Dubai is one of the economically richest places in the world. With its numerous malls, hotels, resorts and beautiful beaches, Dubai has always been a popular holiday destination. This city was visited by around 5 million tourists each year. The government wanted to increase this number to 15 million. However, there was a shortcoming in this plan. Dubai had only 45 miles of coastline, which was nowhere enough for so many people. To handle this issue, an island that looked like a palm tree was built in 2006 and named the Palm Jumeirah.

The plan for the island was extraordinary. It was to host several hotels, shopping malls, restaurants and homes. Although the initial plan was to build the island from concrete, a decision was taken to create it from sand, so as to give it a natural look.

To make sure that this project was a success, the best engineers from across the world were employed. Engineers from Holland formed the majority in this group. To begin with, the engineers calculated the strength of storms at sea, and also the expected amount of rise in water levels due to global warming. And then they found that the proposed location for the island was neither very wide nor deep.

One of the difficulties encountered by the engineers was to put sand on the seabed to create the breakwater(防波堤), protecting the Plam Jumeirah from tidal forces. Finding the right sand for the project was a difficult task, as the sand from Dubai’s deserts was too fine. Instead, sand from the sea was used, as it was coarser(粗糙) and more water?resistant in nature. Once the breakwater was built, construction of the island began.

The Palm Jumeirah is really an impressive feat(伟绩) of engineering. However, the project is so large that it may have changed the ecology of the region. In addition, large quantities of money and resources go into sustaining the island, which is a major concern at the moment. Only time will tell if building the Palm Jumeirah is actually a good decision.

1.The first paragraph is intended to show ________.

A. the geographical features of Dubai

B. Dubai’s plan to attract more tourists

C. the reason for building the Palm Jumeirah

D. Dubai’s difficulty in developing the tourism industry

2.To build the island, the engineers ________.

A. overcame a number of challenges

B. were sent to Holland to receive training

C. did research on the formation of storms at sea

D. found the proper location for the island accidentally

3.What is the author’s attitude towards the construction of the Palm Jumeirah?

A. Positive. B. Objective.

C. Indifferent. D. Negative.

We can choose failure, but we can’t choose fear. That’s like what James Cameron said “Failure Is an Option (选择), but Fear Is Not” at the end of his TED talk and I love it. We shouldn’t be afraid of facing failure, try to accept it and learn from it.

Make mom for failure

Nobody wants to fail, but failure is often on your way to success. George Bernard Shaw said, “A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable (可敬的), but more useful than a life spent doing nothing.” So if you never fail then it probably means that you do nothing. Failure shows that you actually do something instead of just sitting in your comfortable seat.

Learn from each failure

Don’t just fail and get nothing out of it. Learn something from each failure that makes you better and better.

Fail fast

Time is precious, so if you fail then you’d better fail fast. Why? Because it will make you learn and improve faster. Don’t wait until everything is perfect. Instead, test your idea in the real world as soon as possible.

Don’t choose fear

Many people don’t want to work on something unknown. But fear is not a good choice, so you should be willing to try out your new ideas. Even if you aren’t successful, you will still come out better than before.

1.In the writer’s opinion, failure is not terrible.(______)

2.If you never fail, it may mean you do nothing. (______)

3.From the passage, we know that we should be away from failure. (______)

4.Many people are willing to try out their new ideas. (______)

5.Fear is not an option, but failure is. (______)

Last Friday, after doing all the family shopping in town I wanted a rest before catching the train, so I bought a newspaper and some chocolate and went into the station coffee shop. It was a cheap self-service place with long table to keep a place and went to get a cup of coffee.

When I came back with the coffee, there was someone in the next seat. It was one of those wild-looking boys, with dark glasses and old clothes, and his hair was colored bright red at the front. What did surprise me was that he’d started to eat my chocolate.

I was rather uneasy about him, but I didn’t want to make more trouble. I just looked down at the front page of the newspaper, tasted my coffee and took a bit of chocolate. The boy looked at me closely. Then he took a second piece of chocolate. I could hardly believe it. Still I didn’t say anything to him. When he took a third piece, I felt angrier. I thought, well, I shall have the last piece. “And I got it.”

The boy gave me a strange look, and then stood up. As he left he shouted out, “There is something wrong with the woman,” Everybody looked at me, but it was worse then I finished my coffee and got ready to leave. My face turned red when I knew I’d made a mistake. I wasn’t my chocolate that I had eaten. There was mine, just under my newspaper.

1.In which order did the writer do the following things?

a. Went into a coffee shop.

b. Got a cup of coffee,

c. Started to eat some chocolate.

d. Did some shopping.

e. Found a seat in the shop.

f. Bought some chocolate.

A. a, e, f, b, c, d B. a, d, f, b, e, c

C. d, f, a, e, b, c D. d, a, f, c, b, e

2.The writer went into the station coffee shop to______.

A. buy a newspaper B. meet a boy with dark glasses

C. put her heavy bag D. take a short rest

3.When the writer came back to the table, she was surprised because______.

A. her chocolate had been eaten up B. the boy was eating her chocolate

C. there was a boy sitting next to her D. what the boy did seemed quite rude

4.What did the writer do when the boy took a second piece of chocolate?

A. Looked at him closely.

B. Still didn’t say anything to him.

C. Took a third piece of chocolate.

D. Stood up and left.

5.How do you think the writer felt at last?

A. She felt disappointed B. She felt ashamed

C. She became angrier. D. She thought it very funny.

Some people think the government should move the big companies and factories in cities to the countryside. To what extent do you agree?

Due to the increased urbanization, there appears a bunch of heated social problems. Some people have noticed that there are many big companies and factories in the city and they believe that moving those big companies and factories into countryside could be a good way to solve many of the city problems, such as traffic issues and housing problems. However, I hold an opposite opinion to them and I will explain it as below.

Cities have much more advantages than countryside. There are more cinemas, restaurants and shopping malls in cities, let alone better education and health care. Living in cities makes life more convenient and enjoyable. Thus not everyone is willing to move to countryside in spite of their companies’ moving. They have got cars, which transfers them easily between work and home. Therefore, the pressure of traffic will not be released due to such solution. As for the available empty places spared by the big companies, the newest small companies will take good care of them—with the realization of the benefits that running a business in cities will bring to them. In other words, situation of housing will not be improved much.

Besides, there will be more problems if big companies and factories move out. Where there are big companies and factories, there will be cities sooner or later. Consequently, countryside is to be disappearing. What’s more, industrial pollution is not an easily mended problem.

In conclusion, moving big companies and factories out of cities is never a final solution. It tackles(解决) no problem but causes lots of them. Just imagine. The traffic is still terrible, and there is no more scenic countryside. We should look into other ways to solve the problems.

1.What is the passage mainly talking about?

A. Moving big companies out of cities.

B. Getting rid of companies in the cities.

C. Crowding into the center of the cities.

D. Taking more care of the urban areas.

2.What do people lay the blame on for social problems?

A. A number of factories and companies.

B. The rapid development of the cities.

C. The sharp increase of vehicle quantity.

D. The serious need for more houses.

3.What does the author want to tell in the fourth paragraph?

A. It is more convenient to live in cities than countryside

B. More problems will appear once companies are moved out

C. The public transportation will play a greater role

D. More houses will be built for the poor people

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