You are walking along a lane and never know what you will find. It might be a shop selling oil paintings, or a place where you can buy Dutch cheese. One thing is for sure, you will end up by a canal.
Welcome to Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands.
The year 2013 will be a good time to explore Amsterdam as the city has a lot to celebrate: the famous canal ring will turn 400 years old. Amsterdam will also celebrate the 160th birthday of Dutch painter of the Van Gogh museum, home to the biggest collection of the artist’s colorful works.
The famous canal ring is a trademark of the city. With more than 100 kilometers of canals, it is no wonder that Amsterdam is called the ‘Venice of the north’. But unlike the Italian town, where boats were originally used for transport, the canals in Amsterdam were mainly used for defense in the 17th century. Today ferries on canals offer a different way to explore the city.
But to truly experience Amsterdam, you can’t miss the city’s historic museums and monuments, among which Van Gogh museum is the most famous one. It holds 200 paintings, 700 letters and 500 drawings by the artist. Another famous museum is Anne Frank’s house. Anne Frank became famous around the world because of a diary she left explaining her and her family’s experience as a Jewish girl during World War II, hiding out in a house hoping that she would not be captured by German Nazis.
Amsterdam is small enough to walk or cycle almost anywhere, but it is rarely dull. Best of all it combines its glittering past with a rebellious edginess.
1.Which of the following is TRUE of the canals in Amsterdam?
A．They had to be rebuilt after years of use.
B．They protected the city in ancient times.
C．They were built to provide transport for the city.
D．They are the main theme of Van Gogh’s paintings.
2.In the passage, Amsterdam is described as a city _____.
A．that can be explored by foot
B．that is completely built on water
C．that has two historic museums in all
D．that is famous for its modernization
3.What can we infer from the passage?
A．People get lost easily in Amsterdam.
B．Van Gogh spent his life time in Amsterdam.
C．Many Jews in Amsterdam were caught by Nazis.
D．Taking a ferry ride is the most popular activity in Amsterdam.
Harvard University named historian Drew Gilpin Faust as its first female president on Sunday, ending a lengthy and secretive search to find a successor to Lawrence Summers.
The seven-member Harvard Corporation elected Faust, a noted scholar on History of the American South and dean of Harvard’s Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, as the university’s 28th president.
“This is a great day, and a historic day, for Harvard,” James R. Houghton, chairman of the presidential search committee, said in a statement. “Drew Faust is an inspiring and accomplished leader, a superb scholar, a dedicated teacher, and a wonderful human being.”
Her selection is noteworthy given the heated debates over Summers’ comments that genetic differences between the sexes might help explain the lack of women in top science jobs.
Faust has been dean of Radcliffe since 2001, two years after the former women’s college was combined into the university as a research center with a mission to study gender issues.
Some professors have quietly groused that the 371-year-old university is appointing a fifth president who is not a scientist. No scientist has had the top job since James Bryant Conant retired in 1953; its last four have come from the fields of classics, law, literature and economics.
Faust is the first Harvard president who did not receive a degree from the university since Charles Chauncy, a graduate of Cambridge University, who died in office in 1762. She attended the University of Pennsylvania.
“Teaching staff turned to her constantly,” said Sheldon Hackney, a former president of the University of Pennsylvania and historian who worked closely with Faust. “She’s very clear. She has a sense of humor, but she’s very strong-minded. You come to trust in her because she’s so solid.”
1.Which might be the best title for the passage?
A．Harvard named its first female president.
B．History of Harvard University changed.
C．Debates on female equality ended.
D．Drew Gilpin Faust, a famous woman historian.
2.Which is NOT true about Drew Gilpin Faust?
A．She is the 28th president of Harvard University.
B．She is a famous scholar from the American South.
C．She isn’t a graduate from Harvard University.
D．She was head of Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study.
3.The underlined word “groused” in the 6th paragraph means____ .
A．approved B．commented C．complained D．indicated
4.This passage probably appears in a____ .
A．biography B．personal letter C．research paper D．newspaper report
A device that stops drivers from falling asleep at the wheel is about to undergo testing at Department of Transport laboratories and could go on sale within 12 months.
The system, called Driver Alert, aims to reduce deadly road accidents by 20% - 40% that are caused by tiredness. Airline pilots can also use it to reduce the 30% of all pilot-error accidents that are related to fatigue.
Driver Alert is based on a computerized wristband. The device, worn by drivers or pilots, gives out a sound about every four minutes during a car journey. After each sound the driver must respond by squeezing the steering wheel. A sensor in the wristband detects this pressing action and measures the time between the sound the driver’s response.
Tiredness is directly related to a driver’s response time. Usually, a watchful driver would take about 400 milliseconds to respond, but once that falls to more than 500 milliseconds, it suggests that the driver is getting sleepy.
In such cases the device gives out more regular and louder sounds, showing that the driver should open a window or stop for a rest. If the driver’s response continues to slow down, the sounds become more frequent until a nonstop alarm warns that the driver must stop as soon as possible.
The device has been delivered to the department’s laboratories for testing. If these tests, scheduled for six months’ time, are successful, the makers will bring the product to market within about a year.
1.According to the text, Driver Alert ______.
A．aims to reduce tiredness-related accidents
B．has gone through testing at laboratories
C．aims to prevent drivers from sleeping
D．has been on sale for 12 months
2.How should a driver respond to the sounds from Driver Alert?
A．By sounding a warning. B．By touching the wristband.
C．By checking the driving time. D．By pressing the steering wheel.
3.We can learn form the text that the driver needs to stop for a break when his response time is ______.
A．about 400 milliseconds B．below 500 milliseconds
C．over 500 milliseconds D．about 4 minutes
4.When the driver gets sleepy while driving, Driver Alert ______.
A．moves more regularly B．stops working properly
C．opens the window for the driver D．sounds more frequently and loudly
I hadn’t even got a chance to enter the store before an African American woman approached me and asked if I would help her return an item. The item she had 36 was intended for her daughter, but she had already received a 37 one. The lady 38 to exchange the item for something else in the store but she was told she needed an ID 39 the deal could not take place.
I went to the 40 with the woman so we could use my ID. The sales associate immediately started 41 her of asking the first 42 person she saw to help her. Although that was 43 , I didn’t understand why it 44 . After all, not everyone is given the opportunity to 45 an ID in this country.
Then, we asked to speak with a manager, who explained that there was no 46 to return the item without a receipt and then went on to say the woman could not 47 she purchased the item.
“ 48 I, a young white female, were to enter the store and request you to make an exchange without a receipt, I would not be 49 the privilege — as I have proof from the past.” I said. He must have realized at that moment what he had done, because he 50 to exchange the item.
There are many valuable lessons in the story. The first is to help a stranger in need. I 51 when the woman asked for my help, but 52 in my head I asked myself, “Why not? What valid 53 do I actually have?” I had none, so I helped her.
The second lesson is not to judge a book by its 54 . The woman looked poor, but she 55 _ the same treatment as anyone else does.
1. A．purchased B．shown C．lost D．mended
2. A．same B．popular C．similar D．different
3. A．managed B．wanted C．refused D．promised
4. A．for B．or C．and D．so
5. A．counter B．department C．market D．window
6. A．warning B．informing C．reminding D．accusing
7. A．fair B．familiar C．impossible D．random
8. A．wrong B．true C．reasonable D．meaningful
9. A．mattered B．happened C．passed D．worked
10. A．leave B．pay C．find D．obtain
11. A．request B．place C．way D．need
12. A．answer B．prove C．support D．admit
13. A．Unless B．And C．Instead D．If
14. A．ordered B．asked C．denied D．given
15. A．agreed B．prepared C．failed D．remembered
16. A．struggled B．wondered C．hesitated D．nodded
17. A．totally B．gradually C．hardly D．quickly
18. A．feelings B．goals C．reasons D．ideas
19. A．design B．cover C．content D．price
20. A．deserved B．required C．received D．appreciated
Don’t be angry with us. We ____ with you together, but we were busy with our final reports when you called in.
A．would eat out B．must have eaten out
C．should eat out D．could have eaten out
______ in the woods, the cottage was a good shelter from the enemies.
A．Being hidden B．Having hidden C．Hidden D．Hiding
