1 . When we experience earthquakes, medical emergencies — whatever the situation, the first thing you probably do is panic. Everybody does. While many of us think that we’re cool in a crisis, science tells us that we seldom are. At the moment we need to be keenly aware of our surroundings, but our attention goes to the scariest thing on the scene, leaving us unaware of the other sights, sounds, and even smells around us. At the moment, we’re anything but at our best.
These normal human reactions can be reversed. For example, firefighters are taught how to bring down their blood pressure and heart rates quickly, box breathing, belly breathing, hum breathing — you can learn these techniques in minutes. Once you calm down, you’ll identify accurately what the problem is really about. Lack of practice always causes us to judge problems in wrong ways. Doing the thinking ahead of time also helps you fire off the solution when it’s show time. This is why you are advised to find the closest exit before the flight. And sometimes we aren’t prepared with all the knowledge we need. Let’s say we’re on a hike and a bear shows up. What shall we do? Better to read suggestions on how to respond before heading into the wild.
Performing in a crisis is becoming more important for all of us for two reasons. Back in the good old days, the reliability of most anything we used or did was far less than it is today. Now think about what happens to our preparedness as the probability of something had happening reduces. Unless we practice what hardly ever happens, our ability to respond when it does happen tends to slip away. Reliability can kill you. Also, the systems we use today are more complex. There are seldom moving parts in plain view that allow us to see when things are about to go wrong. Consequently, terrible situations can “come out of nowhere”. Ironically, the systems that were designed to lessen our workload might require us to remain in a state of increased vigilance (警觉) in order to survive these increasingly infrequent events when they do happen.
As technology becomes part of most everything, and as once-large risks break into countless small ones, crisis situations may become standard affairs. We should all learn to breathe, recognize the situation, and carry out the plan that we are smart enough to prepare well in advance.
1. According to the passage, when an armed robbery (抢劫) happens, most witnesses will first___________.| A．observe the surroundings |
| B．pretend to be calm |
| C．decide what to do |
| D．focus on the gun |
| A．Tested. | B．Changed. | C．Predicted. | D．Understood |
| A．things are less dependable than they used to be |
| B．cautiousness helps prevent the occurrence of crisis |
| C．convenience reduces our problem-solving capability |
| D．the complexity of present systems ensures our safety |
| A．To introduce ways of avoiding crisis situations. |
| B．To point out the connection between stress and risks. |
| C．To raise awareness of the preparation for emergencies. |
| D．To analyse the influence of technology on crisis management. |
2 . The language Centers first Trivia Night tested students' knowledge on different languages and their histories last Friday at Douglass commons.
"We have decided to conduct this event when the weather is bad so that students who have nowhere to go and stay on campus can come and find a comfortable shelter during a cold winter day," Language Center Director, Teresa Valdez said. According to Valdez, the idea for Trivia night came a year ago from a junior and team-member called Elizabeth de Los Reyes. The event engaged students' interest in languages and showed the high-quality services that the Language Center provides.
Participants competed in small groups that each represented a different language and country. There were five teams in total: Russia, China, Japan, Spain and France. The competition consisted of four rounds with each round consisting of three questions relating to the following topics literature, language, geography, culture and history.
After a few warm-up questions about how people greet each other in different languages, what continent Turkey is found in, and who is the first man to fly to the moon, the questions became increasingly difficult. Each round offered an increasing amount of points a team could receive. The final question was worth 20 points. If a team did not answer it correctly, the points were taken from the total.
In the meantime, students enjoyed pizza, snacks, and drinks while sharing their linguistic (语言的) interest. Most of the participants knew two or three languages. Others knew more, such as first-year Bartek Jezierski from Poland, who can speak English, Polish, German, Spanish, and Russian.
The winners from first to third place were France, Japan and Russia respectively. All five teams were given some prizes—a blue shopping bag, a cup and stuffed toys. However, students believed the most important prize of the evening was the process of the competition—how students from diverse backgrounds and cultures were able to participate in a friendly competition, and shared their mutual (相互的) love of languages.
1. What is one of the purposes of Trivia Night？| A．To attract students to learn languages. |
| B．To help the students suffering from coldness. |
| C．To collect opinions from the students on its services. |
| D．To select the best students for the Language center. |
| A．3 | B．4. | C．12. | D．20. |
| A．Quiet. | B．Relaxing. | C．romantic. | D．Depressing. |
| A．Some snacks and drinks. |
| B．Various prizes for winners. |
| C．The course of the competition. |
| D．The services provided by the language center. |
If you’re looking for a moving story that explores themes of mental illness, grief, and love, pick up a copy of How It Feels to Float and follow Biz as she turns 18. This moving novel will stay with you long after you finish reading it.
Two Can Keep a Secret by Karen M. McManusPut on your crime-solving cap and get swept away in this thriller about a girl, a boy, and a string of unsolved murders. As threats and hints pile up, you’ll be burning the midnight oil trying to finish the book before dawn.
Forest of a Thousand Lanterns By Julie C. DaoThe first book in the Rise of the Empress series takes the bones of a traditional fairy tale--- a poor girl fated for power, an evil queen determined to stop her, love for someone who doesn’t love back, and magic--- and gives them a richly imagined East Asian setting.
Dune by Frank HerbertIf the Star Wars movies have made you fall in love with the space opera, eventually you’re going to read Frank Herbert’s most famous creation. The story of centuries -old political plotting—about warring factions battling over control of the extremely valuable planet Arrakis—is a classic and remains a wonderful introduction to the larger, more complex world of science fiction just beyond the Star Wars trilogies.
1. What is How It Feels to Float about?| A．The murder of a teenage girl. | B．A girl’s space adventures. |
| C．Challenges of growing up. | D．How a poor girl was born with special powers. |
| A．A fairy tale. | B．A science fiction story. |
| C．A love story. | D．A mystery story. |
| A．How It Feels to Float. | B．Two Can Keep a Secret. |
| C．Forest of a Thousand Lanterns. | D．Dune. |
4 . TRAVEL PERU
Amazon Rainforest Tour
A short flight takes you from the Andes into the Amazon rainforest. From there, you’ll spend one day travelling by boat to your accommodation in the middle of the forest. You can then spend three days exploring the rainforest with a local guide and enjoying the plants and animals unique to the rainforest.
Machu Picchu Tour
This four-day walking tour will take you on amazing paths through the Andes Mountains on the way to the city of Machu Picchu. Then, you will have a day to explore and be amazed by this ancient city. Especially amazing is the Incas’ dry stone method of building. Inca builders cut stones to exact sizes so that nothing was needed to hold walls together other than the prefect fit of the stones.
Cusco Tour
Spend four days enjoying the unique Spanish and local Indian culture high in the Andes at Cusco, the capital of the Inca Empire from the 13th until the 16th century. Stay in a local hotel, visit the museums, admire the architecture, enjoy the excellent local food, and go shopping at the local markets.
Lake Titicaca Tour
Enjoy the beautiful scenery as you spend a day driving to Lake Titicaca. There, a boat will take you to stay with a local Uros family on an island for three days. Both the island and the Uros homes are made of water plants from the lake.
So come and experience what Peru has to offer. For more brochures about Peru, contact us at tourinfo@travelperu.org.
1. If Jack is a lover of Inca culture, which tours would you like to recommend?| A．Amazon Rainforest and Machu Picchu | B．Machu Picchu and Lake Titicaca |
| C．Cusco and Lake Titicaca | D．Machu Picchu and Cusco |
| A．All the four tours last for four days. |
| B．All the places can be reached by boat. |
| C．All the destinations are remote and poor places. |
| D．Visitors have to stay with the locals all the way. |
| A．To sell more brochures to visitors. |
| B．To try to attract more visitors to Peru. |
| C．To invite more people to visit a website. |
| D．To introduce readers the tourism of Peru. |
5 . Missouri Wildlife Rescue Center
Missouri Wildlife Rescue Center is a shelter for endangered and illegally-traded foreign animals confiscated (没收) by the U.S. Wildlife Service. It carries out the motto "Preservation through Education" by educating visitors about the preservation of the environment and the inter-dependence of all living things.
Field trips
The Center hosts field trips for schools and camps throughout Southern California. Each field trip lasts two hours, consisting of a one-hour gathering and a one-hour tour of the facility with lessons associated with California State Science Standards.
Throughout the field trip, students learn about the latest developments in environmental protection and the ways in which wildlife interacts with various ecosystems. The students also receive an up-close and hands-on experience with our rescued foreign wildlife. The tour includes different environmental exhibits that show the ways students can help protect animals in the wild.
Public tours
Guided tours of the Center introduce visitors to over two hundred rescued foreign wildlife. Each tour is led by a staff member, and features fun animal facts, hands-on animal encounters. surprising rescue stories, environmental exhibits, and original approaches to going green. Visitors may only see the animals on a guided tour, for both your safety and the safety of our animals.
The guided tour lasts approximately 45-60 minutes. Visitors are served on a first-come, first-served basis. No reservations are required. However, tours may sell out. We suggest larger groups schedule a private tour.
Our regular public tour’s times are subject to change without notice. Please call in advance for the most up-to-date information
1. What is Missouri Wildlife Rescue Center intended for?| A．Helping study wildlife abroad. |
| B．Collecting money for animal shelters. |
| C．Raising awareness of wildlife protection. |
| D．Deepening our understanding of rare animals. |
| A．Share stories of rescuing animals. | B．Take part in foreign wildlife rescue. |
| C．Explore why species get endangered. | D．Learn how wildlife affects ecosystems. |
| A．Large groups are served first. | B．Animals are not available. |
| C．Booking ahead is needed. | D．Tours 'times are flexible. |
6 . “Are personal sad stories a must to win talent shows?” “Shouldn’t talent be judged on the basis of itself without needing a sad story of struggle to win?” These are questions Sanya Malhotra posed on a recent Facebook post.
This morning I came across this interesting post by Sanya Malhotra. She revealed that she loved dancing and dreamt of becoming an actress, but got defeated in “Dance India Dance” because her background story wasn’t sad and inspiring enough. That’s when she started doubting her artistic gift.
This really set me thinking. Why are people attracted to sob stories? Why do we always appreciate only those people who have achieved something after going through a lot of hardships? Why does the headline of a newspaper “Taxi-driver’s Son Stands First In UPSC Exam” find more readers? I think it is because most people, who are in a similar situation, find it comforting that someone has succeeded with so many hardships. I know it is really very difficult for people with financial, health, or family problems to overcome obstacles and succeed. I really feel proud of them and I am often touched and inspired by their stories.
Now come back to what Sanya has said. I think this is a talent show rather than a story-telling competition. When it comes to a competition of singing or dancing or any fine arts, all the competitors should be judged without any bias (偏见). No one should lose because they don’t have a sad story of struggle to tell. It’s very unfair. They can be given opportunities otherwise, but should not be judged because of their stories.
Maybe, the TV channels do it to attract more viewers, because the most important element of any reality show is these touching stories. But as Sanya has said, it’s unfair to those who haven't such a story and are equally talented.
1. What do we know about Sanya Malhotra?| A．She entered a talent show. | B．She won “Dance India Dance”. |
| C．She had a sad story to tell. | D．She was rejected in a film. |
| A．experienced many hardships | B．is a famous actress in Indian |
| C．has a great gift for gymnastics | D．used to be confident in her artistic talent |
| A．A Millionaire Donated Money To Harvard University. |
| B．A Gifted Indian Teenager Won “Dance India Dance”. |
| C．An Armless Girl Was Admitted To Harvard University. |
| D．A Freshman Paid Off Loans By Getting A Part-time Job. |
| A．Winners Should Be Determined By Public Judges |
| B．Sanya Malhotra Displayed A Great Artistic Gift |
| C．Competitors Should Not Be Judged By Sob Stories |
| D．Talent Shows Competitors Can Tell Their Stories |
7 . Living on mountainous La Gomera, one of Spain’s Canary Islands off West Africa, Juan Cabello takes pride in not using a mobile phone or the Internet to communicate. Like his father and grandfather, he uses Silbo Gomero, a language that is whistled (吹口哨), not spoken, and that can be heard more than two miles away.
“I use it for everything: to talk to my wife, to tell my kids something, to find a friend if we get lost in a crowd,” Cabello says. “I also make a living from Silbo, performing daily exhibitions at a restaurant.”
People throughout La Gomera are known to have used Silbo in the past as a way of communicating over long distances. A strong whistle saved farmers from walking over the hills to give messages or news to neighbors. Then came the phone. Nowadays, it’s hard to know how many people still use Silbo. In 1999, it was introduced as a compulsory subject (必修学科) in La Gomera’s primary schools, in an effort to prevent the language from going silent. Now 3,000 students are studying it, but only a few people are believed to be able to communicate fully in the whistling language.
“Silbo is said to be the most important cultural heritage (遗产) we have,” said Moises Plasencia, the director of the Canary Islands’ government’s historical heritage department.
In fact, little is known about Silbo’s origins. Silbo-like whistling has been found in parts of Greece, Turkey, China and Mexico, but none is as developed as Silbo Gomero. One study is looking for signs of Silbo in Venezuela, Cuba and Texas, all places to which Gomerans have gone in the past during hard economic times.
“Silbo has many historical and linguistic (语言学上的) values,” Plasencia said. And, as Cabello explains, “It’s good for just about anything except for romance: everyone on the island would hear what you’re saying!”
1. Juan Cabello uses Silbo Gomero _____.| A．in his daily life. | B．to learn computers. |
| C．just to make a living. | D．only when eating at restaurants. |
| A．It first started in Greece. | B．It is in danger of dying out. |
| C．It is helpful in keeping secrets. | D．It is the oldest way of communicating. |
| A．know the origins of Silbo Gomero. | B．find the values of Silbo Gomero. |
| C．have more cultural heritages. | D．protect Silbo Gomero. |
| A．A school’s subject. | B．A famous performer. |
| C．An unusual language. | D．A mountainous island. |
8 . What can help you make a fortune in the future? Graduating from a top university might not be enough. A new study from the University of Essex in Britain has shown that the more friends you have in school, the more money you'll earn later.
The idea that popularity could have a serious effect on one's earning potentia（潜在性） shouldn't come as too much of a surprise. The researchers found that if you want to get ahead in life, social skills and networking are easily as powerful as talent and hard work..
“If a person has lots of friends, it means that he or she has the ability to get along with others in all kinds of different situations," said Xu Yanchun, 17, from Nantou High School in Shenzhen, who totally agreed with the recent finding. "Also, friends always help each other. They not only create wider social circles for you but lift your mood when you feel bad," said Xu. She believed that all this helps you "earn a higher salary”.
Maybe that's why some people think the younger generations are in the age of Friendalholism (交友狂症). A woman even complained that the networking website Facebook's 5,000-friend limit was too low for her large number of social contacts.
But what does a friend mean? Should friends be regarded as a form of currency（货币）?
“Call me uncoil, but I think of a friend as an actual person with whom I have an actual history and whom I enjoy actually seeing. It seems, however, that this is no longer the definition (定义) of ‘friend',” said Meghan Daum, who works with The Los Angeles Times in the US.
Daum dislikes the idea that quantity trumps quality in the age of friendaholism. She thought the idea of friendship, at least among the growing population of Internet social networkers, was to get as many of not-really-friends as possible. For example, a friend might be someone you might know personally but who could just as easily be the friend of a friend of some other Facebook friend you don't actually know. Although she agreed that social ties grease (润滑) the wheels of life, she also wamed, "Too bad one thing money can't buy is a real friend."
1. What will be needed if you are to achieve success according to the researchers?| A．Social skills, friends, good mood and fortune. |
| B．Social skills, talent, hard work and facebook. |
| C．Social skills, networking, potential and fortune. |
| D．Social skills, networking, talent and hard work. |
| A．They can help you with your schoolwork. |
| B．They teach you how to make more money. |
| C．They introduce their friends to you. |
| D．They help you to get rid of sadness and cheer up. |
| A．up-to-date | B．traditional |
| C．confused | D．optimistic |
| A．is worse than | B．is equal to |
| C．is better than | D．is similar to |
9 . George was a game warden(猎物繁殖和保护区的管理员)in Kenya.One day，he found three tiny lions beside a dead lioness.They were so little that their eyes had not yet opened.Sadly，he took the three little lions and drove back home.
When George got out of the car with the baby lions，his wife Joy Adamson immediately took over.Joy had cared for many young animals over the years，but she had never tried to raise baby lions！However，she was determined to save these babies.
The lions grew rapidly.But as the lion grew bigger and stronger，Joy and George realized they could not keep three large lions.They decided to present two of the lions to a zoo；they would keep the smallest lion，which they named Elsa.
Joy and George taught Elsa to hunt and to protect herself.Elsa liked to play with her human friends，but as Elsa grew to her adult size，this play became dangerous.More than once，Elsa knocked Joy to the ground，scratching(抓伤) her.Joy and George both realized that it was time to find Elsa a new home.They knew she needed a wild home where she could live the life she was born to lead.Finally，Joy and George decide to set Elsa free in Meru Park at the foot of Mt Kenya.
Elsa never forgot Joy and George.Whenever they camped nearby，Elsa would come to visit，rubbing her head against their legs in greeting.
Joy missed Elsa，but was happy that she had made a successful life as a wild lion.Joy wrote a book about Elsa，Born Free，which became an international bestseller.Joy travelled all over the world，talking about the importance of saving the wild animals of the world.
Joy lived out her life in Africa，working with wild animals.She wrote more books about her experiences.Her heartfelt interest in animals and her great love for Elsa helped inspire (激发) a worldwide movement to protect wildlife.For Joy Adamson，there was no greater gift than the beauty and spirit of wild animals，living free.
1. When George took the three lions home，his wife ________．| A．advised him to give them to a zoo |
| B．was frightened by their appearances |
| C．was unwilling to care for them |
| D．had a great love for them |
| A．Elsa scratched Joy |
| B．there wasn't enough food for Elsa |
| C．Elsa was big and strong |
| D．Elsa was a danger to their neighbours |
| A．It became very popular. |
| B．It is mainly about Joy's experiences in Meru Park. |
| C．It focuses on wild animals in Kenya. |
| D．It helped change people's attitudes towards wildlife. |
| A．Joy Adamson：living with lions |
| B．Elsa：lion raised by a human |
| C．Born Free：a wonderful book |
| D．George：a game warden |
