Once in a blue moon,(极为罕见) there is one on New Year's Eve. Revelers ringing in 2010 will be treated to a so-called blue moon. According to popular definition, a blue moon is the second full moon in a month. But don't expect it to be blue - the name has nothing to do with the color of our closest celestial(天空的) neighbor. A full moon occurred on December 2. It will appear again on Thursday in time for the New Year's countdown.
The New Year's Eve blue moon will be visible in the United States, Canada, Europe, South America and Africa. For partygoers in Australia and Asia, the full moon does not show up until New Year's Day, making January a blue moon month for them.
A full moon occurs every 29.5 days, and most years have 12. On average, an extra full moon in a month - a blue moon - occurs every 2.5 years. The last time there was a lunar double take was in May 2007. New Year's Eve blue moons are rarer, occurring every 19 years. The last time was in 1990; the next one won't come again until 2028.
“Blue moons have no astronomical significance,” said Greg Laughlin, an astronomer at the University of California. “`Blue moon' is just a name in the same sense as a `hunter's moon'(a full moon in octorber) or a `harvest moon,'” Laughlin said in an e-mail.
The popular definition of blue moon came about after a writer for Sky & Telescope magazine in 1946 misinterpreted the Maine Farmer's Almanac and labeled a blue moon as the second full moon in a month. In fact, the almanac(年历) defined a blue moon as the third full moon in a season with four full moons.
1.What’s the color of blue moon?
A．blue B．golden C．green D．red
2.If you are in China, in which month can you see the blue moon?
A．December, 2009 B．November, 2009
C．January, 2010 D．February, 2010
3.Compared with the hunters moon, the blue moon ________ .
A．is more beautiful B．is rarer C．is larger D．is brighter
4.Which full moon should be called blue moon according to the original definition?
A．The second full moon in a month with two full moons.
B．The third full moon in a month with three full moons.
C．The second full moon in a season with four full moons.
D．The third full moon in a season with four full moons.
5.What would be the best title for the passage ?
A．Rare New Year’s Eve Blue Moon to Ring in 2010
B．Blue Moon to Take Us Good Fortune
C．The Best Time to Observe Blue Moon
D．The Reason for Blue Moon’s Appearing
Teenagers are under a lot of pressure to be thin. They resort to starving, vomiting and eating only diet foods to try and be thin. Television is a big influence on them. They watch shows like Beverly Hills 90210 and Melrose Place and feel they need to look as thin as the actresses on these shows. Society is brainwashing young people into believing that being thin is important and necessary.
Diet commercials are constantly appearing on our television screens telling us that once we lose weight, we will be happy. While you’re standing at the grocery store you are surrounded by magazines claiming to have the newest and best diet. Each month another new diet appears claiming to be the diet to end all diets. If diets really worked, then why are there so many of them? The reason a new diet pops up each month, is that last’s month’s diets did not work. The truth of the matter is that DIETS DON’T WORK.
The diet and fashion industries are not totally to blame for society’s obsession with thinness. We are the ones keeping them in business. We buy into the idea that we can attain the “ideal” body image. We allow ourselves to believe the lies being thrown at us constantly. We are throwing away our hard earned money trying to live up to the standards that society has set for us. It’s unfortunate, but in today’s society, people have forgotten that it’s what’s inside a person that counts, not what’s on the outside. We need to start loving and accepting each other for who we are, not what we look like.
Once again, I would like to stress the fact that diets don’t work. Eating three healthy meals a day, a few snacks and doing moderate exercise, will allow your body to go to its natural set point. Next time you decide that you are going to start another diet because you feel you are too fat, stop, sign up for a self-esteem class instead. That would be money well spent.
1.What are Beverly Hills 90210 and Meltrose Place ?
A．Fashion shows. B．Two famous place in America.
C．Popular TV shows. D．Two TV channels.
2.According to the author, which of the following statements is NOT true ?
A．Our society is flooded with diet commercials.
B．The latest diet is necessarily better than all the previous ones.
C．People in North America become crazy over Dieting.
D．All diets are useless in fact
3.Why are there so many diets popping up according to the second paragraph?
A．Because teenagers are under a lot of pressure to be thin.
B．Because there are more and more fat teenagers.
C．Because the diets have no effect.
D．Because teenagers are fascinated by the newest and best diet.
4.We can infer from this passage that __________ .
A．if your diet doesn’t work, the only thing you can do is to accept your body image .
B．attending a self-esteem class will help you keep fit.
C．we shouldn’t pay attention to the size of our body.
D．what’s inside a person is much more important than his/her appearance.
5.What’s the function of the last paragraph in the whole text ?
A．persuasion B．summarization C．argumentation D．description
Dr. Sylvia Earle wants you to stop eating fish. It's not because fish are endangered, though wild fish stocks in many oceans are very low. It's not because they're bad for you, though fish in many areas are exposed to poisonous substances in the water. It’s because they're smart.
"Fish are sensitive, they have personalities," says the marine biologist. For Earle, eating a fish would be like eating a dog or a cat. "I would never eat anyone I know personally."
There's a lot more to fish than meets the eye: they talk to each other, they like to be touched, and they engage in behavior that can seem very human. They can remember things and learn from experience. Earle and a growing number of animal rights activists see these as strong arguments against eating fish altogether.
The activists also point out that fish feel pain and fish suffer horribly on their way from the sea to the supermarket. "While it may seem conspicuous that fish are able to feel pain, like every other animal, some people think of fish as swimming vegetables," says Dr. Lynne Sneddon. "Really, it's kind of a moral question. Is the enjoyment you get from fishing (or eating fish) more important than the pain of the fish?"
Fishermen and (fried) fish lovers are skeptical. "I've never seen a smart fish," says Marie Swaringen as she finishes off a plate of fish at a Seattle seafood restaurant. "If they were very smart, they wouldn't get caught."
"For years, everyone's been telling us to eat fish because it's so good for us," says another diner. "Now I've got to feel guilty while I'm eating my fish? What are they going to think of next? Don't eat salad because cucumbers have feelings?"
1.According to Dr. Sylvia Earle, he would stop eating fish as a result of the following reasons EXCEPT ___________ .
A．Fish are sensitive and have personalities
B．He knows fish very well
C．Fish are dangerous to eat because the water is polluted
D．Fish are clever
2.Dr. Lynne Sneddon describes the behavior of eating fish in a(n) _______ tone.
A．opposed B．optimistic C．indifferent D．supportive
3.Which word below can take the place of the underlined word “conspicuous” in Paragraph 4?
A．obvious B．easy C．impossible D．necessary
4.It can be inferred from the last paragraph that _____________ .
A．Human beings should stop eating fish
B．We would feel guilty if we continued eating fish
C．People eat fish because fish are delicious
D．Cucumber is a kind of vegetable or fruit
5.What was the author’s purpose when writing this passage?
A．To advise people to stop eating fish.
B．To introduce a topic of whether people should eat fish.
C．To advise people not to stop eating fish.
D．To tell us that fish will feel pain when caught and transported.
It’s really a tough job for automakers doing marketing and sales in China, where competition is acute and customers have little loyalty. They have tried a range of tricks in recent years.
But there should be a moral bottom line. Unfortunately, a Buick dealership used the tragedy of a two-month-old infant to advertise its cars last week on Weibo – Micro blog. And Hyundai Motor followed suit.
On March 4, an SUV was stolen with the infant left inside alone in the northeastern city of Changchun. The news spread widely on Weibo after the baby’s father called the local police and radio station for help. The next day it was revealed that the infant was choked to death and buried in snow by the thief. The online community expressed its deeply felt sympathy and condolences.
The Buick dealership posted a photo of the baby and two of its cars on its official Weibo account to advertise its GPS system that can locate the stolen car. “A few thoughts on the Changchun stolen car and baby incident: when buying a car it’s entirely OK to choose a brand with advanced technology,” said the post. Though the post was made before tragic fate of the infant was known, the action generated a storm of outrage on Weibo. Some online commentators said it is “marketing at the cost of lives” and “extremely despicable.”
Worse was the post on Hyundai’s official Weibo account that advertised the anti – theft system on its new SUV Santa Fe, an entry made after the child was known to have died. The action also enraged micro bloggers.
Both posts were soon deleted. The Buick dealership made an apology on Weibo to the family of the victim and the public. But screenshots saved by users continued to be posted and the negative impact on both brands persists.
The two brands probably didn’t expect such a firestorm of fury from the Internet community, but they really made a big mistake sinking below the moral bottom line. They certainly ruined their own brand images.
The Chinese have the same proverb as the English language – a little leak will sink a great ship. It takes decades to build the great ship of a respectable brand but it can take just a moment of negligence to make it fail completely.
For those in corporate marketing, two lessons should be learned: first, be careful in the era of social media when one wrong can be easily magnified and have disastrous impacts in just a few clicks.
Second and more importantly, think with your brain and heart. Never break the moral bonds of respect for human life and sympathy for our fellow man.
1.Who is to blame for the tragedy of Changchun infant according to the passage?
A．The baby’s father B．Buick and Hyundai dealership
C．Weibo D．Not clear
2.Which of the following statements is correct?
A．The missing infant was found alive in the stolen car.
B．Micro blog marketing of tragic infant death fuels firestorm of criticism.
C．People can’t see the two posts any more because they were deleted.
D．The two car brands mentioned in the passage spoiled their own reputation by selling the stolen car.
3.What does the underlined word – “despicable” in paragraph 4 mean?
A．Immoral B．Important C．Distinguished D．Considerable
4.The reason why Hyundai’s post was worse than Buick’s is that _________.
A．Hyundai dealership didn’t make an apology on Weibo
B．Buick dealership expressed its deeply sympathy and condolences
C．Hyundai’s post was made after people knew the infant had died
D．Buick’s car was more advanced on its GPS system
5.In the last paragraph, the author encourages people _____________.
A．not to sink below the moral bottom line
B．not to sympathize our fellow man
C．to think twice before making decision
D．to magnify the mistakes people make
There once was a place 36 all the people were happy and 37 . Everyone was friendly and neighborly. Even the dogs and cats 38 together.
Then one day a stranger was seen 39 toward the village: a tall, tall stranger. As the stranger, who was a giant, 40 closer and closer, the people all ran into their houses and wouldn't come out.
The giant 41 the village. He was enormous, towering over everything. 42 a little girl stepped out on her porch. She jumped down from her porch. Her family yelled, "STOP! COME BACK! That's a giant!" But she didn't stop. She began to walk 43 the giant.
The strangest thing 44 . As the child walked toward the giant, he grew 45 . Soon he was the same size as the girl. As she came beside the giant, she 46 him. She stooped down and gently 47 the giant up in her hands, asking, "What's your name?"
The giant whispered, "My name is F-E-A-R! Help me!! I have a terrible 48 . I guess I look strange. When I meet people they are afraid of me. And when people are afraid of me, I suddenly grow into a giant and everybody runs away from me. YOU are not afraid of me, so I stayed small. Do you 49 it? It's crazy! Please help me!"
"I can take you for a walk through our village," the girl responded. "I want everyone to hear of your problem. When they know the truth, they will no 50 be afraid of you. While we are going from house to house you can look at me 51 , and then you will stay the same size as you are now.
"But 52 we go, let's change your name. What do you want to be called? YOU should not be called FEAR, because YOU are not afraid. It's the people who look at you 53 fear you. That's what causes you to grow into a giant."
"Will you hold my hand 54 ? If I get scared I'll shut my eyes. Oh, and will you please call me 55 ."
1. A．which B．for which C．when D．where
2. A．satisfying B．content C．sad D．miserable
3. A．played B．fighted C．quarreled D．laughed
4. A．walk B．walking C．walked D．having walked
5. A．coming B．to come C．came D．having come
6. A．destroyed B．came C．pulled down D．entered
7. A．For the moment B．All of a sudden
C．In the balance D．In other words
8. A．toward B．in C．on D．by
9. A．occurred to B．occurring C．happened D．take place
10. A．bigger and bigger B．weaker and weaker
C．narrower and narrower D．smaller and smaller
11. A．towered over B．was under the shadow of
C．was afraid of D．fighted against
12. A．brought B．picked C．set D．put
13. A．disaster B．situation C．problem D．catastrophe
14. A．receive B．get C．attain D．obtain
15. A．more B．longer C．length D．much
16. A．for a while B．in a minute C．all the time D．the whole day
17. A．until B．after C．before D．when
18. A．what B．which C．who D．whom
19. A．gently B．slightly C．abruptly D．delightly
20. A．ENEMY B．FOE C．PAL D．OPPONENT
I am pretty certain that the latest events you have just described can only _________ her unhappiness.
A．take to B．add to C．come to D．appeal to
