【阅读理解 - Passage B】A long time ago, there was an emperor who told his horseman that if he could ride on his horse and cover as much land area as he liked, then the emperor would give him the area of land he would have covered. Sure enough, the horseman quickly jumped onto his horse and rode as fast as possible to cover as much land area as he could. He kept on riding and riding, whipping the horse to go as fast as possible. When he was hungry or tired, he did not stop because he wanted to cover as much as possible. Finally, the horseman was tired out and dying. He asked himself, “Why did I push myself so hard to cover so much land area? Now I am dying and I need only a very small area to bury (埋葬) myself.” The story above is similar with the journey of our life. We push very hard everyday to make more money, to get power. We don’t pay attention to our health, time with our family and to appreciating the surrounding beauties and the hobbies we love. One day when we look back, we will realize that we don’t really need that much. Life is not only about making money, getting power. Life is definitely not only about work! Work is only necessary to keep us living so as to enjoy the beauties and pleasures of life. Life is a balance of work and play. Happiness is also the meaning and the purpose of life. So, take it easy! Do what you want to do and appreciate nature. Life is fragile and short. What did the emperor promise to the horseman?

【阅读理解 - Passage A】Fiji is one of the world’s top five honeymoon destinations (目的地) according to a CNN. com travel poll (民意调查). Nisa Bula — Welcome to Fii. This heartfelt greeting is your warm invitation to visit a undiscovered paradise! More than anything else, the Fji Islands are a unique destination, a South Pacific tropical island paradise of charm and cultural diversity. Its miles of unspoiled beaches, sparkling lakes and shining sunsets offer an experience you’ll never forget. From giant mountains to tiny atolls (环焦), Fiji’s 300 tropical islands are as richly varied as the diverse friendly people who inhabit them. They equally welcome the couple in search of privacy or the group on the trip of a lifetime. Year-round warm weather, a stress free environment and world-class facilities with first class service make Fiji as near as possible to paradise — a truly great escape. TOP FOUR THIINGS TO DO IN FIJI:  Snorkel (潜泳) and dive on large coral reefs  Visit a traditional Fijian village  Swim in the warm, crystal clear water  Sail around the Yasawa Islands A Few Facts: Population: A mere 750, 000 people inhabit the Fiji Islands - the majority of whom live on the two larger islands. Time Zone: Fiji is 12 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time. Electricity: 240 volts-most resorts and hotels have 110-volt converters (转换器). Taxes: Currently, the rate of tax is 10%, which is applied to all goods and services supplied. Climate: Now you have found paradise! Fiji enjoys the perfect climate year round. November to April 86F, May to October 79F. What can we learn from the CNN. com travel poll?

【阅读理解 - Passage C】American country music is also known as country western music. It has a very long history. It comes from the folk songs of immigrants (移民) from Britain. Country music uses simple music and words to express everyday feeling such as loneliness, loves and sadness. That is to say, country music describes life. It talks about friends and enemies, trucks and roads, farms and crops. People in many parts of the world like country music, because everyone can understand what the music is about. Country western music became popular first among cowboys (牛仔) in the American west countryside. Cowboys had to take care of cows day and night. When they were alone with the cows, they often sang beautiful and peaceful songs to calm the animals and to overcome their own fear. They were not well-educated and so they sang about their daily life in very simple word. They played the guitars, violins and other instruments. In the south of America, many people added instruments from their homes, like bottles and spoons. When cowboy visited their friends and families on holidays like Thanksgiving, they usually sang and played country western music. In recent years, many musicians have made country western music a little different from the one in the past. These changes make the songs sound even better. Today singers such as Carth Brooks, Reba McEntire, Emmylou Harris, Lye Lovtt, Eddie Rabbitt, LeAnn Rime, Randy Travis and a group called Alabama are singing and playing in different styles. They have brought country western music more and more fans from all over the world. According to the passage, people like American country music because ______.

【阅读理解 - Passage D】It is well known that rhinos (犀牛) have poor eyesight, so they mostly rely on their noses to understand the world around them. But there’s one interaction in which sound plays a key role. Southern white rhino males can either be dominant (支配地位的) or subordinate. And only the dominant males hold and defend territories. New search finds that they can distinguish the calls of other males to know who is who. “We found that contact calls carry information about the dominance status of the males. It means that only by listening to the calls, you can say if the male is territorial or subordinate.” Ivana Cinkoval, a zoologist at the University of Kwazulu-Natal in South Africa. She and her team spent almost two years in South Africa’s Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park recording the social contact calls of male rhinos. Then they played those calls back to dominant territorial males and watched the responses. The researchers asked that the rhino calls not be included in this program due to the concern that calls might be used for illegal hunting. Back to the reactions of the rhinos. They started to search for the unexpected visitor the most quickly and spent the longest time searching around for the unwelcome visitor after the playback of the subordinate call, which was quite surprising. Only territorial male rhinos hold breeding (交配繁育) opportunities with the female rhinos. Subordinate males could thus be interested in challenging the territorial male for dominance. But dominant males rarely lose their territories to subordinate males, at least while they’re in prime condition. Why didn’t researchers allow recorded calls to be included in the program?

【阅读理解 - Passage A】What would it be like to be over 100 meters in the air? Besides taking a plane there is a more interesting and relaxing way to experience it: having a ride on a Ferris wheel (摩天轮). London Eye, England With a height of about 135 meters, the London Eye is the tallest Ferris wheel in Europe. There are 32 cars (轿厢) and each can carry 25 people at most. On the ride, people can get a view of London Tower, Buckingham Palace and Big Ben.One turn takes 30 minutes. High Roller, US It is the world’s tallest Ferris wheel. It is 168 meters tall. High Roller first opened in Las Vegas on March 31st, 2014. A ride takes 30 minutes. You can also enjoy videos and music during the ride. Tianjin Eye, China Tianjin Eye is a 120-meter-tall Ferris wheel. It lies on a bridge over the Haihe River in Tianjin, China. It is the only Ferris wheel in the world to stand on a bridge. The wheel has 48 cars. Each can take eight passengers. People can get good views of the city during the 30 minute trip. Roue de Paris, France Roue de Paris looks like all other Ferris wheels. It is about 60 meters tall and has 42 cars. But people can move it. Because of this, the big wheel has been to many other places like Manchester in the UK and Bangkok in Thailand. ______ is the only one to lie on a bridge.

【阅读理解 - Passage B】A month before my first marathon one of my ankles was injured and this meant not running for two weeks, leaving me only two weeks to train. Yet, I was determined to go ahead. I remember back to my 7th year in school. In my first P.E. class, the teacher required us to run laps and then hit a softball. I didn’t do either well. He later informed me that I was “not athletic”. The idea that I was “ not athletic” “ stuck with me for years. When I started running in my 30s, I realized running was a battle against myself, not about competition or whether or not I was athletic. I was all about the battle against my own body and mind. A test of will! The night before my marathon, I dreamt that I couldn’t even find the finish line. I woke up sweating and nervous, but ready to prove something to myself. Shortly after crossing the start line, my shoe laces (鞋带) became untied. So I stopped to readjust. Not the start I wanted! At mile 3, I passed a sign: GO FOR IT RUNNERS! By mile 17, I became out of breath and the once injured ankle hurt badly. Despite the pain, I stayed the course walking a bit and then running again. By mile 21, I was starving: As I approached mile 23, I could see my wife waving a sign. She is my biggest fan. She never minded the alarm clock sounding at 4 a. m. or questioned my expenses on running. I was one of the final runners to finish. But I finished! And I got a medal. In fact, I got the same medal as the one that the guy who came in first place had. Determined to be myself, moving forward, free of shame and worldly labels (世俗标签)，I can now call myself “a marathon winner”. What does the story mainly tell us?

【阅读理解 - Passage B】There are all kinds of trains in the world. There are trains to carry people, trains to carry animals or carry things. There are fast trains and slow ones. Some trains go through hills (小山). In big cities the streets are usually very busy. So you can find trains under the ground. They carry people quickly in and out of the big cities. Can a train run over the water? Yes, it can. There are many bridges over the rivers. The trains can easily run over the water. But it is not easy to build the bridges. Today’s trains have dining rooms for people.You may eat something in them on the way if you are hungry. Trains are useful to men, women and children. Many children have model trains. With the model trains they can build their own rails (铁轨) and enjoy the wonderful world of trains. Which of the following is WRONG?

【阅读理解 - Passage A】How do top athletes handle defeat and disappointment? Can an athlete turn to his or her teammates for support or encouragement? The following top performers’ responses will be helpful to you. Think positively Siri Lindley is a top triathlete (三项全能运动员), competing in events that combine long- distance running, swimming and cycling. “I try to use what I learn from each loss to make me stronger and more determined,” she says. “Then I pick my head up and start thinking positive, and I visualize myself succeeding the next time. Let the losses make you stronger.” Stick with it Allen Johnson won a gold medal in the 110-meter hurdles at the 1996 Olympics, but he knows that he can’t win every race. “When I don’t win, I have to accept the fact that I made a mistake or that someone was better on that day,” he says. “You can’t be the best every day, but you can be the best on some day.” Pick yourself up Figure skater Michael Weiss is one of the best in his sport, but there have been a lot of failures along the way. “I look at failing as a part of growing,” he says, “When you lose and you are feeling down without teammates to lift you up, you have to be strong enough to pick yourself up.” Learn from mistakes Gymnast Shannon Miller has won several Olympic medals, including two golds. “If I make a mistake in the middle of a competition, I try to forget about it because I have to go on,” she says. “If I do poorly over the course of an entire meet, I go back to the gym and figure out what went wrong. It’s so important to learn from your mistakes.” What can we infer about the athletes mentioned in the text?

【阅读理解 - Passage C】Sleep is very important. A person who does not sleep dies faster than a person who does not eat. We spend about a third (1/3) of our lives in sleep. That’s about 121 days a year! How much sleep doe need? We are all different. A baby needs 6 hours of sleep every day. Children of 6 to 12 years of age need an average (平均) of 10 to 12 hours of sleep. Teenagers need 9 to 10 hours of sleep. An adult needs an average of 7 to 8 hours a day. There are some people who need only 3 hours of sleep; others need 10 hours of sleep. After the age of 50, the average sleep time goes down to 6.5 hours a day. We need less sleep as we get older. About one in three Americans has a problem with sleep. Many of these people can not fall asleep. The name for this problem is insomnia. Some people say,“I didn’t sleep all night.” But that’s not really true. They may sleep lightly and wake up several times. In the morning, they only remember the time they were awake, so they think they were awake all night. This is not a new problem. Many famous people in history had insomnia. Some of these people had special ideas to make themselves sleep. Benjamin Franklin had four beds. He moved from one to the other to fall asleep. Mark Twain had a different way. He lay on his side across the end of the bed! Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

【阅读理解 - Passage D】“How beautiful the jasmine (茉莉花) is! A sweet smell covers the budding twigs. So fragrant (芳香的) , so white, admired by all lips.” The Chinese folk song Jasmine Flower has reached a global audience with its beautiful melody and lyrics. Equally popular is the traditionally made Jasmine tea, which is tea scented (发出香味) with the smell of jasmine and typically has green tea as its base. Chen Chengzhong has a big say in the production of Jasmine tea as he is a state-level expert of Fuzhou Jasmine tea scenting techniques. The 72-year-old tea maker, from Fuzhou City in East China’s Fujian province, started his career early in his teenage years as a trainee in a state-owned tea factory. Chen can’t stop talking joyfully when it comes to jasmine tea scenting. The hot and wet climate and the red soil in East China’s Fujian Province provide great conditions. He can’t forget summer nights, as jasmine usually comes out at night and it calls for hard work. When the fresh jasmine flowers are harvested, they are mixed with tea leaves. Leaves and flowers are being mixed overnight, so the leaves can fully take in flowers’ fragrance. In the morning, the flowers are sorted, the leaves are dried, and the process is repeated. More repetition makes the fragrance stronger, and it takes at least nine times to produce jasmine tea of a superb grade. Chen now focuses more on passing on the scenting techniques, giving lectures to students and trainees. Chen’s son Chen Zheng is meant to follow in his father’s footsteps and move forward with the techniques. “Like my father, I also hope to practice this traditional skill and pass it on,” Chen Zheng said. China’s traditional tea making method was added to the UNESCO intangible cultural heritage (遗产) list on Tuesday. What makes Chen an influential tea maker?

【阅读理解 - Passage C】Children should do housework. That’s a controversial (有争议的) idea, though not everyone will admit it. A few parents will say that their children are too busy for housework. Many more of us assign (分派) housework, or say we believe in them, but the housework just doesn’t get done. That’s a problem. For starters, housework is good for kids. Being a part of the routine work of running a household helps children develop an awareness of the needs of others, while at the same time contributing to their emotional well-being. One small study, done over a period of 25 years, found that the best predictor (预测) for young adults success in their mid-20s was whether they participated in household tasks at age 3 or 4. Those early shared responsibilities extended to a sense of responsibility in other areas of their lives. But for all that their help matters, few kids are doing much around the house at all. In a survey of 1,000 American adults, 75 percent said they believed regular housework made kids more responsible. Yet while 82 percent reported having had regular housework growing up, only 56 percent of those with children said they required them to do housework. Sports and homework are not get-out-of-housework-free cards. The goal, after all, is to raise adults who can balance a caring role in their families and communities with whatever lifetime achievement goals they choose. Housework teaches that balance. What should you do when getting children to do housework? Accept no excuses. Don’t worry if you must repeat yourself again and again. If you’re spending more time getting the child to do this job than it would take to do it yourself, then you’re doing it right. Can a payment help? Maybe. But if you’re trying to teach kids to share the responsibility of a home, paying them for routine housework is not the right message. What is the best title of the text?

（英模六·D篇）What will happen if people close their eyes when eating?

【阅读理解 - Passage C】American country music is also known as country western music. It has a very long history. It comes from the folk songs of immigrants (移民) from Britain. Country music uses simple music and words to express everyday feeling such as loneliness, loves and sadness. That is to say, country music describes life. It talks about friends and enemies, trucks and roads, farms and crops. People in many parts of the world like country music, because everyone can understand what the music is about. Country western music became popular first among cowboys (牛仔) in the American west countryside. Cowboys had to take care of cows day and night. When they were alone with the cows, they often sang beautiful and peaceful songs to calm the animals and to overcome their own fear. They were not well-educated and so they sang about their daily life in very simple word. They played the guitars, violins and other instruments. In the south of America, many people added instruments from their homes, like bottles and spoons. When cowboy visited their friends and families on holidays like Thanksgiving, they usually sang and played country western music. In recent years, many musicians have made country western music a little different from the one in the past. These changes make the songs sound even better. Today singers such as Carth Brooks, Reba McEntire, Emmylou Harris, Lye Lovtt, Eddie Rabbitt, LeAnn Rime, Randy Travis and a group called Alabama are singing and playing in different styles. They have brought country western music more and more fans from all over the world. Which of the following is mentioned in the passage?

【阅读理解 - Passage C】I heard many parents complaining that their teenage children are rebelling (叛逆) . I wish it were so. At your age, you ought to be growing away from your parents. You should be learning to stand on your own feet. But take a good look at the present rebellion. It seems that teenagers are taking the same way of showing that they disagree with their parents. Instead of taking actions bravely on their own, most of them are catching one another’s hands for comfort. They claim they want to dress as they please. But they all wear the same clothes. Then set off in new directions in music. But somehow they all end up with listening to the same record together. Their reason for thinking or acting in thus-and-such a way is that many people are doing it. They have come out of their cocoon into a larger cocoon. It has become harder and harder for a teenager to stand up against the popularity wave and go his or her own way. Industry has firmly carved (挖掘) out a teenage market. These days every teenager can learn from the advertisements what a teenager should have and be. And many of today’s parents have come to award high marks for the popularity of their children. All this adds to a great barrier (障碍) for the teenager who wants to find his or her own path. But the barrier is worth climbing over. The path is worth following. You may want to listen to classical music instead of going to a party. You may want to collect rocks when everyone else is collecting records. You may have some thoughts that you don’t care to share with your classmates at once, well, go to it. Find yourself. Popularity will come with the people who respect you for who you are. That is the only kind of popularity that really counts. During the teenage years, what should one learn to do?

【阅读理解 - Passage A】What would it be like to be over 100 meters in the air? Besides taking a plane there is a more interesting and relaxing way to experience it: having a ride on a Ferris wheel (摩天轮). London Eye, England With a height of about 135 meters, the London Eye is the tallest Ferris wheel in Europe. There are 32 cars (轿厢) and each can carry 25 people at most. On the ride, people can get a view of London Tower, Buckingham Palace and Big Ben.One turn takes 30 minutes. High Roller, US It is the world’s tallest Ferris wheel. It is 168 meters tall. High Roller first opened in Las Vegas on March 31st, 2014. A ride takes 30 minutes. You can also enjoy videos and music during the ride. Tianjin Eye, China Tianjin Eye is a 120-meter-tall Ferris wheel. It lies on a bridge over the Haihe River in Tianjin, China. It is the only Ferris wheel in the world to stand on a bridge. The wheel has 48 cars. Each can take eight passengers. People can get good views of the city during the 30 minute trip. Roue de Paris, France Roue de Paris looks like all other Ferris wheels. It is about 60 meters tall and has 42 cars. But people can move it. Because of this, the big wheel has been to many other places like Manchester in the UK and Bangkok in Thailand. The tallest Ferris wheel in the world is in ______.

【阅读理解 - Passage D】It is quite reasonable to blame traffic jams, the cost of gas and the great speed of modern life, but manners on the road are becoming horrible. Everybody knows that the nicest men would become fierce tigers behind the wheel. It is all right to have a tiger in a cage, but to have one in the driver’s seat is another matter. Road politeness is not only good manners, but good sense too. It takes the most cool-headed drivers great patience to give up the desire to beat back when forced to face rude driving. On the other hand, a little politeness goes a long way towards reducing the possibility of quarreling and fighting. A friendly nod or a wave of thanks in answer to an act of politeness helps to create an atmosphere of good will and calm is so necessary in modem traffic conditions. But such behaviors of politeness are by no means enough. Many drivers nowadays don’t even seem able to recognize politeness when they see it. However, misplaced (错位的) politeness can also be dangerous. Typical examples are the driver who waves a child crossing the street at a wrong place into the path of oncoming cars that may be not able to stop in time. The same goes for encouraging old ladies to cross the road wherever and whenever they want. An experienced driver, whose manners are faultless, told me it would help if drivers learned to correctly join in traffic stream without causing total blockages (堵塞) that give rise to unpleasant feelings. Unfortunately, modern drivers can’t even learn to drive, let alone master the roadmanship. Years ago, experts warned us that the fast increase of the car ownership would demand more give-and-take from all road users. It is high time for all of us to take this message to heart. It is not always right for drivers to ______.

（英模二十四·阅读）According to the passage, which of the following is a good way to improve our listening?

【阅读理解 - Passage D】“How beautiful the jasmine (茉莉花) is! A sweet smell covers the budding twigs. So fragrant (芳香的) , so white, admired by all lips.” The Chinese folk song Jasmine Flower has reached a global audience with its beautiful melody and lyrics. Equally popular is the traditionally made Jasmine tea, which is tea scented (发出香味) with the smell of jasmine and typically has green tea as its base. Chen Chengzhong has a big say in the production of Jasmine tea as he is a state-level expert of Fuzhou Jasmine tea scenting techniques. The 72-year-old tea maker, from Fuzhou City in East China’s Fujian province, started his career early in his teenage years as a trainee in a state-owned tea factory. Chen can’t stop talking joyfully when it comes to jasmine tea scenting. The hot and wet climate and the red soil in East China’s Fujian Province provide great conditions. He can’t forget summer nights, as jasmine usually comes out at night and it calls for hard work. When the fresh jasmine flowers are harvested, they are mixed with tea leaves. Leaves and flowers are being mixed overnight, so the leaves can fully take in flowers’ fragrance. In the morning, the flowers are sorted, the leaves are dried, and the process is repeated. More repetition makes the fragrance stronger, and it takes at least nine times to produce jasmine tea of a superb grade. Chen now focuses more on passing on the scenting techniques, giving lectures to students and trainees. Chen’s son Chen Zheng is meant to follow in his father’s footsteps and move forward with the techniques. “Like my father, I also hope to practice this traditional skill and pass it on,” Chen Zheng said. China’s traditional tea making method was added to the UNESCO intangible cultural heritage (遗产) list on Tuesday. Why is the folk song mentioned in the first paragraph?

【阅读理解 - Passage B】A long time ago, there was an emperor who told his horseman that if he could ride on his horse and cover as much land area as he liked, then the emperor would give him the area of land he would have covered. Sure enough, the horseman quickly jumped onto his horse and rode as fast as possible to cover as much land area as he could. He kept on riding and riding, whipping the horse to go as fast as possible. When he was hungry or tired, he did not stop because he wanted to cover as much as possible. Finally, the horseman was tired out and dying. He asked himself, “Why did I push myself so hard to cover so much land area? Now I am dying and I need only a very small area to bury (埋葬) myself.” The story above is similar with the journey of our life. We push very hard everyday to make more money, to get power. We don’t pay attention to our health, time with our family and to appreciating the surrounding beauties and the hobbies we love. One day when we look back, we will realize that we don’t really need that much. Life is not only about making money, getting power. Life is definitely not only about work! Work is only necessary to keep us living so as to enjoy the beauties and pleasures of life. Life is a balance of work and play. Happiness is also the meaning and the purpose of life. So, take it easy! Do what you want to do and appreciate nature. Life is fragile and short. Why should we live a balanced lifestyle and enjoy life?

【阅读理解 - Passage C】Children should do housework. That’s a controversial (有争议的) idea, though not everyone will admit it. A few parents will say that their children are too busy for housework. Many more of us assign (分派) housework, or say we believe in them, but the housework just doesn’t get done. That’s a problem. For starters, housework is good for kids. Being a part of the routine work of running a household helps children develop an awareness of the needs of others, while at the same time contributing to their emotional well-being. One small study, done over a period of 25 years, found that the best predictor (预测) for young adults success in their mid-20s was whether they participated in household tasks at age 3 or 4. Those early shared responsibilities extended to a sense of responsibility in other areas of their lives. But for all that their help matters, few kids are doing much around the house at all. In a survey of 1,000 American adults, 75 percent said they believed regular housework made kids more responsible. Yet while 82 percent reported having had regular housework growing up, only 56 percent of those with children said they required them to do housework. Sports and homework are not get-out-of-housework-free cards. The goal, after all, is to raise adults who can balance a caring role in their families and communities with whatever lifetime achievement goals they choose. Housework teaches that balance. What should you do when getting children to do housework? Accept no excuses. Don’t worry if you must repeat yourself again and again. If you’re spending more time getting the child to do this job than it would take to do it yourself, then you’re doing it right. Can a payment help? Maybe. But if you’re trying to teach kids to share the responsibility of a home, paying them for routine housework is not the right message. What is found in the small study?