Valentine’s Day is named for Saint Valentine, an early Christmas churchman who helped young lovers. Valentine was killed for his Christian beliefs on February 14 more than 1700 years ago, but the day which is named after him is even earlier than that.

   More than 2,000 years ago, the ancient Romans celebrated a holiday for lovers. As part of the celebration, girls wrote their names on pieces of paper and put them in a large container. Boys reached into the container and pulled one out. The girl whose name was written on the paper became his lover or sweet heart for a year.

   Now, lovers still put their names on pieces of paper and they sent each other Valentine’s Day cards that tell of their love. Sometimes they also send gifts, like flowers or chocolate candies. Americans usually send these gifts and cards through the mail system. But some use another way to send this message. They have it printed in a newspaper. The cost is usually a few dollars. Some of the messages are simple and short, “Jane, I love you very much”. Others say more. This one, for example, “Dan, Roses are red. Violets are blue. I hope you love me as much as I love you. Forever, May.”

   Most of the newspapers that print such messages are local, but USA Today is sold throughout the United States and 90 other countries. This means someone can send a Valentine message to the lover in a far-away place almost anywhere in the world. These messages cost 80 dollars and more. An employee of USA Today says readers can have a small heart or rose printed along with their messages this year. Will this kind of Valentine’s Day message reach the one you love? Well, just make sure he or she reads the newspaper.

When was the day named after Valentine?

A. More than 1700 years ago before Valentine’s death.      B. More than 2, 000 years ago.

C. On February 14.                                  D. It is not mentioned in the passage.

Which of the following is Wrong about the ancient Romans holiday in the text?

A. Girls put paper with their names into a container.

B. Boys and girls became sweet hearts by chance.

C. Girls and boys chose life lovers in the holiday.

D. It was celebrated as a holiday for lovers.

Now lovers celebrate Valentine’s Day _________.

A. like what the ancient Romans did         B. by sending gifts to each other

C. by printing newspapers                       D. by spending lots of money

What can we learn from the text?

A. The ancient Roman girls were more easy-going.

B. Valentine was killed for not helping the government.

C. USA Today helps readers to send roses with printed messages.

D. Valentine was honored for his Christian belief and warm heart.

The text is written to _________.

A. tell us something about Valentine’s Day                 B. advertise for USA Today

C. tell us that Americans are open to express love          D. sell roses on Valentine’s Day       

Since the early 1990s, the Internet has greatly changed the way people communicate. But some teachers think the changes are not all for the better.
Eleanor Johnson, an English professor at Columbia University in New York, says, “Ithink text messaging has made students believe that it is far more acceptable than it actually is to just make spelling and grammatical mistakes.” She says her students over the past several years have increasingly used less formal English in their writing. She says words and phrases like “you know” now appearing research papers. And she now has to talk about another problem in class---incorrect word use.
Professor Johnson doubts a strong connection between the rise of communication online and an increase in writing mistakes. But she admits there may not be much scientific proof, at least not yet.
David Crystal, a British language expert, says the actively changing nature of the Internet makes it difficult to stay unchanged in studying its effects. But he believes its effect on language is small. He says, “The main effect of the Internet on language has been to increase the expressive richness of language, providing the language with a new set of communicative content that didn’t exist in the past.” Erin Jansen, founder of an online dictionary of Internet and text messaging terms, says his new technology has not changed existing language but has greatly added to the vocabulary. “Basically it is a freedom of expression,” she says, “If it is helping them write more or communicate more, that is great. That is what teachers and educators want---to get students communicating.”
But Erin Jansen and David Crystal agree with Eleanor Jonson on at least one thing. Teachers need to make sure students understand the uses and rules of language.
【小题1】 According to the text, which of the following statements is TRUE?

A.David Crystal thinks the Internet makes the language expression richer.
B.David Crystal believes the Internet’s effects on language use are clear
C.Eleanor Johnson thinks writing mistakes has much to do with the Internet
D.Eleanor Johnson thinks all the Internet effects on language use are good
【小题2】. Eleanor Johnson is mentioned to _______.
A.share her idea of the great effects of using the Internet
B.tell people a way to correct students’ writing mistakes
C.serve as an example of teachers’ blaming the Internet
D.warn people against the dangers of using the Internet
【小题3】 What do the three experts have in common as to the Internet effect?
A.The possibilities of avoiding the use of less formal words
B.The causes of the Internet’s great effects on language
C.The necessity of helping students reduce writing mistakes
D.The importance of students’ knowing how to use language
【小题4】. What could be the best title for the text?
A.Students’ Learning and the Internet: Good or Bad?
B.Students’ Writing and the Internet: Good or Bad?
C.Students’ Papers and the Internet: Good or Bad?
D.Students’ Mistakes and the Internet: Good or Bad?





[1] Look at the center circles of Diagram A and Diagram B. Which of the centre circles looks larger?
[2] Take a first look and you probably think that the centre circle in Diagram A is smaller than that in Diagram B. In fact, they are exactly the same size.
[3]Then look at the picture on the right.What do you see? A vase? Or two faces? Does the picture change quickly from one to the other again and again? Maybe or maybe not, but you can see them at the same time.
[4]“What’s happening? Is something wrong with my eyes?” You may wonder at what you see. Don’t worry. Here is how it goes:
[5]When we look at things, our eyes send messages to our brains and then our brains interpret (解释) the information. However, sometimes our brains interpret the received information in a wrong way. It seems that our eyes are playing a joke on us. This often happens and we call it “Visual illusion(幻觉)”.
[6] Movie makers often make use of illusions. They make the objects around actors much smaller or bigger than usual. This makes us believe that the actors are much larger or smaller than they usually are. The movies Jurassic Park and Honey J shrunk the kids just make use of illusions.
66. In which column of a magazine can you read the above text?
A. Culture.          B. Science.     C. Humour.    D. Education.
67. The centre circle in Diagram A looks smaller than that in Diagram B, That’s because____.
A. something is wrong with our eyes
B. the two circles are not of the same size
C. our brains interpret the information wrongly
D. pictures change quickly from one to the other
68. In the picture on the right, it seems that Line AB is shorter than lane
CD, but in fact lane AB is as long as Line CD. Which paragraph
can explain what has happened to our eyes?
A. The second one.             B. The third one.
C. The fifth one.                    D. The sixth one.
69. What’s the right order according to the text?
a. We look at things with our eyes.      
b. Our brains interpret the messages.
c. Our brains tell us what we have seen.  
d. Our eyes send messages to our brains.
A. a-d-b-c     B c-a-b-d       C a-c-d-b       D. b-e-a-d
70. Movie makers make use of visual illusions to        .
A. help the actors look better             B. make the actors much braver
C. help the actors become stronger      D. make the actors seem different in size

根据短文内容,从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项,选项中有两项为多余选项。

A hobby is an investment of time. It also can be an investment of money and commitment. Many people choose to develop more than one type of hobby.   1.   When it comes to choosing the hobby, consider the following factors.

Hobbies are usually an activity of some sort that brings out a certain skill that you have. When you have a talent like painting or woodworking, it can be easy to determine which hobby suits your skill.   2.   Skill can be developed and challenged as you go along. It is not a necessary requirement. A hobby is fitting because you love it, not because you’re a professional at it.

Some people particularly enjoy taking part in hobbies that they can do in a group with others. It can be a lot more fun to become a member of a hobby group than to sit alone in your basement.    3.   It’s important to share interests and network with other hobby enthusiasts that do what you do.

Hobbies are generally an activity that you undertake because of the joy it brings you. Of course many people have discovered the joy that also comes with a hobby that earns you a living.   __4.  Just make sure you make the choice that fits your lifestyle and personal preference.

  5.   But most of the skilled hobbies like art, building or writing have a series of lessons or tutorials that you can take to further your skills. In some cases it’s a really good idea to take lessons, especially if you are clueless as to where or how to begin. Step by step books for most hobbies can often be found in bookstores as well.

A. However, hobbies don’t have to be skill related.

B. Most hobbies can easily be done within your own home, at your leisure.

C. Look one up or start your own.

D. Read hobby books to learn more about your chosen hobby!

E. Make a list of things that you enjoy or don’t know about.

F. It can be a necessary part of selecting the hobby that is right for you.

G. Whether it’s full time, part time or not at all, you must decide whether your hobby applies to you.

 

The tragic death of celebrity Wang Bei has made people aware of the risks of cosmetic surgery, which is becoming increasingly popular.

         A survey on the reaction to Wang's death, conducted by Tencent, which runs China's most popular instant-messaging service, received more than 600,000 responses, as of press time Monday.Forty-one percent of respondents expressed sorrow over her death, saying, "It's a pity she died at such a young age." Some 31 percent said she should have been more cautious and less vain, while 10 percent were enraged at the hospital that conducted the surgery.The remaining 18 percent were indifferent.

         A common thread of online discussion is why someone considered beautiful was so dissatisfied with her looks.Some netizens said Wang was a victim of society's unrealistic ideal of beauty: double eyelids, an aquiline nose and the pointed chin typical of Western celebrities.Others said her death underscores the limits to which people will go to achieve fame and fortune.Young people, see cosmetic surgery as the key to wealth and love.

         "They want to improve their appearance to find better opportunities at work and in marriage," says Ding Xiaobang, a plastic surgeon with the Peking Union Medical College Hospital."We're living in a highly competitive society.People regard appearance as a weapon and a means of empowerment…Most of them tell me, 'I don't care how much I spend, just make me look beautiful'." In the past decade, Ding says he Has seen a growing number of patients, like Wang Bei, who are young and naturally good-looking.The surgeon attributes this trend to people becoming richer, the standards of beauty changing, competition and frustration.

         "Some are frustrated with life and use surgery as a way to try and recover," lie says.

         The surge in demand for plastic surgery has resulted in a rise in the number of unauthorized business establishments and surgeons conducting such procedures.

         Meanwhile, experts say, young and beautiful people who still seek plastic surgery need to address their self-awareness issues and be more accepting.

         “They’ve built their identity around the admiration of others and fail to establish a system to assess themselves," says Zhu Wenbo, a psychologist with Blue Bay Psychological Consulting Center in Chengdu."People's opinions always change, so this is not a reliable way to evaluate oneself."

1.Most people are       toward the death of Wang Bei according to the survey.

         A.sympathetic       B.indifferent C.enraged     D.not mentioned

2.Why is there such a trend of having medical cosmetic surgery according to Ding Xiaobang?

         A.People become richer.

         B.The standard the beauty always changes.

         C.People suffer fierce competition and frustration now and then.

         D.All of the above.

3.What kind of people is regarded as a beauty nowadays?

         A.a person with single eyelid, an aquiline nose and a  pointed chin

         B.a person with double eyelids, an aquiline nose and a pointed chin

         C.a person with double eyelids, a snub nose and a pointed chin

         D.a person with double eyelids, a snub nose and a chubby chin

4.The purpose of the text is to           .

         A.inform us that cosmetic surgery becomes popular.

         B.emphasize that young people should re-evaluate themselves rationally.

         C.raise concerns about the risk of medical cosmetology industry.

         D.state that people’s standard of beauty always changes.

 

违法和不良信息举报电话:027-86699610 举报邮箱:58377363@163.com

精英家教网