You may have heard the term "the American Dream". In 1848, James W. Marshall found gold in California and people began having golden dreams. That 19th century "American Dream" motivated (激发起) the Gold Rush and gave California its nickname of the "Golden State".
The American Dream drove not only 1800s gold-rush prospectors but also waves of immigrants throughout that century and the next. People from Europe, and a large number of Chinese, arrived in the US in the 19th century hoping that in America they would find gold in the streets. But most, instead, worked as railroad labourers. They created the oldest Chinatown, in San Francisco, and gave the city a Chinese name "the old gold hill".
In the 20th century, some critics said that it was no longer possible to become prosperous through determination and hard work. Unfair education for students from poor families and racial discrimination almost made the American Dream a nightmare.
Then, in the 1990s, California saw a new wave of dreamers in Silicon Valley. People poured their energy into the Internet. This new chapter of the American Dream attracted many business people and young talents from China and India to form start-ups and seek fortunes in America.
Better pay, a nice house, and a rising standard of living will always be attractive. However, the new American Dream is no longer just about money. It encourages Americans to consume wisely to protect the environment, improve the quality of life, and promote social justice.
The Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, has become the model of the new American Dream. After years of hard work, he grew from a poor young man from Austria into a movie superstar and then governor. Many people hope his story can save the American Dream and give California a brighter future. It can be inferred that _____.
| A．America’s golden dream could never be realized |
| B．America’s golden dream had bought great fortunes to Chinese immigrants |
| C．each period of time has its own taste of the American dream |
| D．determination and hard work are the best way to realize the American dream |
Why did most of the early immigrants work as railroad laborers?
| A．Because they could earn more money as railroad laborers. |
| B．Because they had to make a living by working as railroad laborers. |
| C．Because they thought railroad was the first step to find gold. |
| D．Because railroad laborers were greatly honored at that time. |
The underlined sentence “his story can save the American Dream” (in the last paragraph) indicates that _____.
| A．the dream of seeking fortunate in America is easy to realize |
| B．most of the immigrants to America don’t reach their previous goal |
| C．the success of Arnold Schwarzenegger is among the common examples of the immigrants |
| D．the immigrants have made great contributions to California |
What’s the best title of the passage?
| A．Wave of Immigrants to America | B．Make Fortunes Abroad |
| C．Hard Work Leads to Success | D．Changes of America’s Golden Dream |
On the day Apple debuted the often-delayed white-colored iPhone 4, the company's marke
ting department gave a nod to the product's troubled history．
"Finally．" read the big headline Thursday above a picture of the white phone on the homepage of Apple．com．
The white model was supposed to ship alongside the black one at the iPhone 4's launch（推出） last June．But design and manufacturing complications delayed the process by 10 months, catching Apple off guard, executives say．
As CNN reported last month, earlier
test models of the white iPhone 4 produced unclear photos, especially when the flash（闪光灯） was used．Its whiteness confused the proximity sensor （距离传感器） , which detects when the phone is held next to someone's head and turns off the touch screen to save battery life．
These problems weren't present in older iPhones that came in white because they didn't have flash photography; the proximity sensor was unaffected because the front side of previous models was black．
"We thought we were there a year ago, or less than that, when we launched the iPhone 4, and we weren't," Philip Schiller, Apple's chief marketing executive, said in an interview．"It's not as simple as making something white．There's a lot more that goes into both the material science of it —how it holds up over time…but also in how it all works with the sensors．"
Ticonderoga Securities analyst Brian White predicts that the white model could help drive sales of Apple's phones．He says Apple could sell 1 million to 1．5 million every three months until the next iPhone model is unveiled, which is expected to be this fall．
Forty-five people were lined up at Apple's flagship New York store Thursday morning to buy white iPhones, according to a CNN Money report．The reason why white-colored iPhone 4 was delayed by 10 months is that _______．
| A．it's always sold out due to its popularity |
| B．it met some problems concerning design and manufacture |
| C．it lacked white manufacturing materials |
| D．its proximity sensor can't save battery life |
According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A．There are multi-colored models of iPhone 4． |
| B．The same design problems were also found in older white iPhones． |
| C．IPhone4 will be launched this fall． |
| D．Originally designers thought they could solve the problems before iPhone 4 was launched． |
What would be the best title for this passage?
| A．Why the White iPhone 4 Took So Long |
| B．The History of iPhone 4 |
C．The Attraction of White iPhone 4 |
| D．The Design and Manufacture of iPhone 4 |
A characteristic of American culture that has become almost a 
tradition is to respect the self-made man —the man who has risen to the top through his own efforts, usually beginning by working with his hands．While the leader in business or industry or the college professor occupies a higher social position and commands greater respect m the community than the common laborer or even the skilled factory worker, he may take pains to point out that his father started life in America as a farmer or laborer of some sort．
This attitude toward manual （体力的） labor is now still seen in many aspects of American life．One is invited to dinner at a home that is not only comfortably but even luxuriously （豪华地） furnished and in which there is every evidence of the fact that the family has been able to afford foreign travel, expensive hobbies, and college education for the children; yet the hostess probably will cook the dinner herself, wil2 serve it herself and will wash dishes afterward, furthermore the dinner will not consist merely of something quickly and easily assembled from contents of various cans and a cake or a pie bought at the nearby bakery．On the contrary, the hostess usually takes pride in careful preparation of special dishes．A professional man may talk about washing the car, digging in his flowerbeds, painting the house．His wife may even help with these things, just as he often helps her with the dishwashing．The son who is away at college may wait on table and wash dishes for his living, or during the summer he may work with a construction gang on a highway in order to pay for his education．From paragraph 1, we can know that in America _____．
A．people tend to have a high opinion of the self-made man
B．people can always rise to the top through their own efforts
C．college professors win great respect from common workers
C．college professors feel it painful to mention their fathers as labors．According to the passage, the hostess cooks dinner herself mainly because ______．
| A．servants in American are hard to get |
| B．she takes pride in what she can do herself |
| C．she can hardly afford servants |
| D．It is easy to prepare a meal with canned food |
The expression " wait on table" in the second paragraph means "______”．
| A．wait for others on a table | B．keep accounts in a restaurant |
C．wait to lay the table |
D．serve customers in a restaurant |
How does the author sup
port his opinion?
| A．By analyzing causes and effects | B．By giving examples |
| C．By reasoning and concluding | D．By telling stories |
St James’s Palace has announced that while Miss Middleton will wear a wedding ring．Prince William has chosen not to．
Rings are typically exchanged by couples during their wedding to represent commitment （承诺）to each other．Does it matter if husbands don’t wear a wedding ring?
Prince William’s father wears one, his grandfather doesn’t and their decisions weren’t seen as strange．But reactions to Prince William’s decision show that wedding rings for husbands are now the norm．One young man, who spoke to the BBC, thinks William is setting a bad example, saying: "I think it’s disgraceful （不光彩的）．It’s a tradition．You have to wear a ring really．And for someone of the royal family to do that, it’s not right．"
Broadly speaking, modem husbands tend to wear their wedding rings as a symbol of loyalty and faithfulness．So not wearing one can seem unusual or even dishonest to some, although men haven’t always worn them．
The wearing of wedding rings has been the done thing for centuries among wives but only became common practice among husbands during World War II．Men fighting overseas usually wore them as a reminder of wives and families back home．
Wearing rings is a safety issue（问题） for men in certain manual jobs．But how does William explain his decision? A royal officer has said he "isn’t one for jewelry"．According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A．There is going to be a royal exhibition of jewelry． |
| B．Wearing rings among husbands and wives is tradition at all times． |
| C．All the male members of British royalty don’t wear wedding rings． |
| D．Wearing rings is a safety guarantee for some manual jobs． |
What is the author’s attitude towards Prince William’s decision?
| A．Subjective． | B．Objective． | C．Approving． | D．Disappointed． |
By saying "he isn’t one for jewelry", the royal officers meant that _____．
| A．Prince William is a person who doesn’t like wearing jewelry． |
| B．Prince William isn’t a person who is crazy about collecting jewelry． |
| C．Prince William considers jewelry penniless． |
| D．Prince William doesn’t wear a wedding ring for safety． |
What would be the best title for this passage?
| A．To Wear Wedding Rings or Not |
| B．Complaint about British Royal Disgraceful Behavior] |
| C．The History of Wearing Wedding Rings |
| D．No Ring for Wills |
Do you always understand the directions on a bottle of medicine? Do you know what is meant by “Take only as directed”? Read the following directions and see if you understand them.
“To reduce pain, take two tablets (药片) with water, followed by one tablet every eight hours, as required. For night- time and early morning relief (缓解疼痛) take two tablets at bedtime. Do not take more than six tablets in twenty-four hours.
For children six to twelve years old, give half the amount (量). For children under s
ix year
s old, ask your doctor’s advice.
Reduce the amount if you suffer from restlessness or sleeplessness after taking the medicine.” How many tablets at most can a person over 12 have in 24 hours?
| A．Three. | B．Four. | C．Six. | D．Eight. |
What is the advice for one who cannot sleep well after taking the med
icine?
| A．Stop taking the medicine at bedtime. |
| B．Continue to take the normal amount. |
| C．Take more than the normal amount. |
| D．Take less than the normal amount. |
It can be inferred from the directions that this medicine .
| A．helps you to fall asleep quickly. |
| B．may be dangerous to small children. |
| C．cannot be taken if one feels sleepy. |
| D．should not be taken by children under six. |
This text is most probably taken from a .
| A．textbook | B．newsreel | C．doctor’s notebook | D．bottle of medicine |
Annealing is a way of making metal softer by heating it and then letting it cool very slowly. If metal is heated and then cooled very quickly, for example by dipping (浸) it in water, it will be very hard but also very brittle (脆) —that is , it will break easily. Metal that has been annealed is soft but does not break as easily. It is possible to make metal as hard or as soft as is wished, by annealing it. The metal is heated, and allowed to cool slowly for a certain length of time. The longer the heated metal takes to cool slowly, the softer it becomes. Annealing can also be used on other materials, such as glass. Annealing can make metal
| A．hard and tough (韧). | B．hard but brittle. |
| C．soft but tough. | D．soft and brittle. |
Why do people put hot metal in water?
| A．To make it hard. | B．To make it soft. |
C．To ma ke it cool. |
D．To make it brittle. |
As suggested by the text, how ca
n glass be made less brittle?
| A．It can be heated and then cooled quickly. |
| B．It can be cooled and then heated slowly. |
| C．It can be heated and then cooled slowly. |
| D．It can be cooled and then heated quickly. |
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