阅读理解，阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C、D)中，选出最佳选项。

　　School Groups：＄10.00 per person

　　One free teacher admission per 10 students．

　　Group rates apply to groups 15 or more．

　　Click HERE to make a reservation online today!

　　The Miami Planetarium(天文馆)opened its doors to the public on November 4, 1966 and has entertained and educated children of all ages about astronomy and the wonders of the night sky ever since．The planetarium houses a 65-foot diameter doomed projection screen with 231 seats．

　　At the heart of the Planetarium is a SPITZ “Space Transit Planetarium” star projector(放映机), which is capable of accurately reproducing the stars and planets as seen from anywhere on Earth at any time during the year．Shows daily except Thanksgiving and Christmas Day．Unlike any other in South Florida, the Planetarium is a unique setting for bringing the stars and planets indoors in animated live star shows and music filled laser light shows．

　　The Weintraub Observatory(天文台)houses two powerful telescopes．Observatory hours are from 8∶00p．m．to 10∶00p．m．Look through the telescope to view the planets, the four moons of Jupiter, the rings of Saturn and deep sky objects such as galaxies, nebulas and double stars．

　　Deposit：A ＄ 75 deposit must be received 10 days ahead of the visit date to guarantee your visit．

　　Cancellation Policy：The museum requires 48 hours advance notice prior to any cancellation or other changes to a reservation．Without prior notification the original total will be expected upon arrival．

　　Payment Policy：The balance of the admission fee is due upon arrival at the museum on your visit day．

　　Upon arrival：The leading teacher should check in at the box office with payment for the correct head count of students and teachers．Visitors should remain on the bus until a museum interpreter show you around the museum．

　　Museum Etiquette：We ask that all groups remain together and orderly．Teachers are asked to help maintain order with their groups．We reserve the right to refuse service to any group or individual not obeying the museum policies．

　　Bus procedures：The museum will provide parking for buses in our parking lot．Upon arrival, bus drivers will be directed by the museum staff to the appropriate places to park．It is recommended that buses remain on the spots throughout the group's entire museum visit．

　　For more information ＆ reservations call：(305)646-4222．

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阅读理解，阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C、D)中，选出最佳选项。

　　Disease, poverty, hate, love-Charles Dickens’ stories opened his readers eyes to the most important themes of his age．Two hundred years on, his stories still speak volumes across the world, proving that Dickens’ legacy(遗产)was far greater than just “great literature”

　　February 7 marks the 200^th anniversary of the writer's birthday．To mark this date, BBC writer Alex Hudson listed six things Dickens gave the modern world．Let's take a look at two of them．

　　A white Christmas

　　Dickens is described as “the man who invented Christmas”-not the religious festival, but the cultural aspects that we associate with the festive season today．In the early 19^th century, Christmas was barely worth mentioning, according to critic and writer Leigh Hunt．The committee which ran the Conservative Party even held ordinary business meetings on Christmas Day-unthinkable in the West nowadays, when everyone but the most necessary workers takes at least three days off．

　　Many people believe that Dickens’ popular descriptions of the festive period became a blueprint for generations to come．In his classic novel, A Christmas Carol, he not only put forward the idea of snow at Christmas, but also painted a picture of glowing warmth-“ home enjoyments, affections and hopes”．

　　In his biography of Dickens, Peter Ackroyd wrote：“ Dickens can be said to have almost single-handedly created the modern idea of Christmas．”

　　“Dickensian” poverty

　　Dickens was one of the first to take an honest look at the underclass and the poor of Victorian(the period during British Queen Victoria's reign from 1837 to 1901)London．

　　He helped popularize the term “red tape” to describe situations where people in power use needless amounts of bureaucracy(官僚作风)in a way that particularly hurts the weaker and poorer members of society．

　　“Dickensian” has now become a powerful word for describing an unacceptable level of poverty．In 2009, when the president of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers in the UK wanted to talk about deprivation in some areas of Britain, she did not use words like “terrible” or “horrific”, but rather described it as “life mirroring the times of Dickens”．

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阅读理解，阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C、D)中，选出最佳选项。

　　Without any hesitation, he said, “I'd be better off dead．” Hearing those words come out of my best friend's mouth tore my heart apart．He has repeated that phrase more than once, and my mind continually plays it over like a voice recording．

　　I met him about three years ago．After knowing me for six months, he told me about his struggles with depression．Sadness was not the only emotion that came over me; I was shocked．He seemed so outgoing and happy all the time．I soon learned that he was physically and emotionally abused as a young child, causing him to have suicidal thoughts．

　　He refuses to talk to others about his depression because he now distrusts adults, especially those in his family．Nevertheless, he feels as if I understand him and that I know the right words to speak．Therefore, when it comes to helping him, convenience is not in my vocabulary．It does not matter where I am or what I am doing, for he always comes first．

　　Many students at his school laugh at him when they notice scars on his arms from cutting．As he sees it, other kids have every right to make fun of him．But no one holds such a right, so I encourage him to ignore the heartless kids who treat him badly．When he feels the weight of judging eyes or hateful voices, I always remind him that I care about him unconditionally．Just hearing me say I will always be his best friend seems to give him the security he needs to keep on going．

　　My best friend once told me that if he had not had me, he would not be alive．He said that my encouraging words convinced him not to take his life．Our friendship has taught me that a single kind word can influence someone's life．With the fragility of life as it is, I believe in the necessity of encouragement．[来源：学科网]

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阅读理解

　　Mark Ramirez, a senior executive at AOL, could work in the comfortable leather chair, if he wanted．No, thanks．He prefers to stand most of the day at a desk raised above stomach level．

　　“I've got my knees bent．I feel totally alive,” he said．“It feels more natural to stand．”

　　In the past few years, standing has become the new sitting for 10 percent of AOL employees at the firm's Virginia branch．Part of a standing popularity is among accountants, programmers, telemarketers and other office workers across the nation．

　　GeekDesk, a California firm that sells desks raised by electric motors, says sales will triple this year．

　　Standers give various reasons for taking to their feet： It makes them feel more focused, prevents drowsiness, makes them feel like a general even if they just push paper．(Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfels works standing up．So does novelist Philip Roth．)

　　But unknown to them, a debate is spreading among ergonomics experts and public-health researchers about whether all office workers should be encouraged to stand－to save lives．

　　Dostors point to surprising new research showing higher rates of diabetes, obesity, heart disease and even mortality among people who sit for long stretches．A study earlier this year in the American Journal of Epidemiology showed that among 123,000 adults followed over 14 years, those who sat more than six hours a day were at least 18 percent more likely to die during the time period studied than those who sat less than three hours a day．

　　“showed that among 123,000 adults followed over 14 years, those who sat more than six hours a day were at least 18 percent more likely to die during the time period studied than those who sat less than three hours a day．

　　“Every rock we turn over when it comes to sitting is astonishing,” said Marc Hamilton, a leading researcher on inactivity physiology at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Louisiana．“Sitting is harmful．It's dangerous．We are on the cusp of a major revolution．” He calls sitting “the new smoking”．

　　Not so fast, other experts say．Standing too much at work will cause more long-term back injuries．Incidences of varicose veins among women will increase．The heart will have to pump more．

　　Hedge, the Cornell professor, isn't a fan of all this standing．“Making people stand all day is dumb,” he said．

　　The sensible and most cost-effective strategy, he said, is to sit in a neutral posture, slightly reclined, with the keyboard on a tray above the lap．This position promotes positive blood flow．Workers should occasionally walk around, stretch and avoid prolonged periods at the desk．The key, he said, is movement, not standing．

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CAR HIRE

　　Hiring a self-drive car really adds to the enjoyment of your holiday．There are so many interesting places to visit, and if you enjoy seeing more than just the city center, there's no better way to explore than by car．

　　CONDITIONS OF HIRE：

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阅读理解

阅读下列短文，从每题所给也的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项。

　　Cyber language is popular among Chinese netizens, who create English words to reflect novel phenomenon in society．

　　“Geilivable”, combining pinyin of Chinese characters Geili(giving strength) with the English, suffix for－adjectives, literally means “giving power” or “cool”．Similarly, “hengeilivable” means “very cool”, and “ungeilivable” means “dull, not cool at all”．“Antizen” refers to the group of college graduates who, earning a small salary and living in small rented apartments, are like the tiny and laborious ants．

　　David Tool, a professor with the Beijing International Studies University said it's very interesting to combine Chinese with English to create new words．“English is no longer mysterious to the Chinese people．They can use the language in a flexible way according to their own experiences,” he said．Chinese words and expressions were created, as well, by netizens．One example was “Suan Ni Hen”．This three-character expression, which originally meant “you win” with the first character carrying the same pronunciation as garlie in Chinese, is used to satirize(讽刺)high garlie and food prices this winter．

　　Chinese people use the character “bei” before a verb to show a passive voice, and it is used by netizens to show the helplessness in front of false conclusions and fake media reports．For instance, “zisha” means “suicide” while “beizisha” means “be officially presumed to have committed suicide”, and “xiaokang” means “fairly comfortable life” while “beixiaokang” means “be said to be living a fairly comfortable life”．

　　Wu Zhongmin, a professor at the Party School of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, saw the phenomenon of word creation as a natural response of young people to social issues．“Cyber language is more vivid and it shortens people's distances,” he said．

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阅读下列短文，从每题所给也的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项。

　　One girl decided to study judo(柔道)although she had lost her left arm in a car accident．

　　The girl began lessons with an old Japanese judo instructor．The girl was ding well．So she couldn't understand why, after three months of training, the instructor had taught her only one move．

　　“Instructor,” the girl finally said, “Shouldn't I be learning more moves?”

　　“This is the only move you know, but this is the only move you'll ever need to know,” the instructor replied．

　　Not quite understanding, but believing in her teacher, the girl kept training．

　　Several months later, the instructor took the girl to her first tournament．Surprising herself, the girl easily won her first two matches．The third match proved to be more difficult, but after some time, her opponent became impatient and charged．The girl skillfully used her one move to win the match．Still amazed by her success, the girl was now in the finals．

　　This time, her opponent was bigger, stronger and more experienced．For a while, the girl appeared to be overmatched．Concerned that the girl might get hurt, the referee called a time-out．She was about to stop the match when the instructor intervened(干预)．

　　“No,” the instructor insisted, “Let her continue．”

　　Soon after the match restarted, her opponent made a serious mistake： she dropped her guard．Instantly, the girl used her move to pin her opponent．The girl had won the match and the tournament．She was the champion．

　　On the way home, the girl and her teacher reviewed every move in each and every match．Then the girl gathered the courage to ask what was really on her mind．

　　“Instructor, how did I win the tournament with only one move?”

　　“You won for two reasons,” the teacher answered．“First, you've almost mastered one of the most difficult throws in all of judo．Second, the only known defense for that move is for your opponent to grab your left arm．”

　　The girl's biggest weakness had become her biggest strength．

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阅读理解

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项A、B、C和D中，选出最佳选项。

　　With the development of science and technology, the research of human genes is playing more and more important part in our daily life．Sometimes it is a hot topic drawing more and more attention．

　　Gene technology can cure serious diseases that doctors at present can almost do nothing with, such as cancer and heart disease．Every year, millions of people are murdered by these two killers．But if the gene technology is used, not only these two diseases can be cured completely, bringing happiness and more living days to the patients, but also the great amount of money people spend curing their diseases can be saved, therefore it benefits the economy as well．In addition, people can live longer．

　　Gene technology can help people to give birth to more healthy and clever children．Some families have hereditary diseases and their children will for sure have the family disease, which is a great trouble for these families．In the past, doctors could do nothing about them．But gene technology can solve this problem perfectly．The scientists just need to find the wrong gene and correct it, and a healthy child will be born．

　　Some people are worrying that the gene research can be used to clone human beings in large quantities．In the past few years, scientists have succeeded in cloning a sheep; therefore these people predict that human babies would be cloned．But I believe cloned babies will not come out in large amounts, for most couples in the world can have babies in a very normal way．Of course, the governments must take care to control gene technology．

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阅读理解

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项A、B、C和D中，选出最佳选项。

　　Imagine finding out what others really think of you．A lot of people are talking about Facebook (脸谱网) that lets you know the feedback from people who know you．Some say it can help you be the best you possible, others fear that it's very hurtful and scary．Where do you stand on the matter? I'll start off by telling you a really embarrassing story．

　　Once, when I was out to lunch at a restaurant with some colleagues, I got up to use the restroom, and as I returned to the table, I had this feeling that people were eyeing me．I shrugged it off, thinking they were probably looking at my new pants．

　　Um, no．About 10 minutes later, two women walked over to my table－in front of everyone－and dropped a folded napkin in my lap．They giggled as they quickly walked away．Of course, everyone at the table stared at me as I unfolded the napkin and read what it said…

　　I turned around and noticed that I had a four-foot-long toilet paper hanging off of my pants．

　　Of course, I was glad to know the toilet paper was there．But I was so embarrassed! How I wished I'd just discovered it myself．

　　How does Facebook work? You download the program to your Facebook page and people can go in and anonymously (匿名) tell you what they think of you．Anything goes! You might find them out．

　　Psychology Today has recently talked about “how to see yourself as others see you” in this current issue in a column．

　　The good：A program like this could help you get a better view of yourself, fix potential problems, and become your best self．

　　The bad：It could also lower your self image with comments and cheap shots from people who are just trying to be hurtful, not necessarily honest．Example：Do you really need to know that someone didn't like the clothes you wore to work today?

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阅读理解

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项A、B、C和D中，选出最佳选项。

　　Have you ever tried to hold your breath for a long time and then let it out slowly? This is one of the techniques of an ancient Indian exercise known as Yoga．For thousands of years, people have used Yoga to help search for happiness and pleasure．

　　Students of Yoga often study for as long as 20 years before becoming masters, or Yogis．They learn many different physical exercises．These exercises are designed to put the students in good physical condition．Then they can concentrate on deep thought without worrying about physical discomforts．

　　Many yoga exercises require to put the body into difficult positions．Some of them are very hard to learn．Have you ever tried to cross your legs over one another? This is one of the basic Yoga positions．Most people find it difficult to stay in that position for even a few minutes．But Yogis train themselves to remain in the position for hours or even days．They are taught to overcome the physical discomforts of holding these positions．Other exercises and rules teach concentration－Yogis feel this is the key to finding inner peace．This kind of concentration is called meditation．

　　Yogis and many other people practice meditation．They say that it makes them feel relaxed and peaceful．Some people say that it makes them feel better－just as good exercise does．But other people think that it is a way of achieving a strong religious feeling．These people say that meditation helps them feel much closer to God．

　　The word Yoga itself comes from an ancient word meaning “union．” What kind of union do you think the word refers to? Why would people want to have this kind of experience?

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