1 . Societies all over the world name places in similar ways. Quite often there is no official naming ceremony but places tend to be called names as points of reference (参考) by people. Then an organized body steps in and gives the place a name. Often it happens that a place has two names： One is named by the people and the other by the government. As in many areas, old habits died hard, and the place continues to be called by its unofficial name long after the meaning is lost.
Many roads and places in Singapore are named in order that the pioneers will be remembered by future generations. Thus we have names such as Stamford Road and Raffles Place. This is in keeping with traditions in many countries---in both the West and the East.
Another way of naming places is naming them after other places. Perhaps they were named to promote friendships between the two places or it could be that the people who used to live there were at first from the places that the roads were named after. The mystery is clearer when we see some of the roads named after former British military bases (军事基地). If you step into Selector Airbase you will see Piccadilly Circus--- obviously named by some homesick Royal Air Force personnel (人员).
Some places were named after the activities that used to go on at those places. Bras Basah Road is an interesting example, “Base Basah” means “wet rice” in Malay (马来语). Now why would anyone want to name a road “Wet Rice Road”? The reason is simple. During the pioneering days, wet rice was laid out to dry along this road.
A few roads in Singapore are named by their shapes. There is “Circular Road” for one. Other roads may have part of their names to describe their shapes, like “Paya Lebar Crescent”. This road is called a crescent (月牙) because it begins on the main road, makes a crescent and comes back to join the main road again.
1. We learn from Paragraph 1 that ________.| A．many places tend to have more than one name |
| B．the government is usually the first to name a place |
| C．a ceremony will be held when a place is named |
| D．people prefer the place names given by the government |
| A．Change suddenly. | B．Change greatly. |
| C．Disappear very slowly. | D．Disappear secretly. |
| A．Raffles Place. | B．Selector Airbase. |
| C．Piccadilly Circus. | D．Paya Lebar Crescent. |
| A．after a person | B．after a place | C．by its shape | D．after an activity |
| A．The way Singaporeans name their places is unique. |
| B．Young Singaporeans have forgotten the pioneers. |
| C．Some place names in Singapore are the same as in Britain. |
| D．Some places in Singapore are named for military purposes. |
2 . For many parents, raising a teenager is like fighting a long war, but years go by without any clear winner. Like a border conflict between neighboring countries, the parent-teen war is about boundaries: Where is the line between what I control and what you do?
Both sides want peace, but neither feels it has any power to stop the conflict. In part, this is because neither is willing to admit any responsibility for starting it. From the parents’ point of view, the only cause of their fight is their adolescents’ complete unreasonableness. And of course, the teens see it in exactly the same way, except oppositely. Both feel trapped.
In this article, I’ll describe three no-win situations that commonly arise between teens and parents and then suggest some ways out of the trap. The first no-win situation is quarrels over unimportant things. Examples include the color of the teen’s hair, the cleanliness of the bedroom, the preferred style of clothing, the child’s failure to eat a good breakfast before school, or his tendency to sleep until noon on the weekends. Second, blaming. The goal of a blaming battle is to make the other admit that his bad attitude is the reason why everything goes wrong. Third, needing to be right. It doesn’t matter what the topic is—politics, the laws of physics, or the proper way to break an egg—the point of these arguments is to prove that you are right and the other person is wrong, for both wish to be considered an authority—someone who actually knows something—and therefore to command respect. Unfortunately, as long as parents and teens continue to assume that they know more than the other, they’ll continue to fight these battles forever and never make any real progress.
1. Why does the author compare the parent-teen war to a border conflict?| A．Both are about where to draw the line. |
| B．Both can continue for generations. |
| C．Neither has any clear winner. |
| D．Neither can be put to an end. |
| A．The teens tend to have a full understanding of their parents. |
| B．The teens agree with their parents on the cause of the conflict. |
| C．The teens cause their parents of misleading them. |
| D．The teens blame their parents for starting the conflict. |
| A．give orders to the other |
| B．know more than the other |
| C．gain respect from the other |
| D．get the other to behave properly |
| A．Solutions for the parent-teen problems. |
| B．Examples of the parent-teen war. |
| C．Causes for the parent-teen conflicts. |
| D．Future of the parent-teen relationship. |
3 . According to a recent study in the Journal of Consumer Research, both the size and consumption habits of our eating companions can influence our food intake. And contrary to existing research that says you should avoid eating with heavier people who order large portions(份), it's the beanpoles with big appetites you really need to avoid.
To test the effect of social influence on eating habits, the researchers conducted two experiments. In the first, 95 undergraduate women were individually invited into a lab to ostensibly(表面上)participate in a study about movie viewership. Before the film began, each woman was asked to help herself to a snack. An actor hired by the researchers grabbed her food first. In her natural state, the actor weighed 105 pounds. But in half the cases she wore a specially designed fat suit which increased her weight to 180 pounds.
Both the fat and thin versions of the actor took a large amount of food. The participants followed suit, taking more food than they normally would have. However, they took significantly more when the actor was thin.
For the second test, in one case the thin actor took two pieces of candy from the snack bowls. In the other case, she took 30 pieces. The results were similar to the first test: the participants followed suit but took significantly more candy when the thin actor took 30 pieces.
The tests show that the social environment is extremely influential when we're making decisions. If this fellow participant is going to eat more, so will I. Call it the “I’ll have what she's having” effect. However, we'll adjust the influence. If an overweight person is having a large portion, I'll hold back a bit because I see the results of his eating habits. But if a thin person eats a lot, I'll follow suit. If he can eat much and keep slim, why can't I?
1. What is the recent study mainly about?| A．Food safety. | B．Movie viewership. |
| C．Consumer demand. | D．Eating behavior. |
| A．Big eaters. | B．Overweight persons. |
| C．Picky eaters. | D．Tall thin persons. |
| A．To see how she would affect the participants. |
| B．To test if the participants could recognize her. |
| C．To find out what she would do in the two tests. |
| D．To study why she could keep her weight down. |
| A．How hungry we are. | B．How slim we want to be. |
| C．How we perceive others. | D．How we feel about the food. |
4 . The traditional tent cities at festivals such as Glastonbury may never be the same again. In a victory of green business that is certain to appeal to environmentally-aware music-lovers, a design student is to receive financial support to produce eco-friendly tents made of cardboard that can be recycled after the bands and the crowds have gone home.
Major festivals such as Glastonbury throw away some 10,000 abandoned tents at the end of events each year. For his final year project at the University of the West of England, James Dunlop came up with a material that can be recycled. And to cope with the British summer, the cardboard has been made waterproof.
Taking inspiration from a Japanese architect, who has used cardboard to make big buildings including churches, Mr. Dunlop used cardboard material for his tents, which he called Myhabs.
The design won an award at the annual New Designers Exhibition after Mr. Dunlop graduated from his product design degree and he decided to try to turn it into a business.
To raise money for the idea, he toured the City’s private companies which fund new businesses and found a supporter in the finance group Mint. He introduced his idea to four of Mint’s directors and won their support. Mint has committed around ￡500,000 to MyHab and taken a share of 30 per cent in Mr. Dunlop’s business. The first Myhabs should be tested at festivals this summer, before being marketed fully next year.
Mr. Dunlop said that the design, which accommodates two people, could have other uses, such as for disaster relief and housing for the London Olympics.
For music events, the cardboard houses will be ordered online and put up at the sites by the Myhab team before the festival-goers arrive and removed by the company afterwards. They can be personalized and the company will offer reductions on the expense if people agree to sell exterior(外部的) advertising space.
The biggest festivals attract tens of thousands of participants, with Glastonhury having some 150,000 each year. Altogether there are around 100 annual music festivals where people camp in the UK. The events are becoming increasingly environmentally conscious.
1. “Eco-friendly tents” in paragraph 1 refer to tents .| A．economically desirable |
| B．favorable to the environment |
| C．for holding music performances |
| D．designed for disaster relief |
| A．independently with an interest-free loan from Mint |
| B．with the approval of the City’s administration |
| C．in partnership with a finance group |
| D．with the help of a Japanese architect |
| A．the weather in the UK. is changeable in summer |
| B．most performances at British festivals are given in the open air |
| C．the cardboard tents produced by Mr. Dunlop can be user-tailored |
| D．cardboard tents can be easily put up and removed by users |
| A．an attempt at developing recyclable tents |
| B．some efforts at making full use of cardboards |
| C．an unusual success of a graduation project |
| D．the effects of using cardboard tents on music festivals |
5 . There is a beautiful story I heard once about a child playing with a vase(花瓶) his mother had left on the table for a few moments. When the mother turned at the sound of her son crying, she saw that his hand was in the vase and was apparently stuck. She tried to help him and pulled and pulled until the child cried out in pain. But the hand was stuck fast. How would they get it out? The father suggested breaking the vase but it was quite valuable and the child’s hand might be cut in the process. Yet he knew that if all else failed, there would be no other alternative. So he said to the boy, “Now, let’s make one more try. Open your hand and stretch your fingers out straight, like I’m doing, and then pull!” “But Dad,” said the boy, “if I do that, I’ll lose my penny!”
The boy had had a coin in his hand all the time and was holding it securely in his tight little fist. And he wasn’t prepared to open his hand and lose the penny. But once he opened his hand, it came out of the vase easily.
I used to hold on to things in my life that I thought were so important to me. Early in my marriage, all I cared about was becoming the best volleyball player in the state of Wisconsin. One year, when Kristi was working shifts at General Motors, I played in 1,400 games, competing four nights a week and 40 out of 52 weekends. My team won over 1,000 games. Success on the volleyball court, but a huge loss in my relationship with my Kristi.
When I finally let go, I looked back at what I had done and was ashamed. Not only did I show my wife she wasn’t the most important thing to me, but I missed out on a lot of relationship building time. My life is so much richer now that I am not a slave to that drive to be the best player I could be.
1. Which of the following could be the best title for the passage?| A．The Beautiful Vase in Your Life |
| B．The Way of Keeping Balance in Life |
| C．My Dream of Becoming the Best Volleyball Player |
| D．Holding On to What Is Important |
| A．how naughty a little boy can be |
| B．we need to drop the unimportant things in our life |
| C．a little boy may do something silly |
| D．money is not the most important for us |
| A．He had a coin in his hand. |
| B．He didn’t know how to stretch his fingers. |
| C．He was afraid to break the vase. |
| D．His hand was hurt inside the vase. |
| A．The author had his relationship with Kristi improved. |
| B．The author didn’t regret what he had done. |
| C．The author still plays volleyball as much as before. |
| D．Kristi left the author in the end. |
6 . That little “a” with a circle around it that is found in e-mail addresses is most commonly referred to as the “at” symbol. Surprisingly though, there is no official, universal name for this sign. There are lots of strange terms to describe the @ symbol.
Before it became the fixed symbol for e-mail, the symbol was mostly used to represent the cost or weight of something. For instance, if you bought 6 apples, you might write it as 6 apples @ $1.11 each.
With the introduction of e-mail came the popularity of the @ symbol. The @ symbol separates a person’s online user name from his mail server address, for instance joe@uselessknowledge.com. Its widespread use on the Internet made it necessary to put this symbol on keyboards in countries that had never seen or used the symbol before. As a result, there is really no official name for this symbol.
The actual origin of the @ symbol remains unknown. History tells us that the @ symbol came from the tired hands of the monks(僧侣) in the Middle Ages. During the Middle Ages when there were no printing presses, every letter of a word had to be copied by hand for each copy of a published book. The monks that performed these long and boring copying duties looked for ways to reduce the number of strokes (笔划) per word for common words.
Although the word “at” is quite short, it was such a common word in texts and documents that monks in the Middle Ages thought it would be good idea to shorten the word “at” even more. As a result, the monks left out the “t” and created a circle — getting rid of two strokes.
1. Before becoming a symbol for e-mail, the @ symbol was most commonly used ______.| A．when people referred to the cost or weight of something |
| B．to represent the word “at” in computer languages |
| C．to represent the word “at” on keyboards |
| D．when people wrote business documents |
| A．Because it looked interesting. |
| B．Because e-mail appeared. |
| C．Because it was used by monks. |
| D．Because it was officially used in texts. |
| A．monks were hard-working |
| B．the printing press was invented |
| C．the @ symbol was seldom seen in texts |
| D．the work of copying books needed to be done all by hand |
| A．make the word look better |
| B．save their effort and time |
| C．keep some information secret |
| D．make it easier to understand |
7 . Seeds on Ice
Close to the North Pole，remote and rocky Plateau Mountain in the Norwegian archipelago of
Svalbard seems an unlikely spot for any global effort to safeguard agriculture. In this cold and deserted environment，no grains，no gardens，no trees can grow. Yet at the end of a 130-meter-long tunnel cut out of solid stone is a room filled with humanity’s most precious treasure, the largest and most diverse seed collection—more than a half-billion seeds.
A quiet rescue mission is under way. With growing evidence that unchecked climate change-will seriously affect food production and threaten the diversity （多样性） of crops around the world，the Svalbard Global Seed Vault （地窖） represents a major step towards ensuring the preservation （贮藏） of hundreds of thousands of crop varieties. This is a seed collection, but more importantly, it is a collection of the traits found within the seeds：the genes that give one variety resistance to a particular pest and another variety tolerance for hot，dry weather.
Few people will ever see or come into contact with the contents of this vault. In sealed boxes，behind multiple locked doors，monitored by electronic security systems, enveloped in below—zero temperatures, and surrounded by tons of rock, hundreds of millions of seeds are protected in their mountain fortress. Frozen in such conditions inside the mountain, seeds of most major crops will remain viable for hundreds of years, or longer. Seeds of some are capable of retaining （保留） their ability to grow for thousands of years.
Everyone can look back now and say that the Seed Vault was a good and obvious idea, and that of course the Norwegian government should have approved and funded it. But back in 2004, when the Seed Vault was proposed, it was viewed as a crazy，impractical, and expensive idea.
We knew that nothing would provide a definite guarantee. But we were tired，fed up，and frankly scared of the steady, greater losses of crop diversity. The Seed Vault was built by optimists who wanted to do something to preserve options so that humanity and its crops might be better prepared for change. If it simply resupplied seed gene banks with samples those gene banks had lost, this would repay our efforts.
The Seed Vault is about hope and commitrnent - about what can be done if countries come together and work cooperatively to accomplish something significant，long-lasting，and worthy of who we are and wish to be.
1. According to the passage, the Seed Vault is ___________.| A．a tunnel where the collected seeds are displayed |
| B．a stone room that contains the seeds of endangered crops |
| C．a seed gene bank that stores diverse seeds for future agriculture |
| D．a lab where researchers study how to maintain the diversity of crops |
| A．mature | B．clean |
| C．alive | D．valuable |
| A．how the seeds are preserved | B．where people keep the seeds |
| C．why the seeds are protected | D．what people do to study the seeds |
| A．the Seed Vault offers a solution to climate change |
| B．most countries took part in rescuing the seed varieties |
| C．the Seed Vault guarantees to prevent the loss of crop diversity |
| D．many people originally considered building the Seed Vault unwise |
8 . You have probably heard the saying,"When life gives you lemons, make lemonade." Since lemons are considered bitter and lemonade is considered sweet, the saying tells you to make the best out of a bad Situation.
Unfortunately, when something bad happens, it's not uncommon for most people to talk about it to anyone who'll listen, and complain about life, "Why me?" That's like getting a bag of lemons, putting them down, and thinking, "Lemons taste bad! I'd rather have chocolate!" If you don't make anything with the lemons, they will go bad. But what if you did something with them? What if you made lemonade? Isn't it possible to do something similar with a bad situation?
Here's an example. Let's say you're about to go to the movies, but you discover you have a flat tire (瘪胎). You consider this a terrible thing. After all, you are really looking forward to spending some time with Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone. Now you're all stressed out, hating the tire, the car, and your life. But what if you called AAA, got your tire fixed or got caught up on things that you'd been meaning to do? What if you did some reading, or had coffee with a friend instead? A negative experience can be turned into something positive. Almost anything can work itself out into something better. You can't change what has happened, right? So make the best of it. I'm not saying it will be easy. The easy thing to do is complain about your bad situation and not consider what it could be turned into.
Next time when some unfortunate things happen, stop and think, "How can I turn this around? How can I make it a positive experience? You needn't fear difficulties. As long as you keep on changing it, you will see the benefits (好处) at last.
1. What do we know about the saying in paragraph 1?| A．It is encouraging. | B．It is funny. |
| C．It is easy to do. | D．It is negative. |
| A．Accept it. | B．Find out the reasons. |
| C．Complain about it. | D．Ask others for help. |
| A．a flat tire happens sometimes |
| B．it doesn't matter to make mistakes |
| C．meeting film stars is a very exciting thing |
| D．how to turn something bad into something good |
| A．Trying hard to solve it. |
| B．Laughing your way through it. |
| C．Thinking more about its benefits. |
| D．Turning it into a positive experience actively. |
9 . When I was in fourth grade, I worked part-time as a paperboy. Mrs. Stanley was one of my customers. She’d watch me coming down her street, and by the time I’d biked up to her doorstep, there’d be a cold drink waiting. I’d sit and drink while she talked.
Mrs. Stanley talked mostly about her dead husband, “Mr. Stanley and I went shopping this morning.” she’d say. The first time she said that, soda(汽水) went up my nose.
I told my father how Mrs. Stanley talked as if Mr. Stanley were still alive. Dad said she was probably lonely, and that I ought to sit and listen and nod my head and smile, and maybe she’d work it out of her system. So that’s what I did, and it turned out Dad was right. After a while she seemed content to leave her husband over at the cemetery(墓地).
I finally quit delivering newspapers and didn’t see Mrs. Stanley for several years. Then we crossed paths at a church fund-raiser(募捐活动). She was spooning mashed potatoes and looking happy. Four years before, she’d had to offer her paperboy a drink to have someone to talk with. Now she had friends. Her husband was gone, but life went on.
I live in the city now, and my paperboy is a lady named Edna with three kids. She asks me how I’m doing. When I don’t say “fine”, she sticks around to hear my problems. She’s lived in the city most of her life, but she knows about community. Community isn’t so much a place as it is a state of mind. You find it whenever people ask how you’re doing because they care, and not because they’re getting paid to do so. Sometimes it’s good to just smile, nod your head and listen.
1. Why did soda go up the author’s nose one time?| A．He was talking fast. | B．He was shocked. |
| C．He was in a hurry. | D．He was absent-minded. |
| A．He enjoyed the drink. | B．He wanted to be helpful. |
| C．He took the chance to rest. | D．He tried to please his dad. |
| A．recover from her sadness | B．move out of the neighborhood |
| C．turn to her old friends | D．speak out about her past |
| A．Open up to others. | B．Depend on each other. |
| C．Pay for other’s help | D．Care about one another. |
10 . If you could have one superpower, what would it be?
Dreaming about whether you would want to read minds, see through walls, or have superhuman strength may sound silly, but it actually gets to the heart of what really matters in your life.
Every day in our work, we are inspired by the people we meet doing extraordinary things to improve the world.
They have a different kind of superpower that all of us possess: the power to make a difference in the lives of others.
We’re not saying that everyone needs to contribute their lives to the poor. Your lives are busy enough doing homework, playing sports, making friends, seeking after your dreams. But we do think that you can live a more powerful life when you devote some of your time and energy to something much larger than yourself. Find an issue you are interested in and learn more. Volunteer or, if you can, contribute a little money to a cause. Whatever you do, don’t be a bystander. Get involved. You may have the opportunity to make your biggest difference when you’re older. But why not start now?
Our own experience working together on health, development, and energy the last twenty years has been one of the most rewarding parts of our lives. It has changed who we are and continues to fuel our optimism about how much the lives of the poorest people will improve in the years ahead.
1. What does the underlined part in Paragraph 2 refer to?| A．Your life style. | B．Your life value. |
| C．Your trouble in life. | D．Your life experience. |
| A．They possess different kinds of superpowers. |
| B．They have got the power to change the world. |
| C．Some people around them are making the world better. |
| D．There are many powerful people in their life and work. |
| A．Learning more and contributing more to a cause. |
| B．Rising above self and acting to help others. |
| C．Working hard to get a bigger opportunity. |
| D．Trying your best to help the poor. |
| A．The author believes the lives of the poorest will get better. |
| B．Much more progress will be made in the near future. |
| C．The work on health is the most valuable experience. |
| D．People’s efforts have been materially rewarded. |
