I decided to ski to the North Pole. It was after I saw a(n) ______ in a newspaper looking for people to join a team that would ______ 350 miles to the Magnetic North Pole. Back in 1996, a woman from the UK had never ______ this challenge. I wondered what it would be like to ______ in temperatures that cold, so I sent off for the application form.
When the application form ______, it said “Are You Man Enough for the Ultimate Challenge? ” and it was ________ pictures of male explorers. I was angry and decided that women could do it too, so it made me even more ______ to get on the team.
Over 500 individuals _______ for a place in the team, and the selection process included physical and psychological tests designed to _______ the best group. One test was to complete the Sandhurst military assault course, where the UK’s best officers are trained, and it’s not for _______. We had to climb a huge rope ladder, and I stopped at the top because I have a fear of ______. I thought all hope was ______. But two others helped me over, and later I found out that the organizers were not looking for amazing ______, but great team players, and it was this moment _______ had shown them who would look out for others in the team. I had also shown my real self, and in a place like the Arctic, you have to be yourself,_______there is nowhere to hide. These _______ of asking for help and showing your real self are necessary for women to master.
I realized that by being yourself, I could _______. I was chosen for the team, and as a result became the _______ British woman to ski to the Magnetic North Pole. I realized that I could achieve more than I ever ______ -but more importantly, by sharing my story with others, I could ______ them to take a step into the unknown.
1.A. notice B. report C. announcement D. advertisement
2.A. run B. ski C. drive D. fly
3.A. enjoyed B. ignored C. accomplished D. received
4.A. survive B. suffer C. exist D. hide
5.A. passed B. arrived C. fetched D. appeared
6.A. in memory of B. kept free of C. full of D. made up of
7.A. determined B. confident C. excited D. satisfied
8.A. waited B. looked C. competed D. cared
9.A. train B. pick C. develop D. challenge
10.A. everyone B. someone C. anyone D. no one
11.A. heights B. silence C. loss D. changes
12.A. left B. missed C. saved D. lost
13.A. skiers B. team C. individuals D. men
14.A. when B. what C. which D. that
15.A. as B. if C. unless D. though
16.A. talents B. qualities C. lessons D. experiences
17.A. try B. fail C. succeed D. improve
18.A. excellent B. first C. noble D. extra
19.A. imagined B. permitted C. admitted D. remembered
20.A. allow B. require C. promise D. inspire
Many times we tend to use our hands to explain our needs and thoughts.1.So you must be cautious when using hand gestures in communication.
Hand gestures are a way of communicating with others and conveying your feelings. These gestures are most helpful when one is speaking to someone with no language in common. The meanings of hand gestures in different cultures may translate into different things.2. Former President George W. Bush had to face a major faux pas（失礼） during a visit to Australia. He tried to signal a peace sign by waving the two-finger or V-sign at the crowd.
You may think of this as a simple gesture, but he committed a major error.3.The meaning of this hand gesture in Australia was asking the crowd to screw themselves, a rude expression used to show you’re very angry! 4. Therefore, it is very important to understand the meanings of gestures before you travel to different countries.
5. Those considered as good gestures in one country may be termed as offensive gestures in some countries. So, if you are a frequent flier to different countries, improve your communication skills by learning the meaning of hand gestures.
A. Here is a very common example.
B. Instead of his palm facing outwards, it faced inwards.
C. The great man received warm welcome by the Australians.
D. We communicate not only by words, but by hand gestures as well.
E. A serious error committed by the then most powerful man in the world.
F. But the same hand gesture may mean something quite offensive to a person from a different cultural background.
G. Before you communicate with people in different cultures, you need to understand the meaning of gestures.
Most nations have at least one type of food that people from other countries think is unusual or unethical（不道德的）to eat. In France, people eat horse meat and frog legs. In South Korea and parts of China, restaurants serve dog meat. And in Australia, it’s common to cook kangaroo meat on the barbecue and use emu（鸸鹋）eggs to make pancakes.
The kangaroo and emu are native to Australia. Both animals are important to the national image of Australia and appear on the Australian coat of arms. They’re also central figures in the history of the indigenous（土生土长的）Australian Aboriginals（土著人）. However, Aboriginal tribes still hunt these animals for their meat, fur and fat.
Today, Australian people continue to eat these animals. One of the reasons people eat kangaroo meat is that it’s high in protein and low in fat, so eating kangaroo is a good option for anyone on a diet. It’s also cheaper to eat kangaroo meat than other red meats. Because of this, a lot of university students choose to buy kangaroo meat. BBC News also reported that Australian scientists believe that eating kangaroo meat is good for the environment--kangaroos have different digestive systems than cows and sheep, meaning they produce less methane（甲烷），the second biggest contributor to global warming.
While emu meat is high in iron and vitamin C, most people don’t think it tastes good. For this reason, they prefer emu eggs. One egg is large enough to make seven omelettes（煎蛋）. And while it’s illegal to collect emu eggs from the wild, they can be bought from emu farms. Rather than cracking the beautiful dark shell, it’s better to drain it by putting a small hole at each end and blowing. Afterwards, you can even carve a design into the eggshell.
1.The author mentioned the meat-eating customs of different countries at the beginning of the article to __________.
A. present different cultures’ meat-eating preferences
B. suggest that people try to understand other countries’ diets
C. introduce the consumption of kangaroo meat and emu eggs in Australia
D. compare different eating habits among different countries
2.According to the article, the kangaroo __________.
A. is not considered precious in Australia
B. is considered healthy and environmentally friendly to eat
C. faces extinction due to hunting by Aboriginal tribes
D. contains large amounts of iron and vitamins in its meat
3.Which of the following statements is TRUE about emu eggs?
A. Emu eggs taste terrible but are nutritious.
B. The shells of emu eggs are not difficult to break.
C. It’s common for Australians to collect emu eggs from the wild.
D. Emu egg shells can be used to create art.
A new tool of communication called the “drift diary” is doing the rounds among young college graduates.
The “drift diary”, like those ancient paper messages put into a bottle left to drift on the high seas to reach hundreds of miles away, connects lonely hearts.
The “drift diary” was first started by a Beijing woman, who goes by the Net name Little S, in 2007. It has become the preferred tool of communication among youngsters afraid to reveal their innermost self to peers, but wanting to share their lives with others.
The way it works is that the initiator（发起人）of the diary mentions it on popular Internet forums such as Tianya and Douban. Those wanting to react or otherwise add to the diary then send their real names and addresses to the initiator via e-mails or text messages.
The numbers in one group are usually restricted to between 30 and 50. The diary then passes on to another by express delivery or personal handover. The diary writers are mostly anonymous but if they wish to reveal their identity they can do so by posting their contact information at the end of their postings.
The diary writers add not just words but also decorate the plain notebooks with cartoons, drawings or even dress it up with a ribbon or a new cover. Interesting experiences, travel journals, the simple joys of everyday living or sweet recollections of childhood, all find a place in these diaries. Most often, though, the writers set down their frustrations and predicaments.
It usually takes one year for a diary to return to the initiator. The last recorder is the luckiest one, with access to all previous entries, while others can request photocopies of these from the diary’s initiator.
1.The popularity of “drift diary” among youngsters is because __________.
A. they hate using the Internet
B. they like to show themselves to peers
C. they want to share their lives with strangers
D. they find it fashionable to be a diary writer
2.Which one shows the correct way a drift diary works?
① The diary then passes on between the recorders.
② The diary returns to the initiator.
③ The initiator of the diary makes a summon online.
④ Participants request photocopies of the diary from the diary’s initiator.
⑤ Those who want to participate in the program get in touch with the initiator.
A. ③⑤①④②. B. ③⑤①②④.
C. ④⑤①②③. D. ①③⑤②④.
3.The underlined word “predicament” probably means__________.
A. successful experiences B. sense of achievement
C. difficult situations D. favorable conditions
4.Which of the following can be used as the best title for the passage?
A. Drift Diary--A New Tool of Communication
B. How a Drift Diary Works
C. Share Your Lives with Strangers
D. The Diary That Passes on
Learning any language is hard, but learning English can be especially challenging. Why? Because native speakers use the language in ways that textbooks could never describe. In particular, words that British people use cause many language students to scratch their heads.
Here’s an example: You overhear a Briton calling someone a “wazzock”. But what exactly is a wazzock? This word, in fact, means a foolish person, although there’s nothing about it that would help you guess that. There are many strange terms like this in British English – the Oxford English Dictionary would be much smaller without these peculiar (古怪的) usages filling its pages.
How can these odd words be explained? Part of the answer is the British sense of humor. Britons don’t like to take things too seriously, and this is evident through many British words and phrases. For example, to “spend a penny” means to use the bathroom. It refers to the days when people had to pay a penny to use a public toilet.
In an interview for the BBC’s website, British linguist David Crystal suggested there may be historical reasons for the sheer number of odd words and phrases in British English. He thinks that they began in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. This was a great age for the theater, when Shakespeare and other writers worked hard to keep up with the demand for new plays. The theater’s popularity also created an incentive (刺激) to invent new words.
With this in mind, perhaps Shakespeare and his peers are to blame for unusual British words such as “codswallop” and “balderdash” – which both, ironically, mean “nonsense”.
While these strange words may be confusing to non-native speakers, they certainly make studying English a lot more interesting.
1.According to the text, why may non-native speakers find it hard to learn English?
A. Dictionaries don’t explain odd usages of many words.
B. A great many strange words make no sense to them.
C. The English textbooks they study are usually out of date.
D. They are unable to understand the humor in conversations.
2.With the example of “spend a penny”, the author intends to _________.
A. explain one reason of how some strange phrases were created
B. explain the meaning and background of the phrase
C. show what typical British sense of humour is
D. show British people’s attitude toward strange words
3.According to David Crystal, _________.
A. many of the words that Shakespeare invented were nonsense
B. Shakespeare’s works are boring because of the odd words involved
C. the theatre’s success in the 17th century inspired the birth of many odd words
D. the odd words in Shakespeare’s plays contributed a lot to the theatre’s popularity
4.What is the text mainly about?
A. The development of the British English.
B. Shakespeare’s influence on British English.
C. The origin and meanings of British humour.
D. Some reasons for the large number of odd words in British English.
Protection Publications
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CHIROPRACTIC(手疗法): THE CREATEST HOAX(骗局)OF THE CENTURY? L. A. Chotkowski, M. D. , FACP, describes discoveries made during his half-century of medical practice. Includes reports of cases; the author’s observations at New York Chiropractic College, a chiropractic office, and a chiropractic lecture; and details of critical reports in the media. Second edition, softcover, 208 pages, $15. |
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QUACKERY AND YOU The 32-page softcover brochure with special viewpoints by William Jarvis, Ph. D. , suitable for waiting rooms. $1. |
To above prices, please add $3 for first book and $1 for each additional book for postage & handling. Foreign countries add $5 per book. Send orders to Quackwatch, P. O. Box 1747, Allen Avenue, NY 18105. The checks must be in US dollars. We cannot process credit card orders. Please use our order form from amazon.com and include your email address.
1.What do the four books have in common?
A. The means of cover packing. B. The contents.
C. The prices. D. The dates of publication.
2.What can you do to search for more information about the books?
A. Buy the brochure. B. Write to the author.
C. Visit amazon.com. D. Telephone the sellers.
3.If a Canadian wants to buy all the four books, he should__________.
A. pay $65 in total. B. pay $69 in all.
C. pay for them by credit card. D. pay for them in Canadian dollars.
4.For whom is QUACKERY AND YOU intended for?
A. Those who order some medicine.
B. Those who hold special opinions.
C. Those studying the science of medicine.
D. Those waiting to see the doctor.
