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Ruth Handler invented something in 1959 which became so quintessentially American as to be included in the official " America’s Time Capsule" buried at the celebration of the Bicentennial in 1976: the Barbie doll. In the early 1950s, Handler saw that her young daughter, Barbara, and her girlfriends enjoyed playing with adult female dolls as much or more than with baby dolls. Handler sensed that it was just as important for girls to imagine what they themselves might grow up to become as it was for them to focus on what caring for children might be like. Inspired by her daughter’s fascination with adult paper dolls, Ruth Handier suggested making a three-dimensional doll through which little girls could act out their dreams. In 1959, Mattel introduced the Barbie doll (named after the Handlers’ daughter), a pint-sized model of the "girl next door. " Soon enough Barbie sprouted a coterie of friends and family. Ken (named for the Handlers’ son) , Barbie’s boyfriend, appeared in 1961. Meanwhile, the longtime Southern California resident defied prevailing trends in the toy industry of the late 1950s when she proposed an alternative to the flat-chest baby dolls then marketed to girls. "I believed it was important to a little girl’s self-esteem," Handler has said, "to play with a doll that has breasts. " Barbie, a teenage doll with a tiny waist, slender hips and impressive bust, became not only a best-selling toy with more than 1 billion sold in 150 countries, but a cultural icon analyzed by scholars, attacked by feminists and showcased in the Smithsonian Institution. "My whole philosophy of Barbie was that through the doll, the little girl could be anything she wanted to be," Handler wrote in her 1994 autobiography. "Barbie always represented the fact that a woman has choices. " Ruth Handier undeniably invented an American icon that functions as both a steady cynosure for girls’ dreams and an ever-changing reflection of American society. By 1966, Handler was 50 and Mattel ruled the highly competitive toy world: It controlled 12% of the $2-billion toy market in the United States. By 1970, however, her world began to unravel. Handler was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a mastectomy. New corporate managers began to diversify Mattel away from toys, and their machinations ultimately resulted in the Handlers’ ouster from the company they had founded. Although best known for her pivotal role as Barbie’s inventor, Handler devoted her later years to a second, trailblazing career: manufacturing and marketing artificial breasts for women who had undergone mastectomies. Herself a breast cancer survivor, she personally sold and fitted the prosthesis and crisscrossed the country as a spokeswoman for early detection of the disease in the 1970s, when it was still a taboo subject. The Nearly Me prosthetic breast was made of liquid silicone enclosed in polyurethane and had a rigid foam backing. Her goal was to make an artificial breast so real that "a woman could wear a regular brassiere (=bra) and blouse, stick her chest out and be proud." she said of" the prosthetics business. "It sure rebuilt my self-esteem, and I think I rebuilt the self-esteem of others." By 1980, sales of the Nearly Me artificial breast had surpassed $1 million. In 1991, Handler sold the company to a division of Kimberly-Clark. She died on April 27th, 2002. The family has asked that any memorial donations be made to the Stop Cancer Organization. What is the main reason for Ruth Handler’s leaving the company

A. She was diagnosed with breast cancer.
B. She wanted to establish another company to sell prosthesis.
C. She was marginalized by her business partners for their diversion of the company.
D. She was determined to help the women having undergone mastectomies.

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Bonfires can cause localized air pollution and annoy neighbours. Follow the bonfire guidelines to reduce nuisance to others. There are no specific laws governing the use of bonfires although under the Environmental Protection Act (EPA) 1990, a statutory nuisance includes "smoke, fumes or gases emitted from premises so as to be prejudicial to health or a nuisance". If bothered by smoke, approach your neighbour and explain the problem. You might feel awkward, but they may not be aware of the distress they are causing and it will hopefully make them more considerate in the future. If this fails, contact your local council’s environmental health department. The National Society for Clean Air and Environmental Protection (NSCA) factsheet "Pollution, Nuisance and the Law" explains the situation in more detail. If the fire is only occasional it is unlikely to be considered a nuisance in law. Under the Highways Act 1980, anyone lighting a fire and allowing smoke to drift across a road faces a fine if it endangers traffic. Contact the police in this case. What’s wrong with bonfires Burning garden waste produces smoke, especially if it is damp and smouldering. Burning plastic, rubber or painted materials not only creates an unpleasant smell but also produces a range of poisonous compounds. Your bonfire will also add to the general background level of air pollution. Bonfire smoke may cause problems for asthmatics, bronchitis sufferers, people with heart conditions and children. The smoke, smuts, and smell from bonfires are the subject of many complaints to local councils. Smoke prevents your neighbours from enjoying their gardens, opening windows or hanging washing out, and reduces visibility in the neighbourhood and on roads, Allotments near homes can cause particular problems if plot holders persistently burn waste. Fire can spread to fences or buildings and cans are a hazard when rubbish is burned. Piles of garden waste are often used as a refuge by animals, so look out for hibernating wildlife and sleeping pets. If a bonfire is the best practicable option for disposing of garden waste, follow these guidelines from the National Society for Clean Air and Environmental Protection (NCSA) to avoid serious nuisance: 1) only burn dry material; 2) never burn household rubbish, rubber tyres, or anything containing plastic, foam or paint; 3) never use old engine oil, meths or petrol to light the fire or encourage it; 4) avoid lighting a fire in unsuitable weather conditions—smoke hangs in the air on damp, still days and in the evening; 5) if it is windy, smoke may be blown into neighbours, gardens and across roads; 6) avoid burning when air pollution in your area is high or very high—check the weather forecast, or the air quality website. What’s the central topic of the passage

Air pollution. B. Bonfires.
B. C. Solid waste.
C. D. Bonfires and the law.

第一节 词语配伍 从上栏所给选项中选出与下栏各项意义相符的选项。[A] hospital[B] notebook[C] menu[D] hair[E] league[F] medicine[G] dictionary People have it cut when it is too long.

第二节 短文理解 1 阅读下面短文,从[A](Right.)、[B](Wrong.)、[C](Doesn’t Say.)三个判断中选择一个正确选项。 Brown was the manager of an office in London. He lived in the country and came up to work by train. He liked walking from the station to his office unless it was raining because it gave him some exercise. One morning he was walking along the street when a stranger stopped him and said to him, "You may not remember me, Sir, but seven years ago I came to London without a penny in my pockets. I stopped you in the street and asked you to lend me some money, and you gave me five pounds, because you said that you were willing to take a chance so as to give a man a start on the road to success." Mr. Brown thought for a few minutes and then said, "Yes, I remember you. Go on with your story." "Well," answered the stranger, "are you still willing to take a chance" Mr. Brown liked to walk in the rain.

第三节 短文理解 2 阅读下列短文,从[A]、[B]、[C]三个选项中选择一个正确答案。 Joan worked in a hospital as a nurse. One evening there was a big dance at the hospital. Most of the doctors and nurses would be there, but of course somebody had to be left to look after the sick children, and Joan was not one of the lucky ones. She liked dancing very much, so when she had to start work that evening while her friends were getting ready to go to the dance, she felt very sorry for herself. She went to each sick child one after another and said good-night until she came to one little boy, Dicky. He was eleven years old, but he was already able to talk like an adult. Poor Dicky had a very serious illness, and now he was hardly able to move any part of his body except his hands. Joan knew he would never get any better, but he was always happy and always thinking about other people instead of about himself. Dicky knew that Joan loved dancing, so now when she came to say good-night to him, he greeted her with the words, "I’m very sorry that you have to miss the dance because of us. But we are going to have a party for you. If you look in my drawer (抽屉), you’ll find a piece of cake. I saved it from my supper today, so it’s quite fresh. And there is also a dollar there. You can buy something to drink with that. And I’d get up and dance with you myself if I were able to", he added. Suddenly the hospital dance seemed very far away and not at all important to Joan. Dicky was lovely because______.

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