The Truth about Left-Handed People

About 90% of people in the world today are right-handed. The other 10% are left-handed, including Obama, the 'President of the US. Every day, left-handed folks quietly face problems. It could be something as simple as driving a car or using a can opener.

Why are so few of us left-handed? One theory is that handedness (hand preference) could be a result of genetics. Scientists say that there are two genes (基因) associated with handedness. One is the D gene. It is more frequent in the population and promotes (促成) right-hand preference. The other is the C gene. It has the ability to promote a preference for either hand. When the C gene is present there is a 50% chance that a person could be right- or left-handed.

Another theory has to do with human brains, which are made up of two halves. If the left half is more powerful, then one is most likely right-handed. But with left-handers, it is more complicated. Seventy percent of them are also left-brain dominant (占优势的). The other 30% have right-side dominant brains.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, left-handedness was considered a disability. But not all of the myths about left-handers are bad. One myth suggests that they are more creative and smarter than the right-handers. So far scientific research has yet to fired any truth to these claims. In fact, a 2013 survey out of New Zealand found that left-handers and right-handers were the same.

Life might be a little more complicated for left-handers when it comes to cutting a piece of paper or opening a bottle of wine. However, it seems to be a good sign if you are trying to make it to the White House.

1. The right-handers are nine times as many as the left-handers.

    A. True               B. False              C. Not Given

2. Using a can opener could be a problem for left-handers.

    A. True               B. False              C. Not Given

3. Men are more likely to be left-handed than women.

    A. True               B. False              C. Not Given

4. Some scientists believe that handedness is decided by genes.

    A. True               B. False              C. Not Given

5. Most left-handers are right-brain dominant.

    A. True              B. False              C. Not Given

6. In the 19th century, left-handedness was no longer considered abnormal.

    A. True               B. False              C. Not Given

7. Right-handers live longer than left-handers.

    A. True               B. False              C. Not Given

8. Left-handers are proved to be cleverer.

    A. True               B. False              C. Not Given

9. The New Zealand survey found left-handers differ greatly from right-handers.

   A. True               B. False              C. Not Given

10. There are not enough specially-designed tools for left-handers.

   A. True               B. False              C. Not Given

The Story of Milton Hershey

Almost every kid in the US has eaten a famous Hershey chocolate bar. But few people know that the Hershey chocolate factory is only about 100 years old. Even fewer know that its founder, Milton Hershey, had suffered many failures before he started his famous company.

Milton grew up in the farm country of Pennsylvania. He was first trained to become a printer. After working for a small newspaper for a short time, he decided that printing was not for him. Then he got a job at a candy factory. After a few years, he decided to open his own little candy business. But this first business had to close down because it was not making money. Then, Milton travelled to Denver to learn how to make caramels (黄油奶糖). He took his new skills to New York City and sold candies on the street. But this second business also failed.

Soon afterwards, he moved back to his hometown. There he experimented with all sorts of candies and chocolates. By 1893, he was selling a million dollars' worth of caramel candy each year. Since his  hocolate-flavored (巧克力口味的) caramels were the best-selling, he decidedto make chocolate himself. He learned how to make delicious chocolate by adding fresh milk. His milk chocolate turned out to be a great success. So he sold his caramel factory and focused on making chocolate only.

In 1903, Milton Hershey built a huge chocolate factory and an entire town to go with it. Today, the town of Hershey is still the home of the Hershey chocolate factory. You can smell the delicious chocolate smells just by driving through the town.

 11. Milton's first job was working as a(n)         

     A. printer        B. candy seller    C. farmer        D. editor

 12. Milton closed his candy business because he         

     A. moved to Denver                B. wanted to go travelling

     C. was not interested in it            D. did not make profits from it

13. The phrase "his new skills" (Line 6, Para. 2) refers to how to         

    A. sell candies                     B. make caramels

    C. run a candy business             D. manufacture chocolate

14. Milton decided to make chocolate himself because         

    A. he did a lot of experiments on it

    B. his caramel candy was not popular

    C. his chocolate-flavored caramels sold well

    D. he was tired of selling candies on the streets

15. What can be learned from this text?

    A. Fresh milk is beneficial to people's health.

    B. A town was named after Milton Hershey.

    C. Chocolate became popular in the 1900s in the US.

    D. Few people in the US have heard of Hershey chocolate.

The Getty Center

①  The Getty Center attracts 1.1 million visitors a year. It is one of the most popular art museums in the US. One reason for its popularity may be that the Getty is free. No tickets to buy, and no reservations needed. There is a $15 parking fee, but you do not have to pay for parking after 5 p.m. And there is convenient public transportation.

②  A tram (接驳车) carries you from the parking area up to the hilltop campus. When you step out, you come face to face with views of the Pacific Ocean, the Santa Monica Mountains, and the vast open area of Los Angeles.

③  Then you will see the five main buildings that house the museum's collection surrounding a central courtyard. The buildings are connected by glassed walkways. So you can enjoy the view again while you move from one building to another. One of the outstanding characteristics of the museum is the natural light that shines through each building's computer-controlled louvers (百叶窗). It allows viewers to look at paintings in the same natural light in which they were created.

④  Part of the large campus is used for a series of gardens. The Central Garden was designed by Robert Irwin. He himself buik everything from the handrails (扶手) to the waterfall to create a special and artistic experience in nature.

⑤ The Getty Center makes an effort to satisfy visitors. There is a caf6 that offers lunches and snacks. There is also a restaurant for more formal meals, but it usually requires reservations. The museum includes a family room that lets kids create artwork and offers educational programs for everyone.

Task 1

A. The Service

B. The Gardens

C. The Buildings

D. The Collection

E. The Popularity

E The Surroundings

16. Paragraph ①:

17. Paragraph ②:

18. Paragraph ③:

19. Paragraph ④:

20. Paragraph ⑤:

Task 2

A. hire a guide

B. draw pictures

C. the natural light

D. make reservations

E. the glassed walkways

F. the handrails and waterfall

21. Visitors to the Getty Center do not need to         

22. You can walk from one building to another through         

23. At the Getty Center, visitors can enjoy paintings in         

24. Robert Irwin himself constructed         

25. In the family room, children can         

Pets for the English

For the English people, keeping pets is not just a leisure activity.   26   In fact, the expression "keeping pets" does not show the high status of their animals. An Englishman' s home may be his castle, but his dog is the real king.

Many other cultures have pets. The Americans may outdo (超过) the English in buying expensive things for their pets.   27   Their pets are more than symbols of status. They tend to be far more open, easy and ommunicative in their relationships with their animals than with each other.

The average Englishman will tryhard to avoid communication with his fellow humans.   28   But he will have no difficuky in having lively conversations with a dog.

An American visitor had once suffered for a week as a guest in a fairly typical English home.   29   The owner of the dogs engaged them in non-stop chat and laughed lovingly at their misbehaviors. She complained that the owner's relationship with these pets was "abnormal" and "unhealthy".

The English are allowed to criticize their own pets. But this must be done in friendly and joking tones.   30   They may lovingly talk about the items their have eaten or destroyed. "It wasn't just shoes and ordinary things, mine used to eat mobile phones." "Well, mine chewed a whole Hi-Fi system to bits!"

A. It is an emire way of life.

B. This family was ruled by two large dogs.

C. But the English's relationship with animals is different.

D. In fact, they often take pride in their pets' misbehaviors.

E. No wonder animals are so important to the English people.

F. When he cannot avoid it, he will generally become nervous.

Fitness Magazines

Fitness is a funny business. One can only get in   31   through motion. But many people spend   32   time reading about fitness than trying to   33   what they have seen. As such, the world of fitness magazines is still   34   robust (有活力的). There is very little that a fitness magazine can   35   that a website cannot. However, fitness magazines still have a large   36   of readers.

Fitness magazines tend to have a few advantages that cannot be   37   Fkst are the fitness tips fi'om real professionals in the   38   The magazines also include   39   and shiny photos. They can help readers to understand the kind of shape that they can get into if they put in the right effort.

As long as people want to look   40  , fitness magazines will have a purpose.

A. more                E. shape               I. practice

B. bright               E written               J. never

C. number              G. quite               K. offer

D. copied              H. industry             L. better

Graffiti (涂鸦)

Street art is a very popular form of art that is spreading quickly (quick) all over the world. You can find it on buildings, sidewalks, street signs and dustbins in many big   41   (city) of the world. Street art has gained great   42  (popular). Even art museums and galleries are   43   (collect) the works of street artists. Street art started out very   44   (secret) because it is illegal to paint public and private property without permission. People often have different   45   (opinion) about street art. Some think it is a crime and others think it is a very   46   (beauty) new form of culture.

Art experts claim that the  47   (move) began in New York City in the 1960s. Young adults   48  (spray) words and other images on walls and trains. This   49  (color), energetic style of writing became   50  (know) as graffiti.

51. 

  某英文报社正在举办题为“My Chinese Dream”的征文活动。请你就此题目写一篇英文短文应征，内容包括：

   ●你的中国梦是什么

   ●你打算如何实现你的中国梦