Rich and Famous
Twenty years ago the most common ambition of American children was to be a teacher, followed by working in banking and finance, and then medicine. But today’s situation is quite different. 1. Instead they most commonly say they want to be a sports star, a pop star, or an actor—in other words, they hope to become a celebrity .
According to experts, young people desire these jobs largely because of the wealth and the fame. 2. Let’s take athletes and singers as an example. Their careers are short-lived. Many athletes’ best time only lasts a few years and singers can have a very limited career. The field that was once the focus of their lives becomes something they have little or no involvement in. As a result, they’ll have a feeling of worthlessness and a lack of control. 3.The truth is quite simple: they have been so far removed from it for so long.
In spite of these disadvantages, there is greater ambition than ever among young people to achieve that status. They are not satisfied just making a living—they want to be rich and famous. Globally, more and more TV shows provide talent competitions where winners can achieve their goals in just a few weeks or months.4.They unrealistically believe that this lifestyle is easily obtained and leads to great satisfaction.
While many people argue that there is nothing wrong with having such ambitions, others feel that this trend will finally lead to dissatisfaction as more and more people are unable to reach their goals. 5. That means they ignore the simple fact that great effort is needed before success. As a result, many people won’t realize their childhood dreams, which could have a negative effect on their happiness.
A. In many ways this has been brought about by the celebrity culture.
B. People no longer have a sense of satisfaction once their goals have been achieved.
C. Besides, it can be difficult for them to adapt back to a normal everyday life.
. The younger generation don’t favor these professions any more.
E. Unfortunately, they do not always have a positive effect on people’s life.
F. The reason is that they don’t realize it takes talent and hard work to be rich and famous.
G. This quick way of gaining wealth and fame creates a celebrity culture among people.
By the end of the century，if not sooner，the world’s oceans will be bluer and greener thanks to a warming climate，according to a new study.
At the heart of the phenomenon lie tiny marine microorganisms(海洋微生物) called phytoplankton. Because of the way light reflects off the organisms，these phytoplankton create colourful patterns at the ocean surface. Ocean colour varies from green to blue，depending on the type and concentration of phytoplankton. Climate change will fuel the growth of phytoplankton in some areas，while reducing it in other spots，leading to changes in the ocean's appearance.
Phytoplankton live at the ocean surface，where they pull carbon dioxide(二氧化碳) into the ocean while giving off oxygen. When these organisms die，they bury carbon in the deep ocean，an important process that helps to regulate the global climate. But phytoplankton are vulnerable to the ocean's warming trend. Warming changes key characteristics of the ocean and can affect phytoplankton growth，since they need not only sunlight and carbon dioxide to grow，but also nutrients.
Stephanie Dutkiewicz，a scientist in MIT's Center for Global Change Science，built a climate model that projects changes to the oceans throughout the century. In a world that warms up by 3℃，it found that multiple changes to the colour of the oceans would occur. The model projects that currently blue areas with little phytoplankton could become even bluer. But in some waters，such as those of the Arctic，a warming will make conditions riper for phytoplankton，and these areas will turn greener. “Not only are the quantities of phytoplankton in the ocean changing. ”she said，“but the type of phytoplankton is changing. ”
1.What are the first two paragraphs mainly about?
A. The various patterns at the ocean surface.
B. The cause of the changes in ocean colour.
C. The way light reflects off marine organisms.
D. The efforts to fuel the growth of phytoplankton.
2.What does the underlined word “vulnerable” in Paragraph 3 probably mean?
A. Sensitive. B. Beneficial
C. Significant D. Unnoticeable
3.What can we learn from the passage?
A. Phytoplankton play a declining role in the marine ecosystem.
B. Dutkiewicz's model aims to project phytoplankton changes
C. Phytoplankton have been used to control global climate
D. Oceans with more phytoplankton may appear greener.
4.What is the main purpose of the passage？
A. To assess the consequences of ocean colour changes
B. To analyse the composition of the ocean food chain
C. To explain the effects of climate change on oceans
D. To introduce a new method to study phytoplankton
Electronic book publishing has many of the same risks and opportunities as electronic music publishing. By delivering text direct to the reader’s computer screen, the e-book could cut down costs, and allow creators to deal directly with their audience, by passing (绕开) traditional publishers and traders. But it also raises the possibility of mass piracy (盗版). Phil Rance, founder and managing director of Online Originals, a London-based e-book publisher, sums it up, “No one wants Napster (在线音乐服务) to happen to books.”
Indeed, the most popular MP3 may have put the frighteners on an industry that generally operates some way behind the “bleeding edge”. The Meta Group, a leading US-based market researcher, says publishers are far too concerned about protecting their rights, “We believe all the recent legal control over Napster is like putting a finger in a river that is already overflowing. Publishers need to deal with reality and come up with new ways to develop wide electronic distribution, asking the question: How can we use the certainty of wide distribution to our advantage.”
At the moment, most publishers would like to limit the use of e-books to the person who bought them, or to the computer used to download them. If that can be done, e-books become just an extra income stream in a publishing industry that would continue to operate the way it does today, according to Terry Robinson, business manager for Adobe’s e-paper group. “If you’ve cracked the digital rights aspect, you’ve cracked the market.” He says.
Robert Nichols, Books Director at BOL agrees, “Rights management is absolutely important. Publishers just say that ‘until copyright is secure, we are not going to talk’.”
1.According to the text, what is the similarity of e-books to electronic music?
A.They both avoid industry management.
B.They both result in piracy. (剽窃)
C.They both bring in much money to creators.
D.They both lead to price reduction.
2.From the text, we can infer that ________.
A.wide use of e-books may increase the income
B.the publishing markets should be brought back to normal
C.publishers haven’t agreed on rights management up to now
D.most publishers prefer e-books for the extra income
3.What do publishers care most about e-books?
A.Price B.Copyright
C.Quality D.Design
4.Which of the following can be the best title for this text?
A.The E-book-a New and Big Challenge B.The E-book-an Extra Income Stream
C.An Economic Rise from E-books D.Changes Brought by E-books
Have you ever run into a careless cell phone user on the street? Perhaps they were busy talking, texting or checking updates on WeChat without looking at what was going on around them. As the number of this new “species” of human has kept rising, they have been given a new name — phubbers（低头族）.
Recently, a cartoon created by students from China Central Academy of Fine Arts put this group of people under the spotlight. In the short film, phubbers with various social identities(身份) bury themselves in their phones. A doctor plays with his cell phone while letting his patient die, a pretty woman takes selfie in front of a car accident site, and a father loses his child without knowing about it while using his mobile phone. A chain of similar events eventually leads to the destruction of the world.
Although the ending sounds overstated, the damage phubbing can bring is real.
Your health is the first to bear the effect and result of it. “Constantly bending your head to check your cell phone could damage your neck,” Guangming Daily quoted doctors as saying. “the neck is like a rope that breaks after long-term stretching.” Also, staring at cell phones for long periods of time will damage your eyesight gradually, according to the report.
But that’s not all. Being a phubber could also damage your social skills and drive you away from your friends and family. At reunions with family or friends, many people tend to stick to their cell phones while others are chatting happily with each other and this creates a strange atmosphere, Qilu Evening News reported.
It can also cost you your life. There have been lots of reports on phubbers who fell to their death, suffered accidents, and were robbed of their cell phones in broad daylight.
1.For what purpose does the author give the example of a cartoon in Paragragh2?
A. To inform people of the bad effects of phubbing.
B. To advertise the cartoon made by students.
C. To indicate the world will finally be destroyed by phubbers.
D. To warn doctors against using cell phones while treating patients.
2.Which of the following is NOT a risk a phubber may have?
A. His social skills could be affected.
B. His neck and eyesight will be gradually harmed.
C. He will cause the destruction of the world.
D. He might get separated from his friends and family.
3.Which of the following may be the author’s attitude towards phubbing?
A. Supportive. B. Opposed.
C. Optimistic. D. Objective.
4.What may the passage talk about next?
A. Advice on how to use a cell phone. B. People addicted to phubbing.
C. Measures to reduce the risks of phubbing. D. Consequences of phubbing.
What’s On?
Electric Underground
7.30pm－1.00am Free at the Cyclops Theatre
Do you know who’s playing in your area? We’re bringing you an exciting evening of live rock and pop music from the best local bands. Are you interested in becoming a musician and getting a recording contract(合同)? If so, come early to the talk at 7:30pm by Jules Skye, a successful record producer. He’s going to talk about how you can find the right person to produce you music.
Gee Whizz
8.30pm-10.30pm Comedy at Kaleidoscope
Come and see Gee Whizz perform. He’s the funniest stand-up comedian on the comedy scene. This joyful show will please everyone, from the youngest to the oldest. Gee Whizz really knows how to make you laugh! Our bar is open from 7.00pm with drinks and snacks.
Simon’s Workshop
5.00pm-7.30pm Wednesdays at Victoria Stage
This is a good chance for anyone who wants to learn how to do comedy. The workshop looks at every kind of comedy, and practices many different ways of making people laugh. Simon is a comedian and actor who has 10 years’ experience of teaching comedy. His workshops are exciting and fun. An evening with Simon will give you the confidence to be funny.
Charlotte Stone
8.00pm-11.00pm Pizza World
Fine food with beautiful jazz music; this is a great evening out. Charlotte Stone will perform songs from her new best-selling CD, with James Pickering on the piano. The menu is Italian, with excellent meat and fresh fish, pizzas and pasta(面食). Book early to get a table. Our bar is open all day, and serves cocktails, coffee, beer, and white wine.
1.Who can help you if you want to have your music produced?
A.Jules Skye. B.Gee Whizz.
C.Charlotte Stone. D.James Pickering.
2.At which place can people of different ages enjoy a good laugh?
A.The Cyclops Theatre. B.Victoria Stage.
C.Kaleidoscope. D.Pizza World.
3.What do we know about Simon’s Workshop?
A.It teaches comedy writing. B.It lasts three hours each time.
C.It is run by a comedy club. D.It is held every Wednesday.
中国人不善于向家人表达“爱”，但你认为告诉家人你爱他们很重要。请以“Ways to express love to my family”为题，写出如何向家人表达“爱”。
提示：1．如果父母生日，当面向他们说“我爱你们”‘
2．经常帮助家人做家务；
3．经常拥抱父母；
4．你自己的看法。
注意：1．词数100左右；
2．可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Ways to express love to my family
