Life is difficult.
It is a great truth because once we truly understand and accept it, then life is no longer difficult.
Most do not fully see this truth. Instead they complain about their problems and difficulties as if life should be easy. It seems to them that difficulties represent(代表) a special kind of suffering especially forced upon them or else upon their families, their class, or even their nation.
What makes life difficult is that the process of facing and solving problems is a painful one. Problems, depending on their nature, cause in us sadness or loneliness or regret or anger or fear. These are uncomfortable feelings, often as painful as any kind of physical pain. And since life causes an endless series of problems, life is always difficult and is full of pain as well as joy.
Yet, it is in this whole process of solving problems that life has its meaning.
Problems are the serious test that tells us success from failure. When we desire to encourage the growth of the human spirit, we encourage the human ability(能力) to solve problems, just as in school we set problems for our children to solve. It is through the pain of meeting and working out problems that we learn. As Benjamin Franklin said, “Those things that hurt, instruct.” It is for this reason that wise people learn not to fear but to welcome the pain of problems.
56. From the passage, it can be inferred that ______.
A. everybody has problems
B. we become stronger by facing and solving the problems of life
C. life is difficult because our problems bring us pain
D. people like to complain about their problems
57.The writer probably used just one short sentence in the first paragraph to ______.
A. save space B. persuade readers
C. make readers laugh D. get reader's attention
58. The main idea of paragraph 3 is that ______.
A. most people feel life is easy
B. the writer feels life is easy
C. the writer likes to complain about his problems
D. most people complain about how hard their lives are
59. According to the passage, we give school children difficult problems to solve in order to ______.
A. encourage them to learn
B. teach them to fear the pain of solving problems
C. help them learn to deal with pain
D. teach them how to respect for problems
In addition to writing articles and books, Mark Twain delighted the audience with his public lectures about the faraway places he visited on his travels. People were eager to learn about his trips to places like the Sandwich Islands (now Hawaii), Egypt and the Holy Land. Twain often used the fees he earned from his lectures to pay for more adventures. His well-attended performances also served to bring attention to his published work. At that time, the public lecture was a very popular form of entertainment, and audiences’ expectations ran high, but Twain never failed to amuse them.
Twan also wrote on amusing subjects. In 1873, he released a book called The Gilded Age. The book was a satire（讽刺）of the very wealthy of the time. A satire is a work that makes fun of bad human behavior, such as wasteful spending. Twain made people laugh at the excesses（无节制）of the rich.
In 1889, Twain took on other members of the Establishment. He wrote A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, about a boy who travels back to the time of King Arthur. Twain made fun of those who were given advantages not because they had earned them but because of their family connections. If you have never read any of Mark Twain’s works, try reading A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, or The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. They will make you laugh.What do we learn about Mark Twain from the passage?
| A．He liked showing off by talking about his travels abroad. |
| B．He thought the rich should show mercy to the poor. |
| C．His lectures were very popular. |
| D．He supported those who succeeded with the help of others. |
Mark Twain was good at each of the following EXCEPT ________.
| A．writing excellent works |
| B．giving wonderful lectures |
| C．writing or speaking in a humorous style |
| D．laughing at people without a lot of money |
What’s the author’s attitude towards Mark Twain?
| A．Interested. | B．Admiring. |
| C．Disappointed. | D．Indifferent. |
One Halloween a little boy and his friend went out for a fun night of trick-or-treating. At first everything was great. They were getting lots of candy as they went from house to house, but then they saw a house which they hadn’t been to before. It was a very spooky (阴森森的) house. Being young and brave, they decided to go up to the door and knock. After all, scary houses might have the best candy!
As they walked up the long winding path, they saw things that chilled (使恐惧) them to the bone! They heard sounds that frightened them. Maybe they should turn back. But the little boys, being very brave, just wanted to see what was in that house, so they went on, not deterred by the things they heard or saw. As they slowly made their way up to the door, they imagined what might be inside. Maybe it would be a witch or maybe a ghost!
After knocking several times, the door slowly creaked (嘎吱作响) open. To their surprise, a monster (怪物) slowly came out to greet them. They were so scared that they couldn’t move! What could they do? Then the little boy had an idea. He said, "Trick or treat!" Then the big scary monster, much to the kids’surprise, reached over and brought out a huge bowl of the best candies they had never seen. Wow, the kids thought, this was great! It turned out that the house was decorated for Halloween, and the big scary monster was just wearing a costume, just like the kids. Since they were the only kids, and were brave enough to go to the scary house, they could take as much candy as they wanted.This passage is ______.
| A．a funny Halloween story |
| B．mainly about two brave kids |
| C．mainly about a spooky house |
| D．mainly about the custom of Halloween |
It can be inferred from the passage that _______.
| A．the monster was afraid of the phrase "trick or treat" |
| B．the two kids were also wearing costumes |
| C．not all families prepared candy for brave kids |
| D．some other children had been to the house before the two kids |
The underlined word "deterred" in the second paragraph can be replaced by "______".
| A．warned | B．delayed |
| C．attracted | D．frightened |
Thirteen-year-old Greg Hoffman had been begging his parents for an iPhone all year. So on Christmas morning he was thrilled to find the object of his desire under the tree, but there was a catch.
The phone came with an 18-point set of terms and conditions that he had to agree to before the phone could be his. And the agreement did not come from Apple or the phone provider, it was from his mother.
His mom, Janell Hoffman, included a contract along with the iphone that listed eighteen conditions or rules that Greg has to follow if he wants to keep it. Some of the rules limit the time he can use the phone; not after 7:30 p.m , and he can’t take it to school. He also has to promise not to send “hurtful” text messages and e-mails to people; give his passwords to his parents, and always answer the phone when his mom or dad calls. Greg also has to use his own money to replace the phone if it’s broken or lost
Janell says the idea behind the contract is to teach her son to have a sense of responsibility and to learn to “co-exist with technology, not be ruled by it’. She told him not to use this technology to lie, fool, or cheat another human being.
Most of the terms do not just apply to the iphone, but to life. She also advised him to, “keep your eyes up. See the world happening around you,” “Stare out a window. Listen to the birds. Take a walk. Talk to a stranger. Wonder without Googling.”
“You are growing up in a fast and ever changing world. It is exciting and enticing. Trust your powerful mind and giant heart above any machine. I hope that you understand it is my job to raise you into a well rounded, healthy young man that can function in the world and coexist with technology, not be ruled by it,”
“I love you. I hope you enjoy your awesome new iPhone. Merry Christmas!”The underlined word “catch” in the first paragraph means “________”
| A．great secret | B．piece of equipment |
| C．hidden difficulty | D．piece of paper |
Mom gave her son the 18-point contracts with the iphone in order to __________
| A．keep in touch with him at any time |
| B．teach him to have a sense of responsibility |
| C．let him learn to use new technology |
| D．adjust himself o the ever changing world |
Which of the following may NOT be one of the 18 rules? _________
| A．Do not use this technology to lie, fool another human being. |
| B．Do not ever ignore a phone call if the screen reads “Mom” or “Dad”. Not ever. |
| C．I will always know the password. |
| D．Take it to school but turn it off or silence it while having classes |
Windbreaks are barriers（屏障）formed by trees and other plants．Farmers plant these barriers around their fields，which help prevent the loss of soil，and stop the wind from blowing soil away．They also keep the wind from damaging or destroying crops．Besides，extra trees and plants can be cut down and used or sold for wood．
Windbreaks can be highly valuable for protecting grain crops．For example，in parts of West Africa grain harvests were as much as twenty percent higher in fields protected by windbreaks compared with fields without them．
But here is something interesting about windbreaks．They seem to work best when they allow some wind to pass through the barrier of trees or plants around a field．If not，then the movement of air close to the ground will lift the soil．Then the soil will be blown away．For this reason，a windbreak works best if it contains only 60 to 80 percent of the trees and plants that would be needed to make a solid line．An easy rule to remember is that windbreaks can protect areas up to 10 times the height of the tallest trees in the windbreak．
There should be at least two lines in each windbreak．One line should be large trees．The second line，right next to it，can be shorter trees or other plants with leaves．Locally grown trees and plants are considered the best choices for windbreaks．Trees reduce the damaging effects of wind and rain．Their roots help protect soil from being washed away．And trees can provide animals outdoors with shade from the sun．The advantages of building a windbreak are as follows except _____.
| A．providing humans with shade from the sun |
| B．increasing the production of grain harvests |
| C．keeping the wind from destroying grain crops |
| D．reducing the damaging effects of wind and rain |
The author thinks windbreaks are interesting because ______.
| A．windbreaks can stop the wind getting through |
| B．the movement of air lifts the soil |
| C．large trees are lined with short ones |
| D．windbreaks allow some wind to pass through |
If the trees grow to a height of 30 feet, the areas the windbreak can protect are ______.
| A．150 square feet | B． 100 square feet |
| C．300 square feet | D．240 square feet |
What can be inferred from the text?
| A．The environment is going from bad to worse. |
| B．Windbreaks can contribute to agriculture harvests. . |
| C．Trees and plants from abroad are the best for windbreaks. |
| D．Extra trees and plants can be cut down for wood |
Cooks at the Qingfeng Steamed Bun Shop in west Beijing can’t make the pork and scallion baozi (buns) fast enough since Xi Jinping visited for some traditional workers’ food and ate it among the workers.
The Chinese president’s visit late last month went down a treat, while web commentators were enthusiastic in their praise for Xi’s easy populism, after he left the government headquarters in nearby Zhongnanhai and ordered six steamed buns filled with pork and scallions, a bowl of stewed pig liver and a plate of green vegetables.
The bill came to 21 yuan, about €2.50, and he sat and finished it at one of the restaurant tables, just like any other working Joe. While Xi is known as “President Xi” abroad, in China he is known as “Chairman Xi”, in the same way as the country’s late founding father Mao Zedong is known as “chairman Mao”.
The Chinese government is keen for its leaders to have the president title abroad, as it sounds, well, more presidential. But in Qingfeng, it’s all about the chairman.
“Since Chairman Xi came here, the restaurant has had queues like this every day. We didn’t know the chairman was coming beforehand. We only recognized him when he was at the window picking up his food because he also waited in the line,” says a waitress.
Xi is building up a reputation as a more approachable kind of leader, a man of the people – something people in Ireland got a taste of when they saw how he handled a hurley in Croke Park during his visit.
There were rumours last year that Xi even took a taxi to ask the driver what was really going on in Beijing, although that may have been a hoax. While his predecessor Hu Jintao was seen as a theorist, Xi’s public profile is high.The cooks in Qingfeng Restaurant are very busy because _______ .
| A．the foods in the restaurant have to be updated. |
| B．the restaurant is shorthanded at present. |
| C．Xi’s visit made this restaurant extreme popular among consumers |
| D．the food Mr. Xi ate was specially made. |
According to the passage, President Xi is building up a reputation of __________.
| A．frankness. | B．toughness. |
| C．plain work style. | D．indifference. |
Which of the following statements is TRUE? __________
| A．Xi’s arrival was arranged ahead of time. |
| B．“President” and “chairman” are the same titles overseas. |
| C．Chairman Mao queued in the same restaurant. |
| D．Present Xi was good at food in Ireland during his visit. |
What does the underlined word hoax mean in the last paragraph? ________
| A．Feature story. | B．Joke. |
| C．Interview. | D．Conversation. |
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