Since the end of World War I in 1918, Canadians, and millions of others around the world have paused at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month to honour the sacrifices our soldiers have made in different wars, fighting for the freedoms that we all enjoy today.
Known as Remembrance Day, the day originated as a tribute to the soldiers of WWI, a dark period for our young country, which claimed the lives of over 60,000 military personnel and civilians and over 16 million dead worldwide.
As there are no more surviving soldiers of WWI, today we rely on the wisdom and words of those soldiers who fought in the wars that followed, and this day now also recognizes their heroic contribution.
They tell us to always remember what those brave souls fought for, and all they ask in return is that we never forget.
That's why we wear the red poppy (罂粟花); that's why when we see a soldier in uniform we should stop him or her and say "Thank you"; that's why we take a pause from our busy lives for two short minutes today to honor that request.
Yet this message is fading away, year after year.
Take for example the terrible decision to allow parents to excuse students from Remembrance Day ceremonies at school.
Not only is this disrespectful, but it distances the student from his or her classmates.
It is difficult to understand why any Canadian parent would want to remove their child from the time-honored tradition of reading the poem In Flanders Fields, while a wreath of poppies is laid.
It is more important than ever to teach school-aged children about our history, no matter how violent it was. Preventing them from knowing about the realities of war is a great disservice.
Understanding why conflicts(冲突）happened, or happen today, can help shape choices and decisions they make as adults.
Of course, because we live in a free society, we cannot force an individual to do something.
It is unfortunate, but some parents now have their child "opt-out" of the services. These people should be reminded they are free to make such choices only because of the men and women the rest of us are remembering.
1.Which of the following is true about Remembrance Day?
A. It's only held in Canada.
B. Its ceremony lasts 11 hours.
C. It falls on November 11th each year.
D. It's to celebrate the country's independence.
2.Which of the following is Not mentioned as a Remembrance Day activity today?
A. Stopping at 11 a.m. to remember the war dead.
B. Listening to stories told by WWI soldiers.
C. Wearing a red poppy to show respect.
D. Showing gratitude to soldiers in uniform.
3.What can we learn from the passage?
A. War history is too violent for school children.
B. The writer was once a soldier in the Canadian army.
C. Few students are willing to take part in Remembrance Day ceremonies.
D. More parents are keeping their children away from frightening war stories.
4.The underlined word "It" in the last paragraph probably refers to ______.
A. the death of so many soldiers in wars
B. the fact that there were so many wars after WWI
C. people's ungratefulness for the freedom they have
D. removing children from Remembrance Day events.
5.The writer believes that ______.
A. the sacrifice of the soldiers should always be remembered
B. Remembrance Day is becoming less important for soldiers
C. schools no longer think Remembrance Day is necessary
D. people should be forced to learn about the realities of war
Researchers at the University of Bedforshire have developed a new technique for powering electronic device（装置）. The system, developed by Professor Ben Allen at the Centre for Wireless Research, uses radio waves as power.
Believed to be a world first, the team claims it could eventually get rid of the need for conventional batteries. The university has now applied for a patent(专利) application to secure the only rights to the technique.
Professor Allen and his team have created a system to use medium wave frequencies to replace batteries in small everyday devices like clocks and remote controls.
The new technique uses the “waste” energy of radio waves and has been developed as part of the university’s research into “power harvesting”. Professor Allen said that as radio waves have energy---like light waves, sound waves or wind waves---in theory, these waves could be used to create power.
“The new area of power harvesting technology promises to reduce our reliance on conventional batteries,” he said. “It’s really exciting way of taking power from sources other than what we would normally think of.”
The team is now waiting for the results of the patent application to secure recognition of the technique. Professor Allen said that the team’s achievements had all been done in their “spare time”. “Our next stage is to try and raise some real funds so that we can take this work forward and make a working pattern and maybe partner up with the right people and take this to a full product in due course,” he said.
“Power harvesting has a really important part in our future, because, just in this country, we leave somewhere between 20,000 and 30,000 tons of batteries in landfill（垃圾填埋）sites every single year－that is poisonous chemicals going into the ground.”
He added that development of the product could also be “commercially（商业） beneficial”. “The market for this is several billion pounds. We’ve seen market predictions for 2020 which have these kinds of figures, so there’s a lot of commercial potential in this area,” he said.
Pro-Vice Chancellor at the University of Bedfordshire, Professor Carsten Maple said, “This type of work is a reflection of the university’s growing reputation and experience in carrying out creating research.”
1.From the text we know the new technique for powering electronic devices_____.
A. can be applied to all electronic devices.
B. uses radio waves to create power.
C. has replaced conventional batteries.
D. produces many poisonous chemicals.
2.According to Professor Allen, power harvesting technology______.
A. makes every use of radio waves.
B. takes power from usual sources.
C. reduces our dependency on conventional batteries.
D. aims at huge commercial benefits.
3.What can we learn about Professor Allen and his team from the text?
A. They have made use of radio waves in their daily life.
B. They have raised a big fund to support their research.
C. They have gained a patent for their new technology.
D. They mainly did their research in their spare time.
4.What is Professor Carsten Maple’s attitude toward the new technique?
A. Critical. B. Favorable.
C. Disapproving. D. Negative.
5.What is the text mainly about?
A. A new technique to create power.
B. A big problem concerning conventional batteries.
C. Some special sources of power.
D. The development of power harvesting.
Zoos divide opinion: there are those who think it is cruel to keep animals locked up while others believe zoos are essential for the survival of endangered species.
To argue that zoos imprison animals is to misunderstand what zoos are about. Without zoos many of the creatures we love and admire would no longer exist. Every single day, over one hundred animal species vanish. Scientists predict that as early as 2050 one quarter of the Earth’s species will become extinct.
Some animals are in danger because they are hunted. Alarmingly the population of tigers has already fallen by ninety-five percent. Other species are in danger because of a lack of food. For example, there are fewer than 1300 giant pandas left in the wild.
Zoos have special breeding programmes to help those animals at risk. These breeding programmes are proving extremely successful. As Irene Shapiro from Zoo and Wildlife Support says, “the Puerto Rican Parrot has grown in numbers from just thirteen to about eighty-five and the Golden Lion Tamarin Monkey, which has almost ceased to exist twenty years ago, has been reintroduced back into the wild.”
Unfortunately not everyone understands this important role zoos play. For example, Brian Featherstone from the Anti-Zoo Forum says, “I can’t believe we take animals from the wild and put them in cages for the entertainment of the public! We should view them on film or TV in their natural environment.”
However, this misses the point. A zoo does more than display animals to the public. It ensures their survival. Without zoos you would not be able to see many of these animals on TV or anywhere else!
1.What’s the writer’s attitude towards zoos?
A. He shows no opinion either for or against them.
B. He thinks that they are unnecessary and cruel.
C. He believes they play an important environmental role.
D. He expresses a desire that more of them be built.
2.The underlined word “vanish” in Paragraph 2 most probably means _____.
A. remain B. disappear
C. become rarer D. get killed
3.According to the passage the world’s tiger population _____.
A. will rise by 5% next year
B. is relatively stable
C. is 95% smaller than in the past
D. has fallen to 95%
4.According to the passage some people do not agree with zoos because they _____.
A. are too expensive to run B. put animals in danger
C. do not provide enough food D. keep animals locked up
5.According to the writer, the most important function of the zoo is to _____.
A. make a lot of money B. entertain visitors
C. ensure animals’ survival D. educate the public
Britain is very fortunate in its system of public lending-libraries. These libraries have a of some 115 million books. And about one-third of the population are of public libraries. This lending and reference library service is, with some limitation, free.
Public libraries not only lend books, music scores(乐谱) and records, but also supply special libraries to , among children, patients in hospital and prisoners, and they in many kinds of extra activities, reading, lectures, film shows, music circles and cooperation in adult education.
The greatest and most famous library in Britain is that of the British Museum, which over six million books. A copy of every book, magazine, newspaper, etc. in Great Britain, must be sent to the British Museum. The reading room of the Museum is famous for the of scholars and people who have studied in it. The British Museum Library is not, by the way, a library.
The second library in Britain is the Bodleian Library at Oxford. The National Library of Scotland, Cambridge University Library, and the National Library of Wales are also famous and may a copy of every new issued in Britain. There is also a National Library for the blind, over 300,000 books in a specially type.
1.A. number B. plenty C. total D. quantity
2.A. members B. librarians C. citizens D. employees
3.A. others B. adults C. women D. people
4.A. give B. engage C. result D. succeed
5.A. as well as B. such as C. for example D. rather than
6.A. offers B. buys C. owns D. gets
7.A. sold B. published C. available D. obtained
8.A. number B. support C. mind D. devotion
9.A. diligent B. imaginative C. famous D. poor
10.A. valuable B. public C. borrowing D. lending
11.A. oldest B. latest C. largest D. best-known
12.A. lend B. print C. get D. buy
13.A. movie B. magazine C. novel D. publication
14.A. nearly B. with C. about D. almost
15.A. delivered B. made C. printed D. published
The information given by his brother _____ the mystery of his disappearance.
A. lies in B. makes up
C. leads to D. throws light on
Do you expect _____ to be a possibility that we shall be able to afford the special furniture
that we need?
A. there B. that C. one D. it
