"Shark on the bait (诱饵) !" shouted Andre Harman, pointing to a spot a few yards behind the outboard motors. His voice gave no indication of panic, but the crew suddenly became tense and fixed their eyes on the water. Slowly, smoothly, Andre drew in the bait.The shark followed. No one asked what kind of shark it was. Everything about it, from its color to its shape, tells that it was a great white shark.

Andre lifted the bait aboard. Placing himself between the two motors, he dropped his right hand into the water just as the great head reached the first motor.“My goodness Andre!” I said. His hand seized the big nose, moving it away from the tube of the motor, guiding the shark's head up as it rose out of the water. Andre's hand held the nose, touching it gently. No one spoke. No one breathed. The moment seemed endless. In fact, it lasted less than five seconds before Andre pulled his hand back.

Still nobody spoke. Then Andre smiled and said: "The first time was an accident. I was just trying to move the shark away from the motor. Sharks are attracted to motors by r.heir electrical signals and have a habit of biting them to see if they are eatable. " Andre has worked with great white sharks for years. "My hand landed on its nose, and it sort of paused, so I kept it there, and when I did let go, the shark bit and bit as if it was searching for whatever it was that had attracted it."

Nearly every encounter (遭遇) we had had with the great whites had been totally illogical. The more we learned, the more we realized how little was really known about them in the past years. Back then, it was generally accepted that great whites ate people by choice. Now we know that almost every attack on a human is an accident in which the shark mistakes a human for its normal food. Back then, we thought that once a great white smelt blood, it would lead to death. Now we know that nearly three-quarters of bite victims survive, perhaps because the shark recognizes that is has made a mistake and doesn't return for a second bite.

1.The author said, "My goodness! Andre ! " when ________.

A.Andre was about to fall into the water

B.Andre was about to touch the shark

C.Andre was followed by the shark

D.Andre was bitten by the shark

2.What does the author think of the encounters with great whites________.

A. Exciting. B.Educational.

C. Frightening D. Reasonable

3. Most bite victims survive in shark attacks because________.

A.they are taught how to fight off sharks

B.sharks discover they are no threats

C.they manage to swim to safety

D.sharks stop attacking them

High school dropouts(辍学者)earn an average of $9000 less per year than graduates.Now a new study dispels a common belief why they quit.It’s much more basic than flunking out(不及格).

Society tends to think of high school dropouts as kids who just can’t cut it.They are lazy, and perhaps not too bright.So researchers were surprised when they asked more than 450 kids who quit school about why they left.

“The vast majority actually had passing grades and they were confident that they could have graduated from high school, ” John Bridgeland, the executive researcher said.About 1 million teens leave school each year.Only about half of African-American and Hispanic(美籍西班牙的)student will receive a diploma(证书), and actually all dropouts come to regret their decision.So, if failing grades don’t explain why these kids quit, what does?Again, John Bridgeland:“The most dependable finding was that they were bored.”“They found classes uninteresting; they weren’t inspired or motivated.They didn’t see any direct connection between what they were learning in the classroom to their own lives, or to their career aspirations.”

The study found that most teens who do drop out wait until they turn sixteen, which happens to be the age at which most states allow students to quit.In the US, only one state, New Mexico, has a law requiring teenagers to stay in high school until they graduate.Only four states:California, Tennessee, Texas and Utah, plus the District of Columbia, require school ?attendance? until age 18, no exceptions, another researcher, says raising the compulsory(义务的)attendance age may be one way to keep more kids in school.

“As these dropouts look black, they realize they’ve made a mistake.And anything that sort of gives these people an extra push to stick it out and it through to the end, is probably helpful measure.”

New Hampshire may be the next state to raise its school attendance age to 18.But critics say that forcing the students unwilling to continue their studies to stay in school misses the point-the need for reform.It’s been called for to reinvent(彻底改造)high school education to make it more challenging and relevant(中肯的, 切题的), and to ensure that kids who do stick it out receive a diploma that actually means something.

1.Most high school students drop out of school because ________.

A.they have failing grades

B.they take no interest in classes

C.they are discriminated against

D.they are lazy and not intelligent

2.According to the passage, which state has a law requiring school attendance until they graduate?

A.New Hampshire.

B.Utah.

C.New Mexico.

D.The District of Columbia.

3.The underlined words “stick it out” probably mean “________”.

A.complete schooling

B.solve the problem

C.love having classes

D.believe in themselves

4.In the last paragraph, the writer is trying to ________

A.analyze the reason why students quit school

B.suggest raising the compulsory attendance age

C.call on to reform high school education

D.wish to make laws to guarantee no education

根据短文内容,从短文后的选项中选出最能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项是多余的。

In many countries of the world people do what is called house sitting. It means that if owners of the house are going away, they want someone to come into their home and look after the house and maybe pets while they are away.

In Australia, many people travel. After people retire, they might buy a van(房车) and travel all over the country. 1._______________

So if someone wants to travel or go away for some reason, they might want someone in their home to care for it and keep the gardens tidy. House sitters might have to care for pets. Also, quite a few people have swimming pools in their back yard and they need cleaning. 2. _______________ I feel it is a great way of seeing the country, because you go and stay in a new city, get to meet new people, and have time to go sightseeing in a new area.

3._______________ There are websites where you find the advertisements by people who want to travel, and by replying to the advertisement, you can make arrangements to go and look after their home.

There are some requirements to be a house sitter. You must be a trusted person, so that the home owner knows you will not steal anything. You must be able to go when the house owner wants you to go, so you need lots of free time. 4._______________ You need to be good with pets, able to care for cats and dogs, or other pets they may have.

Some house sitting jobs are just for a few days or a couple of weeks while the house owner have a short holiday. Sometimes it is for much longer. We have had one house sit for six months, while the home owner travelled to Europe.

5._______________ Then you can travel to many different countries and stay there. One of the important things to get are references from the home owners where you have stayed. A reference is a written letter to say that you are trustworthy and have looked after their home well.

You can show these letters to possible house sitting jobs and they know you will do a good job.

A. I have done house sitting many times.

B. Thousands of people do this all the time.

C. It is also possible to do house sitting in other countries.

D. Generally you have many opportunities to get a house sitting job.

E. You must take a little care over what your description says about you.

F. This is an international house sitting service for all city and country areas.

G. You must have a good car, so you can travel to different parts of the country.

Set in a future in which human has been in conflict with an alien race, the novel follows the progress of 6 year old Andrew “Ender” Wiggin, a gifted child who was the result of a government program to develop new commanders to help in the fight against the alien. In the School Ender quickly shows himself to be at the top of his class through his clever use of intelligence during a zero-gravity war game. While Ender’s success makes him a target for older, envious(嫉妒的) commanders, he keeps moving up and is finally promoted(提拨) to Command School where he gets further training from the famous commander Mazer Rackham. In Command School, Ender’s tests and games become increasingly exhausting until he is finally forced to make a frightening decision that has destroying results.

Ender’s Game centers around a group of children who seem to grow into full adults whose emotions and actions seem inconsistent with their actual ages. The youth of these characters added weight to the sadness I felt for these kids who had been raised to be cold and trained since birth to view life as a conflict to be won or lost. The fact that these “Innocents” are competing against each other to kill a faceless enemy for the better of mankind is seen as an unavoidable result of the fear that was stuck in humanity. And while obvious similarities to our own present state of war can be made, the book doesn’t focus as much on the alien threat as it does on Ender’s struggles and the results of his actions.

My main regret with this book was that I didn’t read it when I was younger. I think that I probably would have had an even greater reaction to the story and the struggles of Ender if I’d been closer to his age when I experienced it. Oh well, better late than never I guess.

1. Ender studies in Command school because of__________.

A. the conflict with other countries

B. a government program

C. his further training

D. exhausting tests and games

2.How did the writer feel about the children in Ender’s Game?

A. Fearful. B. Sad. C. Proud. D. Envious.

3.This passage is probably one part of _________.

A. a science novel B. a news story

C. a school introduction D. a book review

LONDON---The International Table Tennies Federation(ITTF) plans to work with Bill Gates, the chairman of Microsoft Corporation, to promote(促进) table tennis in the United States, ITTF President

Adham Sharara said.

The plan was put forward after Gates came to London to watch the game between US teen player Ariel Hsing and Chinese Li Xiaoxia on Sunday, Sharara told Xinhua in an interview.

Sharara didn’t disclose the details, but said that Gates offered to help after watching Hsing’s match, in which the 16-year-old girl nearly pulled off one of the biggest upsets in Olympic table tennis history, pushing No. 2 seed Li to the limit before losing 4-2 in six tight sets.

“Gates was surprised to see the young American girl played so well. He asked me what he can do to help promote table tennis in the United States. I think we’ll work with him. If the United States becomes very strong in table tennis, it’s also good for China,” Sharara said.

Sharara said the case is a “good example” which shows that ITTF’s efforts in promoting the popularity. The ITTF has changed its rules for the London Games, allowing only two players from one nation to enter the singles events. Three players from each National Olympic Committee(NOC) were allowed to enter the singles in previous Games.

“The reason we do this is to help more NOCs to join in our game. If we give more chances to the top countries, someone like Hsing will not come to the Olympic Games. They have no chance. But if we give them the chance, we can see what they can do,” Sharara said.

Sharara said the change increased the pressure on strong teams, like China, Japan, South Korea and Germany. “But they understand now because they saw other NOCs attending. Some countries before had no chance to play in table tennis, but now they are joining in table tennis.”

Other changes made to the Olympic Games include the color of floor (from red to blue) and new table design. “As far as presentation is concerned, we try to change all the time, especially in the Olympic Games. We hope to give audiences something new, exciting and cool.”

Table tennis has long been the strengths of Asia, especially China. Since the sport was introduced into the Olympics in 1988, China has taken 20 of 24 gold medals available. Four years ago in Beijing, it claimed six medals in the men’s and women’s singles.

Talking about the development of table tennis, Sharara said, “China has the responsibility to promote the sport. Of course, China has done a lot.”

1.It is mainly reported in this news that in order to promote table tennis in the United States, _______.

A. ITTF will cooperate with Gates

B. Gates watched Hsing’s match

C. some rules have been changed

D. Hsing pushed Li Xiaoxia to the limit

2.What gave Gates more confidence to promote table tennis in the United States?

A. The Olympic spirits.

B. The popularity of table tennis.

C. Sharara’s patient persuasion.

D. Ariel Hsing’s wonderful performance.

3.Which of the following is ITTF’s purpose of making changes to the London Games?

A. To attract more local audience to the matches.

B. To prevent strong table tennis teams developing.

C. To promote the popularity of table tennis.

D. To give Asian teams chances to join in the match.

4.The following paragraph will most probably talk about_____________.

A. the table tennis rules B. Gate’s detailed plan

C. what China has done D. sports in the United States

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。

As Nicole and Mike Zupan get closer to retirement, they worry about more than just covering their own living expenses for the next several decades.

1. He is autistic(患自闭症的) and may never be able to live on his own. Their idea of retirement is to live a quiet life close to their son. 2. They want to create a special needs trust to help pay for treatment and other expenses he might face as an adult.

“Because of our son’s needs, I guess I never really considered true retirement for us,” she says.

3. She is to attend college in a few years.

The Zupans’ ideal plan is for Mike, 60, to retire first, in five to seven years, and for Nicole, 52, to continue working for several years beyond that before she joins him in retirement.

But before they can get there, they want to pay off the $18,000 in credit card debt, partly because their son’s treatment is not covered by insurance. They have about $230,000 left on the mortgage(按揭) for their home in Fairfax County, Va., which they assess will take about 12 years to pay off. 4.

Matters are complicated by the fact that Nicole, who worked as a preschool teacher, is now unemployed while she recovers from foot operation. 5. Mike’s $120,000 income, which he earns as a government clerk, is enough to cover their basic living expenses. But Nicole wants to get back to work so the family could afford more treatment for Josef and pay down their debt faster. They also would be able to save more for their long-term goals, including retirement, their daughter’s college tuition and their son’s future living expenses.

A. Besides they have a $14,000 loan they used on home improvements.

B. It’s unlikely that Josef will go to college.

C. They’re also trying to save for their 14-year-old daughter, Elshaday.

D. They want to set aside enough money for their 15-year-old son, Josef.

E. It could be a few weeks before she can return to the workforce.

F. Can their retirement savings cover them?

G. He may need to move into a group home when he gets older.

 0  133118  133126  133132  133136  133142  133144  133148  133154  133156  133162  133168  133172  133174  133178  133184  133186  133192  133196  133198  133202  133204  133208  133210  133212  133213  133214  133216  133217  133218  133220  133222  133226  133228  133232  133234  133238  133244  133246  133252  133256  133258  133262  133268  133274  133276  133282  133286  133288  133294  133298  133304  133312  151629 

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