddy
C. Chicago was very dangerous in the spring
D. the Chicago people were particularly humorous
2.The city planners were convinced by Ellis Chesbrough to_______.
A. get rid of the street dirt
B. lower the Chicago River
C. fight against heavy floods
D. build the pipes above ground
3.The underlined word "hoist" in Paragraph 4 means "_______".
A. change B. lift
C. repair D. decorate
4.What can we conclude about the moving operation of the Tremont Hotel?
A. It went on smoothly as intended.
B. It interrupted the business of the hotel.
C. It involved Pullman turning ten jackscrews.
D. It separated the building from its foundation.
5.The passage is mainly about the early Chicago's ______.
A. popular life styles and their influences
B. environmental disasters and their causes
C. engineering problems and their solutions
D. successful businessmen and their achievements
A
Forget Cyclists, Pedestrians are Real Danger We are having a debate about this topic. Here are some letters from our readers. ■Yes, many cyclists behave dangerously. Many drivers are disrespectful of cyclists. But pedestrians are probably the worse offenders. People of all ages happily walk along the pavement with eyes and hands glued to the mobile phone, quite unaware of what is going on around them. They may even do the same thing while crossing a road at a pedestrian crossing or elsewhere. The rest of us have to evade (避让) them or just stand still to wait for the unavoidable collision. The real problem is that some pedestrians seem to be, at least for the moment, in worlds of their own that are, to them, much more important than the welfare of others. ——Michael Horan ■I love the letter from Bob Brooks about cyclists (Viewpoints, May 29). I am afraid they seem to think they own the roads. I was walking across Altrincham Road one morning when a cyclist went round me and on being asked what he was doing he shouted at me. The government built a cycle lane on the road but it is hardly used. The police do nothing. What a laugh they are! The cyclists should all have to be made to use the cycle lanes and wear helmets, fluorescent (发荧光的) jacket and lights at night and in the morning they should pay some sort of tax and be fined for not wearing them. ——Carol Harvey ■Cyclists jump on and off pavements (which are meant for pedestrians), ride at speed along the pavements, and think they have a special right to go through traffic lights when they are on red. I was almost knocked down recently by a cyclist riding on the pavement when there was a cycle lane right next to him. Other road users, including horse riders, manage to obey the rules so why not cyclists? It's about time they had to be registered and insured, so when they do hit a pedestrian or a vehicle, or cause an accident, at least they can be treated and there might be an opportunity to claim. ——JML Write to Viewpoints of the newspaper.
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1.Michael Horan wrote the letter mainly to show that _______.
A. drivers should be polite to cyclists
B. road accidents can actually be avoided
C. sine pedestrians are a threat to road safety
D. walking while using phones hurts one's eyes
2.Carol Harvey suggests that cyclists should _______.
A. be provided with enough roads
B. be asked to ride on their own lanes
C. be made to pay less tax for cycling
D. be fined for laughing at policemen
3.What is a complaint of JML?
A. Very few drivers are insured.
B. Cyclists ride fast on pavements.
C. Pedestrians go through red traffic lights.
D. Horse riders disrespect other road users.
4.The underlined word "they" in the third letter refers to ______.
A. accidents B. vehicles
C. pedestrians D. cyclists
5.The three letters present viewpoints on _______.
A. real source of road danger
B. ways to improve road facilities
C. measures to punish road offences
D. increased awareness of road rules
Research has become both simpler and more complex. It's simpler because, 1. you have computer, you can find information you need by searching the Internet. For all you information, you don't have to go to 2. library to find the relevant resource and take notes on it. Instead, you can find some sources from the Internet3. print the copies needed. Remember, however, that you should usually consult different types of sources. That is, you 4. always rely just on the Internet for you research.
While finding information is easier than ever, at the same time, researching has become 5. complex. There is a lot more material available, which means you may be overwhelmed 6. the amount of information. You need to learn 7. to sort through and find the relevant information for your particular project. Also,
8. need to check the accuracy of it.
It was a rainy morning and the children, mainly boys with various learning difficulties, refused to settle for the start of the lesson. As an inexperienced teacher, I tried every means to get them to be , but in vain. my panic was rising and I could feel my heart beating wildly. This was the of my job as a music teacher, I thought -- teaching was not for me. Then I had an idea. Hoping that no one would notice that I was inside, I threw my voice as far as it would reach: "Put your heads on the desks and close your ! We are going on a journey."
, the children fell silent. "Now what should I do?" I thought to myself. Reaching over to my collection of CDs, I blindly , put it in the machine and played it.
Obediently (顺从地), my class lay their heads on their desk, closed their eyes and . When the music started, the room as filled with the most beautiful tones and musical colors I could have ever imagined. All the children were . When the music finished, I asked them all to raise their slowly so that we could share our musical journey.
At this point, when all the children were willing to share their experiences, I began to learn how to . The music allow me to learn that teaching is about sharing and respect, tears and smiles, the knowing and the and most of all, an understanding of each other. This was the power that in the classroom could have.
1.A. glad B. safe C. kind D. quiet
2.A. end B. aim C. rule D. plan
3.A. guessing B. shaking C. responding D. laughing
4.A. eyes B. mouths C. books D. doors
5.A. Punctually B. Importantly C. Amazingly D. Obviously
6.A. passed one on B. gave one backC. turned one inD. took one out
7.A. slept B. nodded C. waited D. continued
8.A. talking B. singing C. dancing D. listening
9.A. legs B. heads C. arms D. shoulders
10.A. teach B. imagine C. play D. understand
11.A. unprepared B. unspoken C. unknown D. unforgotten
12.A. games B. music C. tears D. knowledge
________ ourselves from the physical and mental tensions, we each need deep thought and inner quietness.
A. Having freed B. Freed
C. To free D. Freeing
Whenever you ________ a present, you should think about it from the receiver’s point of view.
A. bought B. have bought C. will buy D. buy
