World's hardest word

British people have always been good at saying “I’m sorry”. They used to be so good at it that they would apologize (道歉) for things that weren’t even their fault (错误).
　 However, the British seem to be losing touch with their art. According to a new book by British writer Max Davidson, instead of saying “I’m sorry” when they do something wrong, British people prefer to choose their words carefully.
　 In his book, “Sorry...The Hardest Word and How to Use It”, Davidson writes about a number of recent apologies(道歉). One example is of British television host Jeremy Clarkson. He described Gordon Brown, then UK prime minister (首相), as “a one-eyed Scottish idiot (笨蛋)”. (Brown is blind in his left eye.)
　 Clarkson was forced to apologize. He said: “In the heat of the moment, I made a comment about the prime minister. Now I apologize on reflection.” Davidson says the apology was just “going through the motions (做表面文章)”. Clarkson is not the only one. The best example may come from a UK MP (议员) Tessa Jowell. She said to the public: “If you feel our government falls short of what you expect, then I say sorry for that.”
　 Jowell said “sorry”. But she is actually saying it’s not the government’s fault but the voters’ (选民的) fault for expecting too much from the government.
　 Perhaps those people with influence feel they may lose too much by apologizing. But as a teenager, would you really want to lose a close friend, just because you couldn’t say something as simple as, “I’m sorry”? That would be hard to forgive (原谅).
61. What does the first sentence in the second paragraph mean?
A. The British are still good at apologizing.
B. The British like to say sorry for everything they have done.
C. The British don’t want to say "I’m sorry" now.
D. The British lose too much by saying "sorry".
62. We can tell from the story that Clarkson’s apology was ___________.
A. sincere 　　　　　 B. friendly　　　　　 　C. rude 　　　　　　　　　D. insincere

63. According to Tessa Jowell, it’s ___________ fault for expecting too much.
A. the voters’ 　　　　B. the government’s　　　 C. the president’s 　　　　　D. her
64. The story mainly tells us that _____.
A. British people used to be polite and kind
B. British people choose their words carefully to apologize
C. British people like to go through the motions
D. British people are expecting too much from the government

65.The writer develops the passage mainly by __________.

A. providing special examples

B. following the natural time order

C. giving out a cause and analyzing(分析)its effects

D. comparing opinions from different countries

补全对话（每小题1分，满分5分）

A：Hi，Cindy. Your handbag looks so nice. ____1.___.

B: Online. It’s only 30 yuan.

A：30 yuan online? _____2.___. Tell me how to do it ,please.

B: All right. That’s easy. Just enter E-buy.

A：____3.___.

B: Well, first, you need to apply for(申请)a user’s passport. Next, go through the shopping list.

A：And then?

B: Choose one you like. _____4.____. You’ll receive it in a few days.

A：Thank you. ____5.___.

 

A. And I’ll have a try myself.

B. When did you get it?

C. Sounds great.

D. Could you please tell me in detail(细节)?

E. Click on it and follow the instructions.

F. Where did you buy it?

G. How much is it?

 

 

This is a talk by a London taxi driver.

     "I've been a taxi driver for nearly ten years. Most London taxi drivers have their own taxis."

    "It's a nice job most of time. you meet a lot of people. I always work at night, because there is too much traffic during the day. I live twenty miles (???) outside London and I go to work at 5:30 in the afternoon."

    "I usually go home between 2 and 3 in the morning."

    "Some very strange things happened late at night .The other day I was taking a woman home from a party .She had her little dog with her. When we got to her house, she found that she had lost her key. So I waited in the car with the dog while she climbed in through the windows."

    "I waited and waited. After half an hour of ringing the bell I decided to find out what was going on . I tied the dog to a tree and started to climb in through the window. The next thing I knew was that the police came. They thought I was a thief(С?).

    Luckily the woman came downstairs. She must have gone to sleep and forgotten about me and the dog!"

1..The driver always worked at night because it was easier to _____.

A. drive      B. make money     C. climb in through the window    D. meet a lot of people

2.The woman climbed in through the window because _____.

    A. she wanted to have a sleep      B. her husband didn't open the door for her

    C. she didn't want to pay the driver  D. she couldn't find her key

3..The story happened _____.

A. early in the morning         B. late at night

C. 20 miles outside London    D. near the police station

4.Which of the following is wrong?

A. The driver worked until between 2 and 3 in the morning. 

B. The police made a mistake.

  C. The woman had no money to pay the driver.

  D. The woman had forgotten about the driver and the dog.

5..The driver climbed in through the window to

  A. get money from the woman          B. return the dog to the woman

  C. see what was happening in the house   D. phone the police

 

A recent survey of 2000 parents in Britain showed that they are often afraid of science questions asked by their curious children only because they have no idea what the answer is. Here is a list of some simple questions that you can ask your parents to see if they know the answers.

    Q: Why is the sky blue?

    A: You probably know white sunlight is made up of seven colors. While it moves in a straight line when going through space, it starts to divide as it hits “raised area” in the atmosphere. The ones with longest wavelengths pass through easily. The blue , however , can be taken in by the gas molecules (分子) because it has a shorter wavelength , which in turn scatters (使分散) it in different directions. That’s why when you look up at the sky, it appears to be blue.

    Q:Why does the moon sometimes appear during the daytime?

    A: The simple answer to that is because just like any other object it is being lit by the sun. As long as it is around 45 degrees or even 90 degrees off the sun, it will receive light and be able to be seen. The only time it is not able to be seen during its 28-day orbit (轨道) around the earth is when it is right between the earth and the sun. That’s because its back , which is not lit by the sun, is facing us.

    Q: Where do birds/ honeybees go in winter?

    A: While the bird part is quite easy, since a lot of them get together and travel, the honeybee part is likely to puzzle your parents. It turns out that these busy insects stop being that active when the temperature drops below 50°F. Instead ,they get together in the lower central area of the hive （蜂巢）and form a ball around their queen. This helps keep both warm enough to survive the cold winter months.

1.The sky looks blue mainly because the color blue in the sunlight_______.

A. has the longest wavelength among all the colors

B. cannot be taken in by the gas molecules

C. doesn’t hit “raised area” in the atmosphere

D. cannot pass through space successfully

2.How long can’t the moon be seen during the daytime in a month?

A. 2                             B. 28                           C.30                                      D. 31

3.What do honeybees choose to do when the temperature drops below 50°F?

A. They choose to be active in the wild.

B. They choose to keep themselves warm.

C. They choose to travel to a warm place.

D. They choose to get together in the upper central area of the hive.

4.What is NOT explained in the passage?

A. Why is the sky blue?

B. Why is the moon able to be seen during the daytime?

C. Why do birds travel in winter?

D. Where do honeybees go in winter?

 

You are probably familiar with the saying: An apple a day keeps the doctor away. A recent research carried out by the Chinese University of Hong Kong may change the saying: An apple a day may keep aging away.

The research chose fruit flies(果蝇), as they share many genes(基因) with humans. The fruit flies were either fed normally or had an apple extract(浓缩物) added to their diet.

It turned out that those fruit flies that were given apple extract lived about 55 days — five days longer than the flies that were normally fed. The research group also found it easier for the flies to walk, climb and move about as they aged.

According to the result, the researchers believed that the antioxidants(抗氧化剂) in the apple extract helped clean up dangerous chemicals(化学物质) that cause illnesses, as well as aging.

In another study, researchers examined diets of thousands of women. They discovered that those who regularly ate apples were 20 percent less likely to suffer heart illnesses and stroke.

The apples’ genetic code (遗传密码) was discovered recently. It allows scientists to develop nicer and healthier fruits. Researchers are already using the information to grow a kind of apples full of antioxidants that can keep eyes and joints（关节） healthy and protect humans against heart illnesses and cancer.

Apples that kill the desire(欲望) to eat could also be produced, with the first “extra-healthy” apples on supermarket shelves within just four or five years.

The team that keeps studying apple DNA includes 100 scientists from five countries. Their research also suggests that around 65 million years ago, when dinosaurs began to die off, the plant, which would finally become today’s apple tree, experienced a great genetic change. The number of many of its genes doubled. The extra genes allowed the apple to get used to worse conditions and go through a different development from peaches, strawberries and other related fruits.

29. Why were fruit flies used for the research?

A. Because they have a similar diet to humans.

B. Because they have a history as long as apples.

C. Because they share a lot of genes with humans.

D. Because they feed on nothing but apple extract.

30. What result did the researchers find out?

A. Apples produce chemicals that can change human genes.

B. Apples have antioxidants that kill chemicals that cause aging.

C. Apples are rich in vitamins that are needed in humans’ bodies.

D. Apples produce chemicals that make apples taste more delicious.

31. What happened to apples around 65 million years ago according to the research?

A. Their genes stopped their development as the environment got worse.

B. Their genes became twice in number but they finally died off like dinosaurs.

C. They experienced a great genetic change making them used to worse conditions.

D. They went through a similar development to peaches, strawberries and other

related fruits.

32. What can we infer(推断) from the passage?

A. Eating apples may bring us more advantages than we might believe before.

B. People who have the habit of eating apples don’t need to see a doctor.

C. Apples that kill the desire to eat are already available in supermarkets now.

D. People will eat apples instead of peaches and strawberries from now on.