Being Left-handed in a Right-handed World
The world is designed for right-handed people, but why does a tenth of the population prefer the left? 1.
The answer to it remains a bit of a mystery. Since scientists have noticed that left-handedness tends to run in families, it’s assumed that left-handedness has a genetic(基因的) component to it. 2. In fact, identical twins, who share the same genes, can sometimes prefer to use different hands. There are also plenty of theories on what else might determine which hand you write with, but many experts believe that it’s kind of random.
Historically, the left side and left-handedness have been considered a negative thing by many cultures. 3. In some areas, the left hand became known as the “unclean” hand. In many religions, the right hand of God is the favored hand. For example, Jesus sits at God’s right side. God’s left hand, however, is the hand of judgement. Various activities and experiences become rude or even signs of bad luck when the left hand becomes involved. In some parts of Scotland, it is considered bad luck to meet a left-handed person at the start of a journey. 4.A person giving directions will put their left hand behind them and even physically try to point with their right hand if necessary. 
In some Asian countries, eating with the left hand is considered impolite.
5.People come to realize that left-handedness is natural. People even noticed that many famous people are left-handed, including Benjamin Franklin, Leonardo Da Vinci, and Charlie Chaplin. Some researchers find out that lefties are more creative and can deal with abstract thinking better. The left-handedness is more easily adaptable to the right-handed world as well. Being left-handed is no longer a sad story now; instead, it is a wonderful gift or maybe it is something you should take pride in.
A．In other words, left-handers are born that way.
B．Left-handedness used to be regarded as a disability.
C．The unfavorable associations of the use of the left hand among cultures are varied.
D．Why do they prefer to use their left hand rather than their right hand for ro-utine activities?
E. Why do some parents force their left-handed children to become right-handed when writing?
F. In Ghana, pointing, gesturing, giving or receiving items with the left hand is considered rude.
G. Fortunately, nowadays most societies and cultures no longer reject left-handedness like before.
A 2 billion year old Martian (火星的rock appeals to have at our time been full of water from the surface of the Red Planet.
“Here we have a piece of Mars that I can hold in my hands. That’s really exciting,” Carl Agee, director of the Institute of Meteoritics at the University of New Mexico, told the Associated Press.
Agee led a team of scientists who published their report on the newly discovered meteorite （陨石），nicknamed Black Beauly, The rock is estimated to have contained 6,000 parts per million water? and scientists believe it likely interacted with water at a time when most of the planet’s surface was believed to have been arid.
The baseball-size rock was discovered in the Sahara, and scientists say it contains more evidence of water than any of the other known Martian rock samples.
“It’s fairly fresh. It hasn’t been subjected to a whole lot of weathering (风化作用），” University of Alberta meteorite expert Chris Herd told the AP.
Billions of years ago an eruption on the surface of Mars, likely caused by a volcano or planet collision, sent the rock into space, where it eventually made the journey to Earth, Agee and his team said the sample is “strikingly similar to the volcanic rocks examined by the NASA rovers Spirit and Opportunity on the Martian surface.”
Over the years, scientists have collected more than 60 Martian rock samples, with most being discovered in the Sahara and Antarctica. The new sample is much older than most of the other specimens, which are about 600 million years old or younger. The oldest known sample is an estimated 4.5 billion years old.
1.The underlined word “it”in Paragraph 3 refers to “ ”.
A. Mara B. the Red Planet
C. Black Beauty D. the report
2.Where was the meteorite found?
A. In the Sahara. B. In Antarctica.
C. In Mars. D. In America.
3.Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A. Black Beauty has the size of a baseball.
B. Blank Beauty contains the most evidence of water among the known Martian rock samples.
C. An eruption on the surface of Mars sent the rock into Earth directly.
D. Black Beauty is not the oldest known sample.
4.Where can we most probably read this text?
A. In a personal diary. B. In a science report.
C. In a travel magazine. D. In a geography textbook.
For many adolescents, “screen time” is almost a full-time job that could lead to obesity, diabetes and other health issues, a Canadian researcher says.
Adolescents now spend an average of six hours a day in front of some type of screen, whether it’s a television or computer screen or one of the many portable devices now popular with young people, studies done by Dr. Ian Michael Janssen show. “They spend more hours daily in front of a screen than they do in a classroom in a given year,” said Janssen, a researcher at Queen’s University in Kingston, Canada
. The result is a rise in obesity rates among adolescents. Unfortunately, fixing the problem isn’t as easy as simply cutting down screen time, Janssen cautions. “Decreasing screen time will not automatically increase physical activity levels,” said Janssen, Some active kids also spend a lot of time in front of television and computer screens, and some kids who have low screen times also have low levels of physical activity, he points out.
As well, screen time is not necessarily bad, Janssen said. “The tricky part is that children today need to be using computers,” he said. Computers are required for schoolwork, and technological skills are important for future job prospects. The quality of screen time matters too, along with the quantity---consider the negative health messages found in food advertising during children’s shows, he said. Ideally, children should aim for no more than two hours of recreational screen time a day.
Janssen’s real worry about the rise in childhood obesity rates is not that there are now rare cases of type 2 diabetes in kids, where once there were none, hut the health problems these children are likely to face in the future as adults, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol and cardiovascular disease.
1.Which one doesn’t belong to “screen time” according to the passage?
A. Watching TV. B. Surfing the Internet.
C. Seeing a film on an MP4. D. Making a telephone call.
2.In Janssen’s opinion, kids had better to keep healthy.
A. lose weight. B. decrease screen time
C. take physical activities D. go on a diet
3.What’s the researcher’s attitude towards “screen time of adolescents" ?
A. Concerned. B. Passive.
C. Positive. D. Frightened.
4.We can learn from the passage that .
A. many of the people having full-time jobs suffer from obesity and diabetes.[
B. decreasing screen time can’t really solve the problem
C. children today most use computers to finish their school work
D. a new type of obesity in kids becomes Janssen’s real worry
I was standing in the checkout line behind a woman who looked to be in her 60s. When it was her turn to pay, the cashier greeted her by name and asked her how she was doing.
The woman looked down, shook her head and said,“Not so good. My husband just lost his job and my son is up to his old tricks again. The truth is, l don't know how I’m going to get through the holidays.”
Then she gave the cashier food stamps （食品券）.
My heart ached. I wanted to help but didn’t know how. Should I offer to pay for her groceries, ask for her husband’s resume?
As I walked into the parking lot, I spotted the woman returning her shopping cart. I remembered something in my purse that I thought could help her. It wasn't a handful of cash or an offer of a job for her husband, but maybe it would make her life better. My heart pounded (狂跳) as I approached the woman.
“Excuse me,” I said, my voice trembling a bit, “I couldn’t help overhearing what you said to the cashier. It sounds like you’re going through a really hard time right now. I’m so sorry. I’d like to give you something.”
I handed her the small card from my purse.
When the woman read the card’s only two words, she began to cry. And through her tears, she said, “You have no idea how much this means to me.”
I was a little startled by her reply. Having never done anything like this before, I didn’t know what kind of reaction I might receive. All I could think to say was, “Oh my. Would it be OK to give you a hug?”
After we embraced, I walked back to my car-and began to cry too.
The words on the card?
“You Matter.”
A few weeks earlier, a colleague gave me a similar card as encouragement for a project I was working on. When I read the card, I felt a warm glow spread inside of me. Deeply touched, I came home and ordered my own box of You Matter cards and started sharing them.
1.Which of the following is TRUE according to the first three paragraphs?
A. The woman and her family were having a tough lime.
B. The cashier helped the woman by giving her some food for free.
C. The woman’s family mainly depends on her son.
D. The author wondered why the cashier was familiar with the woman.
2.The woman cried when she got the card, probably because .
A. it could solve her present problem
B. she could use it to buy food
C. it greatly encouraged her
D. it could land her husband a job
3.The underlined word “startled”in Paragraph 10 probably means .
A. interested B. grateful
C. ashamed D. astonished[
4.From the article, we can tell that the author is .
A. a knowledgeable person B. a kind-hearted person
C. a horrible person D. a confident person
Theme Parks on the Gold Coast
Gold Coast theme parks come in all shapes and sizes and whether you like roller coasters or patting furry animals，you’re sure to find something.
Dream world
It is home to the greatest number of traditional theme park rides on the coast with all the kid friendly rides, roller coasters, water slides, bumper cars and more gravity defying than you could want. If there’s the most perfect theme park you’re after, Dreamworld is the one for you.
Contact Information:
Phone: +61755881111
Address: Dreamworld Parkway Coomera Queensland 4209
Movie World
Movie World is the only movie-related theme park in Australia. With one of the best roller coasters on the coast and a good handful of movies related to rides, you’ll experience a fun-filled adventure with some famous scenes in the films of Hollywood.
Contact Information:
Phone: 0755738485
Address: Pacific Motorway, Oxenford, Queensland 4210
Sea World
With an obvious emphasis on creatures that live in the water. Sea World has a fantastic range of fish, sharks, dolphins, seals, polar bears, and other animals on display in realistically natural environments. Many of the animals will also entertain you in some water shows. It may be the best all-round theme park on the Gold Coast.
Contact Information:
Phone: 0755882222
Address: Sea World Drive, Main Beach, Cold Coast, Queensland 4217
Wet ‘n’ Wild
With nothing but amazing water slides, swimming pools and “dive in movies”，Wet ‘n’ Wild is one of the greatest water parks in Australia, if not the world. In winter everything is heated, so you won’t get cold, and on a hot Gold Coast summer day, you’ll have a hard time finding a better place. Each year the team at Wet ‘n’ Wild come up with new and exciting rides to thrill and chill you.
Contact Information:
Phone: 0755561660
Address: Pacific Motorway, Oxenford, Gold Coast, Queensland 4210
1.Which of the following about Movie World is TRUE?
A. It is the best all-round theme park on the Gold Coast.
B. It has lots of traditional theme park rides on the coast.
C. It has many amazing water slides and “dive in movies”.
D. It can help visitors know mom movies related to rides.
2.If you want to watch water show of animals, you should dial .
A. 0755561660 B. 0755882222
C. 0755738485 D. +61755881111
3.If you don’t want to get cold in winter, you can go to .
A. Dreamworld B. Movie World
C. Wet ‘n’ Wild D. Sea World
全世界的环境问题变得越来越严重。例如汽车污染的空气影响了人们的呼吸，工厂释放污染的气体，山上的树木被砍伐，污水不断被排入河里。另外，无论我们走到哪里，到处可见随意丢弃的垃圾。请根据以上事实写一篇以保护环境为主题的文章，我们要采取以下措施来保护我们共有的家园。
1. 污染正威胁我们的生存。
2. 地球是我们的家园，我们有责任为我们自己和我们的后代去照顾好它
3. 政府已采取更多的措施去解决这些问题，法律已被通过去制止污染。
4. 坚信我们的家园会变得越来越好。
注意：1.可根据内容要点适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
2.词数100左右，开头已给出，不计入总词数
Protecting the Environment
Environmental problems are becoming more and more serious all over the world.
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