America’s greatest technological achievement, the Hoover Dam, now has a companion piece, a bridge held up by the longest arch in the Western Hemisphere(半球). The Mike O’Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge, which opened this month and connects the U.S. states of Arizona and Nevada, crosses the vast chasm(峡谷)890 feet above the Colorado River that is controlled by the dam.

The striking 1,900-foot-long structure will improve traffic in the region and help protect the dam from being destroyed. It is the seventh highest bridge in the world, behind four in China, one in Papua New Guinea and one in the US state of Colorado.

“The Hoover Dam is the greatest civil engineering achievement in America’s history,” said the bridge project manager Dave Zanatell. “Our goal was not to outdo or outshine it. Our goal was to, in a respectful way, do something that would be great for our generation and that would stand besides Hoover Dam in a respectful and quality way that would become a part of Hoover’s legacy(遗产).”

Just as the Hoover Dam was built in the heart of the Great Depression(大萧条)and was seen as an example of the nation’s can-do spirit, some hope this project can also provide some uplift.

The bridge is surprising: at 1,050 feet, its support arch holds up a roadway that lies on 300-foot-long concrete pillars(柱子), some of the tallest in the world. It contains 16 million pounds of steel.

  The idea of the bridge came into being in the 1960s because the top of the Hoover Dam has been a narrow two-lane road that is the fastest route from Arizona to Las Vegas and then the Pacific Northwest and Canada.

   Access to the dam from each direction is a dangerously winding route, but massive trucks and passenger vehicles shared it for decades. During the day, when thousands of tourists travel to the dam from Las Vegas three times as many accidents as on a normal road will happen.

   The bridge has a sidewalk on the side facing the dam. The wall on both sides is 54 inches high, so walkers can take photos there.

Which of the following is true of the Hoover Dam?

   A. It was completed recently.

   B. It was built during the hard times.

   C. It has the longest arch.

   D. It’s the seventh highest dam in the world.

What is one of the purposes of building the bridge?

   A. To protect the dam.                                 B. To save the cultures.

   C. To outdo the dam.                                       D. To develop the tourism.

The underlined word “uplift” in Paragraph 4 means _____.

   A. lift of the heavy object                            B. support in money

   C. spiritual encouragement                           D. instruction in technology

Which of the followings shows the right position of the bridge and dam?

The text is mainly about ______.

   A. the Hoover Dam                                    

   B. American western development

   C. a tour along the Colorado River               

   D. a recently built bridge

Last year, CCTV journalists approached pedestrians with their cameras, held a microphone to their mouth and asked a simple question, “Are you happy?”

The question has caught many interviewees off guard. Even Mo Yan, who just won a Nobel Prize, responded by saying, “I don’t know”.

While the question has become a buzz phrase and the Internet plays host to heated discussions, we ask: What exactly is happiness? And how do you measure it?

In the 1776 US Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson set in writing the people’s unalienable right to “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness”. 235 years on, Wen Jiabao told the nation, “Everything we do is aimed at letting people live more happily.” At National People’s Congress, officials agreed that increasing happiness would be a top target for the 12th five-year plan.

US psychologist Ed Diener, author of Happiness: Unlocking the Mysteries of Psychological Wealth, describes happiness as “ a combination of life satisfaction and having more positive than negative emotions”, according to US broadcasting network PBS. This may sound straightforward enough, but it still doesn’t explain what determines people’s happiness.

Many argue that happiness is elusive and that there is no single source. It also means different things to different people. For some, happiness can be as simple as having enough cash.

Researchers believe happiness can be separated into two types: daily experiences of hedonic (享乐的) well-being; and evaluative well-being, the way people think about their lives as a whole. The former refers to the quality of living, whereas the latter is about overall happiness, including life goals and achievements. Happiness can cross both dimensions.

Li Jun, a psychologist and mental therapy practitioner at a Beijing clinic, says, “Happiness can mean both the most basic human satisfaction or the highest level of spiritual pursuit. It’s a simple yet profound topic.”

Chen Shangyuan, 21, a junior English major at Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, said his idea of happiness always evolves. “At present it relates to how productive I am in a day,” he said. “It might be linked to job security or leisure time after I graduate.”

Then there is the question of measuring happiness. Does it depend on how many friends we have, or whether we own the latest smart phone? Is it even quantifiable?

Economists are trying to measure happiness in people’s lives. Since 1972, Bhutan’s GDP measurement has been replaced by a Gross National Happiness index. It is calculated according to the peoples’ sense of being well-governed, their relationship with the environment, their satisfaction with economic development, and their sense of national belonging.

In 2009, US economist Joseph Stiglitz proposed “to shift emphasis from measuring economic production to measuring people’s well-being”. But is well-being more easily measured?

1. In the second paragraph, the writer gave an example to ________.

A. support his idea that being famous is the reason to be happy

B. introduce his topic to be discussed

C. tell people winning a Nobel Prize is a great honor

D. show that the question was quite difficult

2.From what Thomas Jefferson and Wen Jiabao mentioned in the passage, we know ________.

A. people’s happiness is determined by great people

B. people’s happiness is an important target for the development of a country

C. people in all countries have the right to ask the government for a happy life

D. people both in China and America are living a happy life

3.According to the passage, the writer may most likely agree that ________.

A. CCTV journalists are concerned about people’s happiness out of sympathy

B. the question has led to heated discussions about who are the happiest people in China

C. Bhutan’s new index shows that people there are the happiest in the world

D. it is not easy for us to decide what determines people’s happiness

4.What does the underlined word “elusive” in the sixth paragraph mean?

A. available.                B. easy to get.                      C. hard to describe.            D. unimaginable.

5.The best title of the passage is ________.

A. Are you happy?                                                   B. The Measurement of Happiness

C. GDP and Happiness                                             D. The Secret of Happiness

 

The forces that make Japan one of the world's most earthquake-prone(有地震倾向的) countries could become part of its long-term energy solution.

Water from deep below the ground at Japan's tens of thousands of hot springs could be used to produce electricity.

Although Japanese high-tech companies are leaders in geothermal(地热的) technology and export it, its use is limited in the nation.

"Japan should no doubt make use of its resources of geothermal energy," said Yoshiyasu Takefuji, a leading researcher of thermal-electric power production.

The disastrous earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011 caused a reaction against atomic power, which previously made up 30 percent of Japan's energy needs, and increased interest in alternative energies, which account for only 8 percent.

Artist Yoko Ono has called on Japan to explore its natural energy, following the example of Iceland which uses renewable energy for more than 80 percent of its needs.

For now, geothermal energy makes up less than 1 percent of the energy needs in Japan, which has for decades relied heavily on fossil fuels and atomic power.

The biggest problem to geothermal energy is the high initial cost of the exploration and constructing the factories.Another problem is that Japan's potentially best sites are already being developed for tourism or are located within national parks where construction is forbidden.

"We can't even dig 10cm inside national parks." said Shigeto Yamada of Fuji Electric, adding that regulations protecting nature would need to be relaxed for geothermal energy to grow.

Researcher Hideaki Matsui said, "Producing electricity using hot springs is a decades-long project.We also have to think about what to do for now as energy supplies will decline in the short term."

The Earth Policy Institute in Washington, US, believed Japan could produce 80,000 megawatts(兆瓦)and meet more than half its electricity needs with geothermal technology.

Japanese giants such as Toshiba are already global leaders in geothermal technology, with a 70 percent market share.In 2010, Fuji Electric built the world's largest geothermal factory in New Zealand.

1.What would be the best title for the text?

A.Alternative energies in Japan

B.World's largest geothermal plant

C.Japan takes the lead in geothermal technology

D.Japan thinks of geothermal energy

2.What percentage of Japan's energy needs is geothermal energy?

A.About 8%.       B.Below 1%.        C.Around 30%.     D.Over 80%.

3.According to Shigeto Yamada, the growth of geothermal power in Japan needs ____.

A.a change of rules                       B.financial support

C.local people's help                      D.high technology

4.Geothermal energy is considered as a long-term program by _____.

A.Yoshiyasu Takefuji                       B.Hideaki Matsui

C.Shigeto Yamada                         D.Yoko Ono

5.It can be learned from the last two paragraphs that _____.

A.the world's biggest geothermal plant was built by America

B.Japan will not export its geothermal technology

C.the potential of Japan's geothermal energy is great

D.it is hard to find geothermal energy in Japan

 

首先请阅读下列书城畅销书的封面及基本信息, 第61-65题是这些书的简要内容,请匹配相关的书名。

A.Foreword

  The Antidepressant Survival Guide: Beat the Side Effects of Your Medication

by Robert J. Hedaya, M.D,

Robert J. Hedaya, M.D., is a clinical professor of psychiatry at Georgetown University Hospital's Department of Psychiatry.

Motto: Live well.

B.How Fear Limits Us

  On Becoming Fearless... in Love, Work, and Life

by Arianna Huffington

Arianna Huffington was raised in Greece by her fearless mother. She has written this book for her two daughters in the hope that they will lead fearless lives.

Motto: Overcome the obstacle, get over the next hill.

C.Determination: How to Set Goals and Go After Them

  Fight Your Fear and Win

by Don Greene, Ph.D.

Don Greene, Ph.D., was a nationally ranked high school diver. He was the sports psychologist for the U.S. Olympic Diving Team.

Motto: Determination is drive.

D.The Anger Business

  Anger : The Misunderstood Emotion

by Carol Tavris, Ph.D.

Carol Tavris, Ph.D., was senior editor. She now teaches from time to time in the department of psychology at UCLA

Motto: Reduce Stress!

E.In the Presence of Danger

  The Gift of Fear

by Gavin de Becker

Davin de Becker, America’s leading expert on violence, is the bestselling author of the Gift of Fear: Survival Signals.

Motto: Trust and act on our straight instincts.

F.Moving from Fear to Freedom

  Transforming Anxiety, Transcending Shame

by Rex Briggs, M.S.W.

REX BRIGGS, M.S.W., has been a selected speaker at the National Anxiety Disorders Association of America’s conferences since 1986.

Motto: Weaken anxiety

 

下面是这些书的简要内容,请匹配相关的书名。

1.This useful and popular book shows that if you are gone broke and lose love, please hold yourself back. If you look fat, just face it calmly. If you are in survival thinking, the most important is that you get rid of all the difficulties in front of us, life will be safe, perfect. If your daughters are to take their rightful place in society, they must become fearless.

2.In this book, the author calls the nation’s leading experts on violent behavior, and shows you how to spot even tiny signs of danger before it’s too late. Most violent acts are unpredictable. It points out that true fear is often a signal that can save your life. Believe the threat of violence surrounds us every day. But we can protect ourselves by straight judgment.

3.This book based on his years of clinical experience. It says about twenty-five million Americans take medicine to avoid depression. Despite the advances in the treatment of depression in recent years, many patients, even with the best medical care, feel that they are not living rich and fulfilling lives. This book will direct you how to survive well.

4.This interesting book tells us that annoyance is as much a political matter as a biological one. And anger is a definite message: Pay attention to me. I don’t like what you are doing. Restore my pride. You’re in my way. Give me justice. This book suggests that when you’re angry, just let it right out.

5.This valuable book states that nervousness has become a constant factor in today’s society like a sign of the times, but it is sometimes difficult to recognize the effects of anxiety on our mental health. The only way to feel better about ourselves is to go out and do it.

 

October 31, 2009, California

     Tsien Hsue-shen, PhD'39, one of the founders of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, died on October 31, He was 98.

     Tsien, born in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou, graduated from the National Qinghua University in 1934 and in August of 1935 he left China to study at the Massachusetts Institute Technology. In 1936 he went to the California Institute of Technology to commence graduate studies .Tsien obtained his doctor degree in 1939 and would remain at Caltech for 20 years, becoming the Goddard Professor and establishing a reputation as one of the leading rocket scientists in the United States.

   In 1943, Tsien and two others in the Caltech rocketry group drafted the first document to use the name Jet Propulsion Laboratory. During the Second World War, he was amongst the other scientists participated the "Manhattan Project" .After World War II he served as a consultant to the  United States Army Air Force. During this time, Conlonel Tsien worked on designing an intercontinental space plane. His work would inspire the X--20Dyna-Soar which would later be the inspiration for the Space Shuttle. In1945 Tsien Hsue--shen married Jiang Ying, the daughter of Jiang Baili--one of the Chinese nationalist leader Chiang Kai--shen's leading military strategists. But in 1950, the Chinese-born scientist was accused of harboring Communist sympathies and stripped of his security clearance.

   In September 1955 he was permitted to leave for China, where Tsien resumed his research, founded the Institute of Mechanics, and went on to become the father of China's missile program, a trusted member of the government and Party's inner circle, and the nation's most honored scientist, Tsien retired in 1991 and has maintained a low public profile in Beijing, China. The PRC government launched its manned space program in 1992 and used Tsien's research as the basis for the Long March rocket which successfully launched the Shenzhou V mission in October of 2003.The elderly Tsien was able to watch China's first manned space mission on television from his hospital bed.

   In his late years, since the 1980s, Tsien devoted himself to spirituality research, and advocated scientific investigation of traditional Chinese medicine, Qigong and "special human body functions".

1.The underlined word "commence" in this passage probably means ____

A. make up    B. get    C. begin   D. promise

2.Tsien Hsue--shen got married at the age of ______

A.45          B.28     C. 24      D.34

3.What is the right order of the events related to Tsien Hsue--shen ?

a. his later life    b. return to China    c. career in the U.S.A  d. his early life and education 

A. a-b-c-d    B. d-c-b-a     C. d-b-c-a     D. c-b-d-a

4.Which of the following statements is NOT true?

A. Tsien Hsue--shen got a doctor's degree in 1939.

B. Tsien Hsue--shen married Jiang Ying, the daughter of Chinese nationalist leader Chiang Kai-shen.

C. Tsien Hsue-shen has made a contribution to the Space Shuttle.

D. Tsien Hsue-shen was interested in traditional Chinese medicine, qigong and "special human body functions" in his later life.

 

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