Threats To Our National Treasures

J:  journalist     X: Prof Xu

J:  People have always had interests in the past. Professor Xu, what are the most important dangers to our archaeological treasures?

X: They get damaged or lost. It’s a matter of education. People fail to take the right steps when something is found. Fortunately, the government has helped spreading the basic knowledge among the population, telling what is to be done when an archaeological find is made.

J:  What does that knowledge consist of ?

X: Well, when something is found, construction work must be stopped and the police should be told about the find. That is to make sure that no further damage will be done.

J:  Does it still happen that people do not report things they find?

X: Yes, indeed. They doubt whether it is necessary to do so. It sometimes happens that a find is not very valuable. They are afraid that they would make scientists come for nothing.

J:  Are there other reasons why people don’t report their finds?

X: Oh, yes. People are afraid that archaeologists may take a real interest in the site and spend many weeks or months digging around at it. That would result in farmers missing the right opportunity to plant crops or construction work to be stopped for a long time. They don’t realize that they should not weigh their own business interests against our national history.

J:  If it is so important to dig things up and collect them, then why are archaeologists worried that other people dig up artifacts and give them to museums or add them to their own private archaeological collections?

X: Archaeology is a professional discipline. Years of training and experience are needed. It is not just about finding things and digging them up. The field work must be done very carefully. Of every find there needs to be a written record, to which a photograph must be added. The records must also state exactly what was found, where it was found and when. The outdoor work is followed by work in the lab, cleaning, restoring and identifying each artifact. Finally, when all is done, an analysis must be written and published in a magazine or a book.

J:  Are there any other dangers, natural disasters perhaps?

X: Unfortunately there are treasure hunters: people search for valuable objects, especially jewellery and gold. They are the worst. History does not need to fear nature very much. What has been buried has often been buried well. It is often human digging that causes the loss of valuable materials. It may seem a contradiction, but leaving things as they are would often be the best way of keeping things for the generations to come.

21. The reason why some people do not inform the police about archaeological finds is that ______ .

   A. they are afraid of the police

   B. the government has failed to inform the public

   C. they think working archaeologists will cause trouble

   D. they don’t have the years of training and experience that are needed

22. For most artifacts ______ can quite easily see whether they are valuable or not.

   A. farmers   B. the police    C. construction workers   D. local experts

23. In the opinion of Professor Xu, the greatest danger to our archaeological treasures are ______ .

A. treasure hunters               B. farmers and construction workers

C. scientists                    D. natural disasters

Here is a collection of some of the strange laws in the world. We can only wonder how they exist.

Think before you chew

In Singapore, chewing gum is forbidden. This rule was introduced because of the high cost and difficulty in removing stuck chewing gum from roads or other public facilities. In particular ,chewing gum stuck on the subway doors stopped the trains from moving.

Lighten up

Drivers in Denmark are supposed to drive vehicles with their headlights on . You’d think this law would apply to night driving but it doesn’t .It is considered necessary during the day as well, or they may face a fine of up to 100 US dollars. Studies have shown that this has helped a lot to avoid road accidents in Denmark.

To fail or to jail

In Bangladesh, children of fifteen and older can be put in jail for cheating on their examinations. Every year, the Bangladeshi government takes strong measures to stop cheating and carries out a massive media campaign to forewarn students through televisions.

Keep the change

In Canada, consumers are stopped from using unreasonable amounts of coins to pay for purchases. This means you can’t pay for an item in all coins(especially if it’s over $10). Even the use of dollar coins is limited. The shop owner has the right to choose whether he wants to take your coins or not.

Pants only for men

In France it was against the law for women to wear pants. The law reportedly has been on the books since 1800.It was corrected several times: once in 1892 to allow women to wear sport trousers while riding horses and again in 1909 to permit the ladies to wear pants while on bicycles. The law was cancelled on January 31st,2013.Now, women in France can finally wear pants!

24. Which behaviour may be allowed in Singapore?

A. Chewing gum in public.

B. Sticking gum to the roads.

C. Buying gum-shaped items from markets.

D. Chewing gum when take the subway.

25. What is forbidden in Denmark?

A. Chewing gum while driving.

B. Driving with your headlights off during the day.

C. Using coins to pay for your petrol.

D. Driving to school to take an exam.

26. What can we conclude from the text?

A. Coins are not allowed to be used in Canada.

B. Canadians are more serious about road safety.

C. It is illegal for children above 15 to cheat on exams in Bangladesh.

D. French women would be fined 100 dollars if they wore pants in 1880.

27. Where can you most probably find this text?

A. On a fashion website.        B. In a science report.

C. In a geography textbook.      D. In a magazine about odd customs.    

While IQ (Intelligence Quotient) tells you how smart you are. EQ (Emotional Quotient) tells you how well you use your smartness. Professor Salovery, the psychologist who created the term EQ, says that it is IQ that gets you hired but it is EQ that gets you promoted.

Supported by his research, he suggested that when predicting future successes, a person’s brainpower, as measured by IQ tests, might actually matter less than a person’s character, or EQ. Professor Salovery may be correct. For example, have you ever wondered why some of the best and smartest students in your class end up failing exams? Perhaps it is because of their EQ. People often make the mistake of thinking that EQ is the opposite of IQ. It is not. Although it is hoped that people have both high EQs and IQs, there is little doubt that those with low EQs have a hard time surviving in life.

For a long time, researchers discussed if a person’s IQ could be raised. The geneticists said no, while the social scientists said yes. Furthermore, the social scientists said that it was possible to improve a person’s EQ, particularly in terms of “people skills”， such as understanding and communication.

Recently, a professor released the findings of a study on senior high school students. When some normal students were introduced to some disabled students, they found that afterwards they were more willing to help people in difficulties. At the same time, there was a marked change in the disabled students’ attitudes. They became more positive about their disabilities and were more eager to try new things. People with high EQs often have positive attitudes towards life and are open to different ideas, so they tend to be more creative in their thinking. Please remember that having a high IQ is helpful but having a high EQ might even be more helpful.

28. According to Professor Salovery，what factor matters the most in predicting whether a person will be successful or not?

A. How a person tests his/her brainpower.       B. A person’s character.

C. How smart a person is.                    D. A person’s IQ.

29. The second paragraph tells us that ________.

A. people who have a high IQ always have a high EQ

B. EQ is the opposite of IQ

C. people who have a low EQ tend to have a hard life

D. people who have a high EQ always have a high IQ

30. What did the professor find from his study of normal students being introduced to some disabled children?

A. Students with disabilities were not open in trying new things.

B. There was no change in the normal students.

C. The disabled students became more positive and more eager to try new things.

D. The disabled students were more willing to help others.

31. Which of the following would be the BEST title of this passage?

A. A person’s brainpower.          B. IQ, EQ and success.

C. IQ and a person’s character.      D. A person’s IQ and EQ.

If you struggle to spend more than a few moments away from your computer then a new invention could be for you.

That’s because a pair of Dutch inventors have developed a set of jeans that give a whole new meaning to the phrase “laptop”.

The jeans, known as Beauty and the Geek, come with a fully functional keyboard, mouse and speakers integrated into the upper leg of the fabric and are the idea of design company Nieuwe Heren, run by Erik de Nijs and Tim Smit.

They handmade the trousers themselves and they are designed to give a user ease of movement while still being in control of the computer.

“They’re not that heavy,” de Nijs told WebProNews. “With the flexible keyboard, small speakers, and small mouse, they are only a little bit heavier than your regular jeans.”

He added, “The idea was that you could log in to your computer and control it without sitting in a closed environment behind your desk.”

The jeans are of a modern style and have a back pocket that has been specially designed to cover the mouse, which uses an elastic wire to stay attached.

They stay connected to the laptop via wireless technology in a USB device and are expected to retail at around ￡250 - if they ever make it onto the market.

De Nijs added, “The whole project is too complex and we don’t have enough money right now to get it ready for the market.”

32. What does the word “integrated” in the third paragraph mean ?

   A. combined    B. changed    C. rolled    D. made

33. What’s the purpose of designing the jeans?

   A. To make users move freely while controlling the computer.

   B. To make jeans fashionable.

   C. To control it sitting in a closed environment.

   D. To see well.

34. Which one is NOT the character of the jeans?

   A. A flexible keyboard.              B. Small speakers and a small mouse.

   C. A modern style with a black pocket.  D. Much heavier than common jeans.

35. What’s the main idea of the passage?

   A. Two computers inventors.

   B. Newly invented Laptops.

   C. New jeans with a built-in keyboard, a mouse and speakers.

   D, The wireless technology.

Never Too Late to Change Your Life

It isn’t too late for you to improve something in your life that you really want to change. No matter what age you are at and no matter where you are right now. Start there.  36   From that small change and success you will gain confidence and you can build upon that to make more and perhaps even bigger changes. Four steps will make it easier for you to get started  

l         _37   Maybe you already know it. It could be your social life, your health or money situation. Take time to focus on this because if you really want something then it becomes a lot easier to keep going.

l         Choose one thing or habit to focus on for now. If you have found several things or habits you would like to focus on, then choose to focus on just one at a time.  38   You’ll probably not have the time and energy to change three things at once even though you really hope and think you can.

l         Take small steps. This is very important. The feeling that something is too big or difficult is one of the most common things to hold people back from taking action.  39   The plan sounds so good in your head. But when you carry it out then you can’t really take much action or move as fast as you thought.

l           40   Don’t get stuck in planning. Or think that you will get started tomorrow or next week. Get the ball rolling instead. Do that today by just taking one small and practical step towards what you want.

A. Why am I telling you this?

B. Make a small change if possible.

C. Think about what you really want to change.

D. You can do what you can with what you have right now.

E. On the other hand, people also tend to think highly of their own power.

F. Ask yourself: what is one small step I can take right now to get the ball rolling?

G. Spreading yourself too much always leads to failure because life tends to get in the way.