First Lady Michelle Obama urged students to visit China at the "100,000 Strong" China Study Abroad forum at Howard University in 2011.

President Barack Obama announced the "100,000 Strong" Initiative （倡议） during his 2009 visit to China. The program aims to increase and diversify the number of American students studying in China by making studying abroad more affordable.

During the event at Howard, Mrs. Obama spoke about the importance of studying abroad, something she never did while in college. "Studying in countries like China is about so much more than just improving your own prospects（前景） in the global market. The fact is that with every friendship you make and every bond of trust you establish you are shaping an image of America projected to the rest of the world," she said.

David Marzban from Pepperdine University recalled a time when he formed a cross-cultural bond with a complete stranger at a restaurant near Fudan University in Shanghai. He noticed a young chef signaling him to come over. "He presses the play button on his media player and starts singing 'California Dreaming' and wants me to sing along with him," Marzban said. "At this time I knew a great friendship had started during my first two weeks in China."

Nicole Baden, a senior communications major at Howard University, recalled how her time in China really helped her master the language. "You have to experience the culture while learning the language to really master it and to understand why things are how they are compared to your own culture," Baden said.

Mrs. Obama encouraged students to set aside concept that studying abroad is for rich kids only or for those attending certain schools. In addition, the first lady announced that the Chinese government is giving 10,000 "Bridge Scholarships" to cover costs for American students and teachers studying in China.

Students from several schools attended the forum. 12-year-old Sarah Davis, who studied in China last summer, said she was very excited to hear Michelle Obama talk about the country. “I love Chinese. Out of all the languages I’ve learned, Chinese is the most difficult and interesting,” she said.

1.The examples mentioned in the passage mainly indicate that _____.

A．the US students’ life in China is helpful and worthwhile

B．all students of the US are living a comfortable life in China

C．Chinese young people are friendly to foreigners

D．it isn’t realistic for some US young people to study in China

2.What can we infer from the passage?

A．Baden came to China to study the differences between English and Chinese.

B．Poor children from America have no opportunity to study in China.

C．David Marzban made a Chinese friend in an unexpected way in China.

D．Michelle Obama called on US students to study in China at a government meeting.

3.What is the best title for the passage?

A．The US has an ambitious program for Americans studying in China.

B．Michelle Obama encourages American students to study in China.

C．More American students plan to study in China.

D．China is attracting more and more international students.

 

—Do you know where David is?

— Well, he _____ have gone far — his coat is still here.                   

A．shouldn’t

B．can’t

C．mustn’t

D．wouldn’t

 

Many drivers say the large digital billboards flashing ads every few seconds along Bay Area freeways are just too bright and too distracting. And they may be right.

A Swedish study published in the journal Traffic Injury Prevention concludes that digital billboards hold the gazes of drivers longer than two seconds. Previous studies have shown that anything that takes a driver’s eyes off the road for that length of time increases the risks of a crash. “This study proves what is common sense when it comes to digital billboards,” says Mary Tracy, president of Scenic America, a national nonprofit group that seeks to limit billboards. “Bright, constantly changing signs on the sides of roads are meant to attract and keep the attention of drivers, and this study confirms that this is exactly what they do.”

The Federal Highway Administration allowed digital signs for the first time in 2007 after concluding they did not pose a significant danger. But a follow-up report is pending (待定的) and could be released this year. California has no law banning the billboards, and is one of 39 states that allows them. “We would need to review more research, so it’s too early to call for a ban,” says Jonathan Adkins, executive director of the Governors Highway Safety Association. “There is a role for digital messaging, such as conveying urgent information and other safety messages.”

There are more than 1,800 digital billboards nationwide, more than double the number five years ago. While no data indicate an increase in accidents due to the Bay Area signs, many drivers are opposed to them.

“Monstrosities” is what Merlin Dorfman of San Jose calls them, while insurance agent David Whitlock says he has found them a major distraction. “They’re much too bright at night,” he says. “When the advertisement switches from a bright color to a darker one, your eyes cannot adjust fast enough, and you end up losing sight of the roadway.”

Officials with sign companies could not be reached for comment, but Bryan Parker, an executive vice president for Clear Channel Outdoor, told USA Today last year that “there’s no doubt in my mind that they are not a driving distraction.”

1.Which of the following is TRUE?

A. The brightness of digital billboards is harmful to people’s eyes.

B. The Federal Highway Administration banned digital signs in 2013.

C. There is evidence indicating an increase in accidents duo to digital billboards.

D. Digital billboards are used to convey messages.

2.What do we learn from the text?

A. Scenic America is an organization that is in favor of digital billboards.

B. Drivers in the Bay Area are against the digital billboards.

C. California has banned digital billboards.

D. There were about 1,800 digital billboards nationwide five years ago.

3.What is Bryan Parker’s attitude towards digital billboards?

A. Supportive.          B. Indifferent.

C. Opposed.           D. Uncertain.

4.What is the main idea of the text?

A. Studies have shown digital billboards pose a danger to drivers.

B. People’s eyes cannot adjust fast enough to the brightness of digital billboards.

C. A study says flashing digital billboards are too distracting.

D. Experts doubt it is necessary to limit digital billboards.

5.We are most likely to find the text in the ________ section of a magazine.

A. international culture                   B. traffic and safety

C. fashion and travel                     D. personal health

 

Internet has become part of young people’s life. You can do lots of things on line such as chatting, sending messages and emails, getting useful knowledge and information, buying things without going to the shops, visiting cool websites, and so on. But it’s also easy to be cheated online. Here’s a story about a girl named Mary.

Mary is an 18-year-old girl who lives in New York. The people in Mary’s family are so busy that they hardly have time to be with her. In fact, Mary is quite lonely. So she spends a lot of time on QQ.

Last year Mary made a very special friend on QQ. His name was David and he lived in San Francisco. David was full of stories and jokes. He and Mary had a common interest in rock music and modern dance. So it always took them hours to talk happily on QQ and sometimes they even forgot the time. David sent Mary a picture of “himself”: he was a tall, good-looking young man with a big, happy smile. As time went by, they became good friends and often sent cards and small things to each other.

Before David’s birthday, Mary wanted to give him a surprise. She flew to San Francisco. But when Mary knocked on David’s door, she found that the special friend was a twelve-year-old boy named Jim!

So when you make friends on the Internet, please be careful. Here are some rules to make sure you are safe and have fun on the Internet.

u    Don’t give your password to anyone else, and never let out the following information: your real name, home address, age, school, phone number or other personal information.

u    Never agree to meet someone you met on the Internet without your parents’ permission. Never meet anyone you met online alone.

u    Always remember that people online may not be who they say they are. Treat everyone online as if they were strangers.

u    Remember — not everything you read on the Internet is true.

1.Why does Mary spend a lot of her time on QQ?

A．Because she feels lonely.

B．Because she doesn’t like learning.

C．Because she wants to make a boyfriend.

D．Because she likes computer games.

2.Mary thought David was special because __________.

A．he was tall and good-looking               B．he sent her a picture of himself

C．he was from San Francisco                D．he made her quite happy on QQ.

3.It’s good for children to _________ on the Internet.

A．give password to others

B．get useful knowledge and information

C．give phone number to others

D．believe everything they read

4.What shouldn’t be done when you are online according to the passage?

A．Sending messages and emails.

B．Visiting cool websites.

C．Giving your real name to others.

D．Treating everyone online as strangers.

5.What’s the main idea of this passage?

A．Things might not be real on the Internet.

B．It’s not good to chat on QQ.

C．Don’t meet some one you get to know on QQ.

D．Don’t buy anything on line.

 

根据下列各句句意和空白之后的汉语提示词，在横线上写出对应单词的正确、完整形式，每空只写一词。

1.The snow storm was the worst natural        (灾难) to hit the city.

2.Mary is a stubborn girl that no one can       (劝服，劝说) her to do anything.

3.She never forgets the important papers so she is very       (可信赖的，可靠的).

4.The shopping center was in       (废墟，毁灭) after the big fire.

5.The       (东方的) sky was just turning pink.

6.Unluckily, they were       (使陷入困境) in the river.

7.David watched the bus until it disappeared       (逐渐地).

8.He wants to be a       (记者) when he leaves university.

9.Many countries are       (遭受，经历) from air pollution now.

10.Some animals choose to live in       (洞穴) to protect themselves.