Indians are the world’s biggest bookworms, reading on average 10.7 hours a week,

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Indians are the world’s biggest bookworms, reading on average 10.7 hours a week, twice as long as Americans, according to a new survey.
The NOP World Culture Score Index surveyed 30,000 people in 30 countries from December 2004 to February 2005.
Analysts said self-help and desirable reading could explain India’s high figures.
Time spent on reading meant fewer hours watching TV and listening to the radio—India came fourth last in both.
The NOP survey of 30,000 consumers aged over 13 saw China and the Philippines take second and third place respectively in average hours a week spent reading books, newspapers and magazines.
Britons and Americans scored about half the Indians’ hours and Japanese and Koreans were even lower—at 4.1 and 3.1 hours respectively.
R. Sriram, chief executive officer of Crosswords Bookstores, a chain of 26 bookshops around India, says Indians are extremely entrepreneurial (有开创精神的) and reading “is a fundamental part of their being”.
“They place a great deal of emphasis on reading. That’s the reason why they do well in education at home and in universities abroad,” he said.
“People educate themselves and deal with change throughout their lives. And the way to do that is to update themselves with books.”
Mr. Sriram says social changes have also made a difference: “Earlier people could turn to their parents and grandparents for advice．Now they turn to books.”
1. According to the time spent on reading, which of the following answers is right?
A. Indians>Americans>Chinese>Koreans
B. Americans>Chinese>Philippines>Japanese
C. Chinese>Indians>Americans>Philippines
D. Indians>Chinese>Philippines>Americans
2. The sentence “India came fourth last in both.” in paragraph four means_____.
A. Indians have no time to watch TV and listen to the radio
B. Indians are busy with their work every day
C. Indians spent more time on reading so that they have fewer hours watching TV and listening to the radio
D. People in other countries spent more time watching TV and listening to the radio
3. The time that Chinese spent on reading may be______ a week.
A. 5.35 hours B. less than 10.7 hours but more than 5.35 hours
C. more than 10.7 hours D. 10.7 hours
4. The Indians do well in education and universities abroad because_____.
A. they have excellent teachers in every school
B. they have qualities that are needed to succeed
C. they put much emphasis on reading
D. they live in a developed country
5. Which of the following is not mentioned in this passage?
A. Indians live a very rich life in their homeland.
B. Indians are those who spend much time on reading or studying.
C. Indians are those who spend fewer hours watching TV and listening to the radio.
D. Now the Indians turn to books for advice.

答案

小题1:D
小题2:C
小题3:B
小题4:C
小题5:A

解析

略

举一反三

When you arrive at the Shanghai Expo site, the first thing you see will be a huge red building in the ancient architectural style．Built according to the concept of “Oriental Crown”, the China Pavilion（展馆）will be the largest national pavilion at the Expo.
Themed “Search of the east”, the three-storey pavilion will be divided into three sections．Footprint of the East on the top floor will illustrate the change of Chinese cities; at Journey of Wisdom on the second, China’s four great inventions—the compass, paper, printing and gun-power will be displayed; and Blossoming(盛开) City on the ground floor will showcase the scenery of future cities.
Fantastic film
Take a lift and you will be taken to the 8,500-square-meter top floor．There, in a film by Lu Chuan, you’ll see how Chinese cities have changed, especially over the past 30 years．The 10-minute movie will be shown in a 600-seat theater.
“It will be like a short epic．The scenery of the work will be like Lord of the Rings．I will shoot the movie in many Chinese cities．Some love stories will be involved,” said Lu.
Grand painting
The painting Along the River During Qingming Festival, is considered a national treasure．It describes life in Bianjing, which is today’s Kaifeng in Henan province．More than 1,000 years ago, it was the largest city in the world．Multimedia technology will make more than 1,500 characters of the painting walk and move along a 100-meter-long wall.
Happy families
Four families are chosen from Zhejiang province to show their daily lives．Films of the families and furniture from the households will be exhibited.
At the pavilion, you’ll gain insight into the daily lives of these families at different periods．The designers believe these will mirror the great changes Zhejiang has witnessed since China’s reform and opening-up policy in the late 1970s.
Pick up your camera and upload your videos online, because you may find your work broadcast at the China Pavilion．
The search launched by four websites encourages people to capture and record the rapid development of cities in China and the beauty and the color in people’s lives．Two hundred outstanding entries will be made into films and played on screens at the China Pavilion.
With the theme “Same time”, the films will show the work and life of people in different parts of China at the same specific moments．Entries should last at least 30 seconds.
Four gold prize winners will be awarded about 10,000 yuan each．Others whose works are selected will also win prizes.
1．Which of the following statements is true according to the article?
A．Visitors can easily find the China Pavilion beside the traditional red building.
B．The theme of the China Pavilion is “Oriental Crown”.
C．The China Pavilion is designed by famous film director Lu Chuan.
D．Visitors can get to the top floor of the China Pavilion by lift.
2．The painting Along the River During Qingming Festival in the China Pavilion is special in that___________.
A．it shows what life was like in Beijing, the capital of China.
B．its epic scenery is like that of Lord of the Rings.
C．it describes the life of the world’s largest city more than 1,000 years ago.
D．it has more than 1,500 characters walking along a 100-meter-long wall.
3．In the China Pavilion all the exhibits and activities are trying to illustrate the very theme: ___________.
A．harmonious and sustainable development in China
B．great changes of Chinese cites
C．the city makes life better
D．humans and nature
4．Which of the following can be regarded as the best suitable topic for the blank?
A．vivid city life show              B．Chinese lifestyle
C．thrilling moment               D．prosperous cities

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Research at the University of Liverpool, UK, has found that Shakespeare’s language stimulates positive brain activity.
Shakespeare uses a linguistic（语言的）technique known as functional change that involves, for example, using a noun to serve as a verb．Researchers found that this technique allows the brain to understand what a word means before it understands the function of the word within a sentence．This process causes a sudden peak in brain activity and forces the brain to work backwards in order to fully understand what Shakespeare is trying to say.
Professor Philip Davis, from the university’s School of English, said: “The brain reacts to reading a phrase such as ‘he godded me’ from the tragedy of Coriolanus, in a similar way to putting a jigsaw puzzle（拼图玩具）together．If it is easy to see which pieces fit together you become bored of the game．But if the pieces don’t appear to fit, when we know they should, the brain becomes excited．By throwing irregular words into seemingly normal sentences, Shakespeare surprises the brain in a manner that produces a sudden burst of activity — a sense of drama created out of the simplest of things.”
Experts believe that this heightened brain activity may be one of the reasons why Shakespeare’s plays have such a dramatic impact on their readers.
Professor Neil Roberts, from the university’s Magnetic Resonance and Image Analysis Research Center, and Professor Davis, together with Dr Guillaune Thierry, from the University of Wales, UK, monitored 20 participants using an electroencephalogram (EEG) as they read selected lines from Shakespeare’s plays.
“The brain signal is relatively stable when we understand the meaning of a word but when the word changes the grammar of the whole sentence, brain readings suddenly peak．The brain is then forced to retrace its thinking process in order to understand what it is supposed to make of this unusual word,” explains Professor Roberts.
1．The research conducted by the professors has showed that ___________.
A．Shakespeare uses functional change to mislead readers
B．Shakespeare’s language excites positive brain activity.
C．Shakespeare’s plays have a dramatic effect on their readers.
D．Shakespeare’s language makes the brain signal relatively stable
2．Which of the following words can replace the underlined pronoun “it” in the 2nd paragraph?
A．technique           B．word          C．brain          C．sentence
3．In the 3rd paragraph, the example of a jigsaw puzzle is used here to state___________.
A．the function of Shakespeare’s linguistic technique
B．a sense of drama created by playing the game
C．the Shakespeare’s thinking process
D．the brain’s reaction to reading a book
4．Based on the research, Shakespeare’s plays have a great effect on their reader lies in_______.
A．language used in plays             B．characters showed in works
C．brain activity increased in reading    D．thinking process when writing

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The British royal family is about to be slimmed down. The Queen plans to reduce the number of real royals, it was recently announced. However, there seems little sign of the monarchy (君主) disappearing completely.
Up till the 17th century, the British king or queen was believed to rule by “divine (神的) right”, which was the idea that God chose the king or queen to rule and that he or she was therefore above the law. However, this idea ended with the English Revolution, in which King Charles I was imprisoned and then beheaded (斩首) in 1649.
So what role does the British royal family have today?
Well, the Queen has important formal duties as Head of State, the Queen represents the UK on visits abroad and invites other world leaders to visit the UK. As Head of the Armed Forces: Only the Queen can declare when the UK is at war or when war is over. The Queen also has constitutional duties: She has to sign many government and Commonwealth (英联邦) documents everyday.
In addition, the royal family sends a great deal of its time traveling up and down the country in support of different charity projects.
But republicans in Britain do not believe there should be a royal family. Sometimes, the press and media criticize the royal family as well. One criticism is that British people should have to pay for the royal family through their taxes.
Today, the royal family works hard to be relevant(相关联的) in the modern world. The Queen Speech on television is less formal every Christmas, and is now available as a podcast (播客). In 2005, after graduating from university, Prince William spent time teaching English in Uruguay, the sort of work many young British people do at some time in their lives.
1.    What can be concluded from the first two paragraphs?
A. The British King or Queen is now considered above the law.
B. The British King or Queen is no longer believed to rule by divine right.
C. The royal family played a less important role in Britain in the late 17th century than in nowadays.
D. The English Revolution put an end to the British royal family in 1649.
2.    Which of the following is NOT among formal duties of the Queen?
A. Traveling around the UK.
B. Declaring when the UK is at war.
C. Inviting other leaders to visit the UK.
D. Signing Commonwealth documents every day.
3.    With the example of Prince William in the last paragraph, the author intends to show _____.
A. Prince William is very popular in the UK
B. the royal family is trying to connect better with ordinary people
C. Prince William has made an effort to win young people’s admiration
D. many young British people do voluntary work
4.    According to the article, British people __________.
A. are all in favor of the royal family
B. can talk to the Queen through a podcast
C. pay for the royal family through the taxes
D. criticize the royal family through media and press

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It’s three devices in one.
iPhone is more than just a phone.
It combines three devices in one:
a revolutionary mobile phone, a widescreen iPod,
and a breakthrough Internet device.
All that and more makes it the best phone you’ll ever use.
Revolutionary Phone
With the Multi-Touch interface on iPhone, you can make a call simply by tapping a name or number in your contacts or favorites list, your call log, or just about anywhere. Visual(视觉的) Voicemail lets you select and listen to messages in whatever order you want — just like email.
Widescreen iPod
iPhone shows off your content — music, movies, TV shows, and more — on a beautiful 3.5-inch display. Add to your collection by downloading music and video wirelessly from the iTunes Store. Moves through songs and playlists with the touch of a finger. Even browse(浏览)your album artwork using Cover Flow.
Breakthrough Internet Device
iPhone uses fast 3G and Wi-Fi wireless connections to deliver rich HTML email, Maps with GPS, and Safari — the most advanced web browser on a mobile device. It has Google and Yahoo! search built in. And since iPhone multitasks, you can make a phone call while emailing a photo or surfing the web over a Wi-Fi or 3G connection.

It opens a whole new world of applications.
iPhone comes with some amazing applications. And you can choose from thousands more on the Application Store and download them with a tap. Your iPhone gets even better with every new application. Play games. Be more productive. Keep yourself entertained. No matter what you want to do on iPhone, there’s an application for that.
It works like no other phone.
With iPhone, Apple combined innovative(创新的)hardware features with the world’s most advanced mobile operating system to redefine what a mobile phone can do. Applications work together perfectly and they are at the same pace with your computer—whether you’re on a Mac or a PC. From its revolutionary Multi-Touch display to its intelligent keyboard to its smart sensors, iPhone is years ahead of any other mobile phone.
1. How can you add your music, movies, TV shows to your collection on the phone?
A. By using Voicemail to select what you want to add.
B. By downloading them from the iTunes Store.
C. By adding a new application from thousands more on the Application Store.
D. By using Google and Yahoo! search to search and then add them.
2. Which of the following is true?
A. You can’t deliver HTML email, Maps with GPS, and call at the same time.
B. Multi-Touch interface makes it easy to make a phone call.
C. You can only listen to the messages in the fixed order.
D. Wi-Fi is the most advanced web browser on a mobile device.
3. What makes iphone different from other mobile phones is that______.
A. it has a world of new applications
B. it is a Widescreen iPod
C. it contains Breakthrough Internet Device
D. it redefines what a mobile phone can do

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Was Princess Diana murdered? The verdict（判决）is no according to an inquiry（调查）held into the cause of her death over the last six months.
The big question was whether the deaths of Diana and her boyfriend Dodi A1 Fayed in a deadly car crash in 1997 had been accidental, or whether there was some kind of conspiracy（阴谋）to have them killed.
Dodi’s father Mohamed A1 Fayed, owner of London’s world-famous department store Harrods, has insisted for the last decade that the pair were murdered by spies of the British state who did not want them to marry. But his theories now look to have been blown out of the water. The court found that Princess Diana and her boyfriend were not murdered but killed due to the “gross, carelessness” of her driver and the paparazzi（偷拍的摄影记者）. Her driver was drunk at the time of the crash and the paparazzi had been running after their car.
So is this the end of the Diana story? British taxpayers may hope so. The inquiry has cost them about ￡10m（140m RMB）. “Thank God it’s over”, was the headline in The Guardian newspaper. UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown said it was time to “draw a line” under the death of the Princess. But Mohamed AI Fayed has refused to accept the judgment. He says the result will come as a “blow” to millions of his supporters around the world, and has not ruled out starting another investigation.
Whatever happens, next, the special place Princess Diana has in the hearts of people around the world is not likely to be forgotten.
1. According to the text, the inquiry focuses on _______.
A. what caused the deaths of Diana and her boyfriend   B. who were the paparazzi
C. how much British taxpayers paid for the case       D. whether the driver was drunk then.
2. By saying the underlined “his theories now look to have been blown out of the water”, the author means that ________.
A. Mohamed lacks confidence in the case   B. Mohamed feels disappointed at the result
C. Mohamed’s idea seems to be believable D. Mohamed’s idea possibly proves to be wrong
3. Similar to The Guardian newspaper, UK Prime Minister ________.
A. felt sorry for the deadly car crash       B. questioned the purpose of Dodi’s father
C. stood for the court’s judgment         D. blamed the paparazzi for their bad behavior

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