The Rugby (英式橄榄球) World Cup is currently being held in New Zealand. The tournament, due to finish on October 23, is living up to the famous English saying, “Rugby is a thug's (暴徒) game played gentlemen. ”
The games are physically aggressive; the tackles (冲撞) on the pitch are brutal; but the end of each match is a civilized affair. Players shake hands and applaud each other. Of course, the other side to this saying is: "Football is a gentleman's game played by thugs. " Indeed, unlike soccer players, rugby players don't often question the referee's (裁判员) decisions or pretend to be injured when they are not.
“Football could learn a lot from rugby," said Brian Moore, a former England rugby player "The wonderful spirit of rugby is: there is a gentlemanly code to it. You play hard on the pitch, but you always respect your opponent..
Rugby is mainly played in Europe. Australia, New Zealand and parts of Africa. "It is more enjoyable to play than soccer because you are always involved in the game," said Peter, a Welsh rugby coach. "Rugby is also a far superior test of strength, stamina (耐力) and determination. "
Most professional rugby players are large, strong and weigh over 90 kilograms. People who play the sport need to be tough and be prepared to get hurt. Black eyes, broken bones, lost teeth and being knocked unconscious—all these are common injuries. Former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown is blind in one eye thanks to a rugby accident at school.
In England, children begin playing the game at school at the age of 8. When they enter high school, many begin to play full contact rugby. Children are taught to play for around one hour a week during their PE lessons. Most schools have a rugby team. Children who play for the school team are usually the sportiest kids, and are seen as brave and athletic.
1.What can be concluded from the first three paragraphs?
A. Football players are not real gentlemen.
B. There is a better spirit in playing rugby than football.
C. Football players are not as athletic as rugby players.
D. Brian Moore thinks that rules should be stricter in football.
2.According to the passage, Peter thinks ______.
A. rugby players pretend to be injured when they are not
B. rugby is not very popular in America and Asia
C. rugby makes people enjoy sports better than soccer
D. rugby needs players' strong will rather than strength
3.The example of Gordon Brown is mentioned in order to .
A. prove that playing rugby can earn people fame
B. explain why Gordon Brown is blind in one eye
C. support the point that rugby players often get hurt
D. warn teenagers against playing rugby at school
4.What can we infer from the passage?
A. Teenagers will lose interest in football.
B. English children have a talent for rugby.
C. Playing rugby doesn't involve skills.
D. Rugby is not suitable for everyone.
Earlier this year, the social media website Facebook announced that it would work with several news organizations — including The New York Times, The Guardian, and the BBC — to place news stories directly into users’ personal Facebook webpage. Stories published using Facebook Instant will load more quickly and keep the style of the original publisher, who will keep all the advertising income the stories earn — at least for now. The deal shows how important social media has become to news organizations, and is a clear sign of how the world of news is changing — and has been for a while.
When Google News began in 2002, many saw it as the death of the newspaper. It had no human editor. Instead Google used, and still uses, a secret computer program that selects and displays news stories according to the reader’s personal interests. More recently, Associated Press and Yahoo! have been publishing computer-written articles. Both use special software to automatically produce stories about company financial results and sports reports — areas where the quality of writing is felt to be of secondary importance to the accuracy of the data.
Should we be worried about such developments? I think we should. One concern is that facebook, Google and other social media websites see journalism as a sideline, a way of putting people in front of advertisements. It isn’t their primary function — so if it stops making them lots of money, they're likely to stop doing it.
There’s also a concern that computer-written articles are not actually journalism at all, because what a human news team produces is actually quite complex. A well-written news story puts information in context, offers a voice to each side of an argument and brings the public new knowledge.
Though economics and speed of delivery mean readers will probably choose a computer-written story over a carefully shaped article — at least for daily news — I don't think the computers will be writing any in-depth articles for a while yet.
1.What is the main purpose of the article?
A. To report on a new computer service offered by Facebook..
B. To advise readers against reading computer-written news.
C. To express concern about recent trends in online news.
D. To describe the process of online news reporting.
2.Computer-written news reports have so far focused on sports and finance because ________.
A. these are the most popular topics for online readers
B. there are fewer journalists specializing in these areas
C. information on these topics is more easily available
D. writing style is less important than accuracy in these areas
3.What does the underlined word “It” in Paragraph 3 refer to?
A. Journalism. B. Advertising.
C. Facebook. D. Business.
4.In Paragraph 4, which of the following is mentioned as a characteristic of a well-written news article?
A. The information presented is up-to-date.
B. The author's opinion is clear.
C. Different views on the topic are presented.
D. The language used is vivid.
In many countries, schools have long summer holidays, with shorter holidays in between. However, a new report suggests shortening school holidays to stop children forgetting what they have learnt during the long summer break. Instead of three school terms, it says, there should be five eight-week terms. And there should be just four weeks off in the summer, with a two-week break between the other terms.
Sonia Montero has two children at primary school and works full-time. She supports the idea. “The kids,” she says, “have much longer holidays than me and I can’t afford to take several weeks off work, so I need someone to take care of them. But nobody wants the work in the summer months — they all have holidays of their own.”
Not surprisingly, some young people disagree. Student Jason Panos says “It’s a stupid idea. I would hate staying at school in the summer. It’s unfair, too. The people who suggest this had long school holidays when they were young, but now they want to stop us enjoying the summer. The kids in Spain and America have much longer holidays than here, but they don’t forget everything they’ve learnt in a few months.”
Nadia Salib agrees. “Sure,” she says, “the first week at school after the summer is never easy, but you soon get back into it. The real problem round here is that kids get bored after so many weeks out of school, and then some of them start causing trouble. But the answer is to give them something to do, not make everyone stay in school longer.”
1.Why is Sonia in support of shorter school holidays?
A. She doesn’t get any summer holidays in her job.
B. She is worried that her children will forget what they’ve learnt.
C. She can’t afford to pay someone to look after her children.
D. She can’t get anyone to look after her children in summer.
2.What does Jason say about long summer holidays?
A. They can help children forget about school.
B. Schools in other countries don’t have them.
C. These days many older people have them too.
D. They have little influence on children’s education.
3.What does Nadia say about young people on summer holidays?
A. They would like to spend more time at school.
B. Long holidays are very bad for their education.
C. They need something to do to enrich themselves.
D. Long holidays should be shortened to stop them causing trouble.
Kathy Fletcher and David Simpson have a son named Santi. He had a friend who sometimes went to school hungry. So Santi invited him to occasionally eat and sleep at his house.
That friend had a friend and that friend had a friend, and now when you go to dinner at Kathy and David’s house on Thursday night there might be 15 to 20 teenagers gathering around the table, and later there will be groups of them crashing in the basement or in the few small bedrooms upstairs. The kids who show up at Kathy and David’s have suffered the pains of modern poverty: homelessness, hunger, abuse.
And yet by some miracle, hostile soil has produced beautiful flowers. Kids come from around the city. Spicy chicken and black rice are served. Cellphones are banned. The kids who call Kathy and David “Momma” and “Dad,” are polite and clear the dishes. Birthdays and graduations are celebrated. Songs are performed. Each meal we go around the table and everybody has to say something nobody else knows about them. Each meal the kids show their promise to care for one another.
The adults in this community give the kids the chance to present their gifts. “At my first dinner, Edd read a poem that I first thought was from Langston Hughes, but it turned out to be his own. Kesari has a voice that somehow appeared from New Orleans jazz from the 1920s. Madeline and Thalya practice friendship as if it were the highest art form.”
“They give us a gift — complete intolerance of social distance. When I first met Edd, I held out my hand to shake his. He looked at it and said, “We hug here,” and we’ve been hugging since.”
Bill Milliken, a veteran youth activist, is often asked which programs turn around kids’ lives. “I still haven’t seen one program change one kid’s life,” he says. “What changes people is relationships. Somebody is willing to walk through the shadow of the valley of adolescence with them.” Souls are not saved in bundles. Love is the necessary force.
1.Why do kids come to Kathy and David’s house on Thursdays?
A. To help the homeless at first hand.
B. To experience the feeling of home.
C. To learn about the modern poverty.
D. To plant beautiful flowers in poor soil.
2.Why isn’t the use of cell phones allowed at Thursday dinners?
A. Kids need to tell stories about themselves.
B. Kids are expected to care more for each other.
C. Kids have to do house chores around the home.
D. Kids prepare songs for birthdays and graduations.
3.What gift did the writer get at a Thursday dinner?
A. The practice of the art form.
B. The pleasure of enjoying jazz.
C. The chance to listen to poems.
D. The zero distance between souls.
4.What does Bill mean in his words?
A. Love is the power to change a kid’s life.
B. Money is needed to start programs for kids.
C. A program can change a group of kid’s lives.
D. Kids change their relationships in a program.
假定你是李华，你的英国朋友Lucy在当地的一所孔子学院（Confucius Institute）学习，你刚获悉她在学院举办的中文诗词（poetry）比赛中荣获一等奖。请你用英语给她写一封电子邮件表示祝贺，并希望她有机会来中国深造。
注意：
1．词数100左右；
2．可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
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Red envelopes have been related to the Chinese Lunar New Year for long. I myself have had plenty of experiences both receiving and giving out red envelopes in the past, 1. I mean, who doesn’t love free money?
I’m truly surprised by the extent of people’s obsession with virtual red envelopes this year. In fact, everyone I know spent at least a day or two crazily shaking their smart phones, 2. Thanks to messaging app giant We Chat’s new feature which allows users to send money electronically, grabbing virtual red envelopes has never seemed so easy.
3. here’s how it works. Givers link their We Chat to their bank accounts, and then they can send specified amounts of money to their We Chat accounts through a personal message. They can also put the cash up for grabs in chat groups full of friends, and anyone who acts fast enough will get a share. 4.
In theory, this sounds like a fun game. I’m always for some harmless fun in life, so my natural response would be: Why not? Moreover, I’ve always believed that it’s human nature to want free stuff, regardless of whether you actually need it or not. This may not be a good quality, but it’s not against the law, 5. Considering these reasons, I really can’t fault anyone for their enthusiasm in grabbing virtual red envelopes. I would have done it too, had I not thought linking We Chat to my bank accounts was too much trouble.
A. and we know everyone likes money.
B. and generally speaking, it’s been fun.
C. if you want to be good at grabbing a red envelope.
D. Just in case you are one of the very few people still not on the bandwagon,
E. mostly trying to get as much lucky money as possible.
F. so I won’t get all judgmental here.
G. Later，receivers can transfer the funds from their We Chat back into their own bank accounts.
