Moderate Earthquake Strikes England A moderate earthquake struck parts of southeast England on 28 April 2007, toppling chimneys from houses and rousing residents from their beds.Several thousand people were left without power in Kent County. One woman suffered minor head and neck injuries. “ It felt as if the whole house was being slid across like a fun-fair ride,“ said the woman. The British Geological Survey said the 4.3-magnitude quake struck at 8:19 a.m.and was centered under the English Channel, about 8.5 miles south of Dover and near the entrance to the Channel Tunnel. Witnesses said cracks appeared in walls and chimneys collapsed across the county.Residents said the tremor had lasted for about 10 to 15 seconds. “ I was lying in bed and it felt as if someone had just got up from bed next to me.“ said Hen-drick van Eck, 27, of Canterbury about 60 miles southeast of London.“ I then heard the sound of cracking, and it was getting heavier and heavier.It felt as if someone was at the end of my bed hopping up and down.“ There are thousands of moderate quakes on this scale around the world each year, but they are rare in Britain.The April 28 quake was the strongest in Britain since 2002 when a 4.8-magnitude quake struck the central England city of Birmingham. The country’s strongest earthquake took place in the North Sea in 1931, measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale.British Geological Survey scientist Roger Musson said the quake took place on 28 April in an area that had seen several of the biggest earthquakes ever to strike Britain, including one in 1580 that caused damage in London and was felt in France.Musson predicted that it was only a matter of time before another earthquake struck this part of England.However, people should not be scared too much by this prediction, Musson said, as the modern earthquake warning system of Britain should be able to detect a forthcoming quake and announce it several hours before it takes place.This would allow time for people to evacuate and reduce damage to the minimum.

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Living History at Jamestown Settlement A woman in Native American clothes is sitting in the sun, sewing a dress from skin.Inside a building, a colonist is making a wooden chair, using very simple tools.And all around, tourists are taking pictures with their digital(数码的) cameras.This is Jamestown settlement today. Jamestown, Virginia, was one of the first place in the world where people form Europe, A-merican, and Africa came together in 1608.Today, it is a living history museum, where children and adults come to experience history.In a living history museum, actors wear clothes and adults form the past and demonstrate many of the activities of daily life back then.The actors also talk to the visitors and explain everything they do. At a living history museum, there are always many things to touch, hear, and smell.Visitors at Jamestown setdement can walk through copies of the three small sailing ships that carried colonists to Virginia and even lie down in a colonist’s bed! The colonists stayed on the crowed, dangerous ships for more than four months.When they got to Virginia, they built an area of houses with a high wall around it.In today’s fort(堡垒) ,you can see houses, a church, and even a garden with foods that the colonists ate.Women in long dresses work inside their homes, and visitors can help them with their sewing and cooking. There is also an Indian Village at Jamestown settlement, and it looks very different from the fort.It shows how the Indians lived in long houses and grew corn and other crops in large fields.Actors there make pottery(陶器)and teach visitors how to play Indian games.You can even help them make an India boat from a tree! Today, the living history museum of Jamestown is very popular, especially with children and families.People come here to have fun, but also to learn.Many school classes visit to experience old ways of getting things done.A living history museum is the best way to understand how people lived in the past.

Teaching Is “One of the Least Popular Jobs in the UK“ 1.The UK government has just published a report on the future of secondary-school teaching (pupils aged 11 -16) , and the conclusion of the report is that many secondary schools now face great difficulties in finding people who want to be teachers.Since the 1980s, the number of graduates who say they would “ seriously consider“ teaching as a career has fallen sharply, from 64% in 1982 to just 17% today.The report suggests that urgent action needs to be taken in order to encourage more intelligent young graduates into teaching. 2.The main drawback of secondary teaching, according to the report, is the low salary.Earnings in teaching are much lower than in many other jobs, and this means that fewer and fewer young people decide to be teachers.Joanne Manners, 24, is a good example.“ I graduated in maths last year, and I was thinking of doing a teacher training course to become a maths teacher—but when I looked into the details, it became clear that teaching isn’t a very lucrative (赚钱的) job these days.I saw I could earn twice as much if I worked in marketing or advertising, and so I decided not to become a teacher.“ 3.It’s not just about the money, however.The survey concluded that another reason why people don’t want to be teachers is that some teenagers behave very badly in school.A lot of schools have problems with discipline, and it seems clear that children do not have the same respect for teachers as in the past.Here’s the view of Dave Hallam, an accountant from London: “ I think parents are to blame.They should have stricter rules with their children at home and also teach their children to have more respect for teachers.“ 4.“I love teaching; it’s my passion.I’ve been a secondary-school teacher of Spanish for ten years now, and although it’s a very demanding job, it’s very satisfying.When I see my students passing their Spanish exams, or singing along to Spanish pop songs, it makes me feel so proud.“ Says Brian Jones, who works in a secondary school in London.So what does he think the government should do to encourage more people to become teachers?“ “My view is that the government should reduce the burden of work on teachers.I find that I always have too much work to do.“. 5.The report is clear that the problem of teacher shortage is a very serious one.It says that the government should raise teachers’ pay significantly, to catch up with workers in other professions.It also suggests that the government could launch a nationwide publicity campaign, with some advertisements on TV and in the newspapers, to show the positive sides of teaching to young people.Another solution could be set a maximum number of hours per week that teachers can work, in order to reduce stress on teachers.“ Hopefully,“ the report concludes, “ these solutions can improve the poor image of secondary teaching, and increase the number of young people who want to become teachers in the future. A.Students’ bad behavior and lack of discipline B.Improvement of children behavior C.Heavy workload on teachers D.The problem of low salary E.A report on teacher shortage F.A nationwide publicity campaign

Washoe Learned American Sign Language An animal that influenced scientific thought has died.A chimpanzee named Washoe and born in Africa died of natural causes late last month at the age of 42 at a research center in the A-merican state of Washington.Washoe had become known in the scientific community and around the world for her ability to use American Sign Language.She was said to be the first non-human to learn a human language.Her skills also led to debate about primates and their ability to understand language. Research scientists Allen and Beatrix Gardner began teaching Washoe sign language in 1966.In 1969, the Gardeners described Washoe’s progress in a scientific report.The people who experimented with Washoe said she grew to understand about 250 words.For example, Washoe made signs to communicate when it was time to eat.She could request foods like apples and bananas.She also asked questions like, “Who is coming to play?“ Once the news about Washoe spread, many language scientists began studies of their own into this new and exciting area of research.The whole direction of primate research changed. However, critics argued Washoe only learned to repeat sign language movements from watching her teachers.They said she had never developed true language skills.Even now, there are some researchers who suggest that primates learn sign language only by memory, and perform the signs only for prizes.Yet Washoe’s keepers disagree.Roger Fouts is a former student of the Gardeners.He took Washoe to a research center in Ellensburg, Washington.There, Washoe taught sign language to three younger chimpanzees, which are still alive. Scientists like private researcher Jane Goodall believe Washoe provided new information a-bout the mental workings of chimpanzees.Today, there are not as many scientists studying language skills with chimps.Part of the reason is that this kind of research takes a very long time. Debate continues about chimps’ understanding of human communication.Yet, one thing is sure—Washoe changed popular ideas about the possibilities of animal intelligence.

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A.its benefits B.their childhood memories C.their stress D.more training E.discipline problems F.because of its low pay

Why Buy Shade-Grown Coffee? When people argue about whether coffee is good for health, they’re usually thinking of the health of the coffee drinker.Is it good for your heart? Does it increase blood pressure? Does it help you concentrate? However, coffee affects the health of the human population in other ways, too. Traditionally, coffee bushes were planted under the canopy(树冠)of taller indigenous(土生土长的) trees.However, more and more farmers in Latin America are deforesting the land to grow full-sun coffees.At first, this increases production because more coffee bushes can be planted if there aren’t any trees. With increased production come increased profits. Unfortunately, deforesting for coffee production immediately decreases local wildlife habitat.Native birds nest and hide from predators(捕食者) in the tall trees and migrating birds rest there. Furthermore, in the long term, the full-sun method also damages the ecosystem because more chemical fertilizers and pesticides are needed to grow the coffee. The fertilizers and pesticides kill insects that eat coffee plant, but then the birds eat the poisoned insects and also die.The chemicals kill or sicken other animals as well, and can even enter the water that people will eventually drink. Fortunately, farmers in Central and South America are beginning to grow more coffee bushes in the shade. We can support these farmers by buying coffee with such labels as “shade grown“ and “bird friendly.“ Sure, these varieties might cost a little more. But we’re paying for the health of the birds, the land, ourselves, and the planet. I think it’s worth it.

The Internet House A leading British building and design company has just announced their plans for the home of the future.The new design,【C1】______as the “Internet House“,has five bedrooms, plenty of bathrooms and a double garage. But these are not the main selling【C2】______,for it is the ￡25000【C3】______of automation that makes this house really different. It will be【C4】______, for people who have plenty of money, but not a greatn【C5】______of time: young professionals in other words. They are likely to be【C6】______to the idea of a microwave that provides easy-to-cook【C7】______via the Internet and cooker that switches itself on or off at a command received via e-mail. All the appliances in the house,【C8】______the heating and lighting controls, are linked together【C9】______means of a gadget(小装置) called a “router “. Using what’s called a “ Webpad“ , a kind of portable lap-top computer, the owners of the house tap in commands from【C10】______they may be. The Webpad【C11】______a signal to the router, which【C12】______the message and then activates the necessary controls. On the way home at night, for example, the owners can switch on the lights or【C13】______the central heating working, and so【C14】______sure that they have a nice warm welcome when they【C15】______into their home.

She’s extremely competent and industrious. hardworking honest objective independent

It can be learned from the last paragraph that______.

The following statements are true Except______.

The phrase “this scale“ in paragraph 6 refers to______.

The word “collapsed“ in paragraph 4 most probably means______.

The biggest earthquake took place in Britain______.