Pretoria, South Africa – Hundreds of swimmers play in the water along a South Africa beach. Suddenly a huge shark appears off shore and heads for the bathers. Before it can get close to the swimmers, the shark, for some mysterious reason, starts swimming parallel to the beach. Then it turns away from the shore and heads out to sea, leaving the swimmers untouched.

Such a scene will soon become common along shark-in-fasted (鲨鱼成群的)shores. An electrical engineer from the University of Pretoria has developed an electrical system that repels (击退)sharks by controlling their movements. Confused by this action, the sharks end up turning away from the beach.

In this unusual shark-repellent method, an insulated (绝缘的)cable is buried on the bottom of the sea around a beach where people swim. When an electric current is sent through the cable, an electric field is produced in the water above the cable.

When shark swims into the electric field, nerve cells just below the shark' s skin will sense the field. The electricity produces a reflex (反射作用)action in the shark' s muscles, causing the dangerous animal to swim parallel to the cable. Confused by increasing loss of control of its muscles, the shark suddenly changes its direction and heads seaward, away from the electric field.

     In a test of the invisible new shark-repellent system, a cable was placed around a beach in St. Lucia, an island around the beach a long time ago to keep sharks away from swimmers, and a net was left in place during the experiment.

     When the electric field was left on for more than a year and a half, no sharks were found in the net. However, when the power was turned off,89 sharks ended up in the net.

     Using the electric-wall method instead of net to protect bathers would avoid the needless death of many sharks, said biologists. Currently, thousands of sharks die each year when they become trapped in protective nets that surround holiday resorts in Africa and Australia.  About 10 to 15 humans are killed by sharks annually.

1.Why doesn’t' t the shark attack the swimmers according to the passage?

    A.Because there are so many swimmers in the water.

    B.Because the shark isn’t so hungry as to eat the swimmers.

    C.Because of some mysterious power from the heaven.

    D.Because there is an invisible electric field confusing the shark.

2.An electrical engineer from the University of Pretoria has developed __      .

    A.a protective net

       B.a new shark-repellent system

    C.the electric field

       D.an insulated cable

3.An electric field is produced in the water above the cable         .

    A.only when a shark swims into the electric field

    B.only when an insulated cable is buried on the bottom of the sea around a beach where people swim

    C.only when an electric current is sent through the cable

    D.only when the sharks are trapped in protective nets

4.Which of the following is NOT TRUE according to the passage?

    A.Protective nets had been fixed earlier than the new shark-repellent system.

     B.The new shark – repellent system will probably replace the protective nets.

     C.Thousands of sharks have died each year since this new system was put into use.

     D.Using the electric-wall instead of nets would avoid the needless death of many sharks.

“BANG!” the door caused a reverberation(回声). It was just standing there, with Father standing on one side, and I on the other side.

We were both in great anger.“Never set foot in this house again!”stormed Father.With tears welling up in my eyes, I rushed out of the flat and ran along the street.

The street lights were shining rather desolately(凄凉的).I wandered aimlessly.

A young father who held a child in his arms walked past me.I felt as if I saw my childhood from another space: happy and harmonious.

But now…I don’t know whether it is because I have grown up or because dad is getting old.We differ in our ways of thinking.He always imposes his opinions and codes of behavior on me.Whenever I do something wrong, he never admits it.We are just like two people coming from two different worlds.It feels like there is an iron door between us that can never be opened.

I wandered the streets, without a destination in mind.My heart was frozen on this hot summer night.As I walked on there were fewer and fewer people on the streets, until I had only the street lights to keep me company.When I finally reached the high-rise apartment block in which I lived, I saw that the light was still on.

In fact, it was nothing.Perhaps, dad was throwing away some of his old stamps.Perhaps he thought they were useless.I never had the courage to tell him that I liked collecting stamps.I can’t stand his outrageous(蛮横的)words: “ I can throw you away, let alone these old papers.”

All the lights were off except father’s.

Dad was always like this.Maybe he didn’t know how to express himself.After shouting at me, he never showed any mercy or any moments of regret.After an argument he has the habit of creeping coming up quietly in my sleep and then tucking (盖好)me underneath the covers.

This was how he always was.He has been a leader for so long that telling everyone else what to do has become his second nature.

The light was still on.“Am I wrong?” I whispered, maybe… With the key in hand, I was as nervous as I had ever been.At last, I decided to open the door.As soon as I opened the door, tears ran down my cheeks.I suddenly realized that the iron door that I had imagined between us did not exist at all.Love – is second to none.

1.Decide which is the best order of the following according to what happened in the passage.

       a.I opened the door and entered the house.

       b.Sadly I ran out into the street.

       c.I reached the place where I lived and saw my house still brightly lit.

       d.I thought of my father’s kindness towards me.

       e.I walked about in the street without any aim.

       A.b, e, d, c, a         B.b, e, c, d, a         C.b, e, a, c, d         D.b, e, c, a, d

2.What made the writer think of his childhood?

       A.The sight of the desolate street lights.

       B.The sight of the empty street.

       C.The sight of a father with a child in his arms.

       D.The sight of light in his own house.

3.Why do you think the father often shouts at his son?

       A.Perhaps the father is getting older and older.

       B.Perhaps the son has already grown up.

       C.Perhaps they never agree with each other.

       D.Perhaps the father has got used to doing that.

4.What conclusion can you draw after reading the passage?

       A.The father is actually kind to his son.

       B.The father treats his son in an unfair way.

       C.The father is neither kind nor cruel to his son.

       D.The father is always finding fault with his son.

If you feel at present that you don’t have enough friends in your life, one reason may be that you have let yourself become too busy to make time for the relationships you already have. Starting and keeping friendship requires effort and commitment.

Many of us let our lives become so busy with work and other responsibilities that we don’t get around to scheduling time for pleasure and renewal(叙旧)with the friends, relatives and acquaintances we already have.

Making the effort to call your friends more regularly and to accept more of the invitations you receive from others can improve your social life in a hurry!

Are there any people you could call right now and be sure to receive a pleasant welcome? Are there people that you could count onto help you in time of difficulty? Can you have close talks with them? Do you have fun when you are together? Are you happy to have them in your life?

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If you haven’t seen much of them lately, is it because you have become too busy? Have you grown apart? Was there an argument?

If the main reason you haven’t been getting together with the people you already know is that  you have got too busy. take a good look at how you spend your time. Compare it with your real values and priorities(优先考虑的事)in life. Is your busy lifestyle really bringing you the quality of life that you want?

If you have become too busy for friends, why has this happened? Are you seeking material toys in your life at the expense of relationships with other human beings? Have you allowed your time to be over spent because you never say “No” to anyone? Do you insist on doing things yourself that could be appointed to others? If so, why? Do you believe that everything depends on you?

Examine whether the way you are now spending your time accurately reflects your deepest values and priorities. Make sure that you schedule adequate time for the things that are truly most important to you.

If you really want to keep friends in your life, make a space in your schedule, and a space in your heart for them.

1.In this passage the author mainly discusses ______    .

       A.how to balance friendship and work.

       B.how to spend our spare time.

       C.whether we should keep friendship.

       D.whether we should invite friends to dinner regularly.

2.Which of the following doesn’t indicate a good relationship?

       A.You have someone to count on when you are in trouble.

       B.You have someone to have close talks with.

       C.You have fun when you are with someone.

       D.You feel depressed with others in life.

3.The reason why you have become too busy for friends may be the following EXCEPT that_____.

       A.you spend too much time seeking material toys in your life

       B.you feel it difficult to keep friendship

       C.you stick to doing everything all by yourself

       D.you never refuse whatever other people ask you to do

4.Which would be the best title for the text?

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       A.Too busy for Friendship?                      B.Too busy with work?

       C.How to Spend Your Time                     D.How to Make New Friends

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。

    Shoppers who carefully plan their visit to the grocery store can save money on their grocery bills.   1 

Shoppers should visit the grocery store on a full stomach by scheduling their trip immediately after a large meal. If that’s not possible, they should find something healthy to eat while preparing a grocery list.   2  

    Although having a list and sticking to it is the most important factor in saving money, shoppers must prepare lists wisely in order to save.   3  Many special buys are announced through the local newspapers, so buying the “grocery issue” is worth the investment(投资). However, it’s important to remember that many newer, more expensive products first offered through coupons may not yield enough savings for shoppers to give up the product they usually buy.

      4  Once at the store, the shopper who wants to save money should follow a few more rules. The shopper should not stay longer than necessary, because bills go up each minute the shopper is in the store. So, setting a time limit and a cost limit can hold down the bill.   5   If the grocery list is a short one, some shoppers choose to use the small hand-held basket instead of the roomy grocery cart.

       A.A carefully planned list should include in – season produce and any items on sale or discounted through coupons (优惠券).

       B.Of course, the shopper should stick strictly to the shopping list and resist the temptation to buy additional items.

       C.People who are full are less tired and more likely to buy what they want.

       D.Now that the shopper has completed the grocery list, it’s time to leave for the store.

       E.You should keep your shopping list carefully in case you can exchange it for coupons.

       F.Most shoppers are less persuaded to buy extra goods when they are not hungry.

       G.Shopping when not hungry, sticking to a grocery list, and following a few simple rules will cut down the grocery bill.

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