In a moment of personal crisis (危机), how much help can you expect from a New York taxi driver? I began studying this question and found the answers interesting.
One morning I got into three different taxis and announced: “Well, it’s my first day back in New York in seven years. I’ve been in prison.” Not a single driver replied, so I tried again. “Yeah, I shot a man in Reno,” I explained, hoping the driver would ask me why, so I could say casually, “Just to watch him die.” But nobody asked. The only response came from a Ghanaian driver: “Reno? That is in Nevada?”
Taxi drivers were uniformly (一致地) sympathetic when I said I’d just been fired. “This is America,” a Haitian driver said. “One door is closed. Another is open.” He argued against my plan to burn down my boss’s house: “If you do something silly and they put you away, you cannot look for another job.” A Pakistani driver even turned down a chance to profit from my loss of hope: He refused to take me to the middle of the George Washington Bridge, a $20 trip. “Why you want to go there? Go home and relax. Don’t worry. Take a new job.”
One very hot weekday in July, while wearing a red ski mask (面具) and holding a stuffed (塞满的) pillowcase with the word “BANK” on it, I tried hailing (招呼) a taxi five times outside different banks. The driver picked me up every time. My ride with Guy Caaude Theve – nain, a Haitian driver, was typical of the superb (一流的) assistance I received.
“Is anyone following us?”
“No.” said the driver, looking in his rearview mirror at traffic and me.
“Let’s go across the park,” I said. “I just robbed the bank there. I got $ 25,000.”
“$ 25,000?” he asked.
“Yeah, you think it was wrong to take it?”
“No, man. I work 8 hours and I earn just $ 70. If I can do that, I do it too.”
As we approached 86, Lexington Street, I pointed to the Chemical Bank.
“Hey, there’s another bank.” I said. “Could you wait here a minute while I go inside?”
“No, I can’t wait. Pay me now.” His reluctance may have something to do with money – taxi drivers think the rate for waiting time is too low, but I think he wanted me to learn that even a bank robber can’t expect unconditional support.
1．From the Ghanaian driver’s response, we can infer that .
A．he was not caring about the killing
B．he was frightened to hear what the writer said
C．he thought the writer was a criminal
D．he thought the writer was crazy
2．Why did the Pakistani driver refuse to give the writer a ride?
A．He didn’t want to help the writer get over his career crisis.
B．He was in a hurry to go home and relax.
C．The place was far away.
D．He thought the writer was going to kill himself.
3．The underlined word “reluctance” in the last paragraph most probably means .
A．anger B．unwillingness C．opportunity D．eagerness
4．What does the passage mainly discuss?
A．Honesty of taxi drivers in New York.
B．Taxi riders’ awareness of possible dangers.
C．Taxi drivers’ attitudes towards riders.
A new U．S．government report says more than two million Americans fall ill each year with drug—resistant bacterial infections(感染)，and 23，000 of them are dying as a result．The head of the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention[CDC]said that the number probably will grow．Officials warn that steps must be taken now to preserve the effectiveness of antibiotic(抗生素)drugs．
Without urgent action to stop that trend，warned Tom Frieden whose agency wrote the report，the miracle drugs to fight them won’t be available in the future．
“If we are not careful，the medicine chest will be empty when we go there to look for a lifesaving antibiotic for someone with a deadly infection．But if we act now，we can preserve these medications while we continue to work on development of new medicines．”
The report names a drug—resistant abuse of gonorrhea(淋病)，which causes about one quarter of a million hospitalizations in the United States annually．Of the number at least 1 4，000 result in death．
Drug resistance develops through the overuse and inappropriate use of anti—bacterial agents．These can be：doctors prescribing(开药) them to patients who have viral infections that are not affected by medicine meant to fight bacteria；patients not taking all of their medicine as prescribed，so the bacteria making them sick are only weakened，not killed；antibiotic use in healthy farm animals to prevent illness and promote growth．Antibiotic remainders left in meat and animal products can then lead to drug resistance in humans．
To limit the spread of resistant infections，experts recommend wider use of routine immunizations(预防)，as well as hand—washing in hospitals and other health care facilities．Also， the report urges hand—washing by food handlers．?
Michael Bell，deputy director of the Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion at CDC，said Patients also can play a role in preserving the effectiveness of antibiotics by asking health care providers a few simple questions．What’s the best title of the passage?
| A．Drug Resistance Developing Quickly in the US |
| B．Drug—Resistant Bacterial Infections Growing in the US |
| C．Actions for Preserving Anti-Bacterial Medications in the US |
| D．Preventions of Drug-resistant Bacterial Infections in the US |
According to Frieden，we must take measures without delay to preserve effectiveness of antibiotics，or_____.
| A．we will have to develop better medicines in place of antibiotics |
| B．there may be no effective anti-bacterial drugs for use in the future |
| C．we can’t find other medicines to cure serious illnesses in the future |
| D．more and more Americans will suffer from bacterial infections each year |
Of those patients admitted to the hospital because of a drug-resistant abuse of gonorrhea annually，deaths add up to_____.
| A．at least 5.6％ | B．about 25％ | C．about 1.4％ | D．at least 2.5％ |
One of the approaches through which drug resistance develops is that_____.
| A．people eat the meat with Antibiotic remainder in animals |
| B．doctors prescribe less antibiotics than needed for patients |
| C．doctors prescribe much more antibiotic than needed for patients |
| D．patients don’t take their ant-bacterial agents that doctors prescribe |
Pupils remember more and behave better when 3D images are used in lessons，research suggests．They are quicker to learn and absorb new concepts，and display higher levels of concentration．
Professor Anne Bamford，of the University of the Arts，London， studied the effectiveness of 3D content in 15 schools across seven countries，including the UK．Pupils in 3D classes can remember more than those in the 2D classes after four weeks，improving test scores by an average of 1 7 percent compared with eight percent for 2D lessons．They gave more detailed answer to the tasks and were more likely to think in 3D, using hand gestures and mime(模仿动作) to answer the test questions successfully．
The teachers commented that the pupils in the 3D groups had deeper understanding，increased attention span．more motivation and higher engagement in the lessons．
Children are used to 3D with the rise of computer games that use the technology—90 percent of those in the study had seen a 3D film．Schools would need 3D—enabled projectors(投影仪)，laptops with good picture capabilities，3D software and glasses for children to introduce animations(动作) into classrooms．
But Danny Nicholson，an educationist，said the technology would be impractical to use in schools and could be costly．He said，“While I think the idea of 3D technology is very interesting， I worry that 3D is a bit of an expensive gimmick(小玩意儿)．There are a few cases where a true 3D image might help，but most of the time，good 2D models that can be moved would be just as effective．”
In the US，one school district in Colorado is already in the process of having 1．000 3D projectors fixed in classrooms．And the University of Caledonia．which carries out scientific research into the Lake Tabon Basin．has used 3D presentations with Grade Six pupils．Those who watched the 3D presentations were more engrossed and reported a general increase in their interest in science compared with students who watched the 2D version．What is the main idea of the first three paragraphs?
| A．There are slight differences between 3D and 2D images． |
| B．Pupils perform better when 3D images are used in classes． |
| C．Schools have difficulties in making full use of 3D technology． |
| D．3D technology is always more effective than 2D technology． |
Danny Nicholson holds the view that 3D_____.
| A．is of no help in classes |
| B．has a bright future in classes |
| C．is more practical than 2D models |
| D．may not be affordable for schools |
What can we learn from the last paragraph?
| A．3D technology will replace 2D models in the future． |
| B．Many pupils are now more Interested In science than before． |
| C．Teachers will use the 3D technology through specific training． |
| D．3D will soon be put into use in one school district in Colorado． |
The underlined word “engrossed” in the last paragraph means_____.
| A．absorbed | B．annoyed |
| C．relaxed | D．confused |
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Happy Doctor Rabbit＆Happy Zoo DX— Study Aid Machines |
08 Dec，2013 |
| Happy Doctor Rabbit helps your child learn mathematics in the fun way．The machine tests children on “minus” and “plus” math problems． Happy Zoo DX helps your child’s memory and listening ability．The machine plays an animal sound and the child can tell the correct animal． [more information] |
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Racing Car Kiddy Ride—Only EURO $1,150.00 |
06 Dec，2013 |
| Coinop Express is currently selling a second-hand Racing Car Kiddy Ride. One piece only, unit price is EURO $1150. The ride is in great condition, fully functional. [more information] |
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Virtua Striker 3 ver．2013 software upgrade kit—great chance to update your Virtua Striker into this latest version! |
03 Oct，2013 |
| Virtua Striker 3 ver．2013 has greatly improved the motion fluency and increased the stressed matching atmosphere also，this latest version Virtua Striker has updated the tactics(策略)and football players’data from the World Cup 2013． It is really an excellent football game，continue your World Cup fever with this latest version—Virtua Striker 2013!! [more information] |
Parents who want to help their children with mathematics may buy
| A．Virtua Striker 3ver．2013 | B．Racing Car Kiddy Ride |
| C．Happy Doctor Monkey | D．Happy Zoo DX |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the ads?
| A．Kiddy Ride is a new machine worth EURO$1 150． |
| B．Virtua Striker 3 ver．2013 is a latest version of software． |
| C．Virtua Striker 3 ver．2013 may be popular among basketball fans． |
| D．Happy Zoo DX will help children in their study of music and art． |
If you use Virtua Striker 3 ver．2013，you can_____.
| A．watch the World Cup 2013 live |
| B．greatly improve your football skill |
| C．change players’ data whenever you want |
| D．feel World Cup fever more intensely |
It is obvious that people can read the ads_____.
| A．on a board | B．on TV |
| C．in a newspaper | D．on the Internet |
Having just quit a highly moneymaking job with tech giant Microsoft in the United States，where he’d made millions working as a program manager，Patrick Awuah would wake up once in a while wondering if he’d done the right thing．
What Awuah wanted was to create a university in his native Ghana．a state-of-the-art education centre that would help educate the country’s next generation of leaders．Awuah moved with his family back to Ghana．There，he invested his own money and with the help of other donors he founded Ashesi University．
“Africa needs to have a renaissance(复兴),” says Awuah as he explained what drove him to take the risky decision．“The world needs to change in this way and I strongly believe that people like me need to be part of the solution；I need to be really actively involved in helping to drive this change in Africa‘‘
Located about an hour's drive from the capital Accra，Ashesi，which appropriately translates to “beginning,” is the first Ghanaian university to combine technical majors with a liberal arts approach．Its campus，set on 100 acres in a town called Berekuso，was designed to be inspiring for the more than 500 young Ghanaians studying there．
“So when I look at universities I see Africa fast—forward 30 years．When this 20-year-old is now in his or her 50s，that person is going to be a leader．”
Today Ashesi，which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year，offers degrees in business，information systems and computer science．There are plans to offer engineering and economics majors in the near future．The school’s graduation rate is between 70％and 90％，according to Awuah．
In our last freshman class，50％ of the students paid full tuition(学费)，25％were on full scholarships and 25％on partial scholarships ,”he said．“The reason why variety is so important is that the most important conversation on campus is a conversation about the good society—what is the good society we would like to see in Africa? That conversation is a lot more interesting if you have variety in the classroom，”adds Awuah．In Awuah’s opinion，Africa should be changed by
| A．investing more money for development |
| B．developing computer science |
| C．training future leaders for development |
| D．founding more universities |
The underlined sentence in the first paragraph infers that “_____”.
| A．Awuah regretted that he had once worked with Microsoft |
| B．Awuah would doubt if he should resign from Microsoft |
| C．Awuah wondered whether it was right to invest for a university |
| D．Awuah felt it wrong that he had refused a job with a large salary |
The university founded by Awuah_____.
| A．came into being 10 years ago | B．was named with “beginning” |
| C．is located in the capital of Ghan | D．will be run for 30 years |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?
| A．Ashesi has offered five degrees since it was founded． |
| B．Awuah had earned millions of dollars before he left Microsoft． |
| C．50％ of the new students in Ashesi receive education for free． |
| D．Awuah was the only investor in setting up Ashesi University． |
I am a strong believer that if a child is raised with approval (准允), he learns to love himself and will be successful in his own way. Several weeks ago, I was doing homework with my son in the third grade and he kept standing up from his chair to go over the math lines. I kept asking him to sit down, telling him that he would concentrate better. He sat but seconds later, as if he didn’t even notice he was doing it, he got up again. I was getting frustrated (受挫), but then it hit me. I started noticing his answers were much quicker and accurate when he stood up. Could he be more absorbed while standing up?
This made me start questioning myself and what I had been raised to believe. I was raised to believe that a quiet, calm child was a sure way to success. This child would have the willpower to study hard, get good grades and become someone important in life.
Now those same people perhaps come to realize that their kids are born with their own sets of DNA and personality qualities, and all you can do is loving and accepting them. As parents, throughout their growing years and beyond that, we need to be our kids’ best cheerleaders, guiding them and helping them find their way.
I have stopped asking my son to sit down and concentrate. Obviously, he is concentrating just in his own way and not mine. We need to learn to accept our kids’ ways of doing things. Some way may have worked for me but doesn’t mean we need to carry it through generations. There is nothing sweeter than being personal and unique (独特的). It makes us free and happy and that’s just the way I want my kids to live their own life. Time and again the author got his son seated in order to make him ______.
| A．work fast | B．go polite | C．stay relaxed | D．keep attentive |
The underlined “it” (in the first paragraph) probably refers to ______.
| A．his son’s doing better while standing up |
| B．his failure in keeping his son under control |
| C．his own experience as a school boy |
| D．his disappointment with his active child |
By this passage, the author attempts to tell other parents to ______.
| A．correct their kids’ manners from the early ages |
| B．respect and trust their kids’ ways of behaviors |
| C．develop a good relationship with their children |
| D．guarantee their children’s freedom at home |
Which of the following would be the best title of the passage?
| A．Parental help with teens’ study |
| B．Adult influence on teen growth |
| C．Kids’ success in their own styles |
| D．Friendship between generations |
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