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The Best Time to Visit Sydney
If you prefer the cold to heat, especially if seeking to escape the northern summer, the best time to visit Sydney could be in the Australian winter from June 1 to August 31.
The Sydney winter isn’t really harsh and the weather’s generally pleasant. It’s great for touring the city on foot and for bushwalking. And the ski slopes are not too far away.
Holiday time
You get the Queen’s Birthday holiday weekend in June and the school holidays in July. Aside from within those periods, accommodation costs in the city will generally be lower.
Winter weather
Expect generally cool conditions. The average temperature should range from around 8°C (46°F) at night to 16°C (61°F) in the daytime in mid-winter. Expect from 80mm to 131mm of rainin a month, with the most rain in June tapering into August.
Winter accommodation
Outside of the holiday periods, Sydney accommodation will usually be available and should be relatively cheaper.
Winter activities
The weather’s fine for a walking tour of Sydney. Visit The Rocks, the Sydney Opera House, the Royal Botanic Gardens, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Australian Museum, Hyde Park, Chinatown, Darling Harbour.
Go on a harbor cruise. At the very least, take a Sydney ferry and cross the harbor to Manly.
Take a daytrip north, south and west of Sydney.
Spot the whales as they travel north in the whale migration season.
Go bushwalking at the Royal National Park.
1. Considering weather and accommodation, the best time to visit Sydney is in ________.
A. June B. July C. August D. December
2. Which of the following activities is NOT recommended in the passage?
A. Going skiing near Sydney.
B. Hunting whales in the Royal Botanic Gardens.
C. Touring Sydney on foot.
D. Bushwalking at the Royal National Park.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
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An oral drug, named ERDRP-0519, was invented. It is specifically designed to protect people who got infected measles(麻疹) from spreading the virus to others. Like the flu, measles spreads through the air by breathing, coughing or sneezing. There is typically a time, about two weeks, between becoming infected with the virus and the beginning of symptoms like skin rash(皮疹), runny nose, heavy cough and high fever.
“This therapy application determines the desired characteristics of the drug, which are orally available, cost-effective manufacture and high stability,” Richard Klemperer, professor of Georgia State University, told reporters last Wednesday.
“With these criteria in mind, we have developed a small drug that blocks the measles virus over the past years, which is essential for copy of the virus.”
The researchers tested the drug in rats infected with canine distemper virus(犬瘟病) , which is a close relative of measles virus. They found that all of the infected rats treated with the drug survived the deadly infection, showed no clinical signs of disease and developed a strong protective immune response.
The drug could be used to treat friends, family and other social contacts of a person infected with measles virus, which have not developed symptoms yet but are at risk of having caught the disease, Klemperer said truthfully.
“The emergence of strong antiviral immunity(抗病毒免疫力) in treated animals is particularly encouraging, since it suggests that the drug may not only save an infected individual from disease but contribute to closing measles immunity gaps in a population,” Klemperer said.
The researchers emphasized the drug is not intended as a substitute for vaccination, but as an additional weapon to get rid of the measles. They planned to test the drug’s safety in larger animals, before moving into clinical trials in humans.
“If our next series of studies confirms that the human situation mirrors what we have seen in rats, then this drug may make a major contribution to getting rid of measles by preventing local outbreaks” Klemperer said.
Despite the existence of an effective vaccine, annual measles deaths worldwide have remained constant at around 150,000 since 2007. The reasons for this are the highly infectious nature of the virus, in the developing world largely due to issues of resources, and in many developed countries in particular in the European region due to parental concerns regarding vaccination safety.
1.If a boy got infected by measles virus, he might NOT show the symptom like ________.
A. runny nose B. bad cough
C. high fever D. sick stomach
2. From what Klemperer said, we know that the drug _________.
A. is only intended as a substitute for vaccination
B. can only save those infected individuals from disease
C. is cost-effective and high stability for curing measles
D. has the same effect on human as on larger animals
3.The best title of the passage is_________ .
A. the Introduction of a New Oral Drug
B. the Desired Characteristics of Drugs
C. the Common Symptoms of Getting Measles
D. the Application of Post-exposure Therapy
难度: 困难查看答案及解析
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I love seeing Europeans line up in airports to applaud arriving refugees. But humanitarianism (人道主义) will not guide policy for long. We liberals need to argue from Europe’s self-interest: our continent has the need, the space and the ability to accept people.
Many European countries are gradually turning into old people’s homes. Germany, Italy, Spain and others have some of the lowest birth rates in human history. It is predicted that about one-third of their populations will be aged over 65 in 2050. Germany needs to import at least 350,000 people a year to keep its workforce stable. Suddenly, young ambitious workers are pouring into the country as if called by a genie (精灵) with a lamp. No wonder Angela Merkel, German Chancellor, has been more welcoming than David Cameron, British Prime Minister. But all over Europe, carers for old people are already in need. Norway found oil under the seabed but it would have been better off if it had discovered 50,000 nurses there instead.
Many rightwingers think we have reached our limits. This feeling is widespread. And it’s true that Western Europe is one of the most densely populated regions on earth. Indeed, density has long been Europe’s unique selling point: with so many people of different nations closely packed together, we have always traded goods and exchanged ideas fast. That’s why the scientific revolution of the 16th and 17th centuries happened here.
But we have plenty more room. Many European cities aren’t dense enough. Now east Germany, north-western Spain and gorgeous mountain villages in Italy are losing people. Lots of cities have unused industrial land.
Humans inhabit a slice of the EU’s territory. Only about 2.5 per cent of the EU’s land is used for housing, estimates the European Commission. By contrast, a whopping 43 per cent was used for agriculture in 2009, it says. That’s too much. We could turn more land into forest or into green landscapes where people can relax and play. Making that transition is feasible because we now use agricultural land inefficiently.
Migrants often spend years locked up together in serious government-funded “migrant centers”. However, the way to learn a new country’s language, make friends and find work is to live with a local. This crisis has shown that lots of Europeans are willing to take refugees into their homes. After Iceland’s government said it could take only 50 Syrian refugees, many Icelanders came forward offering to take a far greater number into their own homes. People aren’t just sitting around waiting for government to do something.
We need migrants, and we can accommodate them. If opponents just don’t like foreigners, they should say so instead of pretending to be hardheaded pragmatists (实用主义者).
1.Why is Angela Merkel willing to take in refugees according to the passage?
A. Germany has already stepped into aged society.
B. Birth rates in Germany are the lowest in history.
C. She is kind and shows sympathy for homeless people.
D. Refugees can make up the shortage of labor in Germany.
2.Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A. No other region is more densely populated than Western Europe.
B. Density has become Europe’s most outstanding characteristic.
C. All European cities are not crowded together in great numbers.
D. Large quantities of unused industrial land will turn into forest.
3.It can be inferred that _______.
A. nurses are more badly needed than petrol in Europe
B. liberals always do something for the Europe’s benefit
C. aging problem in Germany is the worst in Europe
D. Europeans have already made intelligent use of the land
4.What is the last paragraph but one mainly about?
A. Migrants can privately be accommodated.
B. Migrants had better not live in migrant centers.
C. Everyone can live with migrants to help them fit in.
D. Everyone has done their own part to help migrants.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
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Attitudes Wired in Happy and Successful Brains
I’ve carefully examined happy and successful people from all different professions —actors, scientists, comedians, musicians, etc. They share very similar philosophies. Here are some of the fundamental attitudes and beliefs that contribute to their happiness and success:
◆ ①
This is one of the most commonly recited mottos in self-improvement. Individuals who see their mistakes and failures as a learning experience are much more prone to happiness and success.
When we adopt the belief that “failure is a part of learning,” we become more resilient and courageous in the face of new challenges.
Instead of avoiding situations where we may embarrass ourselves, we embrace these challenges in life, even when we know they can be risky and painful. When we do fail, we don’t see it as the end of the world, but a point to improve upon.
◆ ②
Many people are great at finding problems and being critical about their lives; however, they do this without ever suggesting a possible solution or alternative to their situation.
They complain about this and that, but they never take an active role to actually improve these things. They focus on problems not to learn from them or fix them, but to make excuses for why their lives are miserable and unpleasant.
I believe acknowledging problems in life is important. I don’t recommend that we ignore things in our life that disturb us or make us unhappy. However, it’s also important to think of ways we can actually respond to these problems and change our circumstances.
Ruminating over problems in our life without a plan to take action is not only a waste of time, but it makes us even more sad and depressed. If you’re going to be critical about something in your life, focus on the ways you can actually make a difference.
◆ ③
Happy and successful people are incredibly grateful for their lives and everything they have: their relationships, their home, their job, their possessions, their talents, their achievements, etc.
Although successful people are often thought of as always hungry and striving – always trying to improve things, achieve their goals, and make things better – this inner drive doesn’t take away from the fact they are very happy and content with their lives.
Gratitude is an irreplaceable characteristic of true happiness and success. Even if we achieve great things in life, without gratitude we often find ourselves empty and discontent. Make sure you take the time to reflect on how lucky you are as a person (I believe everyone can find something to be grateful for).
◆ ④
Happy and successful individuals know that we can learn a lot from other happy and successful individuals. Having peopled to look up to is a great resource for learning the beliefs and habits that contribute to other people’s success, and then modeling those beliefs and habits in our own lives.
If you want to improve a particular area of your life, then find a couple of people who already excel in that area of life. Study them. Ask them questions. Have them show you their technique and share their stories.
The more willing you are to learn from others, the more successful you will be. Talking and listening to others is one of the best ways to get more perspective into what you want to improve in life — and how you can do it.
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1.What does the underlined word “resilient” in Paragraph 3 probably mean?
A. depressed B. regretful
C. romantic D. flexible
2.The author thinks if one merely focuses on problems, he’ll ________.
A. find out a way to solve problems
B. ignore complaints about problems
C. use the problems as his excuses
D. acknowledge and solve problems
3.People with gratitude ________.
A. feel satisfied with his life
B. stop struggling in life
C. owe success to their own talents
D. reflect on their achievements
4.The successful people may possess the following attitudes EXCEPT ________.
A. gratitude and belief
B. courage and risk
C. willingness and luckiness
D. fortune and convention
5.Choose the following sub-headings for Parts ①②③ and ④.
a. Learn from others b. Show your gratitude
c. Focus on solutions d. Learn from failure
A. a b c d B. d c b a
C. d a b c D. a c b d
6.Which of the following can be used to support the concept “Show your gratitude”？
A. “He is a wise man who does not sigh for the things which he has not, but appreciates for those which he has.”
— Epictetus
B. “We think too small. Like the frog at the bottom of the well. He thinks the sky is only as big as the top of the well. If he surfaced, he would have an entirely different view.”
— Mao Tse-Tung
C. “Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.”
— Mark Twain
D. “Failure is the foundation of success, and the means by which it is achieved. Success is the hiding-place of failure; but who can tell when the turning-point will come?”
— Lao Tzu
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
