When Dekalb Walcott III was just 8 years old, his father, a Chicago fire chief, let him tag along on a call. Dekalb says a lot of kids idolized basketball player Michael Jordan when he was growing up in Chicago in the 1990s. Not him.
"I wanted to be like Dekalb Walcott Jr.," he says of his father.
So when his dad asked if he wanted to go on that call with him when he was 8, Dekalb was excited. "I'm jumping up and down, saying, "Mom, can I go? Can I go?' "
The experience changed Dekalb's life, he tells his dad on a visit to StoryCorps. "My eyes got big from the moment the alarm went off." the younger Dekalb says. " This is the life that I want to live someday. "
Now 27, the younger Dekalb is living that life. He became a firefighter at 21 and went to work alongside his dad at the Chicago Fire Department. Before his father retired, the pair even went out on a call together — father supervising（监督） son.
"You know, it's everything for me to watch you grow," his father says. But he also recalls worrying about one particular fire that his son faced.
"I received a phone call that night. And they said, 'Well, your son was at this fire.' I said, 'OK, which way is this conversation going to go?' " Dekalb Walcott Jr. recalls.
"And they said, 'But he's OK. And he put it out all by himself. Everybody here was proud of him.'
"And the word went around, 'Who was out there managing that fire? Oh, that's Walcott! That's Walcott up there!' So, you know, moments like that, it's heaven on Earth for a dad."
Dekalb Walcott Jr. retired in 2009. The younger Dekalb says he's proud of being a second-generation firefighter. "You know, it makes me look forward to fatherhood as well, because I'm definitely looking forward to passing that torch down to my son." The underlined phrase tag along in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to ______.
| A．put out fire |
| B．watch basketball |
| C．follow his father |
| D．ask his mother’s permission |
Dekalb Walcott III determined to become a firefighter at the age of _________
| A．8 | B．21 | C．27 | D．35 |
What did Dekalb Walcott Jr want to do before he was told that the fire was put out?
| A．Go on with the conversation |
| B．Put it out all by himself |
| C．Supervise his son |
| D．Go to the fire scene |
What can we learn from the last paragraph?
| A．Dekalb Walcott Jr is proud to be a second-generation firefighter. |
| B．Dekalb Walcott III wants his son to become a firefighter too. |
| C．Dekalb Walcott Jr wants to pass the torch to Dekalb Walcott III. |
| D．Dekalb Walcott III is proud that his son has become an excellent firefighter. |
Which of the following is the best title of the passage?
| A．Passing The Torch: A Firefighter Dad's Legacy |
| B．Putting Out Fire: A Challenging Job for Father and son |
| C．Dekalb Walcott III: A Second-generation Firefighter |
| D．Dekalb Walcott Jr.: A Chicago Fire Chief |
It seems that people are gradually losing their smartness as smartphones become increasingly important assistants in their lives. As we rely too much on technology instead of our brains, many people have lost three basic abilities.
The first skill many people have lost is remembering phone numbers. Because phone numbers are stored in smartphone contacts, there's now no need to dial a number or look at it again. This is fine until you need to call someone for help, only to find your phone is not around.
And some people may also have lost their sense of direction because navigation apps can guide people anywhere they want. People get so dependent on them that when they can't use their smartphones, they get lost and anxious.
But the worst lost skills may be social ones, meaning that some people are becoming socially inept(无能的)People often bury themselves in their smartphones. As we're too absent-minded by what's happening in the virtual(虚拟的)some of us have lost conversational skills and sometimes can't even distinguish whether a person is happy or not.
Last August, researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, studied 51 students aged 11 and 12 who had over five hours' screen time every day. Their task was to tell the emotions of 48 pictures of faces that were happy, sad, angry or scared.
The children made an average of 14. 02 mistakes at the beginning. But after a five-day camp without electronic products, they made only 9.41 mistakes on average.
Luckily, people still have a chance to get these abilities back. You should try to keep your parents' numbers in mind for emergencies. You should also pay more attention to street signs and stores , which will help you to draw a mind map and stop you from getting lost. And the easiest solution to social skill loss is to take a break from electronic products.The underlined sentence in the second paragraph implies that .
| A．you are able to turn to others for help |
| B．others are able to call you anytime and anywhere |
| C．others are unable to get in touch with you by smartphone |
| D．you are unable to contact others without your smartphone |
The experiment by researchers indicated that without electronic products, one could .
| A．recognize more facial expressions correctly |
| B．lose the sense of direction frequently |
| C．tell different emotions immediately |
| D．more pictures of faces easily |
Overusing smartphones, people will probably according to the passage
| A．lose face-to-face communication skills |
| B．have no sense of numbers |
| C．weaken their senses of hearing and sight |
| D．fail to find their destination |
The passage mainly tells us that many people are .
| A．becoming no smarter than smartphones |
| B．benefiting from smartphones' intelligence |
| C．losing some basic abilities because of using samrtphones |
| D．trying hard to break away from smartphones’intelligence |
The writer’s attitude towards electronic products is .
| A．critical | B．sympathetic |
| C．supportive | D．optimistic |
It's not about how much money you make, and it's not about who your daddy is. And no, it's definitely not about whether you look like Tom Cruise or his wife Katie Holmes ... What it is about is these simple things, things that maybe even a person like Tom Cruise does not have.
We're talking about being attractive in general, whether it's on a job interview or just gaining the respect of your colleagues.
Ask lots of questions
In other words, be humble. If you come across as a know-it-all (even if you really do know it all!)， it really pushes people away. Rather, asking lots and lots of questions (even dumb ones) makes people feel like you care, you can be trusted, and you are... humble.
Stay busy
Do you really know the power of this? We're told to stay busy to prevent depression and feelings of anxiety. But did you know you should also stay busy to be really attractive? It's true. Always have something to do. Have you ever seen someone just sitting around, doing nothing? How unattractive. Always be busy with something, even if for some reason you have to make something up.
Show your pearly whites (or just smile)
Smile more, no matter how ugly your teeth are. I'm not kidding about this one. It's not all about the teeth. If you are smiling genuinely, you can draw everyone for 100 meters around to you.
Be interested in other men
Be interested in the other person. Again, ask them questions. Don't talk about yourself... remove attention from yourself. If you are truly interested in the person, it will come across. And if you want to talk about yourself, you'll find that putting the other person first actually opens him up to return the favor and ask you questions. See how fun this is?
So, yes it is possible to be the most attractive person in the world. If you've noticed the ring throughout the article, it has a lot to do with just being confident in who you are. Nobody needs to look like Tom Cruise or Will Smith or their wives, or anyone else for that matter. Every person, of every race, of every nationality, of every background, can be the most attractive person in the world.In the writer’s opinion, attractiveness is determined by a person’s ________.
| A．good looks | B．white teeth | C．confidence | D．race |
The underlined sentence means that __________.
| A．if you are a know-it-all, you are surely welcome |
| B．being a know-it-all may keep people away from you |
| C．a person should pretend to be a know-it-all when communicating with others |
| D．people admire a person who know it all |
In order to be attractive, you should do followings EXCEPT ________.
| A．Behave like Tom Cruise | B．ask questions | C．smile | D．keep busy |
The main idea of the article is to tell us _________.
| A．How to make friends | B．How to build your confidence |
| C．How to reduce depression | D．How to be attractive |
I had recently arrived in London and I wanted to see some of the famous places. Should I go to the seaside? Or maybe one of the famous parks? I walked along the street, past a kindergarten playground, and suddenly saw an underground railway station. I was surprised because it was not on my map. I went to buy a ticket. The ticket-seller looked very old. He gave me a ticket, said "Remember it's a return", laughed and walked away without taking my money. Was it special for tourists?
A train arrived. I could not see any other passengers. I got on and the doors closed. I suddenly felt I should not have got onto the train. It started to go faster and faster, shooting along the tracks. As it entered the tunnel, everything became as dark as midnight and I do not remember the next few minutes. The train came to a station and I got out. I could see light shining in the distance so I walked towards it and came to a door. Beyond it there was a busy street.
There were lots of English people walking about, and I could see some of the famous buildings of London, but there was something wrong. The people's clothes were strange. There were no cars, no motorbikes—but there were horses everywhere. Was someone making a film?
“Excuse me,” I said to a man. “Would you mind telling me where I am and what is happening?”
“What do you mean? Who are you? Where do you come from? Are you from China? This is London and everyone's going to work. Can't you see that?” he asked.
“Thank you, sir. I'm sorry, but could I look at your newspaper?” I asked.
“You can have it,” he said as he walked off.
I looked at it; I saw “New Bicycle Law” and above that “July 5, 1880”.
Maybe I should have walked around, but I ran back to the door. I waited a long time. I was very afraid. A train came. I got on. It took me back to the first station. As I left, a woman asked, “What were you doing in that abandoned station?” I had no answer, but I still had the newspaper in my hand.Why was the author surprised at the beginning of the story?
| A．Because he suddenly saw an underground railway station. |
| B．Because he walked past a kindergarten playground. |
| C．Because the ticket-seller looked very old. |
| D．Because he couldn’t find the station on his map. |
What does the underlined “it” in the second paragraph most probably mean?
| A．The train. | B．The light. |
| C．The distance. | D．The door |
Why did the author think he had arrived in a film-making scene?
| A．Because he could see some of the famous buildings of London. |
| B．Because he had done something wrong in the street of London. |
| C．Because he could only see horses rather than cars in the streets. |
| D．Because the people in the streets were all neatly dressed. |
According to the passage, New Bicycle Law might be _______.
| A．The name for a London street. |
| B．The name for a film made in London. |
| C．The name for a newspaper article |
| D．The name for a underground station. |
Where can this passage most probably be taken from?
| A．In a storybook. |
| B．In a math textbook. |
| C．In a travel guidebook. |
| D．In a scientific experiment report. |
Using too much water or throwing rubbish into our rivers are clear ways that humans can put our water supply in danger, but we also affect our water supply in less obvious ways. You may wonder how paving (铺砌) a road can lead to less useable fresh water. A major part of the water we use every day is groundwater. Groundwater does not come from lakes or rivers. It comes from underground. The more roads and parking lots we pave, the less water can flow into the ground to become groundwater.
Human activity is not responsible for all water shortages (短缺)．Drier climates are of course more likely to have droughts (干旱) than areas with more rainfall, but in any case, good management can help to make sure there is enough water to meet our basic needs.
Thinking about the way we use water every day can make a big difference, too. In the United States, a family of four can use 1.5 tons of water a day! This shows how much we depend on water to live, but there's a lot we can do to lower the number.
You can take steps to save water in your home. To start with, use the same glass for your drinking water all day. Wash it only once a day. Run your dishwasher (洗碗机) only when it is full. Help your parents fix any leaks in your home. You can even help to keep our water supply clean by recycling batteries instead of throwing them away.
Which of the following is most likely to lead to less groundwater?
| A．Using river water. |
| B．Paving parking lots. |
| C．Throwing batteries away. |
| D．Throwing rubbish into lakes. |
What can be inferred from the text?
| A．It takes a lot of effort to meet our water needs. |
| B．All water shortages are due to human behavior. |
| C．There is much we can do to reduce family size. |
| D．The average family in America makes proper use of water. |
The last paragraph is intended to ________.
| A．show us how to fix leaks at home |
| B．tell us how to run a dishwasher |
| C．suggest what we do to save water at home |
| D．prove what drinking glass is best for us |
The text is mainly about ________.
| A．why paving roads reduces our water |
| B．how human activity affects our water supply |
| C．why droughts occur more in dry climates |
| D．how much we depend on water to live |
Friendship and friends continue to be the centre of our life. The relationship that we share with our friends is grounded in mutual (相互的) care as our friends help us in shaping our personalities as well. Even in this age of online social networking and e-cards, the need of keeping the network of friends, whether online or offline remains a primary concern for people. We may not completely understand what makes a friend but we all want to have a good number of friends around us.
The first step to make friends with someone is to make them like you. If they don’t like you in the first place, it is unlikely that they’ll be eager to become your friends. To let someone know that you are specially interested in them, simple gestures like a little smile and calling them by their names can lay the basic foundation. To make the other person feel important to you, you need to be a good listener and encourage the other person to talk. Give your honest and sincere opinion but do not directly criticize or make fun of him or her.
The second step of making someone your friend is to develop a mutual understanding. You need to share his or her experiences and it is necessary for you to develop a habit to see things from the other person’s point of view.
The third or final step towards friendship is to show your unconditional support and encouragement towards your friend. Moreover, you also need to be very clear about your expectations from your friend. If what you expect from the person you want to make friends with matches with what that person can give, the developing friendship between you and your friend is sure to be successful.The underlined word “shaping” (in Paragraph 1) means “________”.
| A．forming | B．changing | C．catching | D．losing |
Which one of the following is true according to this passage?
| A．It is no use learning what a true friend is. |
| B．It is very important to understand each other. |
| C．It is a duty for you to meet your friends’ need all the time. |
| D．We had better keep silent when staying with our friends. |
If you want to make friends with someone, you can ________.
| A．show your interest with a smile to him or her |
| B．make him or her feel more important than you |
| C．never expect him or her to support you |
| D．have your own ways of seeing things |
A good modern newspaper is an extraordinary piece of reading. It is unusual for what it contains: the news from local crime to international politics, from sports to business to fashion to science, and the comments and special features(特写)as well, from editorial page to feature articles, from interviews to criticism of books, art, theatre, and music. A newspaper is even more unusual for the way one reads it never completely, never straight through, but always by jumping from here to there, in and out, glancing at one piece, reading another article all the way through, reading just a few paragraphs of the next.
A good modern newspaper offers a variety to attract many different readers, but far more than any one reader is interested in. What brings this variety together in one place is its topicality, that is, its immediate relation to what is happening in your world and your locality now. But this immediacy and the speed of production that goes with it also mean that much of what appears in a newspaper has no more than temporary value. For all these reasons, no two people really read the same paper: what each person does is to put together, out of the pages of that day’s paper, his own selection and order, his own newspaper. For all these reasons, reading newspapers efficiently which means getting what you want from them without missing things you need but without wasting time, demands skill and self-awareness(意识) as you change and apply the techniques of reading.What does the underlined word in the second paragraph mean ?
| A．wide coverage | B．speed in reporting news |
| C．various style | D．popularity among readers |
According to the passage, the reason why no two people really read the same newspaper is that ___________.
| A．people are interested in the same kind of news |
| B．different people prefer different newspapers |
| C．people scan for the news they are interested in |
| D．people have different views about what a good newspaper is |
A good newspaper offers “a variety” to readers because ___________.
| A．readers like to read different newspapers |
| B．it has to cover things that happen in a certain locality |
| C．readers are difficult to please |
| D．it tries to serve different readers |
The best title for this passage would be ___________.
| A．The Characteristics of a Good Newspaper |
| B．The Importance of a good Newspaper |
| C．Good Newspapers and Bad Newspapers |
| D．Some Advice on How to Read a Newspaper |
The way we get about has a deep influence on the way we live－affecting where we set up home, work and holiday. So what changes might come in the way we get around? What big ideas are out there, and do they have any chance of coming true?
Personal Air Travel
The idea: flying cars
Developments in light small plane technology will make it possible for everyone to own what are, in fact, flying cars. They will have closed cabins, heating, stereos and room for two people.
You will take off from a field near your home and fly to towns and cities. After landing, you will take off the fixed wing and continue your journey by road just as if you were traveling by car.
Fuel efficient engines and the advantage of being able to travel in the sky will keep costs and the environmental influence down.
Flying for Fun
The idea: Jet Packs
The idea was a hit when a stuntman (特技演员) flew around on one during the opening ceremony of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, which was very successful.
You’ll be able to use the equipment－roughly the size of two scuba tanks fastened to your back－for short journeys.
They will be handy for cleaning hard-to-reach windows, arriving in style at a party and shopping.
Taxis
The idea: driverless taxis
These computer-controlled taxis will take you wherever you want along a fixed route, whenever you want to go.
For the price of one person’s bus fare, several people can ride at speeds of up to 25 mph, and there will be fences to guard against accidents.
There will be little, if any, wait for the use of the taxis, which will leave from stations and will be used by prepaid cards.
The taxis, which will travel on a 1.5 m-wide track, will use 75% less energy per passenger than a car and 50% less than a bus.The passage is mainly about ________.
| A．future travel | B．big ideas and dreams |
| C．advanced technology | D．the influence of travel |
We learn from the passage that flying cars ________.
| A．will operate only in the sky |
| B．will be more expensive than common cars |
| C．will have few bad effects on the environment |
| D．won’t be equipped with things similar to what cars have |
With Jet Packs, we can do all the following EXCEPT ________.
| A．attend a party | B．clean high windows |
| C．go shopping | D．have a long journey |
As for driverless taxis, we can infer that ________.
| A．we can go wherever we want in them |
| B．they will be both convenient and safe |
| C．it costs more to take them than to take ordinary cars |
| D．they will be operated by computers as well as by people |
For years, I thought that my mother would become a centenarian（百岁老人）, but after 98 years and eight months, she recently died of old age. As it was with my father, her funeral took place in the most peaceful setting of the countryside of rural Washington County. Even after my father died, we continued to think of our parents as one. They were a team in the traditional sense. Church and family were their lifeline. They worked hard, never complaining. They expected to earn their daily bread by the sweat of their forehead.
Once during a conversation with Tom Brokaw, who wrote the bestselling book The Greatest Generation, I told him, “You left out my parents.” They didn’t go off to war, but they belonged to the Greatest Generation. They, too, were part of the foundation that made American truly great. They kept the home fires burning.
Our mother gloried in being a housewife and mother. Having been a teacher in her early adult years, when education was more than important than anything else, she gave up her job to raise a family. She was an excellent cook, but she had to cook on a wood stove（火炉）. There was no refrigerator, nothing electric. But nobody was ever better at making do（凑合着用）. In addition to all the housework, she went to the fields every day to help produce a crop to pay the rent to provide for the family. She and my dad worked hard to save every penny possible.
They saved every penny to buy a farm late in life. They also saved enough money to live out their respective lives with home care without taking up residency in a nursing home. They were very independent. If you had suggested they accept a government transfer payment, they would have spit in your eye.
Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
| A．Mother played a great part in the family. |
| B．Mother died at the age of 98 years old. |
| C．Mother was buried by the side of father. |
| D．Mother survived father by many years. |
The underlined word “one” in the passage means ________.
| A．parent | B．Centenarian | C．hero | D．entirety |
What do we know about Tom Brokaw?
| A．He is one of the author’s parents’ friends. |
| B．He likes talking with the author’s parents. |
| C．He takes up a position as a writer. |
| D．He is good at managing a home. |
How does the author find his parents?
| A．Brave and hardworking |
| B．Modest and warmhearted |
| C．Economical and independent |
| D．Respective and satisfied |
We chat with our colleagues all the time when we have lunch, gossip in the tearoom, or leave work together. Sharing your personal life brings you closer to your coworkers and builds trust within your team. But revealing too much about yourself to colleagues, managers or human resources staff can cause difficulties and even endanger your work.
It's important to keep the right balance between getting along with colleagues and maintaining your privacy. “Communication in the office is tricky and complicated. You can neither spread chatter, nor be too silent and shut yourself off from others，” said Yang Yudan, deputy HR director at P&G.
According to her, there are several safe topics to talk about with colleagues during the break, such as the weather or movies. Women like to talk about makeup and clothing, while men are fond of sports and online games. But discussing your private life, such as relationship, habits or health conditions, is a potential minefield.
Liang Kun, 26, had to resign from his job at a trading company in Guangzhou last week after discussing his income with colleagues during a lunch break. “I didn't realize it was such a serious issue until a senior member of staff went to find the boss, asking why I got a higher salary than her，” said Liang. “Then our HR told me that according to the employee handbook it is forbidden to talk about salary in the office.” HR expert Yang also reminds us that paychecks are your own business. It is unwise to share this information with others, no matter how close you are.
To summarize, Yang advises office workers to be more aware of the image they project when talking to colleagues, “When you share your personal life, it will be recorded on your invisible resume and may slow down your career progressing.”The author quoted Yang Yudan in the text to ________.
| A．show his admiration for her |
| B．make an argument with her |
| C．support his own viewpoint |
| D．build up his fame |
What can be inferred from the fact that Liang Kun had to resign his job according to the text?
| A．It was unwise for him to share information with others. |
| B．He broke the rules made by the company. |
| C．He was such an honest person that he told the truth. |
| D．He treated his colleagues as family members. |
What is the author's purpose in writing the text?
| A．To draw people's attention to their behaviors in public. |
| B．To advise office workers to be aware of the image they project. |
| C．To make you believe that communication in the office is complicated. |
| D．To warn you to be careful of invisible trouble while talking about your privacy to colleagues. |
Which would be the best title for the text?
| A．At Work, Keep It to Yourself |
| B．Keep the Right Balance |
| C．Share Your Personal Life with Others |
| D．Safe Topics to Talk about |
What should you think about when trying to find your career? You are probably better at some school subjects than others. These may show strengths that you can use in your work. A boy who is good at mathematics can use that in an engineering career. A girl who spells well and likes English maybe good at office work. So it is important to know the subjects you do well in at school. On the other hand, you may not have any specially strong subjects but your records show a general satisfactory standard. Although not all subjects can be used directly in a job, they may have indirect value. A knowledge of history is not required for most jobs but if history is one of your good subjects you will have learned to remember facts and details. This is an ability that can be useful in many jobs.
Your school may have taught you skills, such as typing or technical drawing, which you can use in your work. You may be good at metalwork or cookery and look for a job where you can improve these skills. If you have had a part-time job on Saturdays or in the summer, think what you gained from it. If nothing else, you may have learned how to get to work on time, to follow instructions and to get on with older workers. You may have learned to give correct change in a shop, for example. Just as important, you may become interested in a particular industry or career you see from the inside in a part-time job.
Facing your weak points is also part of knowing yourself. You may be all thumbs when you handle tools; perhaps you are a poor speller or cannot add up a column of figures. It is better to face any weakness than to pretend they do not exist. Your school record, for instance, may not be too good, yet it is an important part of your background. You should not ignore it but instead recognize that you will have a chance of a fresh start at work.What is the passage mainly about?
| A．The importance of working hard at school. |
| B．Choosing a career according to one’s strengths. |
| C．How to face one’s weakness. |
| D．The value of school work. |
The writer thinks that a student’s part-time job is probably_____.
| A．a good way to find out his weak points |
| B．one of the best ways of earning extra money |
| C．of great use for his work in the future |
| D．a waste of time he could have spent on study |
From the passage we learn that if a student’s school performance is not good, he ______.
| A．should pay more attention to learning skills and developing abilities |
| B．will be regretful about his bad results |
| C．may also do well in his future work |
| D．should restart his study at school |
The underlined phrase “be all thumbs” (in Para.3) probably means “______”.
| A．be clumsy at doing things |
| B．be skillful in doing things |
| C．be not interested in certain things |
| D．be easily bored in doing things |
You have heard the expression “horse sense”. As you may imagine, it came from the time when the majority of people traveled in vehicles drawn by horses. A horse does have a lot of common sense, and there are many true stories about horses having saved their drivers from danger of death.
Today for the most part, people travel by train, ship, airplane, and car, but very little by the use of horses. Modern vehicles are propelled by engines, and an engine does not have any sense. In case of danger, many horses could be depended on to help. Not so with the engine; the driver must do all the things.
In recent years, the speed of travel has increased greatly. With the increased speed comes greatly increased danger. The driver of a powerful engine needs to be careful. A moment of being careless may cost a life. In order to drive today, a person must be able to see clearly, and he must learn and follow carefully the rules for safety on the road. Greater attention is the price we pay for using a machine instead of a horse.The passage mainly talks about ______.
| A．engines | B．safe driving |
| C．using horses | D．modern machines |
The underlined word “propel” in the second paragraph means ______.
| A．repair | B．raise | C．push forward | D．made |
It can be inferred from the passage that ______.
| A．a driver must know the rules of safety |
| B．a driver needs to be able only to tell red from green |
| C．an eye test is an important part of a driver’s examination |
| D．greater attention is needed for a driver while driving a machine |
Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．A driver must be able to see and hear well. |
| B．The driver of a car must follow the rules of safety. |
| C．Horses are known to have saved their drivers from injury. |
| D．It is better for vehicles to be pulled by horse than to be pushed by engine. |
As the new semester begins，millions of college students across the country are trying hard to remember how best to write a paper-or，more likely，how best to delay that paper．
Procrastination is the thief of time and a lot of students suffer from it．They can spend whole days in the library doing nothing but staring into space，eating snacks，surfing the Internet，watching videos and looking at their pretty peers sitting around them，who，most likely，are doing nothing either．
Paralyzed by their habit to procrastinate，they write micro blogs about their fears，asking their online friends if they sometimes have the same issue．But this does nothing to solve their problems．
According to a recent report by the BBC，95 percent of us procrastinate at some point and 20 percent of the world’s population are procrastinators，complicating their lives with their continual delaying of tasks．
Procrastinators like to find excuses to justify their behavior，but BBC columnist Rowan Pelling says they are all wrong．Many procrastinators tell themselves they are perfectionists who work best under pressure．Pelling says this is nonsense，as work done at the last minute is more likely to have mistakes than work done on time．
She says the behavior of procrastinators often makes them feel flustered and ashamed，inconveniences others，and annoys loved ones．
Fortunately，social seientists have made tireless efforts to understand this behavioral shortcoming and offer strategies to control it．Piers Steel，a Canadian social scientist and author of The Procrastination Equation，believes humankind is“designed”to procrastinate．Nevertheless，he suggests a couple of good ways to get through the task at hand．
The first one is obvious：Break the task down into small pieces and work your way through them methodically．
The second is clever：Give a trusted friend a sum of money and tell them that if you don’t complete the task you have undertaken by a specific time，they can keep it or donate it to a cause you hate.What does the underlined word“Procrastination” in the second paragraph refer to?
| A．A bad habit of putting work or tasks off． |
| B．A thief who steals time and money in college. |
| C．A college student who learns nothing． |
| D．A study way of doing nothing in the library. |
Which of the following statements is true according to the text?
| A．College students can have their papers written if they delay them． |
| B．Many students don’t know what to do in the library． |
| C．Students can’t solve their procrastination by writing micro blogs． |
| D．20％of the procrastinators make their life complicated． |
According to Rowan Pelling，we can learn that procrastinators .
| A．can find reasonable excuses for their behavior |
| B．are able to work best under pressure |
| C．are more likely to avoid mistakes at work[] |
| D．may upset themselves and their loved ones more frequently |
Which of the following may Piers Steel support?
| A．Human beings are not born to be procrastinators． |
| B．Complete your tasks or work step by step． |
| C．Give your trusted friend money and ask him to help you finish your tasks． |
| D．You can’t control procrastination but you can avoid it． |
What’she best title of the text?
| A．Who steals my time? |
| B．The solutions to procrastination |
| C．I’ll do it tomorrow，I swear! |
| D．Don’t do nothing! |
Farmer John and Farmer Bob were neighbours. For more than 30 years, they had been getting along very well.
Then their good relationship broke. It began with a small thing, then bitter words, and then weeks of silence. One morning Farmer John woke up to find a stream between the two farms. “It must be Bob,” John thought.
Then one day there was a knock on John’s door. He opened it to find a carpenter(木匠) standing at the doorway.
“I’m looking for a few days’ work,” the carpenter said.
“I do have a job for you,” John said. “Look across the stream at that farm. That’s my neighbour Bob. He dug a stream between the two farms. I want you to build a fence—an 8-foot fence. I don’t want to see his place or his face any more. I don’t have such a neighbour!”
The carpenter said, “I think I know what to do, sir, and I’ll be able to do a job that pleases you.”
Farmer John helped the carpenter get the materials(材料) ready and then he was off for the day.
About sunset when the farmer returned, the carpenter had just finished his job. The farmer’s eyes opened wide. There was no fence there at all!
It was a bridge! And the neighbour, Bob, was coming across, with his hand outstretched(伸出). “Hi, John! You’re quite a fellow to build this bridge!”
Then they met in the middle, taking each other’s hands. “I’m terribly sorry for what I have said and done. We should be good to each other.” said Farmer Bob.
Then they turned to see the carpenter, who was ready to go. “No, wait! Stay a few days. I have a lot of other jobs for you,” said Farmer John. “I’d love to stay,” the carpenter said, “but I have more bridges to build.”What does the sentence “You’re quite a fellow to build this bridge!” mean?
| A．John was great to build this bridge. |
| B．John was not good at building bridges. |
| C．John was foolish to build such a bridge. |
| D．John should build the bridge earlier. |
What do you think of the carpenter?
| A．Shy. | B．Wise. | C．Proud. | D．Careless. |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．What a Big Fence! | B．A Strong Bridge |
| C．Three Kind Men | D．A Fence or a Bridge? |
Dear Guys,
I’d like to talk to you about the shame you subjected me to last night. Let me first refresh your memory: You, a group of fit, young men, were playing soccer on the field across from my apartment building. I, a better-than-average looking young woman, was walking along the sidewalk with my groceries. That’s when your ball came flying over the fence and landed in front of me.
One of you approached and asked politely if I would throw the ball back to you. Fighting the urge to drop my bags and run screaming down the street, I reluctantly (勉强地) agreed.
Before I continue, let me explain something that I didn’t have a chance to mention last night: I hate sports. More specifically, I hate sports involving balls. This results from my lack of natural ability when it comes to throwing, catching and hitting. I’m bad at aiming too. So you can understand why I’d be nervous at what I’m sure seemed to you like a laughably simple request.
However, wanting to appear agreeable, I put my bags down, picked up the ball and, eyes half-shut, and threw it as hard as I could.
It hit the middle of the fence and bounced back to me.
Trying to act casually, I said something about being out of practice, and then picked up the ball again. If you’ll remember, at your command, I agreed to try throwing underhand. While outwardly I was smiling, in my head, I was praying, oh God, oh please oh please oh please. I threw the ball upward with all my strength, terrified by what happened next.
The ball hit slightly higher up on the fence and bounced back to me.
This is the point where I start to take issue with you. Wouldn’t it have been a better use of your time, and mine, if you had just walked around the fence and took the ball then? I was clearly struggling; my smiles were more and more forced. And yet, you all just stood there, motionless.
Seeing that you weren’t going to let me out of the trouble, I became desperate. Memories of middle school softball came flooding back. I tried hard to throw the ball but it only went about eight feet, then I decided to pick it up and dash with ball in hand towards the baseline, while annoyed thirteen-year-old boys screamed at me that I was ruining their lives. Children are cruel.
Being a big girl now, I pushed those memories aside and picked up the soccer ball for the third time. I forced a good-natured laugh while crying inside as you patiently shouted words of support over the fence at me.
“Throw it granny-style!” one of you said.
“Just back up a little and give it all you’ve got!” another offered.
And, most embarrassing of all, “You can do it!”
I know you thought you were being encouraging, but it only served to deepen the shame.
Anyway, I accepted your ball-throwing advice, backed up, rocked back and forth a little, took a deep breath and let it fly.
It hit the edge of the fence and bounced back to me.
I surprised myself—and I’m sure you as well—by letting out a cry, “DAMN IT!!!” I then willed myself to have a heart attack and pass out in front of you just so I’d be put out of my misery.
Alas, the heart attack didn’t happen, and you continued to look at me expectantly, like you were content to do this all night. I had become a sort of exhibition for you. I could feel your collective thoughts drifting through the chain-link: “Can she really not do it? But I mean, really?”
Unfortunately for you, I wasn’t really game to continue your experiment. Three failed attempts at a simple task in front of a group of people in a two-minute period were just enough blows for me for one night. I picked up the ball one last time, approached the fence and grumbled, “Please just come get the damn ball.”
And you did. And thanks to you, I decided at that very moment to never throw anything ever again, except disrespectful glances at people who play sports.
Sincerely,
Jen CorderyThe writer agreed to throw the ball because ______.
| A．she needed to have a relax carrying the heavy groceries |
| B．she wanted to refresh her childhood memories |
| C．she could not refuse the polite request from the young man |
| D．she had fallen in love with the young man at first sight |
Which of the following is closet in meaning to the underlined word “game”?
| A．anxious | B．brave | C．afraid | D．curious |
Why did the writer mention her middle school memory?
| A．To explain why she failed the attempts to throw the ball back. |
| B．To complain that she had not mastered the ball throwing skills. |
| C．To show how cruel those 13-year-old boys were. |
| D．To express her dislike towards softball. |
What the boys said before the writer’s third attempt actually made the writer ________.
| A．inspired | B．encouraged | C．awkward | D．depressed |
What happened to the ball at last?
| A．The writer managed to throw the ball back. |
| B．The boy got the ball back by himself. |
| C．The writer threw the ball away out of anger. |
| D．The boys got angry and left without the ball. |
What’s the writer’s purpose in writing this open letter?
| A．To express her regret over what she did the day before. |
| B．To announce that she would never play all games again. |
| C．To joke on her inability to throw the ball over the fence. |
| D．To criticize the young men for their cruelty to her dignity. |
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