I told my friend Graham that I often cycle the two miles from my house to the town center but unfortunately there is a big hill on the route. He replied, ‘You mean fortunately.’ He explained that I should be glad of the extra exercise that the hill provided.
My attitude to the hill has now changed. I used to grumble as I approached it but now I tell myself the following. This hill will exercise my heart and lungs. It will help me to lose weight and get fit. It will mean that I live longer. This hill is my friend. Finally as I wend my way up the incline I console myself with the thought of all those silly people who pay money to go to a gym and sit on stationery exercise bicycles when I can get the same value for free. I have a smug smile of satisfaction as I reach the top of the hill.
Problems are there to be faced and overcome. We cannot achieve anything with an easy life. Helen Keller was the first deaf and blind person to gain a University degree. Her activism and writing proved inspirational. She wrote, “Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experiences of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired and success achieved.”
One of the main determinants of success in life is our attitude towards adversity. From time to time we all face hardships, problems, accidents, afflictions and difficulties. Some are of our making but many confront us through no fault of our own. Whilst we cannot choose the adversity we can choose our attitude towards it.
Douglas Bader was 21 when in 1931 he had both legs amputated following a flying accident. He was determined to fly again and went on to become one of the leading flying aces in the Battle of Britain with 22 aerial victories over the Germans. He was an inspiration to others during the war. He said, “Don’t listen to anyone who tells you that you can’t do this or that. That’s nonsense. Make up your mind, you’ll never use crutches or a stick, then have a go at everything. Go to school, join in all the games you can. Go anywhere you want to. But never, never let them persuade you that things are too difficult or impossible.”
The biographies of great people are littered with examples of how they took these kinds of steps to overcome the difficulties they faced. The common thread is that they did not become defeatist or depressed. They chose their attitude. They chose to be positive. They took on the challenge. They won. The writer has a smug smile of satisfaction as he reaches the top of the hill because .
| A．he was actually killing two birds with a stone |
| B．compared with those silly people, he was smarter |
| C．he lost weight by cycing to the town center every day |
| D．he was informed of a short route from his house to the town |
The writer quoted Helen Keller and her saying as an example to demonstrate .
| A．one cannot achieve anything with an easy life |
| B．only disabled persons can experience hardship deeply |
| C．one’s success is determined by nothing but his / her attitude |
| D．it’s rare for a deaf and blind person to gain a University degree. |
From this passage we know that Douglas Bader was a person of .
| A．individual and creative character | B．stubborn yet charming personality |
| C．great bravery and strong will | D．excellent speaker with great influence |
In writing style, the last paragraph serves as .
| A．an explanation | B．a demonstration |
| C．an introduction | D．a summarization |
Juac has made the leap from being an African refugee (难民) to a chess champion in the United States. His job is to share his expertise(专长) with students in schools, chess camps and other events.
During Sudan's civil war in the mid-1980s, Juac was forced out of the country with 20,000 0ther so -called Lost Boys. He fled to Ethiopia, then to Kenya staying in a refugee camp for eight years, where he learned to play chess.
Juac described a dangerous journey in which half the boys didn't survive. To eat, they had to kill wild animals.
"There were animals on the way. It was about a thousand miles and sometimes there was no water. When we were in Ethiopia, we had to cross the river and there a lot drowned."
Juac arrived in the United States in 2004 and began working as a security guard. Winning a chess tournament gave him this teaching opportunity. Juac believes chess helps prepare young people for life.
"Some kids are not interested, so it's your job to make them like the game, to explain them what chess is going to help them with." He said. "Like, I can tell, this game will give you patience, and help with your math skills."
Julie Cathone, a second grade teacher in Jackson Public School, agrees. The School's principal, Meghan Kelley, said Juac and chess have made a big difference.
"What a role model. I mean when you think about just overcoming, and finding what you love and turning that into your life's work."
Juac said he enjoys the freedom he has in the United States. But his passion is playing and teaching chess to youngsters. His boss, Michael Propper , said Juac has one great advantage.
"I think he's believable. I think they look at him and he's so unassuming that they feel like they can do what he's doing and be a person as he is too."
Ju ac still has a big goal ahead of him-becoming an international chess master. With his skill and patience, Propper and his peers have no doubt that will happen.How long did Juac most probably stay in Ethiopia?
| A．About six years. | B．About eight years. |
| C．About twelve years. | D．About sixteen years. |
We can learn from the passage that Juac _
| A．must be teaching kids chess for free |
| B．is patient and good at math problems |
| C．surely has his own chess school in American |
| D．hasn't taken part in international chess contests |
The underlined word "unassuming" probably means __
| A．not appear important | B．seem to be very great |
| C．appear very charming | D．be not strict or serious |
Which is the best title for this passage?
A. "Lost Boys" Experienced Difficult Times.
B. Former Sudan "Lost Boy" Appears in NYC.
C. Former Sudan “Lost Boy" Becomes Chess Master.
D. African Boy Is Teaching Chess in the United States.
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Where do you probably read the article?
| A．In a science fiction. | B．In a newspaper |
| C．In a medical magazine | D．In a guidebook. |
How does Mike Smith feel about the product?
| A．Satisfied. | B．Troublesome. |
| C．Useless. | D．Terrible. |
What do you know about the product?
| A．It is hard for children to control. |
| B．It can be used only for adults. |
| C．It is easily broken by rocks and small branches. |
| D．It is soft, comfortable and inflatable. |
It is known from the passage that _
| A．Intex Recreation only produces outdoor toys |
| B．the product is too small to hold three people |
| C．there are two ways to contact Intex Recreation |
| D．Intex Recreation is a newly - built company |
You are a new manager at the American branch of your German firm in Chicago．With a few minutes to spare between meetings，you go to get a quick cup of coffee．
“Hey，David，how are you?”one of the senior partners at the firm asks you．
“Good，thank you，Dr．Greer，”you reply．You’ve really been wanting to make a connection with the senior leadership at the firm，and this seems like a great opportunity．But as you start to think of something to say，your American colleague breaks in to steal your spotlight．
“So Arnold”，your colleague says to your boss，in such a casual manner that it makes your German soul cringe(畏缩)，“So what’s your Super bowl prediction? I mean，you’re a Niners fan，right?”
The conversation moves on，and you walk silently back to your desk with your coffee．You know how important small talk is in the U．S．，and you feel jealous of people you’re your colleague who can do it well．
There’s nothing small about the role that small talk plays in American professional culture．People from other countries are often surprised at how important small talk is in the U．S．and how naturally and comfortably people seem to do it—with peers，men，women，and even with superiors．You can be the most technically skilled worker in the world，but your ability to progress in your job in the United States is highly dependent on your ability to build and maintain positive relationships with people at work．And guess what skill is critical for building and maintaining these relationships? Small talk．
What can you do if you are from another culture and want to learn to use small talk in the U．S．to build relationships and establish trust? Work hard to hone(磨练)your own version of American-style small talk．Watch how others do it．You don’t have to mimic what they do；in fact，that would likely backfire because people would see you as inauthentic．But if you can develop your own personal version，that can go a long way toward making you feel comfortable and competence．The author introduces the topic of the passage by______．
| A．raising an interesting question |
| B．describing an interesting scene |
| C．making comparisons |
| D．telling a small jokes |
What do we know about German people?
| A．They usually make small talk in work breaks． |
| B．They hate making small talk． |
| C．They don’t make so much small talk． |
| D．They are good at making small talk too． |
What makes people from other countries surprised in American professional culture?
| A．American workers’ ability to make progress． |
| B．American workers’ attitude towards superiors． |
| C．The special meaning of small talk． |
| D．The role small talk plays in work settings． |
What does“backfire”underlined in the last paragraph mean?
| A．be difficult | B．be helpful |
| C．have a good result | D．have the opposite effect |
Across Britain，burnt toast will be served to mothers in bed this morning as older sons and daughters rush to deliver their supermarket bunches of flowers．But，according to a new study，we should be placing a higher value on motherhood all year．
Mothers have long known that their home workload was just as heavy as paid work．Now，the new study has shown that if they were paid for their parental labours，they would earn as much as￡172，000 a year．
The study looked at the range of jobs mothers do，as well as the hours they are working，to determine the figure．This would make their yearly income￡30，000 more than the Prime Minister earns．
By analysing the numbers，it found the average mother works 119 hours a week，40 of which would usually be paid at a standard rate and 79 hours as overtime．After questioning 1，000 mothers with children under 18，it found that，on most days，mums started their routine work at 7 am and finished at around 11 pm．
To calculate just how much mothers would earn from that labour，it suggested some of the roles that mums could take on，including housekeeper，part-time lawyer，personal trainer and entertainer．Being a part-time lawyer，at￡48．98 an hour，would prove to be the most profitable of the“mum jobs”，with psychologist(心理学家)a close second．
It also asked mothers about the challenges they face，with 80 percent making emotional(情感的)demand as the hardest thing about motherhood．
Over a third of mums felt they needed more training and around half said they missed going out with friends．
The study shows mothers matter all year long and not just on Mother’s Day．The emotional，physical and mental energy mothers devote to their children can be never-ending，but children are also sources of great joy and happiness．Investing(投入)in time for parenting and raising relationships is money well spent．How much does a Prime Minister earn，according to the passage?
| A．￡30，000． | B．￡142，000． |
| C．￡172，000． | D．￡202，000． |
The biggest challenge for most mothers is from_____．
| A．emotional demand | B．1ow pay for work |
| C．heavy workload | D．1ack of training |
What is stressed in the last paragraph?
| A．Mothers’importance shows in family all year long． |
| B．The sacrifices mothers make are huge but worthwhile． |
| C．Mothers’devotion to children can hardly be calculated． |
| D．Investing time in parenting would bring a financial return． |
What can we conclude from the study?
| A．Mothers’working hours should be largely reduced． |
| B．Mothers should balance their time for work and rest． |
| C．Mothers’labour is of a higher value than it is realized． |
| D．Mothers should be freed from housework for social life． |
Are you sometimes a little tired and sleepy in the early afternoon? Many people feel this way after lunch．They may think that eating lunch is the cause of the sleepiness．Or，in summer，they may think it is the heat．However，the real reason lies inside their bodies．At that time—about eight hours after you wake up—your body temperature goes down．This is what makes you slow down and feel sleepy．Scientists have tested sleep habits in experiments where there was no night or day．The people in these experiments almost always followed a similar sleeping pattern．They slept for one long period and then for one short period about eight hours later．
In many parts of the world，people take naps in the middle of the day．This is especially true in warmer climates，where the heat makes work difficult in the early afternoon．Researchers are now saying that naps are good for everyone in any climate．A daily nap gives one a more rested body and mind and therefore is good for health in general．In countries where naps are traditional，people often suffer less from problems such as heart disease． Many working people，unfortunately，have no time to take naps．Though doctors may advise taking naps，employers do not allow it! If you do have the chance，however，here are a few tips about making the most of your nap．Remember that the best time to take a nap is about eight hours after you get up．A short sleep too late in the day may only make you feel more tired and sleepy afterward，This can also happen if you sleep for too long．If you do not have enough time，try a short nap—even ten minutes of sleep can be helpful．Why do you sometimes feel sleepy in the early afternoon?
| A．Because you eat too much for lunch． |
| B．Because it’s hot in summer． |
| C．Because your body temperature goes down at that time． |
| D．Because you didn’t have a good sleep last night． |
What can we learn about“naps”according to the last paragraph?
| A．All the people in warmer climates take naps in the middle of the day． |
| B．Doctors need to take naps while employers don’t． |
| C．If you take naps everyday，you’11 never suffer from heart disease． |
| D．Taking naps regularly is beneficial to people’s health． |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．If you get up at 6：30 am，you’d better take a nap at about 1：30 pm． |
| B．Taking a nap whenever you want will do good to your health． |
| C．You will feel less sleepy if you sleep for a long time． |
| D．You’11 feel sleepy at regular intervals． |
What would be the best title for the text?
| A．Just for a Rest |
| B．A1l for a Nap |
| C．A Special Sleep Pattern |
| D．Taking Naps in Warmer Climate |
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