Tim Richter and his wife，Linda，had taught for over 30 years near Buffalo，New York-he in computers,she in special education．“Teaching means everything to us，”Tim would say．In April 1998,he learned he would need a heart operation．It was the kind of news that leads to some serious thinking about life’s purpose．
Not long after the surgery，Tim saw a brochure describing Imagination Library,a program started by Dolly Parton’s foundation（基金会）that mailed a book every month to children from birth to age five in the singer’s home town of Sevier，Tennessee．“I thought，maybe Linda and I could do something like this when we retire，”Tim recalls．He placed the brochure on his desk，“as a reminder．”
Five years later，now retired and with that brochure still on the desk，Tim clicked on imaginationlibrary．com．The program had been opened up to partners who could take advantage of book and postage discounts．
The quality of the books was of great concern to the Richters．Rather than sign up online，they went to Dollywood for a look-see．“We didn’t want to give the children rubbish，”says Linda．The books-reviewed each year by teachers，literacy specialists，and Dollywood board members-included classics such as Ezra Jack Keats’s The Snowy Day and newer books like Anna Dewdney’s Llama Llama series．
Satisfied，the couple set up the Richter Family Foundation and got to work．Since 2004，they have shipped more than 12，200 books to preschoolers in their area．Megan Williams，a mother of four，is more than appreciative：“This program introduces us to books I’ve never heard of．”
The Richters spend about﹩400 a month sending books to 200 children．“Some people sit there and wait to die，”says Tim．“Others get as busy as they can in the time they have left．”
1.What led Tim to think seriously about the meaning of life？________
A. His health problem．
B. His love for teaching．
C. The influence of his wife．
D. The news from the Web．
2.What did Tim want to do after learning about Imagination Library？________
A. Give out brochures．
B. Do something similar．
C. Write books for children．
D. Retire from being a teacher．
3.Why did the Richters go to Dollywood？________
A. To avoid signing up online．
B. To meet Dollywood board members．
C. To make sure the books were the newest．
D. To see if the books were of good quality．
4.What can we learn from Tim’s words in the last paragraph？________
A. He needs more money to help the children．
B. He wonders why some people are so busy．
C. He tries to save those waiting to die．
D. He considers his efforts worthwhile．
Are you interested in higher education in the United States？The following advice might help you．
●College，University or Institute
College and universities offer undergraduate degrees in arts and sciences．And both can help prepare young people to earn a living．But many colleges don’t offer graduate studies．Universities are generally bigger,offer more programs and do more research．An institute of technology can offer a wide choice of programs and activities．Seventyfive percent of freshmen go there with a strong interest and involvement in the arts．
●The Application Process
International admissions officers advise students to apply to at least three schools．You may be able to apply online and pay the application charge with a credit card,or by mail．You should study the websites of schools to find information about how and when to apply,how much it will cost and whether any financial aid is available．
●Get a Student Card
If you requesting a visa for the first time，you will have to go to an American embassy or consulate（领馆）．You will need to bring a government form sent to you by your American school that shows you have been accepted．A consular official will also take your picture and your fingerprints．You will also need banking and tax records that show you have enough money to pay for your education．
●Financial Aid
American schools provide aid，like scholarships，fellowships,to almost half of foreign graduate students，but only ten percent of undergraduates．But grants，which，unlike a loan，does not have to be paid．
1.It can be inferred from the passage that American colleges and universities________．
A. have their own origins in institutes of technology
B. have both similarities and differences
C. can offer a wide choice of programs and activities
D. provide about seventy-five percent students with art courses
2.In what order should the steps for applying to an American school be completed by a foreign student？________
a．Apply online
b．Find out how much it will cost and whether any financial aid is available online
c．Pay the application charge with a credit card，or by mail
d．Choose at least three schools
e．Find information about how and when to apply online
A. a-c-e-d-b B. e-d-c-a-b
C. d-a-c-e-b D. b-c-e-d-a
3.To apply for a vise for the first time，you’ll have to do the following things EXCEPT________．
A. paying an American embassy or consulate some money
B. taking your picture and your fingerprints
C. showing a government form given by the American school admitting you
D. providing evidence that you have enough money to pay for your education
4.The purpose of the passage is________．
A. to make some money
B. to provide foreign students with a guide
C. to improve education quality
D. to attract foreign visitors to America．
How to Protect Yourself from Hackers Online
An increase in cyber-attacks (网络攻击) makes the Internet seem like a scary place these days. How can individuals protect or make it more difficult for hackers to access their information? Here are several tips that can help you protect against cyber-attacks:
1.
Hard passwords include upper and lower case letters, numbers and special characters. They should be at least eight characters in length. They should also not spell out words easy for hackers to find, like your pet's name or the name of a family member.
Change your password regularly
A very common mistake made by users is to create one hard password, but then never change it. Remembering a long list of complicated passwords can be difficult. But no password is unbreakable. Hackers are better able to hack multiple accounts if those accounts all have the same password. A password management service, like Dashlane or PasswordBox, can help you keep track of hard passwords. 2.
Clear your browser (浏览器) history
This goes for all the devices you use in a day – your home computer, your work computer, or your friend's iPad. Internet browsers like Firefox or Chrome keep track of where you've been and what you've done online. They keep records of every site you visited. 3. It is very easy for anyone who sees that information to steal a detailed record of your online activities.
Do not use free Wi-Fi
4. Often, a user does not need a password to connect to these wireless networks. These services might be useful, but they're also an easy way for hackers to access everything on your device.
Use anti-virus protection
There are many anti-virus services available for users. 5. Some anti-virus services are even free. They are a great way to have a professional help keeping users one step ahead of hackers.
A. Be careful while using thumb drive.
B. These services permit users to easily store and secure their passwords.
C. Make your password harder to hack.
D. They can offer many different types of computer protection.
E. An increasing number of public places now offer free wireless access to the Internet.
F. Information about what you sent from or saved on your computer can be kept for days or weeks.
G. Unless you really need it, it is best not to use it.
It is true that world population is growing, but this is not the cause of our current and future global problems. Believing this will cause us to ignore the real problem and risk long-term damage to our planet.
Let me start by explaining why overpopulation is a myth. For one thing, the UN Population Division regularly predicts population growth but provides a low variant (变量), medium variant, and high variant to factor in various possibilities. In the 2010 revision, their high variant suggests that the world population will be almost 16 billion in 2100, but the low variant predicts it will peak（达到顶峰） at 8 billion and decrease to just over 6 billion by 2100. In most cases, it is the low variant that has come true in the past, suggesting the same will be true of their future population predictions. In addition to this, the size of families is actually decreasing.
For another, if the Earth is overpopulated, there needs to be insufficient (短缺) food, water, and space for humans to live. However, Indian economist Raj Krishna estimates that India alone is able to increase crop produce to the point of providing the entire world’s food supply. The World Food Programme confirms that there is sufficient food grown to feed the world and there is the same amount of fresh water on the planet now as there was 10,000 years ago. So how is it possible that the number of people in the world is affecting our planet?
Therefore, it is not an increase in population but an increase in consumption that is a severe threat. Materialism and overconsumption are facts of life for everybody in the western world, as possessions reflect a person’s status in society and people strive to obtain happiness through owning the latest fashionable goods. Not only that, but waste is a common occurrence which has a huge effect on our resources. It is a sad truth that 80% of the world’s resources are currently used by just 20% of the world’s population.
Our overconsumption must be addressed now to make our lives more sustainable and avoid continuing the terrible damage to the environment we are causing. The key is education. If we do not work towards this but instead focus on the wrong issue, we may find ourselves living on a planet that can no longer sustain human life.
1.According to the author, what causes our current and future global problems?
A. The increase in population.
B. Shortage of food and water.
C. The fast growth of material needs.
D. Failure to protect the environment.
2.The underlined word “myth” in Paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to _________.
A. fact B. uncertainty
C. possibility D. misconception
3.The author stresses that _____.
A. people should save food and water
B. economists are making wrong predictions
C. wrong judgment leads to serious consequences
D. measures should be taken to reduce population
4.What is mainly discussed in the passage?
A. The real cause of global problems.
B. The severe effect of overpopulation.
C. Reasonable use of natural resources.
D. Methods to reduce overconsumption.
Shyness is the cause of much unhappiness for a great many people. Shy people are anxious and self-conscious; that is, they are concerned with their own appearance and actions too much. Negative thoughts are constantly occurring in their minds: What kind of impression am I making? Do they like me? Do I sound stupid? Am I wearing unattractive clothes?
It is obvious that such uncomfortable feelings must affect people unfavorably. A person's self-concept is reflected in the way he or she behaves and the way a person behaves affects other people's reactions. In general, the way people think about themselves has a deep effect on all areas of their lives.
Shy people, who have low respect, are likely to be passive and easily influenced by others. They need faith that they are doing "the right thing". Shy people are very sensitive to criticism. It makes them feel inferior（自卑）.They also find it difficult to be pleased by praises because they believe they are unworthy of praise. A shy person may respond to a praise with a statement like this one: "You're just saying that to make me feel good, I know it's not true.” It is clear that, while self-awareness is a healthy quality, overdoing it is harmful.
Can shyness be completely got rid of, or at least reduced? Fortunately, people can overcome shyness with determination since shyness goes hand in hand with lack of self respect. It is important for people to accept their weakness as well as their strengths. Each one of us has his or her own characteristics. We are interested in our own personal ways. The better we understand ourselves, the easier it becomes to live up to our chances for a rich and successful life.
1.The first paragraph is mainly about______.
A. the cause of shyness B. the effect of shyness on people
C. the feelings of shy people D. the questions in the minds of shy people
2.According to the writer, self-awareness is______.
A. harmful to people B. a weak point of shy people
C. the cause of unhappiness D. a good characteristic
3.What is the shy people's reaction to praise?
A. They are pleased by it. B. They feel it is not true.
C. They are very sensitive to it. D. They feel they are worthy of it.
4.We can learn from the passage that shyness can ______.
A. block our chances for a successful life
B. help us to live up to our full development
C. enable us to understand ourselves better
D. have nothing to do with lack of self respect
Until recently, scientists had mapped only about 20 percent of the sea floor. But our knowledge of the deep seas is changing because of information from satellites. Scientists have produced a new map that provides a detailed picture of the oceans. The map is expected to help oceanographers (海洋学家), industry and governments.
The new map is twice as detailed as the map made 20 years ago. David Sandwell is a geophysics professor at the University of California. He and other scientists worked on the mapping project. He says they turned to space to look deeper into the ocean.
The scientists collected and studied information from two satellites. Some of the data came from the European Space Agency’s Cryo-2 satellite. It was placed in Earth's orbit to watch sea ice. The other satellite is the American space agency's Jason-1. It is studying the surface of the oceans. Scientists combined the satellite data with images gathered by sonar (声波定位仪) equipment on ships. Sonar works by sending sound waves through the water. When the sound waves hit an object, its presence is confirmed.
The new map shows the sea floor as it has never been seen before. It shows thousands of underwater mountains and places where continents pulled apart. It shows where earthquakes were active many years ago. They all are buried deep underneath the ocean floor.
David Sandwell says the map is a powerful tool for fisheries, those interested in protecting the environment and for oil exploration.
“The petrol exploration industry is interested in how to reconnect the continents, bring them back together tectonically so you can map the basins （盆地）on one continental edge—say, Africa—and use that to establish where the similar basin would be on the other continental edge in South America.”
If scientists know that information, they may be able to find oil fields. The new data also will help scientists improve their estimates of ocean depths. This information can help ships travel safely and improve military operations and scientific projects worldwide.
Mr. Sandwell thinks scientists will make many more discoveries as they examine the new map and the information it provides.
1.Which one is not mentioned about the benefits brought by the new map?
A. Fisheries. B. Scientific projects.
C. Ship manufacture. D. Oil exploration.
2.What can we know about the new map?
A. It shows where earthquakes will happen.
B. It will be helpful to industry and governments.
C. It is three times as detailed as the old one years ago.
D. It is based on the data gathered by the spaceships.
3.The text is likely to appear in _________.
A. a sicence fiction B. an advertisement
C. a science magazine D. a finance report
4.Which of the following can be the best title for the text?
A. The detailed picture of the oceans
B. Underwater mountains and places
C. More discoveries about the oceans
D. Scientists create new maps of ocean floor
