We often hear the phrase: "You've a greater chance of being struck by lightning." It is used to describe something that hasn't got much chance of happening. However, the common saying undermines(掩盖) the very real dangers of lightning.

Last Friday, at least 5 people were killed by lightning in Nepal(尼泊尔).

Lightning strikes are the second most common cause of deaths during natural disasters in the US. The first is floods. Around 400 people nationwide are struck by lightning each year, and of those, 73 people die. There are more people killed by lightning than by tornadoes and hurricanes.

Because lightning kills only one or two people at a time, its danger does not receive as much attention as other disasters.

So to raise awareness, the US has made June 22-28 National Lightning Safety Week. It aims to warn the public of the dangers of lightning and provide safety tips during thunderstorms.

"If you hear thunder, you are in danger of lightning," said Rocky Lopes, a disaster educator at the American Red Cross.

"Thunder means that lightning is close enough to hit you at any minute, so you should move indoors immediately and stay there until after the storm has ended. The single most important thing to remember is to seek a hiding place," Lopes said.

Summer is the high time for lightning storms, so when lightning strikes across the sky, remember these safety tips:

Stop working, fishing, swimming or playing in open fields.

If you can count less than ten seconds between a thunder and a lightning flash, take cover inside the nearest building.

Do not stand under a tree.

Get off bicycles or motorcycles.

Crouch down(蹲下)if there is no hiding place.

Avoid open spaces, wire fences, metal objects and electrical objects such as hair driers.

 

1.  The popular opinion about being struck by lightening is that ______.

A. there’s a greater chance for being killed by lightening than any other natural disaster

B. it is the most dangerous among all the natural disasters

  C. the chance for a person to be struck by lightening is very small

  D. it is impossible for people to be killed by lightening

2.The average death rate of being struck by lightening in US is about _______.

  A.18%　　　　　B.50%　　　　　  C. 30%　　　　  D. 73%

3.thunder in             the open air______.

A. just stand by your bicycles and motorcycles

  B. quickly find a place to go inside

  C. count ten seconds between a thunder and a lightening

  D. don’t have a hair drier in your hand

4.According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?

A. There are more people killed by tornadoes and hurricanes than by lightening in US each year.

B. There are on average 5 persons killed by lightening in Nepal each day.

C. The death rate of being stuck by lightening is much higher than by other natural disasters.

D. The National Lightening Safety Week is made to warn the public against the lightening.

 

Ticket price increases at HK Disney

Source：Xinhua | 02—05—2009 11：39

Hong Kong Disneyland announced on Tuesday it will raise weekday admission prices for mainland and overseas tourists by about 19 percent．But Hong Kong residents and tourists who purchase tickets through travel agents can still enjoy the old prices until June 30．　 　　　

A one-day admission will cost HK $350($45)for adults and HK $250 for children aged up to 11 from Monday, the previous charges for weekends．Adults were previously admitted for HK $295 and children HK $210．

A Hong Kong Disneyland spokesman said the park does not expect the new pricing structure to have an immediate impact on attendances, as research shows guests choose when to visit the attraction based on time available rather than ticket prices．But the hikes(the rise of prices)drew immediate criticism from the industry．The greater tourism industry fears it may harm mainlanders willingness to visit Hong Kong．　 　　　

Joseph Tung Yao-chung, executive director of Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong, said the decision was unwise in the current financial climate．He also urged the company to rethink its decision, during an interview with Southern Metropolis Daily．　 　　　

1.On September 10 of 2009(weekday), 　Hong Kong　 residents and tourists will have to spend         buying three children tickets．

A．HK $360    B．$　360     C．HK $750     D．HK $885　 　　　

2.There is a family with five people, John，his father，mother，grandfather and grandmother．They are from America, John is eleven years old．If they visit the place on June 30 2009(weekday)，they will spend about         in total．

A．$212       B．$　1650    C．HK $1400    D．$1390　 　　　

3.What can we infer from the passage?

A．Joseph Tung Yao-chung disagreed about the ticket price increase at HK Disney．

B．Hong Kong Disneyland will make a lot of money by raising weekday admission prices for mainland tourists．　 　　　

C．The Hong Kong Disneyland spokesman didn't like the new pricing structure．

D．Only tourists from mainland visit Hong Kong Disneyland．

 

I have a friend named Monty Roberts. He has let me use his horse ranch(养马场)to put on events to raise money for youth at risk programs.
Last time I was there he introduced me by saying, “I want to tell you why I let you use my house. It all goes back to a story about a young man who was the son of an itinerant(流动的)horse trainer. When he was a senior, he was asked to write a paper about what he wanted to be when he grew up.”
“That night he wrote a seven-page paper describing his goal of owning a horse ranch someday. He put all his heart into the project and wrote about his dream in great detail. He even drew a diagram of a 200-acre ranch, showing the location of the buildings, stables and the track, and even a detailed floor plan for a 4000-square-foot house on it.”
“The next day he handed it in to his teacher. Two days later ,he received a large red “F” on his paper with a note, ‘See me after class.’ The boy went to see the teacher and asked why. The teacher told him there was no way for a young boy like him to do that because owning a horse ranch required much money and resources, and then added ‘If you’ll rewrite his paper with a more realistic goal, I will reconsider your grade.’”
“The boy went home and thought about it long and hard. He asked his father what to do. His father said, ‘Look, son, you have to make up your own mind on this. However, I think it’s a very important decision for you.’”
“Finally, a week later, the boy turned in the same paper without any change and stated, ‘You can keep the F and I’ll keep my dream.’”
“I tell you this story because you are sitting in my 4000-square-foot house in the middle of my 200-acre horse ranch. I still have that school paper framed over the fireplace.”
Don’t let anyone steal your dreams. Follow your heart, no matter what.
【小题1】 The teacher gave him an “F” for his written paper because the
teacher thought 　　    .

A．he didn’t do a good job in his studies

B．he described an unrealistic goal in his paper

C．he came from an itinerant horse trainer’s family

D．he wrote his paper without the help of his father

【小题2】 Why did the boy turn in the same paper without any change?

A．Because he made up his mind to stick to his dream.

B．Because his father stopped him from rewriting it.

C．Because he was angry about his teacher’s words.

D．Because he had put too much of his heart into it.

【小题3】 From the story we can infer that the boy was actually 　　    .

A．Monty himself	B．the author himself
C．Monty’s friend	D．an unknown person

【小题4】 According to the passage, the following statements are true EXCEPT
that 　　    .

A．the boy was very interested in having a horse ranch of his own

B．the boy might have got a higher grade if he’d rewritten his paper

C．the boy succeeded in turning his dream into reality in the end

D．the boy wouldn’t have reached his goal without his father’s support

【小题5】 The author wrote this passage mainly to 　　    

A．tell people how to describe their goals

B．warn people against dream stealers

C．encourage people to stick to their dreams

D．teach people how to write their papers

Lillian Hanson, a college student, expects to graduate in about two years. What makes Mrs Hanson different from her classmates is her age-----73 years. She has been studying at college, a few courses at a time, for 27 years.

　　When Lillian Hanson graduated from high school, she went to the bank to borrow money for further education. The banker gave her no encouragement. He didn‘t think that a country girl should borrow money to go to college. He thought she should be at home doing work in the house or around the farm. So Lillian Hanson went home and raised a family of nine children instead of going to college. Mrs Hanson never forgot her dream of getting a higher education. When her children were grown, she tried again.

　　She finds that it is the hardest part of going back to school at her age to sit in class for long periods of time. Because she is not as quick as she used to be, Mrs Hanson often gets up and walks around classes to keep from getting stiff(不灵活). At the beginning of a course in using the computer, the other students all stood up to give her a warm welcome when she introduced herself and explained why she was there and what her aims were.

1. Mrs Hanson couldn’t go to college immediately after she graduated from high school because _____.

A．she hadn‘t got enough money	B．she was a country girl
C．the banker ordered her not to borrow any money
D．the banker thought she should raise a family of nine children

2.The computer students welcomed Mrs Hanson warmly because ______.

A．she had got an excellent result in the exam

B．she was good at telling funny stories

C．they wanted to get her help in their studies

D．they were deeply moved by her spirit

3. Mrs Hanson is the sort of person who ________.

A．cares for study very much	B．likes to borrow money from the bank
C．never misses a chance to talk	D．tries to save any money for her family

4. In which order did Mrs Hanson do the following things?

　　a. she began her studies at college.

　　b. She finished high school.

　　c. She got married and gave birth of nine children.

　　d. She had her 73 rd birthday.

　　e. She went to the bank to borrow money.

A．a c b e d

B．b e c a d

C．b c e d a

D．e d a c b