Your House Will Take Care of You In Old Age
Have you ever thought what your life would be like in old age? Everyone talks about the “aging” society with large numbers of elderly people needing home care. Now German researchers have set up a “smart” house, programmed to help the elderly live at home with dignity. Scientists at Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute say the house combines existing technology with future-oriented technology.
For example, the “smart” bathroom has a touch screen mirror that can remind people to take their medicine, wash their hands or brush their teeth. The hardware behind Fraunhofer’s electronic bathroom is not new, and the software runs on a regular personal computer.
When the medicine cabinet is opened, a display in the middle of the mirror tells the person how many pills to take. The mirror is linked to a care provider, who can remotely check whether a patient at home is actually taking medicine and brushing his or her teeth. As many elderly people have arthritic(关节炎的) conditions that make it difficult to operate water taps, the mirror also has displays that turn the water tap on or off or control the water temperature.
The bathroom is only the start. Kitchens, bedrooms and all other parts of the “intelligent” home will become “user-friendly” to meet all kinds of individual needs. Sensors in doors, toilets, taps, light switches and carpets detect every activity and record them electronically. Doctors or care staff can see from the computer records what personal hygiene tasks have been completed, how often the elderly person visits the bathroom or uses the toilet. In case of an emergency, the computer automatically alerts the chosen contact person or calls the care center.
【小题1】 The ‘smart” bathroom has a touch screen mirror ________.

A．that can help the elderly brush their teeth	B．which is linked to a nursing house
C．behind which is a medicine cabinet	D．that can remind people to do many things

【小题2】 The underlined word “them” in the last paragraph refers to ________.

A．every activity

B．doors, toilets, taps, light switches and carpets

C．individual needs

D．sensors

【小题3】The house mentioned in the passage can be described as _________.

A．smart but expensive	B．intelligent and convenient
C．smart and environmentally-friendly	D．fashionable and energy-saving

【小题4】 How is the passage mainly developed?

A．By inferring

B．By listing examples.

C．By comparing.

D．By introducing a practical method.

【小题5】The author of the text mainly _________.

A．calls on people to care for the old	B．encourages the old to live with dignity
C．introduces a new house	D．promotes a new house

For a small but increasing  number of young women in modern-day China, true love is all about the numbers. A potential suitor may have a good sense of humor and reasonable good looks, but what they say really matters is if he owns an apartment and how many square feet it is. A sizable bank account is also a must, and, some say, so is a luxury car。
At least, that’s the way things look if you watch Chinese television these days. The latest reality-TV scandal to shock the nation involves Ma Nuo, a 22-year-old model from Beijing who appeared on China's most popular dating show, If You Are the One. She rejected an offer from a male contestant to take a ride on his bike. "I'd rather cry in a BMW (宝马) car than laugh on the backseat of a bicycle," Ma told her suitor with a giggle.
The televised words swept the Internet and made an instant celebrity of Ma, who becomes one of the most talked-about women in the country. The reaction  among young Chinese was especially severe, reflecting growing anxieties over the widening gap between rich and poor, shifting societal values and public attention on the difficulties of finding a mate in a country where men are expected to outnumber women by 24 million in a decade.
As disgusted as they have been by some of the contestants, viewers continue to watch religiously. Why are people still tuning in? "Audiences like programs because they are honest. They show the current reality of Chinese society," says Yan Mu, one of the founders of Baihe.com. Young people are so focused on making money and building their careers these days, they have little time to devote to dating, he says. "Many people feel pressure from their parents and peers," Yan adds. " It can be a struggle to find a partner." Money may not buy you love. But on China's reality shows, it can at least get you a date.
【小题1】The underlined words“numbers”in the first paragraph include the following except_______

A．the age and degree

B．the size of the house

C．the sum of the deposit

D．the price of the belonging

【小题2】What does Ma Nuo mean by saying“I’d rather cry in a BMW car than laugh on the backseat of a bicycle.”in the second paragraph?

A．When she is in a BMW car, she will cry	B．When she is on a bike, she will laugh
C．She prefers money to true love	D．She prefers true love to money

【小题3】Why do many young men take part in TV dating shows?

A．because they think they may get true love from them

B．because they think China’s reality shows can at least give them a chance to date

C．because their parents and peers force them to do so

D．because viewers like dating shows

【小题4】Which one of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A．some contestants have been disgusted because they are dishonest

B．young people are too busy to take part in dating shows

C．some people are worried that societal value are changing

D．Ma Nuo rejected the bike offered by the contestant

【小题5】What is the best title of the passage?

A．China’s TV Dating Show	B．Date for Love or money
C．Date Makes You a Celebrity	D．Popular TV Dating Show

Our quarrel with efficiency is not that it gets things done, but that it is a thief of time when it leaves us no leisure to enjoy ourselves, and that it strains our nerves when we try to get things done perfectly. In building bridges, American engineers calculate so finely and exactly as to make the two ends come together within one-tenth of an inch. But when two Chinese begin to dig a tunnel from both sides of a mountain both come out on the other side. --The Chinese’s firm belief is that it doesn’t matter so long as a tunnel is dug through, and if we have two instead of one, why, we have a double track to boot.
　　The pace of modern industrial life forbids this kind of glorious and magnificent idling. But, worse than that, it imposes upon us a different conception of time as measured by the clock and eventually turns the human being into a clock himself. (This sort of thing is bound to come to China, as is evident, for instance, in the case of a factory of twenty thousand workers. The luxurious prospect of twenty thousand workers coming in at their own sweet pleasure at all hours is, of course, somewhat terrifying.)Nevertheless, such efficiency is what makes life so hard and full of excitement. A man who has to be punctually at a certain place at five o’clock has the whole afternoon from one to five ruined for him already. Every American adult is arranging his time on the pattern of the schoolboy - three o’clock for this, five o’clock for that, six-thirty for change of dress, six-fifty for entering the taxi, and seven o’clock for arriving at the destination. It just makes life not worth living.
【小题1】The writer objects to efficiency mainly on the grounds that it ____.

A．gives us rights to have too much leisure time

B．urges us to get things done punctually

C．robs us of leisure time

D．imposes on us a perfect concept of time

【小题2】 In the eyes of the author, the introduction of industrial life gives rise to ____.

A．the excitement of life

B．magnificent idling of time

C．more emphasis on efficiency

D．terrifying schoolboy

【小题3】The passage tells us ____.

A．Chinese workers come to work when it is convenient

B．all Americans are forced to be efficient against their will

C．Chinese engineers are on better terms with the management

D．Americans ought not to work so hard for efficiency

【小题4】 The author believes that relaxing the rule of punctuality in factories would lead to ____.

A．great trouble	B．increased production
C．a hard and exciting life	D．successful completion of a tunnel

Taiwan will finalize a plan by the end of June to open up the island to tourists from mainland China, though no date has been fixed for formal implementation（执行）, an official at the Mainland Affairs Council（MAC）said on Monday．
The official said the reports in the local press on Monday that the MAC has decided to postpone its plan to announce the implementation of the new plan on July 1 were inaccurate．
The official said cooperation between different organizations was still underway．The United Daily news quoted the director of the MAC’s legal affairs department, Liu Thehsun, as saying the plan to open up to mainland tourists would not be implemented as scheduled due to a lack of cross-strait communication．
Although relevant authorities, including the Bureau of Immigration and the Tourism Bureau, have complete reports on how to deal with visitors from mainland China, the decision has been taken not to press, ahead with announcement of the plan’s implementation on the first of July, Liu was quoted as saying．
The report also said that while no restrictions would be imposed on the mainland visitors in terms of age or residence in China, the visitors would need to hold a steady job or have more than 50,000RMB（about 6,000, U．S．dollars）in bank savings before they would be eligible（有资格的）to visit Taiwan．
In addition, Taiwan bound mainland tourists would have to come as part of a tour group and would be allowed to stay a maximum of 10 days each time．
The number of mainland tourists allowed to enter the island would also initially be limited to 1,000 people a day．
Although most people from Taiwan are free to travel to China, only a small number of mainland Chinese have been able to visit the island due to restrictions imposed by both sides of the Taiwan Strait after the end of a civil war in 1949．
【小题1】At the moment, according to the passage,      ___________．

A．no mainland Chinese can visit Taiwan now

B．any mainland Chinese can visit Taiwan now

C．many mainland Chinese have ever visited Taiwan since 1949

D．a few mainland Chinese have ever visited Taiwan since 1949

【小题2】When Taiwan opens up the island to tourists from mainland China,_____________．

A．there will be no restrictions to mainland visitors

B．mainland visitors who want to travel in Taiwan must have at least ￥50,000 in the bank savings account

C．there will be no age restrictions to the mainland visitors

D．mainland visitors will be free to travel to Taiwan

【小题3】We can infer from the passage that ______get（s）involved in the implementation of the plan．

A．MAC	B．United Daily
C．several organizations	D．Bureau of Immigration

【小题4】Which of the following statement is TRUE?

A．The implementation of the plan has not been fixed．

B．It was originally fixed on July 1 to announce the plan’s implementation．

C．For lack of cross-strait communication, the plan will not be officially completed until July．

D．When the plan is finalized, it will be announced immediately．

Alone in the darkness under layers of rubble (碎石) , Dan Woolley felt blood streaming from his head and leg.
Woolley, an aid worker, husband, and father of two boys, followed instructions on his cell phone to survive the January 12 earthquake in Haiti.
“I had an app that had pre-downloaded all this information about treating wounds. So I  looked up excessive bleeding and I looked up compound fracture(断裂),” Woolley told CNN.
The application on his iPhone is filled with information about first aid and CPR from the American Heart Association. “So I knew I wasn’t making mistakes, ” Woolley said. “That gave me confidence to treat my wounds properly.”
Trapped in the ruins of the Hotel Montana in Port-au-Prince, he used his shirt to bandage his leg, and tied his belt around the wound. To stop the bleeding on his head, he firmly pressed a sock to it. Concerned he might have been experiencing shock, Woolley used the app to look up what to do. It warned him not to sleep. So he set his phone alarm to go off every 20 minutes.
Once the battery got down to less than 20 percent of its power, Woolley turned it off. By then, he says, he had trained his body not to sleep for long periods, drifting off only to wake up within minutes.
With his injuries tended to, he wrote a note to his family in his journal: “I was in a big accident, an earthquake. Don’t be upset at God. He always provides for his children even in hard times. I’m still praying that God will get me out, but he may not. But even so he will always take care of you.”
After more than 60 hours, Woolley was pulled from the rubble.
“Those guys are rescue heroes,” he said to the crew that pulled him out.
【小题1】 Which of the following best summarizes the passage?

A．How to deal with the wound.

B．Try to get in touch with outside.

C．How to stay awake under the ground.

D．An unforgettable experience in the earthquake.

【小题2】Woolley set his phone alarm to go off every 20 minutes because_____.

A．he tried his best to communicate with rescuers

B．he was forced to stay awake to check his wounds

C．he was afraid that sleep might do harm to him

D．he needed to use the app to look up what to do

【小题3】The underlined sentence suggests that_________.

A．he turned off his iPhone to save power	B．the battery of his IPhone lasted long
C．he didn’t want his iPhone to disturb him	D．his iPhone went off because of lack of power

【小题4】 What Woolley wrote his journal showed _______.

A．he expected his family to lend a hand	B．he didn’t lose heart in hard times
C．he cared more for his family than his life	D．his children made him upset

It is the season for long lines and frayed(紧张的) nerves. Here are some ways to survive a holiday flight.
Lighten up
Do yourself a favor and ship your presents. Nearly every US airline charges a fee to check a bag, so shipping gifts is now cheaper and more convenient than carrying them in your luggage.
Weigh your options
Not knowing what you’re going to pay for your luggage is annoying. So calculate your overweight-luggage fees at home. You can find the fees out in advance by visiting new site Luggage Limits, which provides the latest information on more than 90 airlines.
Leave amateurs in the dust
Trust us and get to the airport an extra half-hour early. The check-in and security lines are filled with inexperienced files, and it’s a hard walking. Plus, if you decide to cut it close you may not get onto the flight at all. To reduce costs, airlines have reduced on flights and routes. The remaining flights are more likely to be oversold, especially on busy travel days. Fliers who check in early are the least likely to get bumped from oversold flights.
Take it public
The rates for renting a car at the airport have more than doubled over the past year because rental lot inventories have decreased dramatically(现住地). True, renting at the airport is convenient, but it’s just not worth it anymore. Unless you really need a car, take public transportation, hop a cab, or beg a friend to pick you up at the airport instead.
Say no to bumper cars
Tell the people picking you up to avoid parking their car. They can hang out in their car for free while waiting to get a call from you when you land. Many airports, including JFK and LAX now feature this sensible choice.
【小题1】How does the author think of shipping gifts?

A．Unnecessary.

B．Expensive.

C．Inconvenient.

D．Wonderful.

【小题2】Airlines have reduced flights to _________.

A．deal with crisis	B．reduce the time for leave
C．lower the cost	D．provide more job chances

【小题3】 It can be learned from the passage that ______.

A．renting a car at the airport is expensive	B．taxis stay at the airport free of charge
C．cars can park at the airport for free	D．JFK encourages people to take a taxi

【小题4】 What’s the best title for the passage?

A．Five ways to survive a holiday flight.	B．Good seasons for flight.
C．Cars at the airport.	D．How to board a flight

Not many people know that U.S. President Calvin Coolidge did not always live in the White House. Sometimes he lived in the nearby Willard Hotel.
Once, in the middle of a night, the President awoke to see a thief searching his clothes. Coolidge calmy spoke up from the darkness, “I wish you wouldn’t take that watch.”
“Why?” asked the shocked man.
Coolidged answered, “Take it near the window and read what is engraved on the back of it.”
The man read, “Presented to Calvin Coolidged, Speaker of the House, by the Massachusetts General Court.” He was very surprised!
“Are you President Coolidge?” he asked. He had never thought he would find the president sleeping in a hotel!
“Yes, I am” Coolidge said. Then he asked, “Why are you doing this,Son?”
The young man explained that he and a friend traveled to Washington during their college vacation. They spent all of their money and had no money to pay the hotel bill and the train tickets back to school.
Coolidge added up those fees. It came to $32.  That may not sound like much now, but it was a big sum then. “I’ll give you the $32 as a loan,” the President said, “And I expect you to pay me back.”
The youth thanked him. Coolidge left him with this warning: “Son, you are a nice boy, you are better than you are acting. You are starting down the wrong road. Just remember who you are.”
It wasn’t until after the death of Mr.Coolidge that this story was allowed to come out. It was first published in the Los Angeles Times. And the most interesting of all is that the President’s notes show that the young man was indeed better than he was acting. He repaid the $32 loan in full.
【小题1】.The president stopped the youth from stealing the watch because         

A．It was his favorite watch.

B．He wanted to give some money to the youth

C．He wanted to help the young man from getting into trouble

D．He used it for work and daily life

【小题2】 It can be inferred from the passage that      

A．the youth’s family was in financial difficulty

B．hotel fees were rather expensive at that time

C．the youth never connected with the president again

D．the youth learned a lesson from his experience with the president

【小题3】 How did people first get to know the story of the president with the youth?

A．From the president himself

B．From a newspaper

C．From the youth’s notes

D．From the youth himself

【小题4】 We can learn from the passage that      

A．possessions can be given up when necessary

B．generosity should be encouraged in some cases

C．people can benefit from their unforgettable experiences

D．an act of kindness may change a person’s life

Many of us assume that with such a last name, Peter Buffett, 52, must enjoy a life of endless privilege. But the son of billionaire investor (投资人) Warren Buffett definitely doesn’t think so.
“People who are born with a silver spoon in their mouth can fall victim (受害者) to what my father has called a silver dagger (匕首) in your back,” Buffett told Reuters in an interview. “It leads to a sense of entitlement (特权) and a lack of personal achievement.”
Entitlement, he believes, is the worst thing ever. “Anybody who acts like they deserve (应得) something ‘just because’ is a disaster,” he said.
In his new book, Life Is What You Make It: Finding Your Own Path to Fulfillment, Buffett says that the only real inheritance (遗产) handed down from his parents was a philosophy (价值观): Forge your own path in life. It is a belief that has allowed him to follow his own passions, establish his own identity, and reap (收获) his own successes.
Did his father ever want him to go into finance? “It was encouraged for a moment when I was open to the idea,” he told Reuters. But as he grew older, it became clear the financial world “was not speaking to my heart.”
His father accepted his choice to become a musician. He began his musical career by writing music for TV commercials (广告). He then released his own albums.
“I am my own person and I know what I have accomplished in my life,” he told Reuters. “This isn’t about wealth or fame or money or any of that stuff, it is actually about values and what you enjoy and finding something you love doing.”
Along with the book, Buffett has begun a “Concert & Conversation” tour in which he plays the piano, talks about his life and warns against consumerist (消费主义) culture and damaging the environment.
“Economic prosperity (繁荣) may come and go; that’s just how it is,” he writes in the book. “But values are the steady currency (硬通货) that earn us the all-important rewards.”
【小题1】 What does “It” in the second paragraph refer to?

A．A life of a top investor.	B．A silver spoon in the mouth.
C．Being born to a wealthy family.	D．The victim of a silver dagger in the back.

【小题2】 What does the article tell us?

A．Peter Buffett is a born musician.

B．Peter Buffett enjoys a hugely privileged life.

C．A wealthy family can benefit a child but also spoil him or her.

D．Peter Buffett was forced by his parents to take over their business.

【小题3】The article claims that Peter Buffett owes his achievements largely to ______.

A．his passion for music	B．the good education he received
C．his great determination	D．the values he learned from his parents

【小题4】 Which of the following statements would Peter Buffett probably agree to?

A．Wealth is there to enjoy to the fullest.

B．A person’s value lies within.

C．Many people are fooled by economic prosperity.

D．Young people should choose their own philosophy, whatever their parents believe in.

Skiing only caught on for ordinary Chinese in the mid-1990s in the country’s north and northeast, but has since developed into a pastime that can be practiced nationwide. Here are four resorts(度假胜地) worthy of consideration.
Yabuli Ski Resort
The ski resort, built on Yabuli Sun Mountain, part of the Changbai Mountain Range, is located in China’s northernmost province, Heilongjiang.
It has the best snow quality, skiing trails and impressive views. Wild animals are often spotted on the site.
The resort serves as the primary training centre for China’s national teams. It also has a trail vertical drop from 200 meters to 1,200 meters with an average drop of 700 meters.
What’s cool: The largest ski resort in China.
Beijing Huaibei International Ski Resort
This is a great destination for snowboarders and skiers to escape the rush life of the city and is a large recreational spot that boasts excellent ski slopes, world-class facilities, beautiful natural scenery, as well as convenient accommodation and dining services.
Travelers are also able to take a bird’s eye view of the Great Wall by catching a cable car along 1,200 meters.
What’s cool: Close to the Great Wall and Beijing’s largest ski resort.
Shennongjia Ski Resort
Opened in 2004, the ski resort is located in the inland of Shennongjia. It covers an area of 100,000 square meters and is only 0.5 km from the Shennongjia National Nature Reserve.
There are ski tracks for beginners and more than 20 coaches for tourists. While experiencing the excitement of skiing, people can also admire Shennongjia’s distinctive scenery of countless different odd mountain valleys, unknown beautiful flowers and plants.
What’s cool: Largest winter sports complex for skiers from South and Central China.
Changbai Mountain Ski Resort
The ski resort is an ideal place for skiing and ice-skating because of its well-constructed ski tracks, comprehensive winter sports training facilities and breathtaking environment.
Enthusiasts can also choose other activities including motor skiing, sleigh skiing, shooting and hunting.
The area’s natural hot springs are another attraction of the resort.
What’s cool: The resort is located in the heart of Changbai Mountain Nature Reserve’s thick forest and has natural hot springs.
【小题1】 The passage is intended to ______.

A．encourage people to learn skiing during holidays

B．attract people to ski in these places

C．offer services of booking tickets for skiing

D．provide people with a better understanding of skiing

【小题2】In what way is Changbai Mountain Ski Resort different from the other three resorts?

A．It has various training facilities.

B．It has coaches for tourists.

C．It has natural hot springs.

D．It has breathtaking natural scenery.

【小题3】China’s national teams are usually trained at_______.

A．Yabuli Ski Resort	B．Shennongjia Ski Resort
C．Changbai Mountain Ski Resort	D．Beijing Huaibei International Ski Resort

In the last years of the Warring States period, the State of Qin attacked the State of Wei on a large scale repeatedly and occupied large areas of land, for the State of Wei was too weak to defend itself. In 273 B.C., the Qin army launched a more serious attack upon the State of Wei than ever. The king of the State of Wei gathered his officials, and asked with a worried look if anyone could propose a way to defeat the Qin army. After years of chaos caused by the wars, the officials trembled when fighting was mentioned, and no one dared to speak of resistance.
At the critical moment when a large enemy force was bearing down upon the border, most of the officials persuaded the king to sue for peace, at the cost of giving away to the State of Qin the large area of land north of the Huanghe River and south of the Taihang Mountain. However Su Dai, a counselor, did not agree. He hurried up to the king and said: "Your Majesty, they don't think about the interests of the country at all. It is just because they are afraid of death that they ask you to sue for peace by betraying the country. Of course you can temporarily satisfy the ambition of Qin, but it will never stop attacking us until our land is totally given away."
He added,“Once there was a man whose house was on fire. People told him to put out the fire with water, but he would not listen. Instead, he carried a faggot to put out the fire, only to make the fire fiercer. Isn't it similar to carrying faggots to put out a fire if you agree to sue for peace at the cost of the land of the State of Wei?”
Though Su Dai's argument was very convincing, the king accepted the suggestion of those officials and gave away to the State of Qin a large area of the land of the State of Wei. As might be expected, the Qin army attacked the State of Wei in 225 B.C. again, surrounding the capital city Daliang and flooding it by digging open the dykes (堤防) of the Huanghe River. The State of Wei was finally destroyed.
【小题1】 When asked how to defeat the Qin army, most officials _______.

A．were scared and at a loss what to do

B．looked worried and turned to Su Dai for help

C．asked a large enemy force to bear down upon the border

D．were extremely frightened and decided to give up fighting back

【小题2】The underlined phrase“sue for”in Paragraph 2 probably means _______.

A．demand

B．beg for

C．search for

D．negotiate for

【小题3】Su Dai used the example of“carrying faggots to put out a fire”to show _______.

A．the ambition of the State of Qin

B．the serious results of giving in

C．the loss of the land of the State of Wei

D．the trembling consequences of defense

【小题4】 The story is mainly developed by _______.

A．time

B．logic

C．making comparison

D．cause and effect

【小题5】 The attitude of the writer towards Su Dai is _______.

A．approval

B．praise

C．neutral

D．disapproval