Dear Hamilton,
We are fortunate that in such a large, high-pressure office we all get along so well. You are one of the people who keep the social temperature at such a comfortable setting. I don’t know anyone in the office who is better liked than you.
You can perhaps help with this. The collection of contributions towards gifts for employees’ personal-life events is becoming a little troubling. Certainly, the group sending of a gift is reasonable now and then. In the past month, however, there have been collections for two baby shower gifts, one wedding shower gift, two wedding gifts, one funeral（葬礼）remembrance, four birthday gifts, and three graduation gifts.
It’s not only the collected-from who are growing uncomfortable (and poor), but the collected-for feel uneasy receiving gifts from people who don’t know them outside the office, who wouldn’t even recognize their graduating children, their marrying daughters and sons, or their dead relatives.
This is basically a kind gesture (and one that people think well of you for), but the practice seems to have become too wide-ranging and feels improper in today’s office setting.
Thank you for understanding.The underlined word “contributions” probably means ________.
| A．money | B．suggestions | C．reports | D．understanding |
Hamilton is expected to _______.
| A．show more kindness. | B．discontinue the present practice |
| C．quit being the organizer for gift giving | D．know more about co-workers’ families |
This is basically a letter of ________.
| A．apology | B．sympathy | C．appreciation | D．dissatisfaction |
There are two dangers to be guarded against in old age. One of these is undue absorption in the past. It does not do to live in memories, in regrets for the good old days, or in sadness about friends who are dead. One’s thoughts must be directed to the future and to things about which there is something to be done.
It is unwise to be too attached to the youth in the hope of sucking vigor from its vitality. When your children are grown up they want to live their own lives, and if you continue to be as interested in them as you were when they were young, you are likely to become a burden to them, unless they are cold to you.
I think that a successful old age is easiest for those who have strong impersonal interests involving appropriate activities. It is in this sphere that long experience is really fruitful, and it is in this sphere that the wisdom born of experience can be exercised without being oppressive. It is no use telling grown-up children not to make mistakes, both because they will not believe you, and because mistakes are an essential part of education. But if you are one of those who are incapable of impersonal interests, you may find that your life will be empty unless you concern yourself with you children and grandchildren. In that case you must realize that while you can still render them material services, such as making them an allowance or knitting them jumpers, you must not expect that they will enjoy your company.
Some old people are afraid of death. But in fact the best way is to make your interests gradually wider and ore impersonal. An individual human existence should be like a river-small at fist, rushing passionately past rocks and over waterfalls. Gradually the river grows wider and the banks move back and in the end they become mixed in the sea without any visible break.
The old man who can see life in this way will not suffer from the fear of growing old and death.The author suggests that old people should_______.
| A．develop impersonal interests with proper activities. |
| B．tell their children not to make mistakes |
| C．concern themselves with their children |
| D．not give their children an allowance |
The underlined word “render” in Paragraph 3 is close to the meaning of “_____”.
| A．return | B．reward | C．offer | D．demand |
The author compares an individual human existence to a river because _____.
| A．Life is like a river, first small, and then it becomes wide |
| B．life is like a river finally flowing into the sea |
| C．old age and death are both natural just like a river |
| D．old people will be mixed in the crowd like a river mixed in the sea |
What’s the best title of this passage?
| A．Setting Sun Is Beautiful | B．Growing Old Successfully |
| C．Why Fear Getting Old | D．Caring for Olds More |
I’m not so sure I like my friends any more. I used to like them-to be honest. We’d have lunch, talk on the phone or exchange emails, and they all seemed normal enough. But then came Face Book, and I was introduced to a sad fact: many of my friends have dark sides that they had kept from me.
Today my friends show off the more unpleasant aspects of their personalities via FaceBook. No longer hidden, they’re thrown in my face like TV commercials -unavoidable and endless advertisements for the worst of their personalities.
Take Fred. If you were to have lunch with him, you’d find him warm, and self-effacing（谦逊的）.Read his FaceBook and you’ll realize he’s an unbearable, food-obsessed boring man. He’d pause to have a cup of coffee on his way to save a drowning man-and then write about it.
Take Andy. You won’t find a smarter CEO anywhere, but now he’s a CEO without a company to run. So he plays Mafia Wars on FaceBook. He’s doing well-level 731. Thanks to FaceBook, I know he’s playing about 18 hours a day. Andy, you’ve run four companies-and this is how you spend your downtime? What happned to golf?What happened to getting another job?
Take Liz. She is positive that the flu vaccine will kill us all and that we should avoid it. And then comes Chris who likes to post at least 20 times a day on every website he can find, so I get to read his thoughts twice, once on FaceBook and once on Twitter.
In real life, I don’t see these sides of people. Face to face, my friends show me their best. They’re nice, smart people. But face to FaceBook, my friends is like a blind date which goes horribly wrong.
I’m left with a dilemma. Who is my real friend?Is it the Liz I have lunch with or the anti-vaccine madman on FaceBook? Is it the Fred I can grab a sandwich with or the Fred who weeps if he’s at a party and the wine isn’t up to his standard? Who is opposed to the flu vaccine in the text?
| A．Fred | B．Andy | C．Liz | D．Chris |
What’s Andy probably busy in doing now?
| A．He’s running his company |
| B．He’s playing golf all day |
| C．He’s looking for another job |
| D．He’s playing computer games |
According to the text, FaceBook tends to _______.
| A．present another side of people |
| B．offer some foods for free |
| C．show endless advertisements |
| D．get you to more parties |
The text is developed mainly by _____.
| A．giving examples | B．following the time order |
| C．listing figures | D．raising questions |
Why are people interested in eating raw foods or whole foods? One reason is that eating these types of food reduces the risk of acid accumulation in your body.
Raw and whole foods are usually digested more efficiently than cooked and refined foods. When we cook foods, we destroy the natural enzymes (酶) that are part of the food in its raw form. These enzymes were intended by nature to help us digest the food. When we consume food without these natural enzymes, our bodies either digest the food improperly or allow too many nutrients to be absorbed into the bloodstream. In both instances, the result is obesity. When too many nutrients are absorbed at once, the body grows fat. Improperly digested food moves slowly through the digestive tract, where it becomes increasingly acidic. To protect its vital organs from this acidic waste, the body changes the acid into fat and stores it safely away from the organs.
Processed foods contain chemical elements, which might confuse the appetite mechanism (新陈代谢) that tells us when we’ve had enough to eat; as a result, people often overeat. Processed foods also upset the digestive cycle. The body will either identify these foods as allergens and then store them safely away from the organs as fat, or the remains of undigested food will become acidic and enter the bloodstream as acid waste, which will stick to the blood vessel walls and block the passage of vital oxygen and nutrients heading for the body’s cells. The body’s metabolism becomes inactive, and the result is weight gain and obesity.
The accumulation of acid in the digestive tract makes digestion increasingly inefficient. When that happens, even healthy foods can become acidic and the food allergies will become more common.
To stop this vicious（恶性的）circle in its tracks, people need to consume food and supplements that will neutralize (使…中和) the acid already accumulated in body. Eating the right types of raw and whole foods can help. It’s also important to restore your enzyme balance. You need to identify and avoid the foods that cause acid accumulation and consume the foods that increase enzyme production. If you truly want to change and help your body heal itself, you need to take an active approach.What is the main purpose of this passage?
| A．To advocate eating more raw and whole foods. |
| B．To tell the differences between raw and processed foods. |
| C．To inform people of the harm of processed foods. |
| D．To warn people of the problem of obesity. |
It can be inferred from Para. 2 that __________.
| A．it is essential for people to protect their vital organs |
| B．foods with natural enzymes help people keep fit |
| C．we’d better be cautious about raw and whole foods |
| D．giving up cooked and refined foods is a new lifestyle |
Processed foods are unhealthy because they __________.
| A．destroy body’s cells | B．are difficult to digest |
| C．may lead to obesity | D．stop body’s metabolism |
What is likely to be talked about following the last paragraph?
| A．Active approaches to avoid acid. |
| B．Different causes of acid accumulation. |
| C．Correct ways to cook raw foods. |
| D．Suitable types of raw and whole foods. |
What can we learn from the text?
| A．Processed foods are good for our appetite mechanism. |
| B．Eating the right types of raw and whole foods does good to our body. |
| C．The accumulation of acid in the digestive tract makes digestion more effective. |
| D．Processed foods also comfort the digestive tract. |
“When I grow up, I want to be...”
Almost all of us have thought about, or been asked to think about, our future careers. Our answers may differ greatly. Even now your aspirations may have changed from when you were in primary school.
However, it seems career options aren’t only based on personal taste. In a survey carried out by Teens, doctors, lawyers, and bankers were some of most popular careers that people said they hoped to follow. This is in line with a similar survey carried out in the UK in May 2011 by job website monster. Co.uk, in which medicine was the top choice among UK teenagers aged between 13 and 17.
Medicine and law are two of the oldest and best known professions. Their prestige (威望) may come from the fact that doctors and lawyers are some of the most esteemed members of society, and they make good money. Joining these high-profile professions is often seen as a sign of upward social mobility.
It is equally unsurprising that banking is now one of the most common career choices. Youngsters worldwide think of banking and see the money rolling in. Wealth is increasingly becoming one of the most important indicators of a successful career. British young men list the UK tycoon Alan Sugar, Microsoft founder Bill Gates and Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg as their top role models “for their wealth”. Just as Chinese teenagers see being a banker as a good and fun pathway to “wealth”.
However, not every child has the makings of doctor, lawyer, or banker. They are those who see fulfillment and happiness in other areas, and many teenagers dare to ink more individuality into their career options. As the Teens’ survey discovered, a variety of unconventional jobs---coffee shop owner, gourmet(美食家)，waiter at a fast food restaurant---are among teenagers’ career choices. They can be equally interesting and rewarding jobs.
With every choice comes responsibility and challenge, and all career paths require specific education and training, you have to learn to balance optimism and confidence with being realistic about your particular talents and skills.What is the passage mainly about?
| A．Careers in teenagers’ mind. |
| B．Choosing a good job is very important. |
| C．Teenagers in the UK like doctors. |
| D．The choice of career needs challenge. |
What is the top career choice among UK teenagers aged between 13 and 17 according to the article?
| A．Medicine | B．Law | C．Bank | D．Education |
According to the article, all of the following are the benefits of being a doctor except_______.
| A．respect from others | B．the oldest profession |
| C．high pay | D．upward social mobility. |
What do youngsters think is increasingly becoming one of the most important indicators of a successful career?
| A．Prestige | B．Fulfillment | C．Happiness | D．Wealth |
What can we learn from the last paragraph?
| A．According to your particular talents and skills, you can choose your favorite career. |
| B．Specific education and training can help get a good job. |
| C．Whatever career you choose, you should balance optimism and confidence with being realistic about your particular talents and skills. |
| D．Responsibility is the most important when you choose a good job. |
The garden city was largely the invention of Ebenezer Howard(1850~1928). After immigrating from England to the USA, and an unsuccessful attempt to make a living as a farmer, he moved to Chicago, where he saw the reconstruction of the city after the disastrous fire of 1871. In those days, it was nicknamed “the Garden City”，almost certainly the source of Howard’s name for his later building plan of towns. Returning to London, Howard developed his design in the 1880s and 1890s, drawing on ideas that were popular at the time, but creating a unique combination of designs.
The nineteenth-century poor city was in many ways a terrible place, dirty and crowded; but it offered economic and social opportunities. At the same time, the British countryside was in fact equally unattractive: though it promised fresh air and nature, it suffered from agricultural depression(萧条) and it offered neither enough work and wages, nor much social life. Howard’s idea was to combine the best of town and country in a new kind of settlement, the garden city. Howard’s idea was that a group of people should set up a company, borrowing money to establish a garden city in the depressed countryside, far enough from existing cities to make sure that the land was bought at the bottom price.
Garden cities would provide a central public open space, radial avenues and connecting industries. They would be surrounded by a much larger area of green belt, also owned by the company, containing not merely farms but also some industrial institutions. As more and more people moved in, the garden city would reach its planned limit---Howard suggested 32,000 people; then, another would be started a short distance away. Thus, over time, they would develop a vast planned house collection, extending almost without limit; within it, each garden city would offer a wide range of jobs and services, but each would also be connected to the others by a rapid transportation system, thus giving all the economic and social opportunities of a big city.What could be the best title for the passage?
| A．City and Countryside |
| B．A New City in Chicago |
| C．The Invention of the Garden City |
| D．A Famous Garden City in England |
How did Howard get the name for his building plan of garden cities?
| A．Through his observation of the country life. |
| B．By using the nickname of the reconstructed Chicago. |
| C．By taking other people’s advice. |
| D．Through the combination of different ideas. |
According to Howard, garden cities should be built _______.
| A．as far as possible from existing cities |
| B．near cities where employment opportunities already existed |
| C．in the countryside where agriculture was developed |
| D．in the countryside where the land was cheap |
The underlined phrase“drawing on ”in Paragraph 1 probably means______.
| A．making use of |
| B．making comments on |
| C．giving an explanation of |
| D．giving a description of |
What can we learn about garden cities from the last paragraph?
| A．People would live and work in the same place. |
| B．Each one would continue to become larger. |
| C．Their number would continue to rise. |
| D．Each one would contain a certain type of business. |
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