Rivers are one of our most important natural resources(资源). Many of the world’s great cities are located on rivers, and almost every country has at least one river running through it that plays an important part in the lives of its people.
Since the beginning of history, people have used rivers for transportation. The longest one in the United States is the Mississippi. The lifeline of Egypt is the Nile. To the people of India, the Ganges is great, but it is also important for transportation; ships can travel along it for a thousand miles. Other great rivers are the Congo in Africa and the Mekong in southeastern Asia. The greatest of all for navigation（航海）, however, is the Amazon in Brazil（巴西）. It is so wide and so deep that large ships can go about two thousand miles up it.
Besides transportation, rivers give food to eat, water to drink, water for crops, and chances for fun. In order to increase the supply(供给) of water for crops, engineers sometimes build a dam (大坝)across a river and let a lake form behind the dam. Then people can use the water not only to irrigate(灌溉) their fields but also to make electricity for their homes and industries.
However, large cities and industries that are located on rivers often cause problems. As the cities grow in size and industries increase in number, the water in the rivers becomes polluted with chemicals and other materials. People are learning the importance, however, of doing more to keep their rivers clean if they want to enjoy the benefits of these natural resources.
【小题1】The greatest river for navigation is ________________.

A．the Mississippi	B．the Nile
C．the Mekong	D．the Amazon

【小题2】Which is NOT true according to the passage?

A．Many cities are located on rivers.

B．Almost every country has at least one important river.

C．The Nile is in India.

D．Rivers play an important part in the lives of people.

【小题3】When rivers are dammed, people use the water for __________.

A．keeping the rivers clean

B．making electricity

C．washing clothes

D．irrigation and the production of electricity

【小题4】Most water in rivers is polluted with ___________.

A．people’s drinking water too much

B．people’s swimming in the river too much

C．chemicals and other materials

D．people’s building a dam across a river

【小题5】The best title for the passage is _____________.

A．The Importance of Rivers	B．Rivers in Cities
C．Transportation	D．Natural Resources

In the United States, it is important to be on time, for a date, a class, a meeting, etc. However, this is not true in all countries. Mr. Moster, an American professor, arrived at the classroom on time on the first day in Brazil, but no one was in the classroom. Many students came after 10 am. Several arrived after 10:30 am. Although all the students greeted the professor as they arrived, few students felt sorry for their lateness.

The professor talked to the Brazilian students about lateness and found something surprising. If the Brazilian students had a lunch date with a friend, most of them felt the friends were late for about half an hour.

In an American university, classes not only begin on time, but always end on time. On the other hand, in Brazil, neither the teachers nor the students arrive at the starting time. Arriving late may not be very important in Brazil.

As a result of his study, the professor learned that the Brazilian students were not being impolite. So he was able to understand and felt comfortable in the new culture.

根据短文内容,判断正(T)误(F)

1.  It is important to be on time in America.

2.  Many Brazilian students felt sorry for their lateness.

3.  In Brazil, teachers are usually on time while students are usually late.

4.  The professor felt uncomfortable about students’ lateness after his study.

The article tells us different countries have different cultures.

 

Passage 1  Mobile Phone Madness

How much do you love your mobile phone? A Chinese student had to call 110 for help this week after he got his arm stuck in a toilet trying to rescue(援救) his mobile phone. After dropping his phone in the toilet, he decided to wrap(包，裹) his arm in newspaper in the hopes of keeping clean. But the newspapers became larger in size in the water, and then even his roommates couldn't help him pull his arm out. So policemen were called and they spent an hour unsticking the stuck student.

Passage 2  Crazy Pet Lovers

How much do you love your pets? Many people in China are famous for how much they love their pets. They dress them up in fashionable clothing and buy them high quality food. But would they spend 7,000 English pounds (68,000 yuan) on a wedding(婚礼) for their pets? And that's what a couple in Brazil spent on a fancy wedding for their pet Yorkshire terriers( a kind of dog).

Passage 3  Oh, rats!

When something goes wrong, you can often hear Westerners cry “Oh, rats”. But when it comes to Southern China, “Oh, rats!” can mean it's what you want for dinner. According to a report in China Daily, some restaurants in Guangzhou serve rat meat. But, actually, most of those rats are field mice. What would Mickey Mouse say?

Passage 4  Liar(说谎者), liar

Here's some news that most women already know. Men tell more lies than women. The London Daily Mail cites(引用) a new study that says men tell about three lies a day, while women tell only two lies a day. Men are also less likely to feel guilty about lying, according to this week's survey of 3,000 people by a research organization called One Poll. According to the Poll, lying to our mothers is very popular. But then, so is lying at work. And both men and women will lie when it comes to how much they've drunk. So how easy is it to tell when someone is lying?

1.Put the statements into the right order according to passage 1.

① They called policemen for help. 

② He dropped his mobile phone in the toilet.

③ His roommates tried to help him pull his arm out, but failed.

④ The newspapers expanded(膨胀) in the water, so he got his arm stuck.

⑤ He wrapped his arm in newspaper before trying to take out his phone from the toilet.

A. ②⑤④③①      B. ②④③⑤①    C. ①⑤④②③             D. ①②⑤④③

2.Why does the writer call the Brazilian couple “crazy pet lovers”?

A. They dress their pets up in fashionable clothing.

B. They buy their pets high quality food.

C. They spent ￥68,000 on a wedding for their pets.

D. They spent ￡7,000 in buying a pet.

3. If you say “oh, rats” in Guangzhou, it can mean that                    .

  A. something goes wrong                      B. you see some field mice

  C. you are a Mickey Mouse lover        D. you’d like to have rat meat for dinner

4. According to the new study on lying, which of the following is not true?

A. Women tell less lies than men.

B. Women are more likely to feel guilty about lying.

C. Lying at work is more popular than lying to our mothers.

D. Neither men nor women want to tell the truth about how much they have drunk.

5.What is NOT mentioned?

  A. It is difficult to unstick the stuck student.

  B. The couple’s pets are Yorkshire terriers.

  C. People in China enjoy eating rat meat.

  D. 3,000 people took part in the survey made by One Poll.

 

Now, more and more cities are facing problems, such as high housing costs, pollution and crime. Let’s see what people in Hyderabad, India and in Sao Paulo, Brazil do to solve (解决) the problems.

Hyderabad, India

To improve people’s lives, Hyderabad is planting more and more trees. The city is even creating greener buildings that use less water and less electricity for power. Adding green to a city has a number of advantages. For example, trees make the air cleaner. In Hyderabad, streets were grey and dirty in the past. However, today they are filled with trees and flowers, making the city cleaner and more colourful. Green areas also give people places to relax or exercise. A study in the USA shows an interesting thing: the greener a neighborhood is, the less crime there is.

Sao Paulo, Brazil

Many people work in the centre of Sao Paulo, but they don’t live there. They’ve spread out to neighborhoods outside the city because housing is cheaper. Every day, these people travel into the city, and traffic is very heavy. City planners are using different ways to deal with (处理) the problem. First, they are building better subways. Another goal is to make it cheaper for people to live in the downtown area (中心区). Doing this will reduce traffic and pollution in the city.

1.What does the underlined word “greener” mean?

A．Taller.

B．Easier.

C．Better for the environment.

D．More brightly coloured.

2.Which advantage of making Hyderabad greener is NOT talked about in the passage?

A．It helps people work better.

B．It makes the city cleaner.

C．It reduces crime.

D．It makes it easier to exercise.

3.According to the passage, what problem does Sao Paulo have?

A．A lot of people don’t have jobs.

B．Too many people live in the city centre.

C．A lot of people are moving out of the city.

D．Too many people travel into the city every day.

 

Rivers are one of our most important natural resources(资源). Many of the world’s great cities are located on rivers, and almost every country has at least one river running through it that plays an important part in the lives of its people.

Since the beginning of history, people have used rivers for transportation. The longest one in the United States is the Mississippi. The lifeline of Egypt is the Nile. To the people of India, the Ganges is great, but it is also important for transportation; ships can travel along it for a thousand miles. Other great rivers are the Congo in Africa and the Mekong in southeastern Asia. The greatest of all for navigation（航海）, however, is the Amazon in Brazil（巴西）. It is so wide and so deep that large ships can go about two thousand miles up it.

Besides transportation, rivers give food to eat, water to drink, water for crops, and chances for fun. In order to increase the supply(供给) of water for crops, engineers sometimes build a dam (大坝)across a river and let a lake form behind the dam. Then people can use the water not only to irrigate(灌溉) their fields but also to make electricity for their homes and industries.

However, large cities and industries that are located on rivers often cause problems. As the cities grow in size and industries increase in number, the water in the rivers becomes polluted with chemicals and other materials. People are learning the importance, however, of doing more to keep their rivers clean if they want to enjoy the benefits of these natural resources.

1.The greatest river for navigation is ________________.

A．the Mississippi	B．the Nile
C．the Mekong	D．the Amazon

2.Which is NOT true according to the passage?

A．Many cities are located on rivers.

B．Almost every country has at least one important river.

C．The Nile is in India.

D．Rivers play an important part in the lives of people.

3.When rivers are dammed, people use the water for __________.

A．keeping the rivers clean

B．making electricity

C．washing clothes

D．irrigation and the production of electricity

4.Most water in rivers is polluted with ___________.

A．people’s drinking water too much

B．people’s swimming in the river too much

C．chemicals and other materials

D．people’s building a dam across a river

5.The best title for the passage is _____________.

A．The Importance of Rivers	B．Rivers in Cities
C．Transportation	D．Natural Resources