Left-Handers’ DayInternational Left-Handers’ Day is August the thirteenth. The I

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Left-Handers’ Day
International Left-Handers’ Day is August the thirteenth. The International Left-Handers Day, Web site says the Left-Handers Club started the holiday in 1992. It wanted left-handers around the world to celebrate. And it wanted to bring attention to the everyday problems of people who use their left hands.
One of these problems is difficulty using equipment and tools, like scissors. In general, most tools and equipment are made for people who are right-handed. The Left-Handers Club tries to educate designers and producers to consider the safety of left-handed people when producing their products.
Another problem is that many people have considered it bad to be left-handed. Some teachers and parents have tried to force children who used their left hands to use their right ones instead.
Scientists do not really know why some people are left-handed. They have believed the reason is genetic.They say the gene（基因） increases the chance of being left-handed. It appears to play an important part in deciding which part of the brain controls different activities. In right-handed people, the left side of the brain usually controls speech and language. The right side controls feelings. However, the opposite is often true in left-handed people.
Scientists believe the gene is responsible for this. The gene showed a link with left-handedness in nine to twelve percent of the population.
About ten percent of people around the world are left-handed.
小题1:International Left-handers’ Day aims to（目的是） bring attention to_________.

A．the right-handers

B．the everyday problems

C．the people who have some difficulty using equipment and tools

D．the everyday problems of people who use their left hands

小题2:How many problems of people who use their left hands are mentioned?

A．One.

B．Two.

C．Three.

D．Four.

小题3:As to why some people are left-handed, scientists believe the reason is________.

A．habits

B．genetics

C．parents

D．birthplaces

小题4:______of people around the world are left-handers.

A．About 9%

B．About 12%

C．About 9.12%

D．About 10%

答案

小题1:D
小题2:B
小题3:B
小题4:D

解析

试题分析：本文介绍了世界左撇子日，以及科学家分析的左撇子的原因。
小题1:D 细节题。根据第一段最后2行And it wanted to bring attention to the everyday problems of people who use their left hands.说明D正确。
小题2:B 归纳总结题。根据文章第2段One of these problems is difficulty using equipment and tools, like scissors.第3段Another problem is that many people have considered it bad to be left-handed. 说明在本文中提及了两个和左撇子有关系的问题，故B正确。
小题3:B 细节题。根据第四段1,2行Scientists do not really know why some people are left-handed. They have believed the reason is genetic.说明基因是左撇子的原因，故B正确。
小题4:D 细节题。根据文章最后一段About ten percent of people around the world are left-handed.说明D正确。
点评：本文介绍了世界左撇子日，以及科学家分析的左撇子的原因。考查直接事实题较多，在解答这类问题时要求学生抓住题干文字信息，采用针对性方法进行阅读，因为这类题的答案在文章中可以直接找到。

举一反三

It was a cold evening and my daughter and I were walking up Broadway. I didn’t notice a guy sitting inside a cardboard box. But Nora did. She wasn’t even four, but she 36 at my coat and said, “That man’s cold. Daddy, 37 we take him home?”
I don’t remember my reply. But I do remember a sudden 38 feeling inside me. I had always been delighted at how much my daughter noticed in her 39 , whether it was 40 in flight or children playing. But now she was noticing 41 and beggary.
A few days later, I saw an article in the newspaper about volunteers who picked up a food package from a nearby school on a Sunday morning and 42 it to an elderly person. It was quick and easy. I 43 us up. Nora was 44 about it. She could understand the importance of food, so she could easily see how 45 our job was. When Sunday came, she was ready, but I had to 46 myself to leave the house. On the way to the school, I fought an urge to turn 47 . The Sunday paper and coffee were waiting at home. Why do this? 48 , we phoned the elderly person we’d been appointed. She 49 us right over.
The building was in a sad state. Facing us was a silver-haired woman in an old dress. She took the package and asked us to come in. Nora ran inside. I unwillingly followed. 50 inside, I saw that the department belonged to someone poor. Our hostess showed us some photos. Nora played and when it came time to say goodbye, we three hugged, I walked home in tears.
Professionals call such a(n) 51 “a volunteer opportunity”. They are opportunities, I’ve come to see. Where else but as volunteers do you have opportunity to do something 52 that’s good for others as well as for yourself? Nora and I regularly serve to needy people and 53 clothes for the homeless. Yet, as I’ve 54 her grow over these past four years, I still wonder—which of us has 55 more?

小题1:

A．pulled

B．glanced

C．waved

D．aimed

小题2:

A．would

B．can

C．need

D．must

小题3:

A．general

B．true

C．heavy

D．curious

小题4:

A．area

B．part

C．eyesight

D．world

小题5:

A．insects

B．dogs

C．animals

D．birds

小题6:

A．coldness

B．illness

C．suffering

D．ignorance

小题7:

A．delivered

B．returned

C．devoted

D．posted

小题8:

A．held

B．hurried

C．signed

D．lined

小题9:

A．casual

B．sorry

C．astonished

D．excited

小题10:

A．creative

B．valuable

C．shocking

D．simple

小题11:

A．warn

B．stop

C．allow

D．push

小题12:

A．back

B．away

C．up

D．out

小题13:

A．Therefore

B．Obviously

C．Still

D．Also

小题14:

A．called

B．promised

C．invited

D．helped

小题15:

A．As

B．Once

C．Because

D．Though

小题16:

A．stay

B．visit

C．adventure

D．challenge

小题17:

A．fair

B．famous

C．difficult

D．enjoyable

小题18:

A．collect

B．make

C．order

D．wear

小题19:

A．let

B．made

C．watched

D．noticed

小题20:

A．improved

B．benefited

C．tried

D．seized

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Researchers have found more evidence that suggests a relationship between races and rates of lung cancer among smokers. A new study shows that black people and Native Hawaiians are more likely to develop lung cancer from smoking. It compared their risk to whites, Japanese-Americans and Latinos.
Researchers at the University of Southern California and the University of Hawaii did the new study. The New England Journal of Medicine published the findings. The eight-year research studied more than 180,000 people. They included present and former smokers and people who never smoked. Almost 2,000 people in the study developed lung cancer.
Researchers say genetics might help explain the racial and ethnic differences. There could be differences in how people"s bodies react to smoke. But environmental influences, including the way people smoke, could also make a difference.
African-Americans and Latinos in the study are reported smoking the fewest cigarettes per day. Whites are the heaviest smokers. But the scientists point out that blacks have been reported to breathe cigarette smoke more deeply than white smokers. This could fill their lungs with more of the chemicals in tobacco that cause cancer.
Scientists know that some diseases effect different groups differently. And some drug companies have begun to develop racially targeted medicines. Last June, the United States Food and Drug Administration approved a drug designed to treat heart failure in black patients. The name is BiDil. The agency called it "a step toward the promise of personalized medicine."
小题1:Which of the following orders is from higher to lower risk of having lung cancer?

A．Whites—Native Hawaiians

B．Africans—Americans—Latinos

C．Asians—Native Hawaiians

D．Africans—Americans—Native Hawaiians

小题2:Researchers agree that it is _____ that may probably determine black people’s risk of lung cancer.

A．the larger amount of smoking than white people

B．the living style or habit of the blacks

C．the depth of cigarette smoke into their lungs

D．the physical strength to react to cigarette smoke

小题3:People in the new study are made up of _____.

A．heavy smokers in America	B．the black and white people
C．the Asians and Hawaiians	D．smokers and non-smokers

小题4:The production of BiDil referred to in the last paragraph is to _____.

A．explain different races react to some diseases differently

B．tell the readers that racial differences exist in smokers

C．show a big step people have taken in the medicine area

D．support the idea that it is easy for blacks to have cancers

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Elephants have four distinct personalities that help their herd survive in the African bush, scientists have found.
With their grey skin, mournful eyes and slow heavy pace, you could be forgiven for thinking elephants are uniformly melancholy(忧郁的) creatures. But scientists have now discovered the largest living land animals have personalities to match their size.
In a new study of African elephants, researchers have identified four distinct characters that are common in a herd – the leaders, the gentle giants, the playful rogues(小淘气) and the reliable plodders (辛勤工作的人).
Each of the types has developed to help the giant mammals survive in their harsh environment and is almost unique in the animal kingdom, according to the scientists.
Professor Phyllis Lee and her colleague Cynthia Moss studied a herd of elephants in the Amboseli National Park in Kenya known as the EB family — famous for their matriarch Echo before she died in 2009.
Using data collected over 38 years of watching this group, the researchers analyzed them for 26 types of behavior and found four personality features tended to emerge.
The strongest personality to emerge was that of the leader. Unlike other animals, where leadership tends to be won by the most dominant and aggressive individual, the elephants instead respected intelligence and problem solving in their leader. Echo, the matriarch and oldest in the group, her daughter Enid, and Ella, the second oldest female, all emerged as leaders.
The playful elephants tended to be younger but were more curious and active. Eudora, a 40-year-old female in the herd, seemed to be the most playful, consistently showing this feature throughout her life while playfulness in some of the other elephants declined with age.
Gentle elephants, which included two 27-year-old females Eleanor and Eliot, touched and rubbed against others more than the others.
Those that were reliable tended to be those that were most consistent at making good decisions, helped to care for infants in the herd and were calm when faced with threats. Echo and her youngest daughter Ebony seemed to be the most reliable.
Professor Lee said that elephants with these features tended to be the most socially integrated in the group while those who tended to be less reliable and pushy were more likely to split from the herd.
小题1:From the passage we get to know that ________.

A．the researchers reached their conclusion by analyzing the data

B．the research centered on the 26 types of behavior of the matriarch

C．the scientists conducted the research by comparing elephants with other animals

D．professor Phyllis Lee and her colleague spent nearly 38 years tracking the herd

小题2:According to the new findings of the scientists, ________.

A．playfulness of an elephant will always decline with age

B．those elephants which are caring and wise are most reliable

C．each elephant can be matched with only one of the four personalities

D．once becoming a member of a herd, an elephant will never split from it

小题3:In the EB family Echo and Eudora are ________.

A．mother and daughter	B．two oldest females
C．the gentlest ones	D．leader and member

题型：不详难度：| 查看答案

One of the biggest challenges facing students and their families is what career they should enter and what is the best path for them to take.
I was talking to someone the other day who told me he first studied accounting because that was what everyone was studying several years ago. It was and some say still is a reliable career. However, then he told me that he was now studying financial investment because again--- that’s what everyone was studying now and it was needed if he wanted to get ahead in the company.
And I asked him what he was actually interested in and then— well the conversation kind of died. So I asked why he had bothered studying accounting in the first place and he explained that it was his parents’ idea. Finally I asked what his passion was and he wasn’t too sure because he never thought about it.
And so it is— lifelong learning— or the continual need to make ourselves marketable in a world that appears to be more competitive as time goes by. Is there a secret to help us so we can live a life of quality?
Regardless or not at this stage in world history with increasing connection between people,
ideas and markets — the ability to match the needs and desires of the day with your own skills and products is a tremendous and vigorous challenge.
Many have gone into English or foreign language study because it was encouraged at the time when China was entering the WTO. Or maybe they were interested in international affairs or working abroad. Upon graduation they then faced the reality that there was a limit to how many jobs they could apply for.
Perhaps some then studied further doing courses for work such as a tour guide or translator/ interpreter. Many may have decided that going into teaching was more rewarding or stable. Others would have gone into media or advertising or conference management and acquired new skills along the way.
This constant quest to remain ahead of the game makes many upset and exhausted. Some futurists who examine technology have even predicted that people should expect to change careers six or seven times during their lifetime!
So if you are concerned by the nature of change, why not start spending more time looking at the most modern leading economies, institutions and their publications. A whole lot of changes are starting to happen yet there is no reason why this cannot be enjoyable, exciting and also rewarding. Our attitude, approach and willingness to continually learn and update our skills must remain strong.
My tip is to track the work that our government is setting about to achieve. In particular, look at the people who have been chosen as the key support team and try to read behind the light surface news and look at their career development and examine the recent reports that they are now recommending the government move towards. Key industry development, new ways of dealing with information and new demands are creating opportunities for the students and workers of tomorrow — if we stay prepared.
小题1:Who is this article intended for?

A．Government administrators.

B．Students planning their careers.

C．Foreign language learners.

D．Professors designing courses.

小题2:The case of the student who first studied accounting and then financial investment shows ______.

A．many people decide their majors without knowing their own interest

B．parents’ decisions are always blind and will result in a life of low quality

C．accounting and financial investment are necessary to ensure a reliable career.

D．people never have a chance to think about their own interest in choosing career.

小题3:In the writer’s opinion, to make yourself competitive in the changing world today is _____.

A．exhausting

B．disappointing

C．unbelievable

D．necessary

小题4:According to the writer, lifetime learning can be exciting if ______.

A．we are prepared for the changes

B．we know who President has on his support team

C．we read the publications of advanced institutions

D．we learn English or some other foreign languages

小题5:Whoever has been chosen as the key support team of the government _______.

A．shows the government’s interest in new information

B．enables you to find out how hard-working these people are

C．indicates the direction the economy is developing

D．reveals the government encourages creative young people

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Steve, a twelve-year-old boy with alcoholic parents, was about to be lost forever, by the U.S. education system. Remarkably, he could read, yet, in spite of his reading skills, Steve was failing. He had been failing since first grade, as he was passed on from grade to grade. Steve was a big boy, looking more like a teenager than a twelve year old, yet, Steve went unnoticed... until Miss White.
Miss White was a smiling, young, beautiful redhead, and Steve was in love! For the first time in his young life, he couldn’t take his eyes off his teacher; yet, still he failed. He never did his homework, and he was always in trouble with Miss White. His heart would break under her sharp words, and when he was punished for failing to turn in his homework, he felt just miserable! Still, he did not study.
In the middle of the first semester of school, the entire seventh grade was tested for basic skills. Steve hurried through his tests, and continued to dream of other things, as the day wore on. His heart was not in school, but in the woods, where he often escaped alone, trying to shut out the sights, sounds and smells of his alcoholic home. No one checked on him to see if he was safe. No one knew he was gone, because no one was sober（清醒的） enough to care. Oddly, Steve never missed a day of school.
One day, Miss White’s impatient voice broke into his daydreams. “Steve!!” Startled, he turned to look at her.
“Pay attention!”
Steve locked his gaze on Miss White with adolescent adoration (青春期的爱慕), as she began to go over the test results for the seventh grade.
“You all did pretty well,” she told the class, “except for one boy, and it breaks my heart to tell you this, but...” She hesitated, pinning Steve to his seat with a sharp stare, her eyes searching his face.
“...The smartest boy in the seventh grade is failing my class!”
She just stared at Steve, as the class spun around for a good look. Steve dropped his eyes and carefully examined his fingertips.
　After that, it was war!! Steve still wouldn’t do his homework. Even as the punishments became more severe, he remained stubborn.
“Just try it! ONE WEEK!” He was unmoved.
“You’re smart enough! You’ll see a change!” Nothing fazed him.
“Give yourself a chance! Don’t give up on your life!” Nothing.
“Steve! Please! I care about you!”
Wow! Suddenly, Steve got it!! Someone cared about him? Someone, totally unattainable and perfect, CARED ABOUT HIM??!!
Steve went home from school, thoughtful, that afternoon. Walking into the house, he took one look around. Both parents were passed out, in various stages of undress, and the stench(恶臭) was overpowering! He, quickly, gathered up his camping gear, a jar of peanut butter, a loaf of bread, a bottle of water, and this time...his schoolbooks. Grim faced and determined, he headed for the woods.
The following Monday he arrived at school on time, and he waited for Miss White to enter the classroom. She walked in, all sparkle and smiles! God, she was beautiful! He yearned for her smile to turn on him. It did not.
Miss White, immediately, gave a quiz on the weekend homework. Steve hurried through the test, and was the first to hand in his paper. With a look of surprise, Miss White took his paper. Obviously puzzled, she began to look it over. Steve walked back to his desk, his heart pounding within his chest. As he sat down, he couldn’t resist another look at the lovely woman.
Miss White’s face was in total shock! She glanced up at Steve, then down, then up. Suddenly, her face broke into a radiant smile. The smartest boy in the seventh grade had just passed his first test!
From that moment nothing was the same for Steve. Life at home remained the same, but life still changed. He discovered that not only could he learn, but he was good at it!
He discovered that he could understand and retain knowledge, and that he could translate the things he learned into his own life. Steve began to excel! And he continued this course throughout his school life.
After high-school Steve enlisted in the Navy, and he had a successful military career. During that time, he met the love of his life, he raised a family, and he graduated from college Magna Cum Laude. During his Naval career, he inspired many young people, who without him, might not have believed in themselves. Steve began a second career after the Navy, and he continues to inspire others, as an adjunct professor（副教授） in a nearby college。
Miss White left a great legacy. She saved one boy who has changed many lives. I know, because I am the love of his life.
You see, it’s simple, really. A change took place within the heart of one boy, all because of one teacher, who cared.
小题1:What does the underlined sentence in the first paragraph mean?

A．Steve would give up schooling forever.

B．Steve was at a loss about improving his study.

C．Being unhappy both in school and at home, Steve intended to end his own life.

D．Due to his poor study, Steve was about to be expelled from his school.

小题2:What made Steve change greatly all of a sudden?

A．Miss White’s encouragement	B．Miss White’s praise
C．knowing Miss White concerned him	D．Miss White’s persuasion

小题3:What might be the best title for this passage?

A．A boy loves his teacher	B．The difference a teacher can make
C．A great teacher	D．Please care about your students

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