Canada is the second largest country in the world after Russia. It stretches from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and from the high Arctic to the northern border of the continental U.S.A. Although very much a "northern" country, the geography of Canada is very _ . As well as the popular image of Canada as a country of forests, there are also deserts and badlands , rain forests and long and wide beaches. Canada has huge inland lakes, evergreen forests, woodlands and meadows. Canada's coastlines are thousands of miles long, with long, wild rivers leading to the oceans. In contrast to the expanses of open country, Canada also has its share of urban areas. The majority of the population and heavy industry is in the two provinces of Quebec and Ontario, but large and modern cities are spread across the land from the Atlantic to the Pacific, all within a few hours drive, at most, from the border with the United States. Business is active throughout the country, The Prairie Provinces with their vast fields of grain help to feed the world. The fisheries on both the West and the East Coast are widespread. Oil and natural gas have recently been discovered off the East Coast. The Trans-Canada Highway links the country from coast to coast, there is an extensive network of railways, and a widespread network of airline routes serving both major and remote communities. The rural areas are less populated, with more and more people leaving for the larger towns and cities. The lands to the north are much less developed, but as some of these areas are used for their plenty of natural resources, populations are growing. What does the word "diverse" probably mean in this passage? A) important B) necessary C) comfortable D) different
A
According to the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, global temperatures have risen by approximately 0.6degC in the past century, caused mainly by emissions of greenhouse gases produced by human activities,such as the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation.Temperatures are to increase between 1.6degC and 5.8degC in the next century, accompanied by sea level rise and an increase in the frequency of extreme weather events. The best available evidence suggests that climate changes since the 1970s may already be causing over 150,000 deaths annually, and that greenhouse gas emissions would increase disease burdens in the coming decades.The risks are concentrated in the poorest population, who have contributed least to the problem. The Kyoto Protocol is signed by 128 nations,and commits the participating industrialized countries to cutting emissions of greenhouse gases by over 5% below 1990 level by the period of 20082012. "Over 600 thousand people died in weatherrelated disasters in the 1990s.Temperature and rainfall influence the rates of diseases and infections including malaria,and malnutrition,which together cause over 3.5 million deaths a year.The Kyoto Protocol is the first step towards protecting the climate system,which exerts such a strong influence on our health",said Dr Kerstin Leitner,Assistant DirectorGeneral for Sustainable Development and Healthy Environments. While acting to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, it is also essential to protect vulnerable communities from the effects of climate changes.WHO works to promote measures such as protection from malaria and other climate sensitive diseases, and reliable access to clean water and sanitation, for people in the most vulnerable developing countries.Increasing disease control efforts will also help to protect current and future generations from the impacts of greenhouse gas emissions. What does the passage mainly talk about? A) Climate changes and the effects on human health. B) Climate changes cause over 15,000 deaths annually. C) Who promotes measures such as protection from malaria. D) The Kyoto Protocol helps to protect human health.
A
Q: In the United States, 30 percent of the adult population has a "weight problem.". To many people, the cause is clear: We eat too much. But scientific evidence does little to support this idea. Going back to the America of 1910, we find that people were slimmer than today, yet they ate more food. In those days people worked harder physically, walked more, used machines much less, and didn't watch television. Several modern studies, moreover, have shown that fatter people don't eat more on average than thinner people. In fact, some investigations (researches), such as a 1970 study of 3,545 London office workers, report that, on balance, fat people eat less than slimmer people. Studies show that slim people are more active than fat people. A study by a research group at Stanford University School of Medicine found the following interesting facts. The more the men ran, the greater loss of body fat. The more they ran, the greater their increase in food intake . Thus those who ran the most ate the most, yet lost greatest amount of body fat. Based on the statistics given in the article, suppose there are 500 adult Americans, about how many of them will have weight problems? A) 30 B) 50 C) 100 D) 150
A: D
Question: Our daughter Kerrin, a student at Boston University, had been home for a week-end visit, and I dropped her off at the bus station just in time for her back to college. After Kerrin's bus had gone and I was driving away, I noticed that she had left her purse on the passenger seat. Worried that she would arrive in Boston without money or keys to her room, I called my wife, Bette Jean, on the car phone, explaining why I would be late. As I was following the bus, Bette Jean phoned me back to say she had phoned the bus dispatcher on the other line and he, in return, had phoned the bus driver on yet another phone. The driver asked me to wave out of my window to show where I was. Then he pulled over at a rest stop, and I did the same. Kerrin jumped off the bus, and I handed her the purse and went on my way. Which of the following is not true? A) The bus was too fast for the car to catch up with in no time. B) The writer had tried to phone the dispatcher but failed. C) The writer couldn't get in touch with the driver by the phone. D) Both the writer and the bus driver could use the car phone.
Answer: B
(Question)
It's not so surprising that US First Lady Michelle Obama has called Modern Family her favorite TV series. September saw the fun, heartwarming sitcom take home the Best Comedy Series award at the 2013 Emmys. This is the fourth year in a row that the series has won that title. The show features three families who move in and out of each other's lives. The first one is a typical American family: the working dad Phil, stay-at-home mom Claire and their three children. The second family is made up of Jay, his young Hispanic wife and her son Manny. Jay, 65, is the father of Claire. He is 30 years older than his wife and everyone mistakes the two for being father and daughter. The third family is made up of a gay couple, Mitchell and Cameron, and their adopted daughter Lily. Mitchell is Jay's son. On Sept 25, the show started its fifth season, in which Claire makes a big change - she returns to work. The other big storylines include Jay's stepson Manny starting high school and Mitchell and Cameron looking for a primary school for Lily. Will things go right for the three families? Modern Family has no spies, aliens or vampires ; it's just about ordinary people. So what has made it such a hit? According to the Los Angeles Times, its "presentation of contemporary US society" contributes to its success. The show presents what a typical "nuclear family" is like in the US: two parents, a big house and two or three children. When there's a fight between their kids, Phil wants to be the "cool dad" while traditional mom Claire lives by the saying "an eye for an eye". She always forces Phil to punish the troublemaker. The show also touches upon developments in interracial relations in the US by focusing on Hispanic communities. This makes sense, as "by 2040, America will no longer be a majority-white country, with the fastest growth rate among Hispanics..." BBC pointed out. In addition, according to BBC, 40 percent of Americans say they have a gay friend or relative. By including Mitchell and Cameron, Modern Family reflects... Why is Modern Family so popular? A) It reflects current US society. B) It presents what a typical "nuclear family" is like in the US. C) It includes developments in interracial relations in the US. D) It reflects the changing status of gay people in the US.
(Answer)
A