I live in the land of Disney, Hollywood and year-round sun. You may think people in such a splendid, fun-filled place are happier than others. If so, you have some mistaken ideas about the nature of happiness.
Many intelligent people still equate happiness with fun. The truth is that fun and happiness have little or nothing in common. Fun is what we experience during an act. Happiness is what we experience after an act. It is a deeper, more lasting emotion.
Going to an amusement park or ball game, watching a movie or television, are fun activities that help us relax, temporarily forget our problems and maybe even laugh. But they do not bring happiness, because their positive effects end when the fun ends.
I have often thought that if Hollywood stars have a role to play, it is to teach us that happiness has nothing to do with fun. These rich, beautiful individuals have constant access to glamorous parties, fancy cars, expensive homes, everything that spells“happiness”. But in memoir（回忆录）after memoir, they reveal the unhappiness hidden beneath all their fun: depression, alcoholism ,drug addiction, broken marriages, troubled children and profound loneliness.
Ask a bachelor why he resists marriage, if he’s honest, and he will tell you that he is afraid of making a commitment, for commitment is in fact quite painful. The single life is filled with fun, adventure and excitement. Marriage has such moments, but they are not its most distinguishing features.
Similarly, couples that choose not to have children are deciding in favor of painless fun over painful happiness. They can dine out whenever they want and sleep as late as they can. Couples with infant children are lucky to get a whole night’s sleep or a three-day vacation. I don’t know any parent who would choose the word fun to describe raising children.
Understanding and accepting that true happiness has nothing to do with fun is one of the most liberating（解放性的）realizations. It liberates time: now we can devote more hours to activities that can genuinely increase our happiness. It liberates money: buying that new car or those fancy clothes that will do nothing to increase our happiness now seems pointless. And it liberates us from envy: we now understand that all those rich and glamorous people we were so sure are happy because they are always having so much fun actually may not be happy at all.We can learn from the passage that ________.
| A．fun creates long-lasting satisfaction |
| B．fun provides enjoyment while pain leads to happiness |
| C．happiness is lasting whereas fun is short-lived |
| D．fun that is long-standing may lead to happiness |
To the author, the role Hollywood stars play is to ________.
| A．write memoir after memoir about their happiness |
| B．tell the public that happiness has nothing to do with fun |
| C．teach people how to enjoy their lives |
| D．bring happiness to the public instead of going to parties |
In the author’s opinion, marriage ________ .
| A．affords greater fun | B．leads to raising children |
| C．indicates duty and devotion | D．usually ends up in pain |
Which of the following is the best example of“painful happiness”?
| A．Winning lottery by accident |
| B．A bachelor resisting marriage |
| C．Raising children |
| D．Buying some fancy clothes |
If one gets the true sense of happiness, he will ________.
| A．stop playing games and joking with others | B．keep himself with his family |
| C．give a free hand to money | D．use his time to increase happiness |
When a tornado touched down in a small town nearby, many families were left completely destroyed. Afterward all the local newspapers carried many human-interest stories featuring some of the families who suffered the hardest.
One Sunday, a particular picture especially touched me. A young woman stood in front of an entirely shattered mobile home, a depressed expression twisting her features. A young boy, seven or eight years old, stood at her side, eyes downcast. Clutching (紧握) at her skirt was a tiny girl who stared into the camera, eyes wide with confusion and fear.
The article that went with the picture gave the clothing sizes of each family member. With growing interest, I noticed that their sizes closely matched ours. This would be a good opportunity to teach my children to help those less fortunate than themselves. I taped the picture of the young family to our refrigerator, explaining their difficulty to my seven-year-old twins, Brad and Brett, and to three- year-old Meghan.
“ We have so much. And these poor people now have nothing,” I said.“We’ll share what we have with them.”
I brought three large boxes down from the room upstairs and placed them on the living room floor. Meghan watched seriously, as the boys and I filled one of the boxes with canned goods and foods.
While I sorted through our clothes, I encouraged the boys to go through their toys and donate some of their less favorite things. Meghan watched quietly as the boys piled up discarded toys and games.
“I’ll help you find something for the little girl when I’m done with this,” I said.
The boys placed the toys they had chosen to donate into one of the boxes while I filled the third box with clothes. Meghan walked up with Lucy, her worn, faded, much-loved rag doll hugged tightly to her chest. She paused in front of the box that held the toys, pressed her round little face into Lucy’s flat, painted-on-face, gave her a final kiss, then laid her gently on top of the other toys.
“Oh, Honey,” I said.“You don’t have to give Lucy. You love her so much.”
Meghan nodded seriously, eyes glistening with held-back tears. ‘”Lucy makes me happy, Mommy. Maybe she’ll make that other little girl happy, too．”
Swallowing hard, I stared at Meghan for a long moment, wondering how I could teach the boys the lesson she had just taught me. For I suddenly realized that anyone can give their cast-offs away. True generosity is giving that which you value most.
Honest benevolence (善行) is a three-year-old offering a valuable, though shabby, doll to a little girl she doesn’t know with the hope that it will bring this child as much pleasure as it brought her. I, who had wanted to teach, had been taught.
The boys had watched, open-mouthed, as their baby sister placed her favorite doll in the box. Without a word, Brad rose and went to his room. He came back carrying one of his favorite action figures. He hesitated briefly, clutching the toy, then looked over at Meghan and placed it in the box next to Lucy.
A slow smile spread across Brett’s face. Then he jumped up, eyes twinkling as he ran to fetch some of his prized Matchbox cars.
Astonished, I realized that the boys had also recognized what little Meghan’s gesture meant. Swallowing back tears, I pulled all three of them into my arms.
Taking the cue from my little one, I removed my old jacket from the box of clothes. I replaced it with the new hunter green jacket that I had found on sale last week. I hoped the young woman in the picture would love it as much as I did.
It’s easy to give that which we don’t want any more, but harder to let go of things we cherish, isn’t it? However, the true spirit of giving is to give with your heart..Why does the author give a detailed description of a particular picture in the Sunday newspaper?
| A．To create an atmosphere of fear and depression brought by the tornado. |
| B．To appeal to unconcerned people to donate for the poor families. |
| C．To show the helplessness and hopelessness of the family mentioned in the paper. |
| D．To stress what touched her and made her decide to help the hopeless family. |
Why did Brad and Brett also donate their favorite things finally?
| A．They were encouraged to donate some valuable things by the mother. |
| B．Meghan’s decision inspired them to donate their favorite things. |
| C．They also wanted to show generosity by giving away their valuable things. |
| D．Meghan’s gesture reminded them to replace their favorite things with new ones. |
By “ swallowing hard”, the writer means that _ _ .
| A．she was deeply puzzled by what the little girl did |
| B．she had trouble persuading Meghan not to give away Lucy |
| C．she was greatly moved by Meghan’s unexpected decision |
| D．she was uncertain what consequences Meghan’s action would bring about |
It is suggested in the sentence “the true spirit of giving is to give with your heart” that ______.
| A．sincere donation means offering help to others whole-heartedly |
| B．true giving means giving others what you treasure most |
| C．true generosity means helping others at the cost of your own benefit |
| D．honest benevolence means devoting yourself to the career of donation |
What’s the best title for this passage?
| A．The Greatest Love | B．A Beautiful Heart |
| C．True Generosity | D．A Precious Gift |
People say teenagers are no good. They make too much noise in shopping malls; they drive recklessly up and down America’s main streets; they carry chips on their shoulders as big as the Sears Tower. And at least some of the time those things are true. But we shouldn’t forget that there are hard moments in the life of a teenager too.
I watched such a moment not long ago at a woman’s funeral. I didn’t expect the event to affect me. Through much of the ceremony, in fact, I remained unmoved.
The teenage grandson stepped forward. With his very first deep breath, every heart in that church was achingly reminded of something we had all forgotten. Softly he began: “I want to share a few values that Nana taught me. She never failed to see light in any situation. When our family dog would truly attack her, what would Nana say? ‘oh, what beautiful barking that dog has!’ That was Nana. ”
“She was a strong woman who often lived in the shadow of my grandpa, who was a successful businessman in this city. But she was the one behind the scenes who provided the strength and support for my grandpa’s career,” he said, with a voice now trembling, “That was Nana’s way.”
Through a low sob, he continued, “Whenever she did anything worth recognition, you’d have to hear about it from a different source, because she was never one to show off.”
Finally, in a voice breaking free of sorrow, he looked up and said, “Nana taught me courage. She put up an incredible fight to the end, when she died peacefully, which is how she lived her life. That was Nana’s way, and I hope I can carry on in the same manner.”
There are no hearts as sensitive as those of teenagers, because everything is happening to them for the first time. The trouble with teenagers is that they haven’t learned to be controlled.
When that boy rose to speak about the woman who surely had been his truest and closest friend, his honest voice dragged each of us out into the open where we could no longer hide in the calm ceremony. He exposed us to the truth about this very real woman who believed in a boy who probably tried the patience of many adults. He reminded us that his grandmother was more than another dot on the chart of life and death.
All over again we felt those powerful losses crossing our own hearts, and we knew that when you say good-bye to something happy, something young in yourself. And that something never really returns, and the pain never really goes away.In the first paragraph, the writer gave some examples to________ .
| A．support his idea that young people are no good |
| B．introduce his point of view about young people |
| C．tell people every coin has its two sides |
| D．show young people often make mistakes |
From the boy’s speech, we know _______ .
| A．his grandmother had great influence on him |
| B．they had a dog which often attacked people |
| C．people had forgotten her until the boy appeared |
| D．his grandmother was so weak that she is always living in the shadow of his grandpa |
Which of the following statements is true?
| A．The boy ’s speech moved no one present at the funeral except the writer |
| B．The boy’s being good at expressing himself enabled him to draw everyone’s attention |
| C．The boy was too grieved to accept the fact that his grandmother had passed away |
| D．The writer didn’t expect the event would affect him |
What words can best describe grandmother’s quality?
| A．Weak, mild and modest |
| B．Easygoing, cautious and considerate |
| C．Sensitive and hard on others |
| D．Patient, optimistic, strong and helpful. |
The passage tells the readers_______ .
| A．facing certain bitter facts help young people to grow |
| B．young people have to control themselves |
| C．the adults should learn from the young |
| D．the adults should teach the young how to be brave |
British paychologists have found evidence of a link between excessive(过度的) Internet use and depression, a research has shown.
Leeds University researchers, writing in the Psychopathology journal, said a small part of Internet users were classed as Internet addicts and that people in this group were more likely to be depressed than non-addicted users.
The article on the relationship between excessive Internet use and depression is from a questionnaire-based study of 1,319 young people and adults.
The respondents answered questions about how much time they spent on the Internet and what they used it for; they also complete the Beck Depression Inventory---a series of questions designed to measure the seriousness of depression.
The six—page report, by the university’s Institute of Psychological Science, said 18 of the people who complete the questionnaire were Internet addict.“Our research indicates that excessive Internet use is associated with depression, but what we don’t know is which comes first—are depressed people drawn to the Internet or does the Internet cause depression?” the article’s lead author Dr Catriona Morrison said.”What is clear is that, for a small part of people, excessive use of the Internet could be warning signal for depressive tendencies.”
The age range of all respondents was between 16 and 51 years, with an average age of 21.24. The average age of the 18 Internet addicts was 18.3 years. By comparing the levels of depression within this group to that within a group of 18 non—addicted Internet users, researchers found the Internet addicts had a higher chance of developing depression than non-addicts. They also discovered that addicts spent more time visiting sexually pleasing website, online gaming sites and online communities.
“The public speculation（推测）was further proved by this study. That’s to say, over-engaging in websites which serve to replace normal social function might be linked to psychological disorders like depression and addiction,” Morrison said.”We now need to consider the wider social influence of this relationship and clearly prove the effects of excessive Internet use on mental health.”Internet addicts are people who ______ according to the passage.
| A．use the Internet more than enough |
| B．feel depressed when using the Internet |
| C．seldom connect to the Internet |
| D．feel depressed without the Internet |
What is confirmed by the study according to the passage?
| A．Depression leads to excessive use of Internet |
| B．Depression results from excessive use of Internet |
| C．Excessive use of internet usually accompanies depression |
| D．Excessive use of internet is usually earlier to depression |
It is thought by the public that online communities______.
| A．can never replace normal social function |
| B．are intended to replace normal social function |
| C．are associated with psychological disorders |
| D．shouldn’t take the blame for psychological disorders |
According to Dr Catriona Morrison, the public speculation________.
| A．lacks scientific evidence | B．helps clarify their study |
| C．finds a theoretical basis | D．has little scientific value |
Have you ever walked outside thinking it was one temperature but quickly discovered it felt colder? That is because of the “wind chill” effect.
Wind chill is how cold people and animals feel when they are outside, not the actual temperature on the thermometer(温度计). It is based on how quickly your body loses heat when it is exposed to wind and cold. When the wind is strong, your body quickly loses heat, making the temperature of your skin drop.
When scientists first started calculating wind chill, they used research conducted in 1945 by explorers to Antarctica who measured how quickly water froze outside.
But water freezes faster than exposed skin, so the wind chill index based on that data wasn’t accurate.
In 2001, the US government began to measure wind chill more precisely by testing how quickly people’s skin froze.
Twelve volunteers were placed in a chilled wind tunnel. Equipment was stuck to their faces to measure the heat flow from their cheeks, forehead, nose and chin while they walked three miles per hour on a treadmill(跑步机).
The experiment revealed how quickly exposed skin can be damaged, particularly unprotected areas like your fingers, toes, the tip of your nose and your ear lobes. In fact, 40 percent of your body heat can be lost through your head! Signs you might have frostbite(冻疮) are when the skin turns white or pale and you lose feeling in that area.
The information collected from the volunteers helped scientists work out the math to compute wind chill. It involves wind speed and air temperature.
If, for example, the temperature outside is zero degrees Fahrenheit and the wind is blowing at 15 miles per hour, the wind chill is calculated at 19 degrees below zero. At that wind chill temperature, exposed skin can freeze in 30 minutes.
You can find a calculation table at www.nws.noaa.gov/om/windchill/index.shtml.
Experts advise in cold weather that you wear loose-fitting, lightweight, warm clothing, worn on top of each other. Air caught between the clothes will keep you warm. The best cold-weather coats have head coverings made of woven material that keep out water. So next time the temperature drops and you want to play outside, listen to your parents when they tell you to wrap up warm! According to the text, wind chill _______.
| A．means how fast exposed skin freezes |
| B．doesn’t affect your head as much as other body parts |
| C．changes according to the temperature on the thermometer |
| D．changes from person to person depending on their health |
When might a person have frostbite according to the passage?
| A．When his skin turns red and he loses feeling in that area. |
| B．When he is running faster and he is losing strength quickly. |
| C．When his face is exposed and quickly loses heat even indoors. |
| D．When his skin turns pale and he has no feeling in that area. |
What factors influence wind chill?
| A．A person’s body temperature and will speed. |
| B．Wind speed and a person’s strength. |
| C．Air temperature and wind speed. |
| D．The location and air temperature. |
What can we conclude from the passage?
| A．It was in 1945 that scientists first began to calculate wind chill. |
| B．Compared with water, people’s exposed skin freezes more slowly. |
| C．The wind chill index based on Antarctica data is considered a standard. |
| D．With the development of technology, many previous researches have been proven wrong. |
Some years ago on a hot summer day in south Florida a little boy decided to go for a swim in the old swimming hole behind his house．In a hurry to dive into the cool water, he ran out of the back door, leaving behind shoes, socks, and shirt as he went．
He flew into the water, not realizing that as he swam toward the middle of the lake, a crocodile was swimming toward him．His mother in the house was looking out of the window and saw the two．In great fear, she ran toward the water, shouting to her son as loudly as she could．Hearing her voice, the little boy became alarmed and made a U-turn to swim to his mother．It was too late．Just as he reached her, the crocodile reached him．From the shore, the mother grabbed her little boy by the arms just as the crocodile snatched his legs．That began an incredible tug-of-war between the two．The crocodile was much stronger than the mother, but the mother was much too passionate to let go．A farmer happened to drive by, heard their screams, raced from his truck, took aim and shot the crocodile．
Remarkably, after weeks and weeks in the hospital, the little boy survived．His legs were extremely scarred by the attack of the animal．And, on his arms, were deep scratches where his mother’s fingernails dug into his flesh in her effort to hang on to the son she loved．
The newspaper reporter, who interviewed the boy, asked if he would show him his scars．The boy lifted his legs．And then, with obvious pride, he said to the reporter, “But look at my arms．I have great scars on my arms, too．I have them because my Mom wouldn’t let go．”
Never judge another person’s scars, because you don’t know how they were made．By saying “But look at my arms．I have great scars on my arms, too” in paragraph 4,the boy really wants to show__________．
| A．how deep the scars made by the crocodile were |
| B．what a brave and courageous boy he was |
| C．how many scars and scratches he had |
| D．how great and beloved his mother was |
Hearing Mother’s shouts, the boy______．
| A．remained in the middle at a loss |
| B．didn’t stop swimming forwards |
| C．swam back towards the shore |
| D．was ready to fight the crocodile |
Which of the following statements is true according to the text?
| A．A crocodile attacked him when the boy and his mother were swimming． |
| B．The crocodile bit the arms of the boy when it reached him． |
| C．There is always an interesting story behind every scar． |
| D．It was the farmer who shot the crocodile． |
Which of the following will be the best title for the text?
| A．Scars of Love | B．Women Hold up Half the Sky |
| C．A Terrible Experience | D．Don’t Judge by Appearances |
One of the most difficult problems a young person faces is deciding what to do. Some people, however, from the time they are six years old “know” that they want to be doctors or teachers or firefighters, but most of us do not get around to making a decision about a job until someone or something forces us to face the problem.
Choosing a job takes time, and there are a lot of things you have to think about as you try to decide what you would like to do. You may find that you will have to take special courses for a particular kind of work, or you may find out that you will need to get enough knowledge for a particular job.
Fortunately, there are a lot of people you can turn to for advice and help in making your decision. At most schools, there are teachers to give you information about jobs. And you can talk over your ideas with family members and friends who are always ready to listen and to offer suggestions.In the third paragraph “turn to” means ______.
| A．turn your face around |
| B．change into |
| C．go to someone for help |
| D．give advice |
The best title of this passage is ______.
| A．Getting a Job |
| B．Kind People to Help You |
| C．Choosing a job |
| D．Difficulties Facing Young People |
The passage tells you that ______ for a particular job.
| A．you should have ideas when you are a child |
| B．it’s impossible for you to get enough knowledge |
| C．you have to face the problem |
| D．you may enter a class to study |
Making a decision about choosing your job ______.
| A．needs friends | B．needs time | C．cost money | D．cost your ability |
Sometimes doing something for yourself - even shopping--can give others a lift. That's the case at charity shops and non-profit stores such as Ten Thousand Villages which helps provide skilled workmen with money in developing countries.
Their handicrafts(手工艺品) are sold throughout North America in 180 stores, 95 of them operated by Ten Thousand Villages.
"People come into the store because we have a lot of interesting things, but then they're drawn to us by the mission(慈善的行动) ," says organization spokeswoman Juanita Fox.
"It just feels good to be making a difference when you're buying something."
In the Alexandria, Virginia shop, generals display windows draw you in. They are filled with practical, attractive home furnishings in blue and white, all international in mood.
Once inside though, it's clear that this isn't just another import store. On the wall behind the cash register is the following note:
"Ten Thousand Villagers provides necessary, fair income to Third World people by marketing their handicrafts and telling their stories in North America. Your Buying Makes a Difference. "
The store was opened in 1994 as part of a network of shops across the USA run by the Mennonite Church, which is based in Akron, Pennsylvania.
Currently, 60,000 skilled workmen from 32 countries provide goods to the stores, with all proceeds (收益) re-invested in the organization.
Management of the Alexandria shop is overseen by an all-volunteer board of directors. More than 40 additional volunteers help doing everything from working the register to unpacking stock.
Maria Yannopoulos got involved after visiting a store and getting to know another volunteer. "Since we are non-profit, we are really looking for value because the more we sell, the more jobs we can create. Giving someone job rather than charity helps in so many ways. "The underlined part "give others a lift" in the first paragraph means ______.
| A．offer other a ride in a car |
| B．take others up and down in another floor |
| C．make others think of plans |
| D．make others more pleased |
A large number of people visit Ten Thousand Villagers because _______.
| A．they are fond of traveling around |
| B．they can find something interesting |
| C．they can enjoy the wonderful foods |
| D．they want to learn how to farm in the fields |
What can we learn from the note mentioned in this passage?
A. Goods sold at Ten Thousand Villages are expensive.
B. Stories about Ten Thousand Villages are interesting.
C. What the purpose of the shop is.
D. Goods from the Third World are better than those from the USA.From the last paragraph we can learn that ________.
| A．American volunteers like to run shops |
| B．American shops are mostly operated by volunteers |
| C．Volunteers often offer goods to their friends as presents |
| D．Shopping can also be a kind of charity |
The way people hold to the belief that a fun-filled，pain-free life equals happiness actually reduces their chances of ever attaining real happiness．If fun and pleasure are equal to happiness then pain must be equal to unhappiness．But in fact，the opposite is true：more often than not things that lead to happiness involve some pain．
As a result，many people avoid the very attempts that are the source of true happiness．They fear the pain inevitably brought by such things as marriage， raising children， professional achievement，religious commitment，self improvement．
Ask a bachelor （单身汉）why he resists marriage even though he finds dating to be less and less satisfying．If he is honest he will tell you that he is afraid of making a commitment．For commitment is in fact quite painful．The single life is filled with fun，adventure，excitement．Marriage has such moments，but they are not its most distinguishing features．
Couples with infant children are lucky to get a whole night’s sleep or a three-day vacation．I don’t know any parent who would choose the word fun to describe raising children．But couples who decide not to have children never know the joys of watching a child grow up or of playing with a grandchild．
Understanding and accepting that true happiness has nothing to do with fun is one of the most liberating realizations．It liberates time：now we can devote more hours to activities that can genuinely increase our happiness．It liberates money：buying that new car or those fancy clothes that will do nothing to increase our happiness now seems pointless．And it liberates us from envy：we now understand that all those who are always having so much fun actually may not be happy at all．According to the author，a bachelor resists marriage chiefly because ．
| A．he finds more fun in dating than in marriage |
| B．he believes that life will be more cheerful if he remains single |
| C．he is reluctant to take on family responsibilities |
| D．he fears it will put an end to all his fun adventure and excitement |
Raising children，in the author’s opinion，is ．
| A．a moral duty | B．a thankless job |
| C．a source of inevitable pain | D．a rewarding task |
From the last paragraph，we learn that envy sometimes stems from ．
| A．hatred | B．misunderstanding | C．prejudice | D．ignorance |
To understand what true happiness is one must ．
| A．be able to distinguish happiness from fun |
| B．make every effort to liberate oneself from pain |
| C．put up with pain under all circumstances |
| D．have as much run as possible during one’s lifetime |
What is the author trying to tell us?
| A．It is important to make commitments． |
| B．One must know how to attain happiness． |
| C．Happiness often goes hand in hand with pain |
| D．It is pain that leads to happiness． |
Hidden in a small street in the south end of Springfield, not far from buildings torn apart by the tornado（龙卷风） earlier this year, Frigo’s is an Italian restaurant right in our own backyard.
Frigo’s is not a tiny place. It provides different kinds of Italian food. There are refrigerator cases full of prepared foods and desserts, and shelves filled with olives and various pasta.
There’s some traditional Italian music and the smell is of olive oil and garlic（大蒜）. Above the largest refrigerator case, there’s a chalk board covered with desriptions of more Italian sandwiches than I could remember.
I stepped into Frigo’s almost by accident when I had to stay in Springfield into the evening for an open house at the school where I work. Frigo’s is the perfect place to find something quick to go. There are no tables, so all food is taken out. I also thought it would be a great place to pick up some already-prepared food to bring home for dinner.
I ordered the easiest meal possible: a chicken sandwich and a salad. It cost＄4.75 for the sandwich. The salad was＄4.99 and didn’t have salad dressing on it. I must have missed the choice of salad dressing on the way out. The sandwich was great—great chicken, excellent tomato sauce and not too much cheese.
I wish I had tried one of the many other sandwiches which include Joe’s Favorite (＄5.25-＄6.75) and the Dante (King) which is made of turkey breast, roasted red peppers, asiago cheese and choice of dressing.
I have a feeling that I’ll be picking up dinner for me and the kids at Frigo’s soon. Who would be most likely to go to eat at Frigo’s?
| A．People who want to eat quietly in a nice restaurant. |
| B．People who want to enjoy home-made food |
| C．People who like traditional American food |
| D．People who are fond of Italian food |
Which of the following cannot be seen at Frigo’s?
| A．A chalk board covered with descriptions of sandwiches |
| B．Refrigerator cases full of prepared foods and desserts |
| C．Shelves filled with olives and different kinds of pasta |
| D．Customers eating happily around tables |
How much did the writer pay for his first meal at Frigo’s?
| A．＄4.75 | B．＄5.25 | C．＄9.74 | D．＄4.99 |
We can infer that “Joe’s Favorite” and “Dante” are the names of .
| A．sandwiches | B．salads | C．cheese | D．peppers |
We can infer from the passage that the writer .
| A．seldom eats out in a restaurant with his family |
| B．feels very happy that be has found Frigo’s |
| C．dislikes eating sandwiches |
| D．lives a very relaxing life |
Each new school year brings fresh reminders of what educators call the summer learning gap．Some call it the summer learning setback．Simply speaking，it means the longer kids are out of 'school，the more they forget．The only thing they might gain is weight.
Most American schools follow a traditional nine-month calendar with winter and spring breaks and about ten weeks of summer vacation．Some schools follow a year-round calendar．They hold classes for about eight weeks at a time，with a few weeks off in between．The National Association for Year-Round Education says there were fewer than 3,000 such schools at last count．They were spread among forty-six of the fifty states.
But many experts point out that the number of class days in a year-round school is generally the same as in a traditional school．Lead researcher Paul von Hippel said，“Year-round schools don't really solve the problem of the summer learning setback．They simply spread it out across the year.
Across the country，research shows that students from poor families fall farther behind over the summer than other students．Experts say this can be prevented．They note that many schools and local governments offer programs that can help.
But calling them “summer school” could be a problem．The director of the summer learning center at Johns Hopkins，Ron Fairchild，said research with groups of different parents in Chicago and Baltimore found that almost all strongly disliked the term “summer school”．In American culture，the idea of summer vacation is connected to beliefs about freedom and the joys of childhood．The parents welcomed other terms like “summer camp,” “extra time” and “hands-on learning.”According to the first paragraph，the summer learning gap ____
| A．helps children to gain weight |
| B．leads children to work harder |
| C．improves children's memories |
| D．affects children's regular studies |
Compared to traditional schools，students in the year-round ones _____
| A．perform better and have more learning gains |
| B．have much less time for relaxation every year |
| C．have generally the same number of class days |
| D．hold more classes with more free weeks off |
Which of the following statements is true?
| A．Students from poor families often fall behind after the vocation. |
| B．Year-round schools can solve the problem of the learning gap. |
| C．There are schools in each state following a year-round calendar． |
| D．Nothing can help the students who fall behind after the vocation. |
Why did almost all parents dislike the term “summer school”?
| A．They cherish the children's rights of freedom very much. |
| B．They are worried about the quality of the “summer school”． |
| C．They want their children to be forced to make up the gap. |
| D．They can't afford to the further study during the vacation. |
What would be the best title of this passage?
| A．Opening Summer Camps |
| B．Forbidding Summer Schools |
| C．Spreading Year-Round Education |
| D．Minding the Summer Learning Cap |
All over the world people enjoy sports. Sports help to keep people healthy, happy and help them to live longer. Sports change with the season.
People play different games in winter and summer. Games and sports often grow out of people’s work and everyday activities. The Arabs use horses or camels in much of their everyday life; they use them in their sports, too.
Some sports are so interesting that people everywhere go in for them. Football, for example, has spread around the world. Swimming is popular in all countries near the sea or in those with many rivers.
Some sports or games go back to thousands of years, like running or jumping. Chinese boxing, for example, has a very long history. But basketball and volleyball are rather new. Neither one is a hundred years old yet. People are inventing new sports or games all the time．
People from different countries may not be able to understand each other, but after a game they often become good friends. Sports help to train a person’s character(性格). One learns to fight hard but fight fair, to win without pride and to lose with grace(体面).According to this passage we know that ____.
| A．people began to play about one hundred years ago |
| B．about 100 years ago people ran or jumped when they played |
| C．basketball has a longer history than volleyball |
| D．not all the games have a long history |
The writer didn’t tell us in this passage that ____.
| A．basketball was invented in America |
| B．sports change with the season |
| C．games and sports often grow out of people’s work and everyday activities |
| D．football is played all over the world |
People all over the world enjoy sports because ____ .
| A．sports are interesting |
| B．sports help to keep people healthy , happy and to live longer |
| C．sports help to train one’s character |
| D．all of the above |
From this passage we can see that _____ .
| A．sports and games are unimportant things that people do |
| B．sports and games should be treated only as amusement (娱乐活动) |
| C．sports and games are only useful to the old |
| D．none of the above is true |
What’s the writer’s attitude of the sports?
| A．positive | B．negative | C．neutral | D．We have no idea. |
根据短文内容，从下框的A---F选项中选出能概括每一段主题的最佳选项。 选项中有一项为多余选项。
Americans have learnt more about drinks than they were 20 years ago. Now, encouraged by recent studies suggesting that it can cut the risk of cancer and heart disease and slow the aging process, tea is enjoyed by more and more people. Enough fashionable tea houses are appearing to make even longtime coffee drinkers consider changing drinks.
Tea is found in more places than ever. The Tea Association of the United States reports that from 1990 to 1999, yearly sales of the drink grew to $4.6 billion from $1.8 billion. “Green tea is seen by people as a ‘functional food’” — bringing health beyond food itself, says Vierhile.
Recently published studies point out that only teas that come from the leaves of the plant Camellia sinensis contain health benefits. Other teas may taste good, yet they do little more than warm up the drinker. But for Camellia sinensis, the evidence is powerful. In a 1998 study, Harvard University researchers found that drinking one cup of black tea a day lowered the danger of heart disease by as much as 44 percent compared with non-tea drinkers, and other studies have suggested that the antioxidants (抗氧化剂) in these so-called real teas can also prevent cancer.
One such antioxidant in green tea is ECGC, a chemical 20 times as powerful as vitamin E and 200 times as powerful as vitamin C. “When people ask me for something good and cheap they can do to reduce their cancer risk, I tell them to drink real tea,” says Mitchell Gaynor, director of medical oncology (肿瘤学) at New York City’s Strang-Cornell Cancer Prevention Center.
After giving a talk at a high school, I was asked to pay a visit to a special student. An illness had kept the boy home, but he had expressed an interest in meeting me. I was told it would mean a great deal to him, so I agreed.
During the nine-mile drive to his home, I found out something about Matthew. He had muscular dystrophy (肌肉萎缩症). When he was born, the doctor told his parents that he would not live to five, and then they were told he would not make it to ten. Now he was thirteen. He wanted to meet me because I was a gold-medal power lifter, and I knew about overcoming obstacles and going for my dreams.
I spent over an hour talking to Matthew. Never once did he complain or ask, “Why me?” He spoke about winning and succeeding and going for his dreams. Obviously, he knew what he was talking about. He didn’t mention that his classmates had made fun of him because he was different. He just talked about his hopes for the future, and how one day he wanted to lift weights with me. When we had finished talking, I went to my briefcase and pulled out the first gold medal I had won and put it around his neck. I told him he was more of a winner and knew more about success and overcoming obstacles than I ever would. He looked at it for a moment, then took it off and handed it back to me. He said, “You are a champion. You earned that medal. Someday when I get to the Olympics and win my own medal, I will show it to you.”
Last summer I received a letter from Matthew’s parents telling me that Matthew had passed away. They wanted me to have a letter he had written to me a few days before:
Dear Dick,
My mum said I should send you a thank-you letter for the picture you sent me. I also want to let you know that the doctors tell me that I don’t have long to live any more, but I still smile as much as I can.
I told you someday that I would go to the Olympics and win a gold medal, but I know now I will never get to do that. However, I know I’m a champion, and God knows that too. When I get to Heaven, God will give me my medal and when you get there, I will show it to you. Thank you for loving me.
Your friend,
MatthewThe boy looked forward to meeting the author because .
| A．he was also good at weight lifting |
| B．he wanted to get to the Olympics and win a medal |
| C．he was one of the author’s fans |
| D．he admired the author very much |
The underlined sentence in the third paragraph probably means that_______.
| A．the boy never complained about how unlucky he was to have this disease |
| B．the boy never complained about not being able to go to school |
| C．the boy never complained why the author had never come to see him before |
| D．the boy never complained about not getting a medal |
Matthew didn’t accepted the author’s medal because .
| A．he thought it was too expensive |
| B．he was sure that he could win one in the future |
| C．he thought it was of no use to him as he would die soon |
| D．he would not be pitied by others |
What would be the best title for this passage?
| A．A sick boy. | B．A special friend | C．A real champion. | D．A famous athlete. |
I once had my Chinese MBA students brainstorming on “two-hour business plans”. I separated them into six groups and gave them an example: a restaurant chain. The more original their idea, the better, I said. Finally, five of the six groups presented plans for restaurant chains. The sixth proposed a catering service. Though I admitted the time limit had been difficult, I expressed my disappointment.
My students were middle managers, financial analysts and financiers from state owned enterprises and global companies. They were not without talent or opinions, but they had been shaped by an educational system that rarely stressed or rewarded critical thinking or inventiveness. The scene I just described came in different forms during my two years’ teaching at the school. Papers were often copied from the Web and the Harvard Business Review. Case study debates were written up and just memorized. Students frequently said that copying is a superior business strategy, better than inventing and creating.
In China, every product you can imagine has been made and sold. But so few well developed marketing and management minds have been raised that it will be a long time before most people in the world can name a Chinese brand.
With this problem in mind, partnerships with institutions like Yale and MIT have been established. And then there’s the “thousand talent scheme”: this new government program is intended to improve technological modernization by attracting top foreign trained scientists to the mainland with big money. But there are worries about China’s research environment. It’s hardly known for producing independent thinking and openness, and even big salary offers may not be attractive enough to overcome this.
At last, for China, becoming a major world creator is not just about setting up partnerships with top Western universities. Nor is it about gathering a group of well-educated people and telling them to think creatively. It’s about establishing a rich learning environment for young minds. It’s not that simple.Why does the author feel disappointed at his students?
| A．Because there is one group presenting a catering service. |
| B．Because the six groups made projects for restaurant chains. |
| C．Because all the students copied a case for the difficult topic. |
| D．Because the students’ ideas were lacking in creativeness. |
We can infer from the passage that ________.
| A．China can make and sell any product all over the world |
| B．high pay may not solve the problem of China’s research environment |
| C．cooperation with institutions has been set up to make a Chinese brand |
| D．the new government program are aimed at encouraging imagination |
Which is the best title of the passage?
| A．Look for a New Way of Learning. | B．Reward Creative Thinking. |
| C．How to Become a Creator. | D．Establish a technical Environment. |
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