To us it seems so natural to put up an umbrella to keep the water off when it rains, But actually the umbrella was not invented as protection against the rain, Its first use was as a shade against the sun!
Nobody knows who first invented it, but the umbrella was used in very ancient times . Probably the first to use it were the Chinese in the 11th century B C.
We know that the umbrella was used in ancient Egypt and Babylon as a sunshade. And there was a strange thing connected with its use: it became a symbol of honor. In the Far East in ancient times, the umbrella was allowed to be used only by those in high office.
In Europe, the Greeks were the first to use the umbrella as a sunshade. And the umbrella was in commonly used in ancient Greece. But it is believed that the first persons in Europe to use the umbrella as protection against the rain were the ancient Romans.
During the Middle Ages, the use of the umbrella practically disappeared. Then it appeared again in Italy in the late sixteenth century. And again it was considered as a symbol of power. By 1680, the umbrella appeared in France and later in England.
By the eighteenth century, the umbrella was used against rain throughout most of Europe.
Umbrellas have hot changed much in style during all this time, though they have become much lighter in weight. It wasn’t until the twentieth century that women’s umbrellas began to be made , in a whole variety of colors.
【小题1】According to this passage, the umbrella was probably first invented in ancient_______.

A.ChinaB.EgyptC.GreeceD.Rome
【小题2】Which of the following statements is not true about the umbrella?
A.No one exactly knows who the inventor of the umbrella was
B.The umbrella was first invented to be used as protection against the sun.
C.The umbrella changed much in style in the eighteenth century
D.In Europe, the Greeks were the first to use the umbrella as a sunshade.
【小题3】A strange feature of the umbrella’s use is that it was used as__________.
A.protection against rainB.a shade against the sun
C.a symbol of honor and powerD.women’s decoration (装饰)
【小题4】In Europe, the umbrella was first used against the rain_______________.
A.during the Middle Ages B.by the 18thC.in RomeD.in Greece
【小题5】This passage talks mainly about_______________.
A.when and how the umbrella was invented
B.why the umbrella was so popular in Europe
C.the development of the umbrella
D.The history and use of the umbrella

It is pretty much a one-way street. While it may be common for university researchers to try their luck in the commercial world, there is very little traffic in the opposite direction. Pay has always been the biggest deterrent, as people with families often feel they cannot afford the drop in salary when moving to a university job. For some industrial scientists, however, the attractions of academia (学术界) outweigh any financial considerations.
  Helen Lee took a 70% cut in salary when she moved from a senior post in Abbott Laboratories to a medical department at the University of Cambridge. Her main reason for returning to academia mid-career was to take advantage of the greater freedom to choose research questions. Some areas of inquiry have few prospects of a commercial return, and Lee’s is one of them.
  The impact of a salary cut is probably less severe for a scientist in the early stages of a career. Guy Grant, now a research associate at the Unilever Centre for Molecular Informatics at the University of Cambridge, spent two years working for a pharmaceutical (制药的) company before returning to university as a post-doctoral researcher. He took a 30% salary cut but felt it worthwhile for the greater intellectual(知识的) opportunities.
  Higher up the ladder, where a pay cut is usually more significant, the demand for scientists with a wealth of experience in industry is forcing universities to make the transition (转换) to academia more attractive, according to Lee. Industrial scientists tend to receive training that academics do not, such as how to build a multidisciplinary team, manage budgets and negotiate contracts. They are also well placed to bring something extra to the teaching side of an academic role that will help students get a job when they graduate, says Lee, perhaps experience in manufacturing practice or product development. “Only a small number of undergraduates will continue in an academic career. So someone leaving university who already has the skills needed to work in an industrial lab has far more potential in the job market than someone who has spent all their time on a narrow research project.”
【小题1】By “a one-way street” (Line 1, Para. 1), the author means ________.

A.university researchers know little about the commercial world
B.there is little exchange between industry and academia
C.few industrial scientists would quit to work in a university
D.few university professors are willing to do industrial research
【小题2】The word “deterrent” (Line 2, Para. 1) most probably refers to something that ________.
A.keeps someone from taking action  
B.helps to move the traffic
C.attracts people’s attention
D.brings someone a financial burden
【小题3】What was Helen Lee’s major consideration when she changed her job in the middle of her career?
A.Flexible work hours.
B.Her research interests.
C.Her preference for the lifestyle on campus.
D.Prospects of academic accomplishments.
【小题4】Guy Grant chose to work as a researcher at Cambridge in order to ________.
A.do financially more rewarding work
B.raise his status in the academic world
C.enrich his experience in medical research
D.exploit better intellectual opportunities
【小题5】What contribution can industrial scientists make when they come to teach in a university?
A.Increase its graduates’ competitiveness in the job market.
B.Develop its students’ potential in research.
C.Help it to obtain financial support from industry.
D.Gear its research towards practical applications.

Friendships are some of the most important relationships that we will ever have in our lives. But how to build a solid friendship? Here are five tips for you.
Tip 1. _____
True friendships can only be built in honesty. This is more than just telling the truth. Being real and open about who you are and your thoughts and feelings are a part of building a solid friendship. If your “friends” don’t even really know you, who are they really friends with?
Tip 2. Shared Experiences
As you build your friendship, you will share many experiences together. Some of these may be great adventures or hard times that the two of you go through together. These shared experiences are things that you will laugh about, talk about, and cry about no matter how much time passes.
Tip 3. Sacrificial(牺牲精神的)love
Love is the basis(基础)of all solid relationships. I am not referring to the emotion(情感) of love, but to the action of love. Love is what will cause a friend to get out of bed in the middle of the night to help another. Love is what will put aside someone’s own wants to make sure that their friend is alright.
Tip 4. Understanding
When a friendship is solid, it will be based on each other’s understanding. You may not agree with everything that a friend says or does, but you will be able to put yourself into his or her shoes to begin to understand. Offering understanding to a friend is very important, as it allows them to feel that they have someone in their corner that they can talk to and who will offer advice and suggestions, without having to worry that if they don’t always follow it, the friendship will be lost.
Tip 5. Acceptance
A solid friendship is one in which two people accept one another, faults and all, for just who they are. There is no having to build up false excuses, or hide away the “dark secrets” from one another. We accept each other as whole, complete, and totally unique people.
【小题1】What’s the best title of Tip 1?

A.Introduction of yourself.B.Telling the truth
C.HonestyD.True friendships
【小题2】Which tip can remind us of an English proverb “Love me, love my dog”?
A.Tip 2.B.Tip 3.C.Tip 4.D.Tip 5.
【小题3】What’s the meaning of the underlined part “put yourself into his or her shoes” in Tip 4?
A.Exchange your shoes with his or hers.B.Try on his or her shoes.
C.Put yourself in his or her position.D.Force yourself.
【小题4】What’s the best title of the whole passage?
A.A solid friendshipB.The most important relationships
C.Five tips for youD.Tips on how to build a solid friendship

Diana Jacobs thought her family had a workable plan to pay for college for her 21-year-old twin sons: a combination of savings, income, scholarships, and a modest amount of borrowing. Then her husband lost his job, and the plan fell apart.
"I have two kids in college, and I want to say come home. ' but at the same time I want to provide them with a good education," says Jacobs.
The Jacobs family, did work out a solution: They asked and received more aid from the schools, and each son increased his' borrowing to the maximum amount through the federal loan (贷款) program. They will each graduate with $ 20,000 of debt, but at least they will be able to finish school.
With unemployment rising, financial aid administrators expect to hear from more families like the Jacobses. More students are applying for aid, and more families expect to need student loans. College administrators are concerned that they will not have enough aid money to go around.
At the same time, tuition (学费) continues to rise. A report from the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education found that college tuition and fees increased 439% from 1982 to 2007, while average family income rose just 147% . Student borrowing has more than doubled in the last decade.
"If we go on this way for another 25 years, we won't have an affordable system of higher education," says Patrick M. Calan, president of the center. "The middle class families have been financing it through debt. They will send kids to college whatever it takes, even if that means a huge amount of debt."
Financial aid administrators have been having a hard time as many companies decide that student loans are not profitable enough and have stopped making them. The good news, however, is that federal loans account for about three quarters of student borrowing, and the government says that money will flow uninterrupted.
【小题1】According to Paragraph 1. why did the plan of the Jacobs family fail?

A.The twins wasted too much money.B.The father was out of work.
C.Their saving ran out.D.The family fell apart.
【小题2】How did the Jacobses manage to solve their problem?
A.They asked their kids to come home.
B.They borrowed $20, 000 from the schools.
C.They encouraged their twin sons to do part-time jobs.
D.They got help from the schools and the federal government.
【小题3】Financial aid administrators believe that________.
A.more families will face the same problem as the Jacobses
B.the government will receive more letters of complaint
C.college tuition fees will double soon
D.America's unemployment will fall
【小题4】What can we learn about the middle class families from they text?
A.They blamed the government for the tuition increase.
B.Their income increased steady in the last decade.
C.They will try their best to send kids to college.
D.Their debts will be paid off within 25 years.
【小题5】According to the last paragraph the government will________.
A.provide most students with scholarships
B.dismiss some financial aid administrators
C.stop the companies from making student loans
D.go on providing financial support for college students

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