The hottest cities in the world
The locations below are the hottest and also travel destinations on the planet．
Bangkok
According to the data， Bangkok is the hottest city on the planet ﹣ not because of any particularly impressive high temperatures， but because it is consistently hot all the year round． The city has an average annual temperature of 29℃， coupled with high dampness and an average of 128rainy days per year； while the highest temperature on record is 40℃．
Timbuktu， Mali
Located on the southern edge of the Sahara Desert， the African city of Timbuktu is similar to everything remote． It's also one of the hottest cities in the world， with a hot， dry climate offering record highs of 49℃． Throughout April， May and June， average maximum temperatures are beyond 40℃． Modern﹣day Timbuktu is slowly being swallowed by the desert and is certainly a shadow of the trade center that it once was．
Ahvaz， Iran
Built on the bank of the Karun River， Ahvaz is an industrial city with average highs of around 46℃ during July， its warmest month． The city's record high is 54℃， making it one of the world's hottest cities during the summer． Frequent sand and dust storms and an absence of rain from July to September mix with its sky﹣high temperatures．
Kuwait City
The wealthy capital of Kuwait is another competitor for the title of the world's hottest summertime city with average highs of over 45℃ from June to August． Nightfall brings little respite（缓解）， with after﹣dark low temperatures often over 30℃ during the summer months． Kuwait City's record high is 52℃， while it rains on an average of just 19 days per year．
1.What is the Bangkok famous for in climate？
A. The highest temperature．
B. The hot weather all year round．
C. The highest annual temperature．
D. The lack of rainfall all year round．
2.Why is Timbuktu no longer a trade center？
A. The small population of Mali．
B. The war lasting for many years．
C. The influence of the Sahara．
D. Its location of the center of a desert．
3.Which city holds the record of the highest temperature？
A. Ahvaz．
B. Bangkok．
C. Timbuktu．
D. Kuwait City．
假如你是天津晨光中学的学生李津, 你在互联网上看到关于加拿大Columbia International College将举办冬令营的计划及课程安排的信息，你很感兴趣。现在请你根据以下提示给该学院的Christine写一封信咨询相关情况。
（1）询问内容（课程安排、报名方式、费用等）；
（2）期望得到的收获（如：提高口语、了解其它国家文化等）；
（3）索要相关材料（申请表等）；
注意：
（1）词数不少于100；
（2）可适当加入细节，使内容充实、行文连贯；
（3）开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。
（4）参考词汇 申请表 application form
Dear Ms. Christine,
I am Li Jin, _______________________________________________________________________________
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Yours Sincerely
Li Jin
阅读表达
I stood at the edge of the cliff. The wind stung my eyes, cutting into my skin. Dark-feathered birds circled the air, swooping (俯冲) low over the ocean every now and then to catch their dinner. Hundreds of feet below, the deep ocean beat against the rough sandy shore. I took a deep breath, filling my lungs with excitement — and at the same time, fear.
Behind me, I heard the rest of the crew start to mutter. I was here for the shooting of a movie as I was one of the lead actors in the film Dangerous Things, and this scene was right in the middle of the climax (故事的高潮). It was vital that this went right.
The director had talked to me about getting a stunt double (替身演员), but I’d persuaded him that I could handle the dive. I’d taken a diving course a few years ago, and I’d been taking swimming lessons since I was five years old. I had been pretty confident that I could do this — up till now.
Someone called out, “Ceria, you don’t have to do this! Are you sure you want to dive?” It was one of the producers, Callie Evans. I knew I couldn’t turn back now. I couldn’t bear to see the disappointed look on the director’s face when he was told that I couldn’t do it.
At that moment, all my fears and worries broke free. The expectation of adventure and victory seemed to move all the hesitation. I swooped downwards. The air on either side of me cut into my extended arms. I knew that this wonderful feeling of flight would only last a few seconds, yet time seemed to slow down so I could hear the thrilled whoops of my crew and a round of applause that seemed to echo in my pounding ears.
1.At the beginning, how did the author feel about what she was going to do?(No more than 3 words)
2.What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2 mean in English?(No more than 15 words)
3.Why was the author that confident in diving? (No more than 10 words)
4.What was the crew’s reaction while the author was diving down? (No more than 10 words)
5.How do you like the author? Please explain why. (No more than 25 words)
With child behavior, there is almost much more than it meets the eye. Because it occurs at so many different levels, child behavior that seems simple at one level can often be much more complex and meaningful at another.
For instance, a little child’s pattern of getting into cupboards, drawers and closed rooms, even after being told not to, is easily considered as bad behavior. When viewed at that level, the pattern is unacceptable and could lead to punishment. But it can be viewed at a more complex and meaningful level, namely child exploration. If a child regularly experiences an angry parent who seems determined to prevent any exploratory activities, the child will decide to continue to achieve future discoveries. When parents view this behavior as born out of natural curiosity rather than simple opposition, they are more likely to accept and appropriately monitor it. Although it may lead to warning responses to ensure the child’s safety, it is less likely to lead to punishment.
There are countless other examples. Holding a goldfish outside its bowl is foolish at one level but also can be seen as a young child’s attempt to express physical affection for a pet. Spending time with friends rather than family is selfish at one level but also indicates a teen’s need for independence.
The point here is that child behavior is often exhibited in simple forms that can appear to be oppositional, selfish or generally unacceptable if viewed only at that basic level. However, when viewed at a more meaningful level, the same apparently simple behavior can be seen as something larger and potentially more adaptive. This doesn’t mean the behavior should be ignored, especially if it is inappropriate. But looking at the bigger picture of a child’s behavior, adults might gain a fuller understanding of what they’re dealing with, which can create more flexibility in how they respond.
1.According to Paragraph 1, we can know that child behavior ________.
A. is very changeable B. is inacceptable
C. occurs at different levels D. is fully understood by adults
2.The example in Paragraph 2 mainly shows that ________.
A. parents should properly punish child behavior
B. parents should keep children’s safety in mind
C. children’s behavior shows their interests
D. there are different attitudes to child behavior
3.What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2 most probably mean?
A. The child will insist on doing things with determination.
B. The child will have to make frequent decisions.
C. The child will make new discoveries in the future.
D. The child will develop a strong sense of achievement.
4.It can be inferred from Paragraph 3 that ________.
A. child behavior usually reflects a child’s need
B. what a child does can mean differently when seen from different aspects
C. children tend to do something to show their dependence to their parents
D. children spending time with friends show their selfishness
5.What does the writer suggest parents should do with a child’s behavior?
A. Have a positive attitude towards it.
B. Ignore the improper behavior.
C. View it at the basic level.
D. Watch over it from head to foot.
Have you ever found yourself in this situation: You hear a song you used to sing when you were a child — a bit of nostalgia (怀旧) or “blast from the past,” as we say. But it is not a distant childhood memory. The words come back to you as clearly as when you sang them all those years ago.
Researchers at the University of Edinburgh studied the relationship between music and remembering a foreign language. They found that remembering words in a song was the best way to remember even one of the most difficult languages.
Here is what they did. Researchers took 60 adults and randomly divided them into three groups of 20. Then they gave the groups three different types of “listen-and-repeat” learning conditions. Researchers had one group simply speak the words. They had the second group speak the words to a rhythm, or beat. And they asked the third group to sing the words.
All three groups studied words from the Hungarian language for 15 minutes. Then they took part in a series of language tests to see what they remembered.
Why Hungarian, you ask? Researchers said they chose Hungarian because not many people know the language. It does not share any roots with Germanic or Romance languages, such as Italian or Spanish. After the tests were over, the singers came out on top. The people who learned these new Hungarian words by singing them showed a higher overall performance. They did the best in four out of five of the tests. They also performed two times better than those who simply learned the words by speaking them.
Dr. Katie Overy says singing could lead to new ways to learn a foreign language. The brain likes to remember things when they are contained in a catchy or memorable tune.
Dr. Ludke said the findings could help those who struggle to learn foreign languages. On the University of Edinburgh’s website Dr. Ludke writes, “This study provides the first experimental evidence that a listen-and-repeat singing method can support foreign language learning, and opens the door for future research in this area.”
1.The “song” mentioned in the first paragraph is intended to ________.
A. recall the past B. amuse the readers
C. introduce the topic D. compare the past with the present
2.According to the passage which language doesn’t share the same root with Germanic or Romance languages?
A. Hungarian B. Spanish
C. Italian D. English
3.From the last two paragraphs, we can conclude that ________.
A. singing is the best way to learn a foreign language
B. brain probably works best when foreign language learners sing the words
C. a listen-repeat method is very effective for any language learner
D. Dr. Katie Overy and Dr. Ludke disagree with each other
4.What’s correct about the study undertaken by the researchers at the University of Edinburgh?
A. Altogether twenty adults were tested in the study.
B. People in the 3rd group performed as well as the other 2 groups.
C. People in the 2nd group were asked to speak the words to a beat.
D. In the study 60 adults were divided into 3 groups according to abilities.
5.In which situation can the finding of the research be applied?
A. A mother is going to teach her baby how to speak.
B. A child is going to have his first music lesson.
C. A student is going to learn a new English song.
D. An American is going to learn some Chinese.
During this shopping season, salesmen will come up with different strategies to get your business. Many product companies use specific colors to cause positive emotions and compete for a sale. However, sight is not the only sensory (感官的) retail that companies use. Sounds and smells can also influence consumers’ purchasing decisions.
Nobel Prize-winning research shows that our sense of smell has great power to cause an emotional response. A study published earlier this year compared purchasing in a French flower shop when the smell of lavender (薰衣草) was given off and when it wasn’t. It found that the smell increased the number of consumers’ purchasing items and the amount of their purchases. An earlier study using Nike shoes found that consumers desired the shoes more, and were willing to pay more, when the room had a mixed smell of flowers. Realizing the subconscious impact of smell, many stores apply artificial scents (气味) through their heating and air-conditioning vents (通风口) or place scent machines above their doors. For instance, a coconut scent might make that bikini more appealing as you long for a vacation.
Ever felt frenzied due to a store’s fast-paced music? Or calmed by a piece of light music? A retailer’s choice of music can have a big impact on consumers’ moods. One study found that when subjected to loud music, consumers will spend less time in a store. But interestingly, the researchers did not find a difference in sales or customers’ satisfaction. Another interesting finding from a recent study was that customers actually shop longer when exposed to unfamiliar music. Just as department stores use different scents in certain departments, many use different music in some areas to appeal to varying consumers.
Well, you could always leave the store and take a break, but the food court probably isn’t your best choices as brands like Cinnabon and Panera Bread also use scents as part of their customers’ experience. Online retailers (零售商) use a variety of other strategies to get your business, but you can always neglect those and enjoy the familiar scents of home.
1.The passage is mainly about ________.
A. consumers’ favorite sounds and smells while shopping
B. shopping malls’ strategies for satisfying consumers
C. some special services from super shopping malls
D. two factors affecting consumers’ shopping decisions
2.What can be inferred from Paragraph 2?
A. Decorating stores with flowers becomes a fashion.
B. Shops with special smells can attract more consumers.
C. Smells can actually help businessmen gain more profits.
D. The products with a kind of special smell are more popular.
3.How does music have an effect on consumers?
A. It controls consumers’ desire for shopping.
B. It influences how long consumers stay in a shop.
C. It gives consumers the satisfaction of enjoying shopping.
D. Whether consumers are willing to buy things depends on it.
4.Which of the following can replace the underlined word “frenzied” in Paragraph 3?
A. Satisfied. B. Depressed.
C. Surprised. D. Excited.
5.What does the writer try to express in the last paragraph?
A. Online shopping is becoming more and more popular nowadays.
B. People should spend more time at home with family members.
C. People can choose to get rid of salesmen’s promotion strategies.
D. Smells and sounds are important for consumers’ shopping experience.
