Passage Three
Until two years ago, Clearing, Illinois was a tranquil suburb of Chicago. But residents grew alarmed when they noticed armed teenagers on the streets, giving gang signals and shouting at passing cars. Then came a series of burglaries and graffiti messages on store- fronts. By the time local authorities realized they had a gang problem, it was too late. Last December, two 13-year-old girls were shot outside their school as they sat in a car with two members of a local gang, the Ridgeway Lords.
Nearly all 50 states have recently passed laws that allow youths aged 14-17 to be tried in court as adults. In about 25 states they have passed laws to punish parents for their children’s behavior. And in 146 of the nation’s largest cities, they have imposed curfews to reduce juvenile violence. When you look at the spectacular rise of violent crime among young people recently, it’s easy to understand the concern. Over the past decade, th
A. D．In the US
Passage Three
All whales fall into two groups, those with teeth and those without. Both beluga and dolphin belong to the suborder of toothed whales known as Odontoceti, along with porpoises, narwhals, pilot whales, killer whales and the largest toothed creature in the world, the sperm whale. Size differences among the Odontoceti are remarkable. A common porpoise will run only 4 or 5 feet in length and 300 pounds in weight; a sperm whale may be 10 times as long and 300 times as heavy. The beluga falls in between, weighing up to 2,000 pounds. And it does chirp. In fact, it makes a great variety of squeaking, whistling, and clicking sounds, which have earned it the name of sea canary.
The toothless, or baleen, whales belong to the suborder of Mysticeti. This is a group of generally large whales, formerly abundant in all the oceans of the world. Though reduced by hunting, most species are still found along the coasts of the United Stated and Canada. All but two
A. a bird
B. a giant
C. an elephant
D. a submarine
Passage Two
Most English people have three names: a first name, a middle name and the family name. Their family name comes last. For example, my full name is Jim Allan Green. Green is my family name. My parents gave me both of my other names.
People don’t use their middle names very much. So" John Henry Brown" is usually called "John Brown". People never use Mr.; Mrs. or Miss before their first names. So you can say John Brown, or Mr. Brown; but you should never say Mr. John. They use Mr. , Mrs. or Miss with the family name but never with the first name.
Sometimes people ask me about my name. "When were you born, why did your parents call you Jim" they ask. "Why did they choose that name The answer is they didn’t call me Jim. They called me James. James was the name of my grandfather’. In England, people usually call me Jim for short. That’s because it is shorter and easier than James.
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