Dear editor, Several days ago, I heard that a dear friend of mine had killed herself. I was deep in sorrow by the sudden news. I can't keep calm any longer. I'm always thinking about life and death. Life is so precious. If we can slip into death in an impulsive moment, what use in all our efforts and hopes? Our families, our ambitions, everything is flung into total darkness. And death allows no time for regret. Nevertheless, the suicide rate increases year by year, particularly of young people. Reasons may vary from person to person, yet I think they share something in common. First, today's young people are morally weak. They hunger for success but can not face failure; they are eager to be understood but afraid of opening their hearts to others. They live in a wide world, from east to west, ancient to present, but their hearts beat in a narrow desert, closed tight, unable to communicate. Each becomes an isolated fortress , lonely, and weak. My friend is a good example of that. As a young teacher, she was devoted to her work but was disappointed with her students' occasional failures. She fell in love with a colleague but he deserted her. With no close friends, disappointed at work and in love, death seemed to her the only remaining choice and she took it. Another reason for the weakness of today's youth, in my opinion, comes from society's pressures. The young are forced to try too hard to succeed. On the other hand, society refuses to accept that children sometimes do fail. But failure is more important because it can teach the young how to win next time. What can we do to save the desperate young? The passage wants to tell us_. A) a lot of young people choose death to escape from the society B) the number of people who take suicide is larger and larger C) the young people should go to see doctors to solve the spiritual problems D) the reason why the young kill themselves lies in two main kinds
D
"Keep out or I'll chase you out! This is my property!" You hear this every spring. It is a long musical sound --- a bird song! Birds use their songs to communicate different messages to one another. People who study bird sounds are learning their meanings. Usually it is the male that sings. Early in spring he sings to say that he has picked out a piece of property. He sings to attract a female of his same kind. Together they will raise a family in his territory . He sings to tell all other birds of his kind to keep out. Each kind of bird has its own type of song. Cardinals sing something that sounds a little like "What cheer, cheer, cheer." Towhees sing, "Drink your tea." Most of the time, birds pay attention only to the songs of birds of their own kind. Cardinals answer cardinals, and song sparrows answer song sparrows. A cardinal knows that a song sparrow will not try to steal its mate. So you can see one reason why a cardinal may chase away another cardinal but will not bother a song sparrow. Most different kinds of birds eat different things. To find enough to eat, a bird needs a big piece of land to search in. Many kinds of birds have some ways of dividing up the land into territories. Song sparrows, cardinals ovenbirds, and white-throated sparrows are some of the birds that have territorial systems. Especially in early spring, birds work out the boundaries between their territories by singing "keep out" threats and by chasing and fighting each other. The birds continue singing to tell females that they have set up territories. Neighboring birds seem to agree that there are make believe fences between their pieces of property. Then they do not have to waste energy chasing each other instead of taking care of their young. Scientists guessed that some birds could recognize their neighbors by small differences in their songs. Two scientists who studied white-throated sparrows found that these birds can even tell the difference between songs of individual birds of their own kind. White-throated sparrows... Some birds have their own territorial systems so that _ . A) they don't need to fight or chase each other B) they often work together against threats C) they build up fences to protect their property D) they find a big piece of land to search for food
A
Q: What's On? Trouble in Mind Alice Childress won an Off-Broadway award in 1956 for this story of a black actress rehearsing a play with a white director who increasingly finds it impossible for the show to go on. Tanya Moodie and Joseph Marcell star in the play directed by Laurence Boswell. 8.30p.m.--10.30p.m., Theatre Royal. Box office: 01225 448844. Lazarus Inspired by the sci-fi (science fiction) novel and movie,The Man Who Fell to Earth, this musical deals with a hero, Thomas Newton. Likely to be the autumn's hottest ticket, the score includes new songs composed by Bowie. 7.00p.m.--9.00p.m., King's Cross theatre. Box office: 0844 871 7604. The Gaul On the night of 8 February 1974, a fisherman FV Gaul disappeared off the coast of Norway. For people on board, waiting for news was great suffering. Theories began to come up, including the possibility that the boat had fallen victim to cold war. Even when he was discovered, many still felt there were questions that remained unanswered. Mark Babych directs Janet Plater's play. 8.00p.m.--11.00 p.m., Royal Shakespeare theatre. Box office: 01482 323638. The Suppliant Women It is a new version of Aeschylus's 2,500-year-old play about a group of women seeking shelter who make the long journey to escape forced marriage. It was written by David Greigand directed by Ramin Gray. An ancient piece asks a contemporary question: when we are introuble, who will open their doors and give us a harbor? 8.30p.m.--10.00p.m., Hampstead theatre. Box office: 0131 248 4848. Who directed the play about the story in Norway? A) Bowie. B) Ramin Gray. C) Mark Babych. D) Laurence Boswell.
A: C
Q: Last March, the H7N9 virus hit Shanghai, Anhui, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and so on. It seemed that most people who were infected with H7N9 had the common flu . Some people suffered from a fever or a cough. Don't be afraid--it's not easy to be infected with the virus. Here is some advice to help you protect yourself when it comes. Wash your hands. You need to wash your hands with soap and hot water before you eat, after you use the toilet, and after you touch animals, because your hands may carry viruses. Cover your nose and mouth. When someone sneezes or coughs, flu viruses can travel as far as one meter through the air, so you'd better stand a proper distance while talking to someone who has a cold. And always cover your mouth and nose with a piece of paper when you sneeze or cough, and then clean your hands. Wear a mask . Some doctors say that masks can stop the flu as much as 80%, but if you don't wash your hands often, it's no use wearing a mask. And it's necessary to wear the mask in the groups of people. Do sports often. Exercises will help make your body strong enough to resist the virus. When did the H7N9 virus hit Shanghai? A) In March, 2013. B) In May, 2013. C) In March, 2012. D) In April,2013
A: A