Does Fame Drive You Crazy?
Although being famous might sound like a dream come true, today’s star, feeling like zoo animals, face pressures that few of us can imagine. They are at the center of much of the world’s attention. Paparazzi (狗仔队) camp outside their homes, cameras ready. Tabloids (小报) publish thrilling stories about their personal lives. Just imagine not being able to do anything without being photographed or interrupted for a signature!
According to psychologist Christina Villareal, celebrities — famous people — worry constantly about their public appearance. Eventually, they start to lose track of who they really are, seeing themselves the way their fans imagine them, not as the people they were before everyone knew their names. “Over time,” Villareal says, “they feel separated and alone.”
The phenomenon of tracking celebrities has been around for ages. In the 4th century B.C., painters followed Alexander the Great into battle, hoping to picture his victories for his admirers. When Charles Dickens visited America in the 19th century, his sold-out readings attracted thousands of fans, leading him to complain (抱怨) about his lack of privacy. Tabloids of the 1920s and 1930s ran articles about film-stars in much the same way that modern tabloids and websites do.
Being a public figure today, however, is a lot more difficult than it used to be. Superstars cannot move about without worrying about photographers with modern cameras. When they say something silly or do something ridiculous, there is always the Internet to spread the news in minutes and keep their “story” alive forever.
If fame is so troublesome, why aren’t all celebrities running away from it? The answer is there are still ways to deal with it. Some stars stay calm by surrounding themselves with trusted friends and family or by escaping to remote places away from big cities. They focus not on how famous they are but on what they love to do or whatever made them famous in the first place.
Sometimes a few celebrities can get a little justice. Still, even stars who enjoy full justice often complain about how hard their lives are. They are tired of being famous already.
1.It can be learned from the passage that stars today___________.
A. are often misunderstood by the public
B. can no longer have their privacy protected
C. spend too much on their public appearance
D. care little about how they have come into fame
2.What is the main idea of Paragraph 3?
A. Great heroes of the past were generally admired.
B. The problem faced by celebrities has a long history.
C. Well-known actors are usually targets of tabloids.
D. Works of popular writers often have a lot of readers.
3.What makes it much harder to be a celebrity today?
A. Availability of modern media.
B. Inadequate social recognition.
C. Lack of favorable chances.
D. Huge population of fans.
4.What is the author’s attitude toward modern celebrity?
A. Sincere. B. Sceptical.
C. Disapproving. D. Sympathetic.
Scientists in Argentina have created the world’s first cow with two human genes that will enable it to produce human-like milk.
Genetic engineering was used to introduce the "mothers’milk" genes into the animal before birth, according to the National Institute of Agribusiness Technology in Buenos Aires.
As an adult, the cloned cow "will produce milk that is similar to that of humans", which will prove "a development of great importance for the nutrition of infants(婴儿)", said the institute. "The cloned cow, named Rosita ISA, is the first in the world with two human genes that contain the proteins present in human milk," said the statement.
In April, scientists in China published details of research showing that they had created dairy cows which produced milk containing proteins found in human breast milk. But the Argentine team said the Chinese only introduced one human gene, while their research involved two, meaning the milk will more closely resemble that of humans.
“Our goal was to raise the nutrition value of cows’milk by adding two human genes, which do good to the immune system of infants,” said Adrian Mutto, from the National University of San Martin which worked with the institute.
Cristina Kirchner, President of Argentina, said that the scientific institute made all Argentines proud. She also said that she had rejected the "honor" of having the cow named after her. "They came to tell me that the name is Cristina, but what woman would like to have a cow named after her? It appeared to me to be more proper to call it Rosita.”
1.What is the passage mainly about?
A. The importance of genetic engineering.
B. Ways to improve mothers’ milk.
C. A cloned cow to produce human-like milk.
D. Advanced agricultural technology in Argentina.
2.Which of the following can best replace “more closely resemble” in Paragraph 4?
A. have more varieties than
B. be more similar to
C. have more nutrition than
D. be more different from
3.What can be inferred from Cristina Kirchner’s statements?
A. She was quite satisfied with the research done by the institute.
B. She considered it an honor to name the special cow.
C. She felt it improper to be named after the cow.
D. She refused to give a name to the cow out of self-respect.
In 1978, I was 18 and was working as a nurse in a small town about 270 km away from Sydney, Australia. I was looking forward to having five days off from duty. Unfortunately, the only one train a day back to my home in Sydney had already left. So I thought I’d hitch a ride (搭便车).
I waited by the side of the highway for three hours but no one stopped for me. Finally, a man walked over and introduced himself as Gordon. He said that although he couldn’t give me a lift, I should come back to his house for lunch. He noticed me standing for hours in the November heat and thought I must be hungry. I was doubtful as a young girl but he assured （使…放心）me I was safe, and he also offered to help me find a lift home afterwards. When we arrived at his house, he made us sandwiches. After lunch, he helped me find a lift home.
Twenty-five years later, in 2003, while I was driving to a nearby town one day, I saw an elderly man standing in the glaring heat, trying to hitch a ride. I thought it was another chance to repay someone for the favour I’d been given decades earlier. I pulled over and picked him up. I made him comfortable on the back seat and offered him some water.
After a few moments of small talk, the man said to me, “You haven’t changed a bit, even your red hair is still the same.”
I couldn’t remember where I’d met him. He then told me he was the man who had given me lunch and helped me find a lift all those years ago. It was Gordon.
1.The author had to hitch a ride one day in 1978 because .
A. her work delayed her trip to Sydney
B. she was going home for her holidays
C. the town was far away from Sydney
D. she missed the only train back home
2.Which of the following did Gordon do according to Paragraph 2?
A. He helped the girl find a ride.
B. He gave the girl a ride back home.
C. He bought sandwiches for the girl.
D. He watched the girl for three hours.
3.The reason why the author offered a lift to the elderly man was that_________________.
A. she realized he was Gordon
B. she had known him for decades
C. she was going to the nearby town
D. she wanted to repay the favour she once got
4.What does the author want to tell the readers through the story?
A. Giving sometimes produces nice results.
B. Those who give rides will be repaid.
C. Good manners bring about happiness.
D. People should offer free rides to others.
假如你是李华，正在英国留学。你的朋友小林高中毕业后打算到英国留学，他写信询问你什么样的中国学生最受国外高校青睐。
请你根据下列要点给对方写一封回信：
1．语言是道硬门槛；
2．适应能力很重要；
3．兴趣爱好被看重；
4．要有社会责任感。
注意：
1．词数100左右；
2．开头和结束语已为你写好，不计入总词数。
Dear Xiao Lin,
I’m glad to hear that you want to study abroad in your letter.______________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________
Yours,
Li Hua
假定英语课上英语老师要求同桌之间互相修改作文，请你修改你同桌的以下作文。
文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。错误涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在该词下面写出该加的词。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1、每处错误及修改均仅限一词。
2、只允许修改10处，多者（从11处起）不计分。
One day a girl found a dead rat in front of her door. This kind of thing happens a lot of in the city during winter, but she didn’t pay much attention to it. However, the next day it was a dead bird on the doorstep of its house. She thought it was just some jokes playing by those naughty kids. But the same thing happens for a week! She started to get angrily. So she set up a hidden camera on the door, tried to find out the truth, which really gave her big surprise. The criminal was a cat! It left those dead body in front of her house every day at midnight.
When you take a walk in any of the cities in the West, you often see a lot of people1. (walk) with dogs. It is still true that the dog is the most useful and faithful animal in the world. But the reasons why people keep a dog2.(change). In the old days, people used to train dogs to protect themselves against the attacks from3.beasts. And later they came4.( realize) that the dog was not only useful5.willing to obey its master. For example, when people used dogs for hunting, the dogs would not eat what they caught without6.(permit). But now people in the city need not protect themselves against attacks of animals. Why do they keep dogs, then? Some people keep dogs to protect themselves from robbery, but the 7.(important) reason is for companionship. For a child,8.dog is his best friend when he has no friends to play with; for a young couple, a dog is 9.child when they have no children; for old couples, a dog is also their child when their real children have grown up. So the main reason why people keep dogs has changed10.protection to friendship.
