The environmental group 350.org has launched a new campaign called Climate Name Change that proposes to revise to how hurricanes are named: call them after policymakers who say that humans are not to blame for global warming. This will save the Katrinas and Sandys of the world from the injustice of having their names attached to major disaster, the group says. And, as a bonus, it will produce some peculiar weather reports. "Rick Perry leaves trail of death," appears under a broadcast titled "Rick Perry: The Tragedy." "Michelle Bachman is incredibly dangerous. If you value your life, please seek shelter from Michelle Bachman," says an official while addressing a news conference. The campaign is unlikely to influence the World Meteorological Organization, which has since 1954 named Atlantic tropical storms from an official list. But the campaign's goal seems less to actually name a hurricane after the speaker of the house, and more to call attention to an issue that this month has reached an alarming level of seriousness. The campaign comes just a month before the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change will release its most recent report on the state of global warming and a week after a draft of the report was given away to Reuters. In the draft, scientists concluded with near certainty - about 95 percent sure - that humans are to blame for the worldwide temperature hikes over the last few decades. That was a revision from the 2007 report, which put scientific certainty that human activities were driving global climate change at about 90 percent. And global warming, the report said, is not slowing down - it, actually, is accelerating. That means that sea levels could balloon upward as much as three feet by the end of the century, if emissions continue at their current pace. Still, as the Washington Post Climate notes, hurricanes are not the best sign of global warming. Though current data suggests that global warming will in the future stir up terrible super storms, there is still not enough evidence to... The writer of the passage seems to believe that _ . A) policymakers should be blamed for the global warming B) the campaign will cause the change of naming hurricanes C) global warming has no necessary relation to terrible hurricanes D) global warming will surely cause terrible super storms in the future
C
(Question)
Liu Jiaoyang, 16, carefully winds a bobbin with thread, places it on her sewing machine and then presses her foot down to begin sewing.While she' s doing this, she pretends to guide fabric through the machine.Liu looks forward to the class when she can work on a piece of real cloth, and make a beautiful dress. Each Tuesday afternoon, after the bell rings for the fourth period, Liu becomes a fashion designer.At the same time, the rest of the students at the High School Attached to Yunnan Normal University in Kunming are also having classes a little bit different from the usual ones.Some students dance, others create robots, and still others review films.These are just a few of the other 27 elective courses besides Liu's sewing class that the school began to offer last month. "The fashion design class has become the bright point of my week.I learn how to choose colors and fabrics as well as sewing and sketching skills.It's all helping me to realize the dream of becoming a fashion designer I' ve had since I was a little girl, " Liu said. Design is Liu' s favorite, but for other students the electives are interesting lessons which relieve the pressures of schoolwork.Some students, for example, are learning how to play bridge.Chen Xi,15, is one of them.She said, "Many people think that playing a card game like this in class is a waste of time.But in fact, bridge is a very challenging game that helps develop memory and math skills." According to the passage many people think _ in class is a waste of time. A) dancing B) creating robots C) playing a card game D) reviewing films
(Answer)
C
Ques: Whether you're flying off to distant beaches or piling into the car for a weekend vacation, nurture a love of new places in your child this travel season. There are some wonderful products and media available to help your kids get fired up about geography. For the youngest ones, don't miss the adorable Hugg-A- Planet, Earth (peacetoys.com, $19.95). It's a soft, stuffed globe that's covered with a color1ful map of Earth. Kids will eye it like a treasure, toss it like a ball and hug it like a friend. For toddlers, the nifty puzzle My Town A-B-C (Great American Puzzle Factory, ages 3 and up; $12) helps teach the concept of place as it illustrates the relationship of one location to another. Also worth looking at for younger kids is the very cool CD-ROM Tonka Town (Atari, ages 3-6; $19.99), which lets children steer their favorite giant trucks down some adventurous paths. For the older kids, probably nothing beats Handling the Actual Map (ages 8-15; $12.95) that your family's using to get to your vacation destination. Whether you are traveling by car, bus, train or plane, show the kids how to follow your route. Ask them to narrate the trip. During your journey, consider weaving in a history lesson or two. Discuss how the famous explorers used maps to chart their journeys. An excellent book is The Lewis & Clark Expedition (Williamson Publishing, ages 9-12; $12.95), which shows how the Corps of Discovery bravely pushed westward. Love music and want to work it into your vacation in a meaningful, catchy way? Sample the delightful video States and Capitals Songs (Educational Insights, ages 7 and up; $14.95). Or, if you want lots of laughs as you travel (and who wouldn't?), try Scrambled States of America (Gamewright, ages 8 and up; $11.99). It's a fun game of observation and fast reflexes that sets players scrambling to find. The things mentioned in the passage are of great use when you are _ . A) traveling on vacation B) exploring in the forests C) buying a Mother's Day gift D) learning geography in class
Ans: A
"Confidence" is probably one of the most noticeable traits in the Americans. They show confidence in the way they talk, the way they smile, the way they dress and the way they walk. Living and competing with all these confident American students, I find it extremely important to be confident as an international student and instructor. As a student, being confident means you should never hesitate to raise your hand whenever a question or a point comes to your mind. Don't mind if it sounds simple or silly. Otherwise you will never get a chance to speak in class at all. What's worse, the professors may think you are not prepared for the discussion or you do not have your own opinion on the issue--this is the last comment any graduate would like to receive. Being confident for me as a foreign instructor means calmly asking the student to repeat what he or she has said if I did not get it. Pretending to understand what you actually did not may just bring yourself embarrassment or even disgrace. But the time I most need to be confident is when my students come to my office and bargain about the grades I have given for their speeches. (The course I'm teaching here is Public speaking). Modesty is a trait highly valued in China, but it won't be of much help here if you want to survive and succeed in a good American graduate program. What can we infer from the passage? A) American students are ready to accept the grades from the teacher. B) The writer teaches in Europe for a living. C) Students are encouraged to present simple questions. D) One's ignorance will give away in time.
D