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When I was an education official in Palo Alto, California. Polly Tyner, the president of our school board, wrote a letter that was printed in the Palo Alto Times. Polly’s son, Jim, had great difficulty in school. He was classified as educationally disabled and required a great deal of patience on the part of his parents and teachers. But Jim was a happy kid with a great smile that lit up the room. His parents acknowledged his academic difficulties, but always tried to help him see his strengths so that he could walk with pride. Shortly after Jim finished high school, he was killed in a motorcycle accident. After his death, his mother submitted this letter to the newspaper.
Today we buried our 20-year-old son. He was killed instantly in a motorcycle accident on Friday night. How I wish I had known when I talked to him last that it would be the last time. If I had only known I would have said, “Jim, I love you and I’m very proud of you.”
I would have taken the time to count the many blessings he brought to the lives of the many who loved him. I would have taken the time to appreciate his beautiful smile, the sound of his laughter, his genuine love of people.
When you put all the good qualities on the scale and try to balance all the irritating phenomena such as the radio which was always too loud, the haircut that wasn’t to our liking, the dirty socks under the bed, etc., your angry feelings won’t amount to much.
I won’t get another chance to tell my son all that I would have wanted him to hear, but, other parents, you do have a chance. Tell your young people what you would want them to hear if you knew it would be your last conversation. The last time I talked to Jim was the day he died. He called me to say, “Hi, Mom! I just called to say I love you. Got to go to work. Bye.” He gave me something to treasure forever.
If there is any purpose at all for Jim’s death, maybe it is to make others appreciate more of life and to have people, especially family members, take the time to let each other know just how much we care.
1.According to the passage, we know that ____.
A. Jim kept to himself B. Jim did very well in his studies
C. Jim’s parents were patient with him D. Jim failed to finish his high school
2.The underlined word “irritating” in Paragraph 4 means ____.
A. annoying B. aggressive C. impatient D. thrilling
3.By writing the letter printed in the Palo Alto Times, the author intends to ____.
A. mourn her son’s sudden death in a traffic accident
B. remind people to be cautious of motorcycles
C. advise people to take the chance to express their love in time
D. appreciate more of life than ever before
4.What can be the best title of the passage?
A. Love Your Family. B. Do It Today.
C. Walk with Pride. D. Appreciate Smiles.
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Consult the page adapted from an English dictionary and do Questions
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root1 /ru:t/ n [C]
1 ►PLANT◄ the part of a plant or tree that grows under the ground and gets water form the soil: Be careful not to damage the roots when repotting. | tree roots —see picture at germinate
2 ►CAUSE OF A PROBLEM◄ the main cause of a problem: Money is the root of all evil. | be/lie at the root of (=be the cause of a problem) Often allergies are at the root of a lot of the problems. | get to the root of (=find out the cause of a problem) | root cause (=the main reason for a problem)
3 ►OF A CUSTOM/TRADITION◄ roots the origins of a custom or tradition that has continued for a long time: has its roots in Jazz has its roots in the folk songs of the southern states of the US.
4 ►OF AN IDEA/BELIEF◄ the main part of an idea or belief which all the other parts come from: be/lie at the root of Foucault is challenging the very root of 20th century liberalism.
5 ►FAMILY CONNECTION◄ sb’s roots your con- nection with a place because you were born there, or your family used to live there: Naita has come to Ghana in search of her roots.
6 put down roots if you put down roots somewhere, you start to feel that this place is your home and to have relationships with the people there
7 ►TOOTH/HAIR ETC◄ the part of a tooth, hair etc that fixes it to the rest of your body
8 take root a) if an idea takes root, people begin to accept or believe it: The concepts of democracy and free trade are finally beginning to take root. b) if a plant takes root, it starts to grow where you have planted it
9 have a (good) root round informal especially BrE to search for something by moving other things around
10 root and branch if you destroy something root and branch, you get rid of it completely and permanently because it is bad
11 ►LANGUAGE◄ technical the basic part of a word which shows its main meaning, to which other parts can be added: The suffix ‘ness’ can be added to the root ‘cold’ to form the word ‘coldness’. —compare stem1 (4)
12 ►MATHEMATICS◄ technical a number that when multiplied by itself a certain number of times, equals the number that you have: 2 is the fourth root of 16.
—see also cube root, square root, grass roots
root2 v
1 ►SEARCH◄ [I always + adv/prep] to search for something by moving things around: [+ through/in/ around] “Hang on a second,” said Leila, rooting through her handbag for a pen. | [+ for] pigs rooting for food
2 ►PLANT◄ a) [I] to grow roots: New shrubs will root easily in summer. b) [T usually passive] to fix a plant firmly by its roots: The bush was too firmly rooted in the hard earth to dig up easily. | root itself Clumps of thyme had rooted themselves between the rocks. —see also deeply rooted (deeply (5))
3 be rooted in to have developed from something and be strongly influenced by it: policies that are rooted in Marxist economic theory
4 be rooted to the spot to be so shocked, surprised, or frightened that you cannot move
root for sb phr v [T] informal 1 to give support and encouragement to someone in a competition, test or difficult situation, because you want them to succeed: Good luck – we’ll all be rooting for you! 2 especially AmE to support a sports team or player by shouting and cheering: We’ll all be rooting for the Dallas Cowboys in the Superbowl.
root sth ↔ out phr v [T] 1 to find out where a particular kind of problem exists and get rid of it: Racism cannot be rooted out without strong government action. 2 informal to find something by searching for it: I’ll try and root out something suitable for you to wear.
root sth ↔ up phr v [T] to dig or pull a plant up with its roots
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1.What’s meaning of the word “roots” in the sentence “Many Americans have roots in Europe.”?
A. The underground part of a plant. B. One’s connection with a place.
C. The origins of a custom or tradition. D. The main cause of a problem.
2.What’s the fourth root of 81?
A. 27. B. 9. C. 6. D. 3.
3.Which phrase can complete the sentence “Do you think it is possible to ____ crime?”
A. root for B. root out C. root up D. root through
4.In which of the following situations can we use the phrase “be rooted to the spot”?
A. A bush is so firmly rooted in the ground that it is difficult to pull it up.
B. A football fan got excited when his favorite football team scored a goal.
C. A girl became too scared to walk when she caught sight of a long snake.
D. A man is unable to walk because he was caught in a car accident years ago.
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SHANGHAI: The Transportation Information System for 2010 Shanghai World Expo has been completed and put into trial operation, officials said yesterday.
The system which consists of three sub-systems will provide seven options to receive transportation information, including websites, transportation guides, radio and TV broadcasting, hotlines, message signs, mobile phone and enquiry machines, to satisfy tourists’ requirements for transport information in the Expo garden and around the city at all time.
Option 1: Official site for Expo traffic information
Inspired by Aichi Expo and the Beijing Olympic Games, the Shanghai event will also launch its official website of traffic information, www.jtcx.sh.cn. Mobile phone users can log on to www.jtcx.sh.cn/m. The website delivers daily traffic information as well as travel guide around Expo garden, and advocate using public transport during the event.
Option 2: Expo Transportation guide
Two portable travel guides were produced for the convenience of tourists in the Yangtze River Delta.
One mainly targets visitors from the 19 prefecture-level cities of the Yangtze River Delta. The map introduces information of intercity coach lines, car parks, subway transfers. It will be distributed free at highway tolls and is also available for download on the website.
The other one focuses on visitors in Shanghai. The map will detail the various entries leading to the Expo site, as well as bus stops and subway stations around the city. The introduction of over 90 bus lines connecting the Expo garden to the rest of the city will also be listed. The map will be available at hotels, railway stations, airports and residential areas.
Option 3: Radio and television broadcasts
Visitors can also get updated traffic information at home or on their mobile devices as the Shanghai Traffic information center will broadcast live traffic condition via radio and TV during the event, so that travelers can adjust their travel plan accordingly.
Option 4: Expo transport hotline
If radio and television broadcasts can not meet your needs of traffic information, organizers in Shanghai have also set up a special hotline for Expo traffic enquiries. There will be two hotline numbers 962010 and 12319 at your service twenty-four hours.
Option 5: Variable message signs
For drivers the variable message signs will become the first choice to access to traffic information. During the Expo, the signs will play an important role in helping drivers to receive traffic flow, speed, models and other information, as well as traffic incidents and road closure information, so as to avoid congestion.
Option 6: Mobile phone browsers and taxi terminals
Visitors can obtain real-time traffic conditions via mobile phone browsers. Traffic information will also be provided to car mounted terminals on the 4,000 Expo taxis, which will enable drivers to have timely access to real-time status on roads.
Option 7: Touch screen enquiry machine
As for visitors who stay at hotels who are unfamiliar with the place, the tourism bureau have set up in more than four hundred 3-star hotels the Tourist Information enquiry machine. Visitors can check at terminal routes to Expo garden from the hotels.
1.Which of the following is the best title of the passage above?
A. Seven ways to get Expo transportation info B. Information on the move
C. Transportation on the way D. Shanghai and Expo
2.Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A. Visitors can get the map of Shanghai Expo Transportation free of charge.
B. Visitors have access to the hotline of Expo traffic enquires only at night.
C. Traffic drivers will be well informed of the traffic conditions on the road.
D. Not all the 3-star hotels are equipped with the screen enquiry machines.
3.The underlined word “congestion” probably means ____.
A. squeeze B. jam C. noise D. mess
4.During the Shanghai Expo, tourists can know the traffic information in the following way EXCEPT ____.
A. TV B. Radio C. Internet D. Magazine
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Today, among people everywhere, there is an increasing awareness and worry about the steady growth in the world’s population. A recent survey conducted by the United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA) reported that this growth will continue until the end of the next century. For developing countries alone, the annual average population growth is, at present, 4.6% compared to 2.0% for developed countries. At this rate, the world’s population will reach 10.2 billion by the turn of the 21st century. With the growth in population is the problem of food security… the guarantee of a steady supply of food. The unstoppable growth in population justifies the Malthusian Doctrine that population of a region will continue to grow unless checked, and this is of course alarming since it will inevitably lead to food shortages of considerable proportions.
Our forests are an abundant source of food and fuel, two items essential in sustaining life. Above 30% of the world’s land surface is covered by such forests. In Asia alone, more than two billion people depend heavily on forest products for their subsistence and survival. To maintain a reasonable balance between population growth and food supply, this natural source of life — sustaining food and fuel must be conserved and protected from its worst enemy — man himself. It is appalling (令人震惊的) to note that in many developing countries, which are themselves heavily hit by population-food imbalance, governments approve the cutting down of forests to meet their immediate needs for saleable timber, and also for agricultural land. Often the cutting down and burning of forests is conducted with total abandon owing to the absence of sound forestry techniques and management. At the rate tropical forests are now being cleared each year, the world’s tropical forests will be completely destroyed within the next 100 years.
In order to maintain food security for the world’s population, the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has launched a campaign aimed at ensuring food supply, maximizing stability in the flow of this supply and ensuring access to it by all. Forestry, according to the FAO, plays a vital role in making it possible to fulfill all its three objectives. Its most important role is that of conserving soil and water. Trees provide natural protection against soil erosion (侵蚀) by absorbing the excess water brought by heavy rains.
1.The first paragraph tells us that ____.
A. the flow of food supply is the result of population increase.
B. the world population has reached the 10-billion mark.
C. the problem of population growth has caused considerable alarm in a few countries.
D. the problem of food supply goes hand-in-hand with population increase.
2.The Malthusian Doctrine presents ____ as far as world population is concerned.
A. an optimistic view of the future B. a pessimistic outlook for the future
C. an encouraging picture D. an indifferent picture
3.In this context, “this natural source of life — sustaining food and fuel” (in Paragraph 2) refers to ____.
A. the flow of food supply B. forests
C. woodland products D. man’s worst enemy
4.The three objectives of the FAO can be replaced by ____.
A. stopping population growth B. increasing food production
C. achieving food security D. ensuring maximum utilization of forests
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Consumers are being confused and misled by the hodge-podge (大杂烩) of environmental claims made by household products, according to a “green labeling” study published by Consumers International Friday.
Among the report’s more outrageous (令人无法容忍的) findings, a German fertilizer described itself as “earthworm friendly”, a brand of flour said it was “non-polluting” and a British toilet paper claimed to be “environmentally friendlier”.
The study was written and researched by Britain’s National Consumer Council (NCC) for lobby group Consumer International. It was funded by the German and Dutch governments and the European Commission.
“While many good and useful claims are being made, it is clear there is a long way to go in ensuring shoppers are adequately informed about the environmental impact of products they buy,” said Consumers International director Anna Fielder.
The 10-country study surveyed product packaging in Britain. Western Europe, Scandinavia and the United States. It found that products sold in Germany and the United Kingdom made the most environmental claims on average.
The report focused on claims made by specific products, such as detergent (洗涤剂), insect sprays and by some garden products. It did not test the claims, but compared them to labeling guidelines set by the International Standards Organization (ISO) in September, 1999.
Researchers documented claims of environmental friendliness made by about 2,000 products and found many too unclear or too misleading to meet ISO standards.
“Many products had specially-designed labels to make them seem environmentally friendly, but in fact many of these symbols mean nothing,”said report researcher Philip Page.
“Laundry detergents made the most number of claims with 158. Household cleaners were second with 145 separate claims, while paints were third on our list with 73. The high numbers show how confusing it must be for consumers to sort the true from the misleading.” he said.
The ISO labeling standards ban vague or misleading claims on product packaging, because terms such as “environmentally friendly” and “non-polluting” cannot be tested. “What we are now pushing for is to have multinational corporations meet the standards set by the ISO.” said Page.
1.According to the passage, the NCC found it outrageous that ____.
A. all the products surveyed claim to meet ISO standards
B. the claims made by products are often unclear or misleading
C. consumers would believe many of the manufactures’claim
D. few products actually prove to be environmentally friendly
2.A study was carried out by Britain’s NCC to ____.
A. find out how many claims made by products fail to meet environmental standards
B. inform the consumers of the environmental impact of the products they buy
C. examine claims made by products against ISO standards
D. test the guidelines set by the International Standards Organization
3.What is one of the consequences caused by the many claims of household products?
A. They are likely to lead to serious environmental problems
B. Consumers find it difficult to tell the true from the false
C. They could arouse widespread anger among consumer
D. Consumers will tend to buy products they don’t need
4.It can be inferred from the passage that the lobby group Consumer International wants to ____.
A. make product labeling satisfy ISO requirements
B. see all household products meet environmental standards
C. warn consumers of the danger of so-called green products
D. prove the efforts of non-polluting products
the
the
51.5%
32.3%
10.9%
5.3%