專題訓練：閱讀理解

A

About six years ago，I was on a plane next to a woman. I was tired and wanted to take a nap.But before I could go into “ignore pattern”，she tapped me on the shoulder to introduce herself.

“Hi，my name is Helga！”

We got to talk and eventually it came up that I had started an organization in high school called RAKE（Random Acts of Kindness，Etc.）.As I described what we did，Helga got very serious and told me that she admired me for that.She told me a story about the last time she had flown. She was on the way to Arizona because she had gotten sudden news that her dad s health was on the decline. Later her father s physician called to inform her that her dad had rather suddenly passed away. For the 3 hour plane ride，she sat in silence around strangers.

When she arrived at the airport in Arizona，she walked to the nearest wall， sat down and cried. And here is the part I ll never forget about Helga s story. For two hours she sat and wept while thousands walked to and from the airport.Helga looked at me and said，“Houston，not a single person stopped and asked if I was okay that day.” It was that day that I realized how much we need each other. It was that day that I realized kindness isn t normal.

Kindness isn t normal. That has stuck with me all these years especially now. I work in schools nationwide speaking about sympathy，kindness，empathy（同理心） and love. I m reminded all the time that，for many of us，kindness is not usually our default setting. We spend so much time worrying about our problems，our lives，our insecurities，getting to our flight so we walk by or ignore people in need of help.

So， I ve made it my mission to do my part in sharing stories with students，teachers，and parents about our need for character and sympathy. I m always on the lookout for the little opportunities that surround me every day to do something nice.

1. What impressed the author most about Helga s story？

A. Helga s silence on her flight to Arizona.

B. Helga s extreme sadness over her father s death.

C. Helga s anxiety over her father s sudden illness.

D. Helga s being ignored by people around her when she cried.

2. Which can best explain the underlined part “default setting” in paragraph 5？

A. Usual way of doing things.

B. Unexpected way to do things.

C. Ignorance to people around.

D. Big surprise to others.

3. What can we know about the author？

A. He started many clubs in high school.

B. He used to be a school teacher.

C. He teaches kids how to behave well.

D. He is a promoter of a good cause.

4. What can be a suitable title for the text？

A. Comforting people in need

B. Making kindness normal

C. Ignoring unnecessary troubles

D. Practising kindness on the plane

B

Like many thickly populated urban neighborhoods， Lincoln Park also has rats—a lot of rats. “Every night when I walk down the sidewalk， I see rats，” says 36 year old Kelly McGee， who has come to accept this aspect of city living. “It s an urban area. I don t know what else we can expect.”

McGee lives just down the block from the old Children s Memorial Hospital， which is about to be torn down as part of a massive redevelopment project. “Construction all over the city often disturbs rats that are living underground，” says Lincoln Park s City Council representative， Alderman Michele Smith. “Every developer has to do active rat reduction on site.” Already， there are poisonous and inviting food boxes all around the old hospital complex. But the developer of the hospital site still warned residents in a recent community meeting that when digging begins later this month， the rat problem could be awful.

Victoria Thomas， who lives a few miles away from Lincoln Park in Chicago s Lake View neighborhood， says she tried everything from underground fencing to poison traps to wipe out rats， but nothing worked until she got some cats. From the first day she got the cats， Thomas says the rats started to disappear.

“The cats will kill off a great deal of the initial population of the rats，” says Paul Nickerson， who manages the Cats at Work program for Tree House Humane Society. “And through spreading their pheromones， a chemical produced by an animal， the cats will keep other rats from filling their absence.” Nickerson says that is what makes the cat program so successful in keeping rats away for the long term.“ The rats are far from stupid. They smell the cats ?pheromones so theyll stay out of the cats ?territory.”

After Smith highlighted the program in a recent newsletter， Nickerson and Tree House Humane Society have been getting lots of calls from people seeking their own cat colonies. That means a lot more wild cats that might otherwise be killed out of pity will be cared for while doing something that they love： hunting rats.

1. What is McGee s attitude towards the rat problem？

A. Indifferent. B. Tolerant.

C. Annoyed. D. Frightened.

2. What does the underlined word “that” in the last but one paragraph refer to？

A. Rats ?stupidity.

B. Tree House Humane Society.

C. Cats ?nature of killing rats.

D. The smell of cats ?pheromones.

3. What does the last paragraph suggest？

A. The program is a win win thing.

B. Cats should be taken good care of.

C. Wild cats are more skilled at hunting.

D. It s important to keep the ecological ba lance.

C

Australian magpies can understand what other birds are saying to each other， a new study has found.

The research， published in the journal Animal Behavior， says the magpie has learned the meanings of different noisy miner calls and essentially eavesdrops（偷聽） to find out which predators（食肉動物） are near.

Noisy miners—a small， native honeyeater—have different warning calls for ground based and aerial predators. By playing both kinds of recording to a series of wild magpies， researchers observed the magpies raising their beaks（喙） to the sky， or dropping their heads to the ground.

Researchers attracted the magpies with cheese， and then played the noisy miner calls， videotaping the results.

As a control， they also rolled a large orange ball towards the magpies to see how they ordinarily tilted（傾斜） their beaks to ground threats， and threw the ball to see how they reacted to aerial threats.

The researchers recorded an average maximum beak angle of 29 degrees for the thrown ball， and an average maximum of nine degrees when it was rolled.

The miners aerial warning caused an average maximum beak angle of 31 degrees， and the ground warning caused an average maximum of 24 degrees.

One of the study s authors， Dominique Potvin， said the magpies showed an astonishing level of insight.

Magpies and miners broadly face the same types of predators and the two frequently live in the same ecosystem.

Potvin said this had encouraged the magpies ?learned behavior.

“Magpies are generally found on the ground and noisy miners are generally found up in trees. It pays for the magpie to pay attention to somebody who has a better view of predators than they do.”

She said it was unclear whether other birds could do the same， but it was highly likely that other magpies around Australia already did.

“Magpies are a pretty smart group. We re not sure if they re learning this from other magpies or if they re figuring it out on their own， but the ability is there.

As part of the experiment， researchers also played a third call： a common， non warning call from a crimson rosella. They found the magpies did not respond.

Potvin said that they had been actively exploring animal cognition（認知） research. “Looking at the social relationships between species that live in communities is a good piece of the puzzle，” Potvin said.

1. What have the researchers found about Au stralian magpies？

A. They can understand other bird calls.

B. They can communicate with noisy miners.

C. They have a special preference for cheeses.

D. They have the ability to warn the predators.

2. How did the researchers get their findings？

A. By calculating the beak angles of aerial and ground predators.

B. By comparing the magpie s and the miner s responses to threats.

C. By monitoring the magpie s responses to the miner warning calls.

D. By recording the magpie s louder scream for other birds ?attention.

3. The magpies ?cognition can help them .

A. have a better view of the predators than the miners

B. better protect themselves from the potential threats

C. cooperate with other birds to drive away the predators

D. live in harmony with other birds in the same ecosystem

D

Moscow city authorities have begun using comics with characters from Russian fairy tales to explain to migrants how they should behave. They say a 100 page guide is needed to “maintain a positive image” of the city and could help reduce “tensions” between natives and migrants. But critics have pointed out that foreign migrants and natives may be viewed as antagonists in the manual.

Russians and migrants have repeatedly clashed in Moscow recently. Many migrants from ex Soviet republics in Central Asia， the Caucasus and North Caucasus， arrive in Moscow every year， attracted by the capital s job opportunities and relatively high salaries. A significant number of them work in the Russian capital illegally.

The new guide in Russian seeks to explain the “dos” and “don ts” to migrants. They are urged not to cause trouble， by staring at women， or eating or talking loudly on the streets. They are also warned that the police may routinely stop them to check their documents.

In the manual， Russia s famous “three warriors” are meant to represent the city s law enforcement agencies， while Prince Yuri Dolgoruky （a historical character） is used for tours around Moscow. Meanwhile， Vasilisa the Wise and The Snow Maiden test the reader on Rus sia s language and history. A special section of the book explains the importance of following Moscow s strict residency and employment rules， stressing that migrants could otherwise be deported（驅逐出境） or banned from entry.

The manual was written primarily for illegal migrants， Alexander Kalinin， who heads the group Support for Working Migrants in Moscow， told BBC Russian.

“We want to raise their level of law awareness，” he added.

Migrant characters had initially（最初） been identified as representatives of different nationalities， but the book s authors later decided to drop this idea so as “not to offend anyone”， said Mr Kalinin.

“The old conflict between Russian heroes and non Slavic invaders is being revived，” Yevgeny Varshaver， a migration expert told BBC Russian. He also suggested that the language used in the book would be “difficult” to understand for some migrants who were not native Russian speakers.

1. The underlined word “antagonists” in para graph 1 can probably be replaced by “”. A. strangers B. acquaintances

C. cooperators D. opponents

2. Why do people from other countries come to Moscow？

A. To find well paid jobs.

B. To have a new lifestyle.

C. To enjoy the fine climate.

D. To experience a new culture.

3. Which of the following would be the best title of the text？

A. Ways to help foreign migrants to settle in Russia

B. Characters from Russian fairy tales have new jobs

C. More and more foreign migrants to work in Moscow

D. Moscow fairytale comics to help migrants behave

E

These museums are solely devoted to a particular piece of food culture.

SPAM Museum

With a brand new location， the SPAM Museum celebrates a food that people either love or despise. While visitors might not actually be able to find out what s inside a can of SPAM， the museum has a lot of memorabilia（紀念品） on display， many of them related to its role in the World War Ⅱ.

Admission： free

Hours：

November to March

Monday—Closed

Tuesday to Saturday： 10am to 5pm

Sunday： Noon to 5pm

April to October：

Monday to Saturday： 10am to 6pm

Sunday： Noon to 5pm

CLOSED： New Year s Day， Easter， Thanksgiving， Christmas Eve and Christmas Day

Chocolate Museum， Cologne

The museum offers guided tours， a cafe and a store where over 100，000 chocolate products are for sale. A German travel expert says， “The exhibition texts are in English and German. For kids， there are plenty of interactive activities， but the highlight of the museum is a 10 foot high chocolate fountain （噴泉）.”

Admission：

Adults： ■9.00

Groups of 15 persons or more： ■8.50

Family ticket： ■25.00

Hours：

Tuesday to Friday： 10am to 6pm

Saturday/Sunday/bank holidays： 11am to 7pm

Frietmuseum， Bruges

The Frietmuseum explains the history of the potato and fries， starting on the ground floor with an exhibition about Peru， where potatoes originated more than 10，000 years ago. Then on the first floor， visitors can learn about the history of fries， and how they came to Belgium and became the most beloved national food. There are also medieval（中世紀的） potato cellars（地窖） where visitors get to have a taste.

Admission：

Adults： ■7.00

Groups（at least 15 people， reservation required）： ■6.00

Students， 65+： ■ 6.00

Children aged from 6 to 11： ■ 5.00

Hours：

Daily from 10am to 5pm （last tickets at 4：15pm）

Closing dates：

Closed on 24th， 25th and 31st December， 1st January

We are also closed from 9th to 13th January.

1. If you visit the SPAM Museum during the winter holiday， you have to visit it at .

A. 11am on Monday

B. 11am on Sunday

C. 11am on Thursday

D. 6pm on Saturday

2. What is probably the most popular thing for children in the Chocolate Museum in Cologne？

A. A chocolate store.

B. A memorabilia show.

C. A chocolate cafe.

D. A chocolate fountain.

3. What is not exhibited in the Frietmuseum in Bruges？

A. The history of potatoes in Peru.

B. The history of potatoes in Belgium.

C. The history of fries in Belgium.

D. The city s medieval potato cellar.

F

About the competition

The telegraph， an online news service， has teamed up with Saga， which provides products and services only for the over 50s， to hold a new competition to find the best travel writer. Three lucky winners will win a master class with two top Telegraph travel writers before travelling the world with Saga on one of three holidays of great comfort and pleasure. To enter， all you need to do is tell us something mysterious and wonderful about the world of travel—a favorite memory， a humorous tale， an unforgettable occasion or a sight worth writing about.

What we are looking for

You must be able to read not only those signs that help you find your way around but the ones that tell you how the locals tick. You must， in the words of Paul Theroux， an American travel writer， “describe exactly what you see and give it life with your imagination”.

In this competition， you can do that in anything from 150 to 500 words， but they should be your words， and fresh ones. We do expect you not to hide the truth or the facts about your experience. Beyond that， you can make the most of the freedom travel writing gives you.

You ll be an editor as well as a writer， so ensure those eyes are equally fresh when you check and recheck what you ve written. We will make allowances for the occasional mistake， such as you have “fell” into a river. But we won t put up with mistakes every few lines.

Terms & conditions

Competitors must be aged 50 years or older.

The judging process is divided into two stages： Entries will be hosted on the website for one month. The top 20 articles will then be selected by public votes. The top three winners will be chosen by three judges.

The closing date for entries is August 15.

1. What does the prize for winners include？

A. A chance to learn from excellent writers.

B. The publication of their works.

C. Three wonderful holidays.

D. An opportunity to work in the Telegraph.

2. Who will select the final winners？

A. The public.

B. Paul Theroux.

C. Two top Telegraph travel writers.

D. Three chosen judges.

3. What type of writing is this text？

A. An essay.

B. A travel guide.

C. A writing guide.

D. An announcement.

G

Alarming headlines suggest one in four teenage girls in the UK are self harming， motivated by sex discrimination and pressure to look good in a selfie（自拍） society. These stories come from a report by UK charity The Children s Society， based on an ongoing survey of 11，000 children aged 14. Among the girls， 22 percent said they had self harmed while 9 percent boys did that.

But while the term self harm improves images of teenagers cutting themselves， that may， thankfully， be only the most extreme end of a broader range. In this survey， participants were merely asked if they had hurt themselves on purpose in any way.

Some could have answered yes for things like punching （拳打） a wall in dissatisfaction or deliberately getting falling down drunk. Others could have thought the question included mental hurt. Such self destructive behaviour would naturally be of concern to parents， but wouldn t be that unusual for teenagers. Max Davie， a health promotion officer， does believe that self harm among teens is somewhat on the rise—but thinks the question in this survey was not specific enough to reveal its real universality.

The latest headlines join an ongoing account about a mental health crisis in today s youth. Some blame cutbacks in social services， while others point to a loosening of sexual standards， which makes teens at risk.

But such reports also deserve some skepticism. Claims of high rates of depression are usually based on surveys with very loose， non medical criteria. Thankfully， clinical depression is still rare in this age group.

In fact， a different and regularly repeated survey has found no change in 11 ?to 15 year old s happiness with life as a whole between 1995 and 2016， nor did their satisfaction with the appearance change， which makes it strange to blame the selfie culture for the apparent self harm increase. This survey， called Understanding Society， even found improvement in happiness with family and schoolwork over that period. These more optimistic findings were also in the latest Children s Society report but were buried at the bottom of their press release.

Davie thinks the rise in self harm may not be due to a rise in unhappiness， but simply that this age group now sees self harm as a more culturally acceptable way to express extreme sufferings. “It may be that previously people didn t know that this was something you could do. If people are talking about something and normalizing it， it s probably more likely that their peers will do it.”

1. In response to the survey reported by The Children s Society， the author believes .

A. the survey is unscientific as it asked very specific questions

B. the self destructive behavior of teens is worrying to parents

C. the number of self harming teens is alarming because of selfies

D. the images of teens ?self harm are becoming more specific

2. What does Max Davie think of self harm among teenagers？

A. The situation is too worrying.

B. The rise is somewhat beneficial.

C. The problem is actually widespread.

D. The phenomenon is not so universal.

3. What can we know from the survey called Understanding Society？

A. Teenagers in the past lived a happier life.

B. Selfie culture is responsible for the increase of self harm.

C. There is no connection between self harm and selfie.

D. With selfie teenagers are more satisfied with their appearance.

H

Are some people born clever， and others born stupid？ Or is intelligence developed by our environment and our experiences？ Strangely enough， the answer to both questions is yes. To some degree， our intelligence is given to us at birth， and no amount of special education can make a genius out of a child born with low intelligence. On the other hand， a child who lives in a boring environment will develop his intelligence less than one who lives in rich and varied surroundings. Thus the limits of a person s intelligence are fixed at birth， but whether or not he reaches those limits will depend on his environment. This view， now held by most experts， can be supported in a number of ways.

It is easy to show that intelligence is to some degree something we are born with. The closer the blood relationship between two people， the closer they are likely to be in intelligence. Thus if we take two unrelated people at random（隨機） from the population， it is likely that their degrees of intelligence will be completely different. If on the other hand we take two identical（完全相同的） twins， they will very likely be as intelligent as each other. Relations like brothers and sisters， parents and children， usually have similar intelligence， and this clearly suggests that intelligence depends on birth.

Imagine now that we take two identical twins and put them in different environments. We might send one， for example， to a university and the other to a factory where the work is boring. We would soon find differences in intelligence developing， and this indicates that environment as well as birth plays a part. This conclusion is also suggested by the fact that people who live in close contact with each other， but who are not related at all， are likely to have similar degrees of intelligence.

1. Which of following sentences best describes the writer s point in paragraph 1？

A. To some degree， intelligence is given at birth.

B. Intelligence is developed by the environment.

C. Some people are born clever and others born stupid.

D. Intelligence is fixed at birth， but is developed by the environment.

2. It is suggested in this passage that .

A. unrelated people are not likely to have similar intelligence

B. close relations usually have similar intelligence

C. the closer the blood relationship between people is， the more different they are likely to be in intelligence

D. people who live in close contact with each other are not likely to have similar degrees of intelligence

3. What is the best title for the text？

A. On intelligence

B. What intelligence means

C. We are born with intelligence

D. Environment plays a part in developing intelligence