Studying volcanoes is a demanding profession. Hazel Rymer frequently has to struggle through rainforests, climb to the top of mountains, then climb 200 metres into the crater of active volcanoes. But the 38-year-old volcanologist does her best to make it sound less alarming than it is. “Driving to work is more risky,” she insists. “And the deepest I go into the crater of a volcano is about 300 metres,” she adds, trying to make it all sound as ordinary as taking the dog for a walk.
Hazel has been studying volcanoes for a long time, so it’s not surprising she is used to the danger. Her interest in volcanoes began at school. A teacher gave her a book about Pompeii. “I remember reading about the eruption of Vesuvius and the destruction of the city,” she explains. “The thought of all those people just frozen in time had quite an effect on me and I am still excited by their dangerous beauty today.”
Nowadays, volcanoes are getting more and more unpredictable. There have been many changes in sea level caused by global warming and melting ice caps. These have resulted in some dormant volcanoes erupting, so studying them is more dangerous than ever before. Hazel says that although she doesn’t take any unnecessary risk she has had some frightening moments. Her worst experience was on the slopes of Mount Etna in Sicily, when she was slowly surrounded by lava. “I had a choice of walking ten hours to get around the lava flow or just walking across it,” she explains. She chose to pick a path across the cooler rocks in the lava stream. “I guess it was five metres. The flow was 1,000°C, so if you hesitated your boots would begin to melt. It was scary, but it really was a practical decision --- there wasn't time to do anything else.”
And what about the future? “I haven’t been to the volcanoes in Indonesia yet. And I would love to spend some time working in the Antarctic,” she says. “I would also like to know why quiet lava flows erupt from some volcanoes and why other volcanoes go bang.” In other words, Hazel Rymer won’t be exchanging her volcanoes for the relative safety of driving to work just yet.
1.Hazel’s claim that “driving to work is more risky” than exploring volcanoes shows that ______.
A. people have exaggerated the dangers of volcanoes in the past
B. Hazel does not really understand the dangerous situations she puts herself in.
C. there are many bad drivers in the place where Hazel lives
D. Hazel is being modest and understating the dangers she faces
2.When did Hazel first become interested in volcanoes?
A. When she was visiting Italy.
B. When she was at school.
C. When she was twenty.
D. When she saw Vesuvius.
3.The underlined word “these” (in paragraph 3) refers to __________.
A. melting ice-caps B. volcanic eruptions
C. changes in sea level D. higher temperatures
4.When Hazel was on Mount Etna she had to ________.
A. take a dangerous route
B. take an unnecessary risk
C. leave her boots behind
D. walk for ten hours around the mountain
5.In the future, Hazel wants to ________.
A. revisit volcanoes she knows
B. go on holiday to the Antarctic
C. find a less dangerous job
D. discover new things about volcanoes
Normally when I pop in to see my parents, my mum bursts out of the house with a big smile. Not today. "Your brother," she says, "he's showered twice this afternoon. Does he know how much it costs to run this house?" Are we limiting water now? I didn't think the recession(萧条) had got that bad. My poor brother is a boomerang kid. Like 60 percent of guys immediately after university, he's back at home. Graduating ￡15,000 in debt and faced with unpaid internships(实习期) or low wages thanks to the flooding of the market with graduates, a lot of twenty some things simply don't have the necessary income or parental support to live independently.
Three years after getting their degree, most graduates are still not earning above the average salary. They have a near 50 percent tax burden, thanks to student loan repayments and council tax on top of income tax and national insurance. Unless you have parents who can afford to finance what is effectively a second home for them, returning to the parental nest is often the only affordable option.
The boomerang effect is becoming even more pronounced thanks to the recession. One in four of those losing their job during the downturn is under 25. Only 13 percent of final-year students have jobs. Home is the only place many are going: 111,000 16-29 year olds moved back home in 2008, five times the average of previous years.
Boomeranging is bad news. It poses serious problems for parents' finances. They've already supported their children through university, topping up loans with handouts, averaging ￡12,300 in total, to keep twenty somethings afloat. Now their retirement savings are being eaten away by continuously dependent children.
It’s bad for the returning kids too. Ambitious young people will be left frustrated, seeing their university peers from more wealthy backgrounds excel only because parents' money was there to support them through the initial period of poverty wages. Those living in rural areas are further disadvantaged by lack of access to cities where most new jobs are located. Half of all young people now feel they will not achieve their goals. Research by the Prince's Trust reveals that one-quarter of all 16-25 year olds are regularly down or depressed. And depression does not help self-motivation, the very trait needed to seek out job opportunities.
1.In paragraph 1, the mother’s criticizing her son for showering too often shows _________.
A. the price of water has increased
B. she thinks her son is selfish
C. her son is an economic burden
D. she wants to have a shower herself
2.What is the boomerang mentioned in the passage?
A. A person earning low income.
B. A person who has heavy tax burden.
C. A youth who cannot get parental support.
D. A youth returning to parents after graduation.
3.According to the passage, which of the following does NOT contribute to the tax bill of most young graduates?
A. National insurance. B. Income tax.
C. Council income. D. Student loans.
4.Who is comparatively most affected by the recession according to the passage?
A. Those who haven’t completed their university studies.
B. Those who are supported through by their parents.
C. Those who can have access to the urban facilities.
D. Those who were born into the well-off families.
5.Which is the best title of the passage?
A. Global Recession
B. Boomerang Kids
C. Unemployment Rate
D. Falling Incomes
Just as some people think that certain numbers are lucky or unlucky, others believe that we can use numbers to understand our personalities, or predict what will happen to us in the future.
Numerology is a way of using numbers to describe a person’s character, and to make predictions about future life events. Numerologists use the numbers 1-9, 11 and 22 — also known as the “master” numbers — to help a person understand his or her personality, life goals, and destiny.
Numerologists consider your Life Path number to be the most significant because this number describes your character. To find this number, add together all the numbers in your date of birth. For example, a person born on April 25, 1985 would add the month (4), to the numbers of the date (2+5), plus the numbers of the birth year (1+9+8+5). In this case the total is 34, so this person’s life path number is 7(3+4). Numerologists believe that people with this number are peaceful and affectionate but can also be very reserved.
Your Expression number describes your talents and predicts how you should use these to fulfill your destiny in life. Numerologists assign a number between 1 and 9 to each of the letters in your name. These numbers are then added together in the same way as before to find your Expression number. Numerologists can also do calculations to predict when the most challenging periods of your life will be.
Numerologists also believe that the day a person is born is important. Each day of the month has a character description. People born on the fourth are said to be responsible, honest, and stubborn. People born on the fifteenth have very strong attachments to family and home. Those who celebrate their birthday on the thirtieth are artistic, creative, and imaginative, and often make good writers.
If we calculate the numerical value of our name and birth date, numerologists believe that we can learn more about our personalities. They also believe that we can predict our destinies, how our lives will progress, and what challenges we may face along the way. To the numerologist, numbers can be used in many more ways than we think.
1.If a person was born on November 8, 1995, what is his Life Path number?
A. 7 B. 8 C. 9 D. 11 zxxk
2.To understand your abilities and how to use them in your life, you should calculate your ______.
A. Life Path number B. Expression number
C. birthday D. name and birth date
3.According to the passage, a person born on the fifteenth tends to be _______.
A. stubborn B. home-loving C. artistic D. imaginative
4.According to the passage, numerologists believe that _________.
A. Life Path number can be used to predict a person’s most challenging life periods
B. Expression number is the most meaningful for people to learn a person’s character
C. numbers can help people better understand themselves
D. numbers can be used to change a person’s future
5.The function of the passage is __________.
A. to raise doubts about the usefulness of numerology
B. to persuade readers about the benefits of the practices it describes
C. to describe some of the numerological practices and their purpose
D. to tease those who take such beliefs seriously
It was Sunday morning in late October, about four months after Tess Durbeyfield’s arrival at the village. Some weeks ___16___ (pass) since the night carriage ride with d’Urberville in the forest. Tess was carrying a heavy basket filled with clothes. Occasionally she stopped ___17___ (rest) by some gate or post; and then, went steadily on again. She followed the same road on ___18___ d’Urberville had driven so wildly that night in June. When she reached the top she gazed ___19___ the familiar green world beyond. It was always beautiful from here; it was ___20___ (terrible) beautiful to Tess today, for, ___21___ her eyes last fell upon it, she had learnt that in even the most beautiful surroundings there may be danger. Her view of life had been totally changed for her by the lesson.
She had slipped away from d’Urberville’s farm ___22___ all the people were in bed, though her going would not be prevented now. Tess had thought, “I shan’t come back,” and was sure of her ___23___ (decide). Now she did not look back, ___24___ slowly walked along the narrow lane. ___25___ was still early and there was not a single person in sight.
I agree with the saying that some people “see old memories as a chance to deal with the past and unite past and present.” Many people are so ___1___ by things that happened in their past that they are not able to focus on the ___2___ . For example, in the book Ceremony, the main character, Tayo, cannot concentrate on the present because he can’t forget his troubled childhood and ___3___ continues to relive things that happened during that time.
However, past memories can help people to ___4___ in the present. A ___5___ example of people learning from the past would be the Marshall Plan. After the ___6___ of World War II there were many war-torn countries around the world in need of ___7___ assistance to help rebuild their countries, and the United States would have to be the one to ___8___ that assistance. Many American politicians thought it was ___9___ for the US government to spend money abroad on countries that would not be able to repay it for a long time. However, George Marshall, a former US general, remembered how the exact same ___10___ of "why should we spend money on war-torn nations that really owe us reparations (赔款)?" had been used after World War I towards Germany. The ___11___ of assistance towards Germany after World War I had caused a gigantic economic depression in Germany that had made the Mark (German money) virtually ___12___ . The German people became so desperate that they started ___13___ an extreme German nationalist named Adolf Hitler, who eventually started World War II. Marshall knew that if the US did not ___14___ war-torn Germany and, especially, Japan, we could ___15___ have a World War III on our hands.
1.A. shocked B. troubled C. punished D. annoyed
2.A. memory B. situation C. present D. future
3.A. constantly B. innocently C. ridiculously D. rarely
4.A. forget B. recover C. enjoy D. compare
5.A. personal B. scientific C. historical D. commercial
6.A. conclusion B. decision C. invasion D. extension
7.A. medical B. political C. economic D. lawful
8.A. need B. provide C. find D. prevent
9.A. reasonable B. necessary C. difficult D. foolish
10.A. statement B. argument C. suggestion D. introduction
11.A. intension B. request C. influence D. lack
12.A. hopeless B. worthless C. worldwide D. valuable
13.A. refusing B. employing C. supporting D. charging
14.A. stop B. warn C. resist D. help
15.A. similarly B. simply C. regularly D. unlikely
When I was in college twenty-five years ago, I spent four summers working as a maid in housekeeping at a grand hotel in downtown Chicago. I did not enter the world of housekeeping enthusiastically. I had been hoping to get a job as an office assistant. When that failed, I had no choice but to work as a maid.
It was tiring work, cleaning up to eighteen rooms a day. My poor attitude reflected my disdain(蔑视) for cleaning toilets, changing bed sheets, dusting, and vacuuming eight hours a day for the comfort of total strangers who rarely left a tip. My maid work was just so-so until the day I was assigned to the eighteenth floor.
That was Lorena’s regular floor. The only time another maid set foot on it was on Lorena’s day off. If you left a little rubbish on the floor, a small tissue under the bed, or a pillow uncleaned, Lorena would hunt you down when she returned. She’d ended her lecture to me with, “Take some pride in your work.”
She did. And so did Rosalie, Helen, Annette, Pearlie, Earline, and all the other career maids with more than one hundred years of experience among them. Their commitment to doing a good job and their belief that their work was a reflection of their character stuck with me throughout my professional career. I learned a lot from them those four summers.
【写作内容】
1、以约30词概括上文的主要内容。
2、以约120词谈谈暑假生活，内容包括：
(1) 你是否做过暑期工；
(2) 你打算如何度过高考后的暑假；
(3) 你认为怎样过暑假才有意义。
【写作要求】
1作文中可以使用亲身经历或虚构的故事．也可以参照阅读材料的内容，但不得直接引用原文中的句子。
2作文中不能出现真实姓名和学校名称。
【评分标准】
概括准确，语言规范，内容合适，语篇连贯。
