Being Left-handed in a Right-handed World
The world is designed for right-handed people, but a tenth of the population prefer the left. 1. The answer to it remains a bit of a mystery. Since scientists have noticed that left-handedness tends to run in families, it’s assumed that left-handedness has a genetic(基因的)component to it. 2. In fact, identical twins, who share the same genes, can sometimes prefer to use different hands. There are also plenty of theories on what else might determine which hand you write with, but many experts believe that it’s kind of random.
Historically, the left side and left-handedness have been considered a negative thing by many cultures. 3. In some areas, the left hand became known as the “unclean” hand. In many religions, the right hand of God is the favored hand. For example, Jesus sits at God’s right side. Various activities and experiences become rude or even signs of bad luck when the left hand becomes involved. In some parts of Scotland, it is considered bad luck to meet a left-handed person at the start of a journey. 4. A person giving directions will put his left hand behind him and try to point with his right hand if necessary. In some Asian countries, eating with the left hand is considered impolite.
5. People come to realize that left-handedness is natural. People even noticed that many famous people are left-handed, including Benjamin Franklin, Leonardo Da Vinci and Charlie Chaplin. Some researchers find out that lefties are more creative and can deal with abstract thinking better. The left-handedness is more easily adaptable to the right-handed world as well. Being left-handed is no longer a sad story now; instead, it is a wonderful gift or maybe it is something you should take pride in.
A. In other words, left-handers are born that way.
B. Left-handedness used to be regarded as a disability.
C. The unfavorable associations of the use of the left hand among cultures are varied.
D. Why do they prefer to use their left hand rather than their right hand for routine activities?
E. Why do some parents force their left-handed children to become right-handed when writing?
F. In Ghana, pointing, gesturing, giving or receiving items with the left hand is considered rude.
G. Fortunately, nowadays most societies and cultures no longer reject left-handedness like before.
The Eurotunnel is a tunnel(隧道) which crosses the Channel under the sea, linking France and the UK. It is about 50.5 km long and 38km lies under the seabed. There are trains which carry passengers and cars, and others which carry carriages or other heavier vehicles(车辆), as well as goods.
The construction of the tunnel started in 1986, with a cost of almost 10 billion pounds. It was opened in 1994 but was not financially successful until 2007, because of the high interest rates (利率) the company had to pay the banks, as well as low earnings from passengers and goods.
The Eurotunnel is a very convenient way of traveling between the two countries as the journey is quick (less than one hour), cheap, and comfortable. You can go with your car, motorbike or bike. The tunnel operates every day, round the clock. At the busiest times there are up to three shuttle departures (班次) per hour. There are facilities(设施)for disabled passengers and for babies at the two terminals (终点站).
The Eurotunnel, also commonly known as the Channel Tunnel, Eurochannel and Eurochunnel is environmentally friendly. It perfects its sources of energy through its use of renewable energy with the result that, by 2008, it had reduced its greenhouse gas emissions(排量) by 45%. In addition, 50% of the waste produced is recycled.
The future of the Eurotunnel seems promising, although some people who have the fear of enclosed(与外界隔绝的)spaces will never use this type of transportation. There have been some problems with snow storms like the one in the winter of the 2009 which have made the services stop for a period of time, leaving passengers in the tunnel for more than 15 hours without light, heating, food or drink, inside an unmoving train under the sea. Some of the passengers reacted very badly and decided not to use this means of transport again.
1.Why was the Eurotunnel not financially successful at first? ______.
A. It was free for passing trains
B. Many people disliked it
C. Its operating cost was very high
D. It was heavily in debt
2.What is Paragraph 3 mainly about? ______.
A. The wonderful design of the Eurotunnel
B. A traveling guide to the Eurotunnel
C. The advantages of the Eurotunnel
D. An introduction of the Eurotunnel’s equipment
3.We can learn from the text that the Eurotunnel ______.
A. used environmentally friendly energy
B. was completely built under the seabed
C. was designed for passenger trains only
D. operated successfully without any accident
4.What is the author’s attitude towards the Eurotunnel? ______.
A. Cautious B. Optimistic
C. Negative D. Doubtful
April 23 marks the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s death. Organizations in Britain have planned numerous events to honor him.
In Stratford-upon-Avon, his birthplace, the tourism organization has a great number of free events, including performances of Shakespeare’s plays, and a dazzling fireworks display. And the BBC is broadcasting a live show from Stratfore-upon-Avon, celebrating Shakespeare’s widespread influence on the world. In England’s capital, the London Shakespeare Centre is holding a series of public performances, exhibitions and activities. It isn’t just England that honors the anniversary of the death of this extraordinary writer. In Washington, D.C., the Folger Shakespeare Library, which houses the world’s largest collection of documents relating to William Shakespeare, is displaying a series of exhibitions.
Shakespeare is probably one of the most famous authors and is considered a genius. He wrote around 37 plays and 154 sonnets(十四行诗), and his work has been translated into over one hundred languages! He penned beautiful metaphors(暗喻), serious dramas and amusing tales.
Shakespeare also invented many new terms and phrases. If someone’s behavior suggested they were not being honest and should not be trusted, Shakespeare called their actions suspicious. If someone was being silly and perhaps looking like a fool, Shakespeare found their actions laughable. And Shakespeare called people who offered their opinions on the quality of something critics. Today, for instance, food critics and film critics give audiences their opinions of foods and films. The familiar phrase “break the ice” comes from Shakespeare’s play The Taming of the Shrew. “The ice is broken” when a difficult conversation or meeting is calmed by some basic introduction, such as a simple game. More common words coined by Shakespeare include road, gossip, lonely, bump and hurry.
Four hundred years after his death, Shakespeare surely lives on，in everyday speech, as the most famous writer of all time!
1.The passage is mainly about ______.
A. the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death
B. the influence Shakespeare has on written English
C. the friends of William Shakespeare
D. Shakespeare’s colorful and fruitful life
2.Shakespeare is honored in the following ways except ______.
A. a great number of free events in Stratford-upon-Avon
B. a series of activities in the London Shakespeare Centre
C. a series of exhibitions in the Folger Shakespeare Library
D. a live show of Shakespeare in Washington, D.C.
3.According to the text, a simple game to make a difficult conversation easy is called ______.
A. an ice-breaker B. a suspicious man
C. a critic D. a laughable man
The Museum: The Charles Dickens Museum in London is the world’s most important collection of material relating to the great Victorian novelist and social commentator. The only surviving London home of Dickens (from 1837 until 1839) was opened as a museum in 1925 and is still welcoming visitors from all over the world. On the four floors, visitors can see paintings, rare editions, manuscripts, original furniture and many items relating to the life of one of the most popular and beloved personalities of the Victorian age.
Opening Hours:The Museum is open from Mondays to Saturdays 10:00-17:00; Sundays 11:00-17:00. Last admission is 30 minutes before closing time.
Special opening times can be arranged for groups, who may wish to book a private view.
Admission Charges: Adults:￡5.00; Students:￡4:00; Seniors:￡4.00; Children:￡3.00; Families:￡14.00 (2 adults & up to five children).
Group Rates: For a group of 10 or more, a special group rate of ￡4.00 each applies. Children will still be admitted for ￡3.00 each.
Access: We are constantly working to improve access to the Museum. Our current projects involve the fitting of a wheelchair ramp(活动坡道)for better access and an audio tour for visitors with impaired vision. Our Handling Sessions (亲身体验活动) are also suitable for the visually impaired. The Museum has developed an online virtual tour through the Museum. Click here to visit all the rooms in the Museum online.
Hire the Museum: The Museum can be hired for private functions, parties and many other social occasions.
Find Us: The Museum may be reached by using the following buses: 7, 17, 19, 38, 45, 46, 55, 243. And by these underground services: Piccadilly Line; Central Line. For a map, please click here. The British Museum and the Foundling Museum are within walking distance.
1.Compared to going there separately, if a family with two adults and four children go to the Museum together they will save______.
A. ￡22. 00 B. ￡14. 00
C. ￡11. 00 D. ￡8. 00
2.According to the passage, which of the following statements is true?
A. Anyone cannot hire the Museum for other uses
B. Visitors with poor vision cannot enjoy the Museum
C. The Museum is not very far from the British Museum
D. In any case people cannot visit the Museum after 17:00
3.The passage is probably from a ______.
A. magazine B. website
C. guidebook D. newspaper
假设你是李华,你校外教David对中国长城很感兴趣。本周六你们学校邀请清华大学的王教授到校进行有关长城的讲座。请你给David发一封电子邮件,邀请他来参加讲座并向他介绍讲座的有关事宜。
1.讲座内容:长城修建原因及其建筑特点；
2.讲座的时间:5月7日(星期六)上午8:00---11:00；
3.讲座地点:3号教学楼一楼102室；
4.讲座后还将有提问环节。
注意:
1.词数100 左右；
2.可以适当增加细节,以使行文连贯；
3.开头和结尾已为你写好,不计入总词数。
参考词汇: 清华大学Tsinghua University
Dear David,
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Hua
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（＼）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2. 只允许修改 10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
I have a good friend names Liu Mei. She is our monitor and one of the most
excellent student in our class. Clever as she is, but she works very hard. We have a lot in common or have a lot to talk about. One day, she told me that something happened when my parents were out. She was doing her homework one Sunday morning while she smelt something burning. She stopped look out of the window and find a cloud of smoke coming out of her neighbour's house. She called 119 immediately. Ten minutes late, the firemen came and put out the fire. Her neighbour was very thankful with her help.
