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Almost every day we come across situations in which we have to make decisions one way or another. Choice, we are given to believe, is a right. But for a good many people in the world. In rich and poor countries, choice is a luxury, something wonderful but hard to get, not a right. And for those who think they are exercising their right to make choices, the whole system is merely an illusion, a false idea created by companies and advertiser, hoping to sell their products.
The endless choice gives birth to anxiety in people’s lives. Buying something as basic as a coffee pot is not exactly simple. Easy access to a wide range of everyday goods leads to a sense of powerlessness in many people, ending in the shopper giving up and walking away, or just buying an unsuitable item(商品) that is not really wanted. Recent studies in England have shown that many electrical goods bought in almost every family are not really needed. More difficult decision-making is then either avoided or trusted into the hands of the professionals, lifestyle instructors, or advisors.
It is not just the availability of the goods that is the problem, but the speed with which new types of products come on the market. Advances in design and production help quicken the process Products also need to have a short lifespan so that the public can be persuaded to replace them within a short time. The typical example is computers, which are almost out-of-date once they are bought. This indeed makes selection a problem. Gone are the days when one could just walk with case into a shop and buy one thing; no choice, no anxiety.
What does the author try to argue in Paragraph 1?
| A．The exercise of rights is a luxury. |
| B．The practice of choice is difficult. |
| C．The right of choice is given but at a price. |
| D．Choice and right exist at the same time. |
Why do more choices of goods give rise to anxiety?
| A．Professionals find it hard to decide on a suitable product. |
| B．People are likely to find themselves overcome by business persuasion. |
| C．Shoppers may find themselves lost in the broad range of items. |
| D．Companies and advertisers are often misleading about the rage of choice. |
By using computers as an example, the author wants to prove that .
| A．advanced products meet the needs of people |
| B．products of the latest design fold the market |
| C．competitions are fierce in high-tech industry |
| D．everyday goods need to be replaced often |
What is this passage mainly about?
| A．The variety of choices in modern society. |
| B．The opinions on people’s right in different countries |
| C．The Problems about the availability of everyday goods. |
| D．The helplessness in purchasing decisions |
“NOW I just don’t believe that.” Surely all of us, at some point, have watched a movie and thought: It’s simply badly researched, or, the makers must think we’re idiots (白痴). Recently, the British newspaper The Daily Telegraph ran a humorous piece on unconvincing tech moments from some top movies. Let’s see what all the fuss is about.
Telegraph writer Tom Chiver’s first example is from the end-of-the-world movie Independence Day, in which a character comes up with a virus capable of destroying Windows, the computer system the alien spacecraft uses. “It’s a good thing they didn’t have Norton Antivirus (诺顿防火墙)”, jokes Chivers.
It’s just one case of a movie that takes a lot of license with its science. Another one Chivers mentions is from Star Wars, where glowing beams of light traveling through space look very impressive. The problem is that in space there are no air particles for the light to reflect off. In re
ality, they’d be invisible, which wouldn’t look so cool on the big screen.
Chiver’s second piece of Star Wars nonsense is the sound the fighters make in the movies: “the bellow (咆哮) of an elephant mixed with a car driving on a wet road”. But sound needs a medium to travel through, like air. In space, there wouldn’t actually be any sound at all.
Few people would deny that the mind-bending Matrix films make for great viewing, but for Chivers, the science in the movies is a little silly. He comments “…the film is based on the idea that humans are kept alive as electricity generator. This is not just unlikely – it’s fundamentally impossible. They would need more energy to stay alive than they would produce. It’s like saying you’ll power your car with batteries, and keep the batteries charged by running a dynamo (发电机) from the wheels.”
And finally, as Chivers points out, DNA is not replaceable. But this bit of elementary genetics passed the makers of the 2002 Bond film Die Another Day by. In the film the bad guy has “gene therapy” to change his appearance and his DNA, which is completely impossible.What does the underlined sentence mean?
| A．The virus created by the character is capable of destroying spacecrafts. |
| B．Aliens’ using Windows system is totally unconvincing plot. |
| C．The spacecraft should have Norton Antivirus. |
| D．Norton Antivirus can stop a virus. |
We can learn from the example of the Star Wars that .
| A．in space, you can not hear anything |
| B．light beams travel via air particle in space |
| C．Chiver thinks the sound of the fighters is vivid |
| D．the invisible light beams are impressive in the movies |
Chiver uses the example of car batteries in Matrix to imply that .
| A．the basic idea of the film is rather ridiculous |
| B．the science in the movies is very convincing |
| C．the idea that humans can be kept alive as electricity generator is right |
| D．humans would stay alive as long as they would produce enough energy |
We can learn from the movie Die Another Day that .
| A．the idea of gene therapy is creative |
| B．the element of DNA should not be used |
| C．the makers of the 2002 Bond use the genetic technology |
| D．DNA can be replaced but in the real world it is impossible |
Why did Chiver write this passage?
A．To prove all these films are makin g mistakes. |
| B．To show his great concern for the movie industry. |
| C．To joke about some movies in the movie industry. |
| D．To call for the audience to find out mistakes from the movies. |
I have a painfully vivid memory of my first homecoming from college, in December 1983. After three whole months away, I was back home with my brand new opinions, attitudes and tastes. How could they watch such terrible television programs? I, the English Literature major with Shakespeare and Milton and James Joyce, could hardly bear to sleep under the roof of a house whose few bookshelves held thrillers and bound editions of the Reader’s Digest. I’m sure my family was glad to see the back of me when, at the end of the holiday, I packed up my books and headed back up to university in the north of England.
But the next year must have been even more painful to my parents: I didn’t show up at all. Now, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with young people spending a little time away from their families and with their friends. It’s part of growing up, something you need to do if you are to become properly independent. However, if you’re not going to be home for the festival, you should at least have the decency to telephone and say you’re not coming.
In English we have an expression, “wet behind the ears.” A person who is wet behind the ears is so immature, that they don’t know how to dry the back of their head after a bath. Just before the following year’s holiday I fell ill, quite seriously so. I’m sure my own behavior contributed to my getting sick: staying out too late, not eating properly—perhaps you know someone like the person I was then. I lay in bed with a fever, feeling very sorry for myself.
I’m sure you can guess who came to my rescue. My long-suffering parents got in their car and sped up the motorway to rescue their son from the consequences of his own irresponsibility.
I hope I’m a better son now; if not, it’s getting a little late in the day if I want to change. I’ve worked in China for nearly 10 years and so I don’t get to see them as often as I like, but my parents are online all the time so we talk many times each week. And this Spring Festival I will be flying back to England for a visit.
I’m really looking forward to it.What can we learn from the first paragraph?
| A．The author liked reading thrillers and the Reading Digest. |
| B．The author couldn’t fall asleep in a house with few books. |
| C．The author thought his parents were happy to see him back. |
| D．The author didn’t seem to share the same tastes with his parents. |
What can we learn from the second paragraph?
| A．The next year the author’s parents were very happy to see him. |
| B．The author went to see his parents during the second year in college. |
| C．If you aren’t going to spent an important day with your family, inform them in advance. |
| D．To leave away from family is not a proper way if you want to gain some independency. |
If you are a person who is wet behind the ears, you are .
| A．old and experienced | B．young and inexperienced |
| C．young and experienced | D．mature and experienced |
We can infer from the last two paragraphs that .
| A．the author thinks he has become a good son |
| B．the author will be with his family the next Spring Festival |
| C．the author will not change himself to a better one because it is too late |
| D．the author keeps in touch with his parents through the Internet regularly |
What would be the best title for the text?
| A．Pleasant memories about Christmas |
| B．Horrible things happened in the past |
| C．Interesting memories about Christmas |
| D．Share with you some of my Ghosts of Christmas Past |
Teaching and research are supported by the University’s extensive collections—the Yale University Art Gallery, the Yale Center for British Art, the Peabody Museum of Natural History, and the Collection of Musical Instruments. All the collections are open to the public.
Yale University Art Gallery
The Yale University Art Gallery, founded in 1832, today houses a collection that has grown to rank with those of the major public art museums in the United States. Its two connected buildings house ancient, medieval, and Renaissance art, Near and Far Eastern art, archaeological material from the University’s excavations (古迹), Pre-Columbian and African art, works of European and American masters from actually every period, and a rich collection of modern art. Across the street, the Yale Center for British Art, which was opened in 1977, holds the largest collection of British art and illustrated books anywhere outside the United Kingdom.
Peabody Museum of Natural History
Yale’s Peabody Museum of Natural History, founded in 1866, contains one of the great scientific collections in North America. Among its holdings are the University’s comprehensive mineralogical and ornithological collections, the second-largest repository of dinosaur artifacts in the United States, and the largest undamaged Apatosaurus (Brontosaurus 雷龙) in the world. The Peabody is truly a working museum, where public exhibition, research, conservation, teaching, and learning intersect (贯穿).
Yale Center for British Art
Institutions like the Art Gallery, the Center for British Art, and the Peabody Museum hold only a portion of the treasures in the University’s collections. From paintings by Picasso, to pterodactyl (翼龙) remains, to a 1689 tenor viol in the Collection of Musical Instruments, Yale’s possessions are meant to be accessible to the communities they enrich.
Collection of Musical Instruments
Exhibitions are also frequently mounted (裱贴) at the following venues on campus: Art + Architecture Gallery (School of Architecture), Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Green Hall Gallery (School of Art), and Sterling Memorial Library, including the Arts of the Book Collection.Which of the following cannot be found in the Yale University Art Gallery?
| A．Near and Far Eastern art. |
| B．Pre-Columbian and African art |
| C．British art and illustrated books. |
| D．Works of European and American masters. |
Where will you go if you want to enjoy dinosaur artifacts?
| A．Peabody Museum of Natural History. |
| B．Collection of Musical Instruments. |
| C．Yale University Art Gallery. |
| D．Yale Center for British Art. |
Which of the following has the longest history according to the passage?
| A．Yale Center for British Art. |
| B．Yale University Art Gallery. |
| C．Peabody Museum of Natural History. |
| D．A musical instrument named tenor viol. |
We can learn from the passage that in Yale, ______.
| A．collections are partly open to the public |
| B．there are many venues just for exhibitions |
| C．collections are from art museums in the US |
| D．exhibitions are frequently mounted on campus |
What is the text mainly about?
| A．Introduction to Yale University. | B．Introduction to collections in Yale. |
| C．Introduction to venues in Yale. | D．Introduction to art works in Yale. |
We've all heard the old saying，“Sticks and stones can break my bones，but words can never hurt me.” Don't you believe it？Words are powerful，and they can hurt—a lot. In fact，if you're not
careful，you can even hurt yourself，by using the wrong word in your writing.
Recently a friend sent me a copy of an e-mail she received from the customer service department of her credit card company，after she contacted them with a question about her account. She was happy with their positive response. But as I read the e-mail，one line jumped out at me：“In lieu of good customer service...”
Did they really mean they were offering her a few extra reward points instead of good customer service？I doubt it. More likely，what the customer service department meant to say was，“Because good customer service is important to us...” followed by the details of what they were doing to make sure she remained a happy customer.
So why didn't the writer say that？I can only guess that perhaps the writer liked the phrase “in lieu of”，thought it sounded more interesting than saying “because”，and so used it—without bothering to check the true meaning.
Have you ever done that？Try to impress others with a big word，only to find out you've used the word incorrectly？It's just the opposite effect，isn't it？You may impress people all right，but it's not the impression you were going for.
When you write，remember to choose your words carefully. People may still disagree with what you say，but they won't be able to dismiss you because you made careless mistakes in how you said it.What's the writer's purpose in giving the saying?
| A．To amuse the reader. | B．To persuade the reader. |
| C．To support a conclusion. | D．To lead to the topic. |
What does the phrase “in lieu of” most probably mean?
| A．Because of | B．In honour of | C．Instead of | D．In favour of |
According to the writer，the customer service department ______.
| A．didn't prefer to use familiar words to attract customers |
| B．didn't express what they really meant |
| C．didn't need to offer their customers extra reward points |
| D．succeeded in impressing their customers |
Most recently, it's very common in students that they need a parent present for job interviews．
Naturally, it's easy to blame the students in these situations, but the bigger problem is us．We—as parents—are so eager to shelter our kids that we fail to realize that this in itself is harming them．As the mother of two young sons, I have to remind myself constantly that the biggest responsibility I have as a parent is to he
lp them develop the skills needed to live without me．So, I'll let them fail．
I'll let them fail because as long as they are safe and warm inside their comfort zones, they will never grow．Although failure comes along with loss, heartbreak, disappointment, etc, these will be part of growth for them．And leaving them alone is my way of helping them become equipped to fit in this world as we know it today．From terrorism and seemingly endless natural disasters, to our national debt and beyond, if we expect the next generation to stand up to the very real problems of our time, we need to stop feeding them and start teaching them how to fish．
My children now are becoming little masters of comp
romise(妥协），but they try to negotiate （协商） everything now．It's a small price to help them learn a skill they'll use for the rest of their lives, including when I don't accompany them on job interviews．Why do parents accompany their kids on job interviews?
| A．Because they want to protect their kids from difficulties． |
| B．Because they think they can help them on the questions． |
| C．Because their kids are too shy to attend interviews． |
| D．Because their kids strongly request them to do so． |
According to the author, what is beneficial to kids' development?
A．Sheltering them． B．Keeping them safe．
C．Leaving them alone． C．Blaming them．Why does the author stress failure in kids' life?
| A．To make them stronger than other kids． |
| B．To help them grow in this tough world． |
| C．To help them develop all social skills． |
| D．To make them learn to compromise． |
Which of the following might be the best title for the text?
| A．Never Shelter Your Kids | B．Let Your Kids Fail |
| C．Be Eager to Grow Up | D．Live Without Parents |
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