Americans plan parties for many reasons. As in other cultures, many Americans at
题型：不详难度：来源：
Americans plan parties for many reasons. As in other cultures, many Americans attend parties for weddings and religious or national holidays. But some parties are especially American. For example, a group of neighbors may gather on their street to eat food, play music and visit with one another. This is called a block party. A woman might invite a group of women to a party called a baby shower for a friend who is about to give birth. Guests bring presents for the new baby.
Americans also attend tailgate parties. A tailgate is the back end of a truck or other vehicle that opens down. The tailgate parties are a big part of sports culture in the United States. Friends bring food and drink to a sports event. They eat together in the parking area of the sports stadium.
Birthday parties are also very popular. Many parents organize a party for their child around a theme. Birthday parties usually include gifts and a birthday cake with candles. In many parts of the United States, cupcakes have become a popular replacement for cakes.
Birthday parties can be low cost or very costly. Some parents take their children’s birthday parties very seriously, even when the child is too young to fully understand the celebration.
One group of parents started a website called Birthdays Without Pressure. They decided that some parents were under too much social pressure to plan costly parties for their children. The group sees this movement as an example of America’s culture of “too much stuff”. The group’s website gives suggestions on how to keep birthday celebrations simple, meaningful and fun without spending a lot of money. Their advice may be very helpful during this period of economic recession（萧条）.
小题1:What can be the best title for the passage?| A．Reasons for parties | | B．Birthdays without pressure | | C．American parties | | D．Different parties in the world |
小题2:How many kinds of parties does the passage mention?小题3:Eating together in the parking area of the sports stadium belongs to _________parties.| A．block | B．baby shower | C．sports | D．tailgate |
小题4:The purpose of Birthdays Without Pressure is to advise people to _________.| A．relieve people’s pressure | | B．have meaningful birthday parties with low cost | | C．make birthday parties meaningful and costly | | D．spread America’s culture |
小题5:Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?| A．Block party is especially American. | | B．Some parties in America are the same as in other countries. | | C．There’s a party for the mother before her new baby is born. | | D．Birthday parties are the most popular in America. |
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答案
小题1:C
小题2:D
小题3:D
小题4:B
小题5:D |
解析
试题分析：文章大意：本文介绍了美国各种不同的派对。
小题1:C主旨大意题。本文主要介绍了美国各种不同的派对。故用标题American parties比较恰当。故C正确。
小题2:D细节理解题。认真仔细阅读全文可知，全文作者一共提及到了7种不同类型的派对。故D正确。
小题3:D细节理解题。根据文章第三段The tailgate parties are a big part of sports culture in the United States. Friends bring food and drink to a sports event. They eat together in the parking area of the sports stadium.可以得出答案。故D正确。
小题4:B细节理解题。根据文章最后一段The group’s website gives suggestions on how to keep birthday celebrations simple, meaningful and fun without spending a lot of money.可以得出答案。故B正确。
小题5:D推理判断题。根据文章最后一段及Their advice may be very helpful during this period of economic recession（萧条）可知D项错误。故D正确。 |
举一反三
Hacking our senses to boost learning power
Some schools are pumping music, noises and pleasant smells into the classroom to see if it improves exam results. Could it work? Why do songs stick in our heads? What does your school smell like? Is it noisy or peaceful?
It might not seem important, but a growing body of research suggests that smells and sounds can have an impact on learning, performance and creativity. Indeed, some head teachers have recently taken to broadcasting noises and pumping smells into their schools to see whether it can boost grades. Is there anything in it? And if so, what are the implications for the way we work and study?
There is certainly some well-established research to suggest that some noises can have a harmful effect on learning. Numerous studies over the past 15 years have found that children attending schools under the flight paths of large airports fall behind in their exam results. Bridget Shield, a professor of acoustics (声学) at London South Bank University, and Julie Dockrell, from the Institute of Education, have been conducting studies on the effects of all sorts of noises, such as traffic and sirens (汽笛), as well as noise generated by the children themselves. When they recreated those particular sounds in an experimental setting while children completed various learning tasks, they found a significant negative effect on exam scores. “Everything points to a bad impact of the noise on children’s performance, in numeracy, in literacy, and in spelling,” says Shield. The noise seemed to have an especially harmful effect on children with special needs.
Whether background sounds are beneficial or not seems to depend on what kind of noise it is — and the volume. In a series of studies published last year, Ravi Mehta from the College of Business at Illinois and his colleagues tested people’s creativity while exposed to a soundtrack made up of background noises — such as coffee-shop chatter and construction-site drilling — at different volumes. They found that people were more creative when the background noises were played at a medium level than when volume was low. Loud background noise, however, damaged their creativity.
Many teachers all over the world already play music to students in class. Many are inspired by the belief that hearing music can boost IQ in later tasks, the so-called Mozart effect. While the evidence actually suggests it’s hard to say classical music boosts brainpower, researchers do think pleasant sounds before a task can sometimes lift your mood and help you perform well, says Perham, who has done his own studies on the phenomenon. The key appears to be that you enjoy what you’re hearing. “If you like the music or you like the sound — even listening to a Stephen King novel — then you do better. It doesn’t matter about the music,” he says.
So, it seems that schools that choose to prevent disturbing noises and create positive soundscapes could enhance the learning of their students, so long as they make careful choices. Yet this isn’t the only sense being used to affect learning. Special educational needs students at Sydenham high school in London are being encouraged to revise different subjects in the presence of different smells — grapefruit scents for maths, lavender for French and spearmint for history.
小题1:The four questions in the first paragraph are meant to ________.| A．create some sense of humour to please the readers | | B．provide the most frequently asked questions in schools nowadays | | C．hold the readers’ attention and arouse their curiosity to go on reading | | D．declare the purpose of the article: to try to offer key to those questions |
小题2:What does the conclusion of the studies of noise conducted by Bridget Shield and Julie Dockrell suggest?| A．Peaceful music plays an active role in students’ learning. | | B．Not all noises have a negative impact on children’s performance. | | C．We should create for school children a more peaceful environment. | | D．Children with special needs might be exposed to some particular sounds. |
小题3:Ravi Mehta’s experiment indicates that ________.| A．students’ creativity improves in a quiet environment | | B．we may play some Mozart music while students are learning | | C．a proper volume of background noises does improve creativity | | D．noise of coffee-shop chatter is better than that of construction-site drilling |
小题4:Towards the positive impact of appropriate background sound and smell on students’ learning and creativity, the author’s attitude is ________.| A．ambiguous | B．doubtful | C．negative | D．supportive |
小题5:Which of the following is most likely to follow up the research findings?| A．Experts’ research into other senses that can improve students’ grades. | | B．More successful examples of boosting learning power by using music. | | C．Suggestions for pumping lots of pleasant smells into school campuses. | | D．Debates on whether noises can really have positive effect on students’ performance. |
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Flight cancellations(取消) and loss of luggage can ruin even the best-planned holiday. The key to a stress-free trip is having a backup plan.
Fly non-stop. The worst problems involve connections, so it is important to take non-stop flights whenever possible. If you do have to make a connection, try to route through a southern city, where snowstorms and de-icing delays will be less likely. Always allow at least two to three hours for flight connections.
Check the weather. Check the weather in your connecting city, not just the arrival and departure city. If your departure flight is cancelled because of weather, you can go home or back to your hotel. Airlines promise to get you on the next available flight, not the next flight. That could be several days later on a sold-out holiday weekend.
Go early. The earlier in the day you fly, the better your chance of getting rebooked the same day after a missed connection. It will also put you ahead of stranded(滞留的) passengers who arrive later.
Rebook immediately. As soon as your flight is delayed or cancelled, get on the phone and rebook your flight instead of waiting at the ticket counter. If your rebooking is delayed, call or ask your travel agent to find a seat on another carrier, and then ask your original carrier to endorse your ticket to the new airline. Airlines are not required to do this but often do. Learn more at www. dot. gov/ airconsumer/ fly-rights.
Ship bags. A few days before your flight, ship suitcases or holiday gifts to your destination by a documented express service. It’s preferable to losing bags because of re-routed flights and sometimes cheaper than paying airline overweight bag fees.
Know your rights. Airlines are not required to compensate passengers for delayed or cancelled flights, but it never hurts to ask for goodwill vouchers(折扣) for meals, taxis or a room.
小题1:When making a flight connection, it’s common that you’ll___________.| A．stop in the south | | B．choose a good city without snowstorm | | C．be trapped in the storm | | D．wait for two or three hours |
小题2:The suggested way for you to rebook your flight is___________.| A．through the phone | | B．by waiting at the ticket counter | | C．by changing another airline | | D．by surfing the Internet |
小题3:According to the passage, we can infer____________.| A．it will take long to rebook the tickets | | B．your luggage is easy to be lost | | C．you will pay more for your overweight luggage | | D．with the same ticket you can take the next flight |
小题4:The underlined word “compensate” in the last paragraph can be replaced by “___________”.小题5:What’s the best title of the passage?| A．The Worst Problem in the Trip. | | B．The Preparation Before the Flight Trip. | | C．How to Book the Plane Ticket. | | D．How to Plan the Holiday. |
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When I settled in Chicago, my new city seemed so big and unfriendly. Then I had a problem and had to go to hospital for a examination.
It seemed a small compared to the one I was about to face ,but things started to go right from the beginning.Not having a car or the city, I was depending on a couple of buses to get me from A to B. I’d left myself plenty of time, soon it was I was going to be late, as I had mistakenly boarded a bus that was taking me in the direction.
I the bus and stood on the pavement not knowing what to do. I looked into the eyes of a , who was trying to get past me , instead of moving on,she stopped to ask if I was . After I explained my to her, she pointed to a bus stop across the street, where a bus would take me back into the city to my . Sitting there waiting, I felt that someone had been willing to help. , hearing a horn (喇叭) nearby, I looked up to see a car with my new friend at me to get in. She had returned to offer me a to the hospital.
Such unexpected from a passer-by was a lovely gift to receive. As I climbed out of the car at the hospital and turned to thank her, she smiled and told me not to lose , for all things are possible.
| 小题1: | | A．physical | B．traveling | C．social | D．housing |
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| 小题2: | | A．scientific | B．final | C．previous | D．thorough |
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| 小题3: | | A．chance | B．challenge | C．success | D．error |
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| 小题4: | | A．wrong | B．easy | C．fast | D．ahead |
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| 小题5: | | A．leaving | B．visiting | C．knowing | D．appreciating |
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| 小题6: | | A．Although | B．Since | C．Unless | D．Once |
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| 小题7: | | A．strange | B．necessary | C．obvious | D．important |
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| 小题8: | | A．same | B．right | C．general | D．opposite |
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| 小题9: | | A．looked at | B．waited for | C．got off | D．ran into |
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| 小题10: | | A．driver | B．friend | C．stranger | D．gentleman |
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| 小题11: | | A．Especially | B．Surprisingly | C．Probably | D．Normally |
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| 小题12: | | A．nervous | B．excited | C．OK | D．dangerous |
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| 小题13: | | A．idea | B．motivation | C．excuse | D．situation |
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| 小题14: | | A．appointment | B．apartment | C．direction | D．station |
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| 小题15: | | A．afraid | B．grateful | C．certain | D．disappointed |
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| 小题16: | | A．Thus | B．Then | C．Perhaps | D．Surely |
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| 小题17: | | A．staring | B．laughing | C．waving | D．shouting |
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| 小题18: | | A．lift | B．suggestion | C．bike | D．guidebook |
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| 小题19: | | A．results | B．news | C．kindness | D．appearance |
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| 小题20: | | A．power | B．faith | C．touch | D．support |
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People on a college campus were more likely to give money to the March of Dimes if they were asked for a donation by a disabled woman in a wheelchair than if asked by a nondisabled woman. In another , subway riders in New York saw a man carrying a stick stumble（绊脚） and fall to the floor. Sometimes the victim had a large red birthmark on his ; sometimes he did not. In this situation, the victim was more likely to aid if his face was spotless than if he had an unattractive birthmark. In these and other research findings, two themes are : we are more willing to help people we like for some reason and people we think assistance.
In some situations, those who are physically attractive are more likely to receive aid. , in a field study researchers placed a completed application to graduate school in a telephone box at the airport. The application was ready to be , but had apparently been "lost". The photo attached to the application was sometimes that of a very person and sometimes that of a less attractive person. The measure of helping was whether the individual who found the envelope actually mailed it or not. Results showed that people were more likely to the application if the person in the photo was physically attractive.
The degree of between the potential helper and the person in need is also important. For example, people are more likely to help a stranger who is from the same country rather than a foreigner. In one study, shoppers on a busy street in Scotland were more likely to help a person wearing a(n) T-shirt than a person wearing a T-shirt printed with offensive words.
Whether a person receives help depends in part on the "worth" of the case. For example, shoppers in a supermarket were more likely to give someone. to buy milk rather than to buy cookies, probably because milk is thought more essential for than cookies. Passengers on a New York subway were more likely to help a man who fell to the ground if he appeared to be rather than drunk.
| 小题1: | | A．study | B．way | C．word | D．college |
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| 小题3: | | A．refuse | B．beg | C．lose | D．receive |
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| 小题4: | | A．challenging | B．recording | C．understanding | D．publishing |
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| 小题5: | | A．important | B．possible | C．amusing | D．missing |
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| 小题6: | | A．seek | B．deserve | C．obtain | D．accept |
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| 小题7: | | A．At first | B．Above all | C．In addition | D．For example |
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| 小题8: | | A．printed | B．mailed | C．rewritten | D．signed |
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| 小题9: | | A．talented | B．good-looking | C．helpful | D．hard-working |
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| 小题10: | | A．send in | B．throw away | C．fill out | D．turn down |
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| 小题11: | | A．similarity | B．friendship | C．cooperation | D．contact |
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| 小题12: | | A．expensive | B．plain | C．cheap | D．strange |
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| 小题13: | | A．time | B．instructions | C．money | D．chances |
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| 小题14: | | A．shoppers | B．research | C．children | D．health |
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| 小题15: | | A．talkative | B．handsome | C．calm | D．sick |
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The value-packed, all-inclusive sight-seeing package that combines the best of Sydney"s harbour, city, bay and beach highlights.
A SydneyPass gives you unlimited and flexible travel on the Explorer Buses: the "red" Sydney Explorer shows you around our exciting city sights while the "blue" Bondi Explorer visits Sydney Harbour bays and famous beaches. Take to the water on one of three magnificent daily harbour cruises(游船). You can also travel free on regular Sydney Buses, Sydney Ferries or CityRail services (limited area), so you can go to every corner of this beautiful city.
Imagine browsing at Darling Harbour, sampling the famous seafood at Watsons Bay or enjoying the city lights on an evening ferry cruise. The possibilities and plans are endless with a SydneyPass. Wherever you decide to go, remember that bookings are not required on any of our services so tickets are treated on a first in, first seated basis.
SydneyPasses are available for 3, 5 0r 7 days for use over a 7 calendar day period. With a 3 or 5 day pass you choose on which days out of the 7 you want to use it. All SydneyPasses include a free Airport Express inward trip before starting your 3, 5 or 7 days, and the return trip is valid (有效的) for 2 months from the first day your ticket was used.
SydneyPass Fares
| Adult
| Child*
| Family**
| 3day ticket
| $90
| $45
| $22.5
| 5day ticket
| $120
| $60
| $300
| 7day ticket
| $140
| $70
| $350
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*A child is defined as anyone from the ages of 4 years to under 16 years. Children under 4 years travel free.
**A family is defined as 2 adults and any number of children from 4 to under 16 years of age from the same family.
小题1:A SydneyPass doesn’t offer unlimited rides on ______.| A．the Explorer Buses | B．the harbour cruises | | C．regular Sydney Buses | D．CityRail services |
小题2:With a SydneyPass, a traveller can________.| A．save fares from and to the airport | | B．take the Sydney Explorer to beaches | | C．enjoy the famous seafood for free | | D．reserve seats easily in a restaurant |
小题3:If 5-day tickets were to be recommended to a mother who travelled with her colleague and her children, aged 3, 6 and 10, what would the lowest cost be?| A．$225. | B．$300. | C．$360. | D．$420. |
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