It was June 15, and in two days I would be turning thirty. 1 was insecure about entering a new decade of my life and feared that my best years were now behind me.
My daily routine included going to the gym for a workout before going to work. Every morning I would see my friend Nicholas at the gym. He was seventy - nine years old and in terrific shape. As I greeted Nicholas on this particular day, he noticed I wasn't full of my usual vitality and asked if there was anything wrong. I told him I was feeling anxious about turning thirty. I wondered how I would look back on my life once 1 reached Nicholas's age, so I asked him, “What was the best time of your life?”
Without hesitation, Nicholas replied, Well, Joe, this is my philosophical answer to your philosophical question:
"When I was a child in Austria and everything was taken care of for me and I was nurtured by my parents that was the best time of my life."
"When I was going to school and learning the things I know today, that was the best time of my life."
"When I got my first job and had responsibilities and got paid for my efforts, which was the best time of my life."
"When I met my wife and fell in love, which was the best time of my life."
"The Second World War came, and my wife and I had to flee Austria to save our lives. When we were together and safe on a ship bound for North America, which was the best time of my life. "
"When we came to Canada and started a family, which was the best time of my life."
"When I was a young father, watching my children grow up, that was the best time of my life."
"And now, Joe, 1 am seventy - nine years old. I have my health, l feel good and I am in love with my wife just as I was when we first met. This is the best time of my life."
46. When Joe's 30th birthday is drawing near, he feels .
A. excited B. frightened C. worried D. eager
47. Joe usually goes to the gym to .
A. take exercise B. begin his work
C. see his friend Nicholas D. do his part -time job
48. What does the underlined word vitality in the second paragraph mean?
A. strength B. Power to survive
C. Happiness D. Energy and enthusiasm
49. What is the right order of the following events?
a. Fell in love b. Grew up in Austria c. Settled in Canada
d. Escape from his country e. Got salaries
A. b a e d c B. b e a d c C. a b e d c D. b c a d e
50. The purpose of the passage is to .
A. tell the reader about Joe's experience
B. tell the story of his friend Nicholas.
C. tell people not to worry about their ages.
D. tell people to take an optimistic attitude toward life.
While still in its early stages, welfare reform has already been judged a great success in many states—at least in getting people off welfare．It's estimated that more than 2 million people have left the rolls since 1994．
In the past four years, welfare rolls in Athens Country have been cut in half．But 70 percent of the people who left in the past two years took jobs that paid less than $6 an hour．T'he result: The Athens County poverty rate still remains at more than 30 percent—twice the national average,
For advocates（代言人） for the poor, that's an indication much more needs to be done．
"More people are getting jobs, but it's not making their lives any better," says Kathy Lairn, a policy analyst at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities in Washington．
A center analysis of US Census data nationwide found that between 1995 and 1996, a greater percentage of single, female-headed households were earning money on their own, but that average income for these households actually went down．
But for many, the fact that poor people are able to support themselves almost as well without government aid as they did with it is in itself a huge victory．
"Welfare was a poison．It was a toxin（毒素） that was poisoning the family," says Robert Rector, a welfare-reform policy analyst．"The reform in changing the moral climate in low-income communities．It's beginning to rebuild the work ethic, which is much more important．"
Mr．Rector and others argued that once "the habit of dependency is cracked," then the country can make other policy changes aimed at improving living standards．Why don't people enjoy their better lives when they get jobs?
| A．Because they are used to relying on welfare to make livings． |
| B．Because the cost of living is higher than before． |
| C．Because many families are below average income． |
| D．Because their wages are very low． |
From the passage we know that the reconstruction of___ is the core of the reform．
| A．government aids |
| B．work ethic |
| C．welfare funds |
| D．moral awareness |
From the example of the Athens County, we know great efforts should be done for the poor to ___.
| A．improve their living standards |
| B．to help them be employed |
| C．to get them off welfare |
| D．to increase their wage |
From the passage, it can be inferred that the author ___．
| A．is completely certain about the success of welfare reform |
| B．thinks that welfare reform has done little good for the poor |
| C．insists welfare reform has increased the government's burden |
| D．considers welfare reform fundamentally successful |
RECRUITMENT ADVERTISEMENTS
| Beijing City International School Position: IT manager Major Duties and Responsibilities: Prepares and implements the annual budget of the department． Builds and develops the whole school IT system Provides excellent IT services with IT team for teaching and business. Requirements/Qualifications: Bachelor or above, majoring in Information Technology or Finance． Good command of both Chinese and English Minimum 5 years working experience, 3 years in a managerial level Able to work in a collaborative style |
| KAI CABLE INC. Position: Sales Internship Major Duties and Responsibilities: Builds and develops good relationship with new customers Maintains strong relationship with the existing customers Explores potential customers further Conducts market & competitors analysis to improve customer satisfaction． Requirements/Qualifications: Graduates with Bachelor degree． Major in Finance, Economics, International Trade． Fluent English （in both written & speaking） and Mandarin． Familiar with MS office, especially Excel and PowerPoint and internet application Willingness to accept challenges and work under pressure． Strong sense of responsibility． Prepare for business trips． |
Both of the recruiting ads include the following information EXCEPT ____．
| A．positions available |
| B．working duties |
| C．the degrees needed of the applicants |
| D．a good command of computer skills |
Ben is a fresh graduate, majoring in Finance．He can speak fluent English and be good at working with people Which company can he apply to?
| A．Beijing City International School． |
| B．KAI Cable Inc． |
| C．Both of the firms． |
| D．Neither of the firms． |
According to the 1st ad, which of the following is NOT included in the daily duties of an IT manager?
| A．Making a plan of the annual expense of the department beforehand． |
| B．Offering assistance if people have any computer problems． |
| C．Analyzing the needs of the market and developing its IT systems． |
| D．Managing and controlling the money of the department． |
Parents, our first teachers, play a highly significant role in our lives．However, doesn't it seem that many of us come to have conflicts with them when we start high school? We're less likely to listen to them and take their suggestions—we even rebel against them．
Why? It may be the so-called "generation gap"．A generation gap appears when we begin to feel our parents
are ignoring us, don't understand us, and we feel we can no longer share our feelings with them．
The key reason is our desire for independence．In senior high school, we start to want to take responsibility for our own lives and make our own decisions．But parents resist this．They still want to control us and try to force us to do things they think we should do．Debate and discussion often come to nothing．Gradually, we talk with them less, and keep our feelings locked up inside．
Zhang Xiaoyun, 16, of Ningbo, Zhejiang, has talked less and less with her mother since she started senior high school．"She believes studies should be my priority, not my inner world," Zhang said．"Each day, she asks me the same old questions like, 'How was your last exam? or 'Have you made any progress in physics?" To Zhang, these questions are annoying and so she always tries to ignore them and answers perfunctorily．"Sometimes, when I get upset, I quarrel with her．After, she comes to apologize and comfort me．But I know, she doesn't completely understand me," Zhang said．Now, a home that was once full of laughter has fallen into gloom and silence．
The generation gap can be harmful．Because of the lack of communication, our parents no longer know what we are thinking about．There are quarrels, even over trivial things．When that happens, we may not be able to concentrate on our studies．Some of us even become afraid to go home after school— a very serious situation for the whole family．Which of the following is not included in article?
| A．The causes of generation gap． | B．The effects of generation gap． |
| C．One example of generation gap． | D．Ways of narrowing generation gap． |
Which of the following is one reason for the generation gap according to the passage?
| A．Modern society changing very fast． |
| B．Parents having unrealistic hopes of their children． |
| C．Parents and kids not understanding and respecting each other． |
| D．Young people liking to escape from the control of their parents． |
Which of the following word has the closet meaning to the underlined word "perfunctorily"?
| A．attentively | B．indifferently |
| C．flatteringly | D．seriously |
In the view of the author,____．
| A．parents should allow their children more freedom |
| B．parents and children should not stay together |
| C．the younger generation should value the older generation |
| D．academic records are more important than one's inner world |
At the moment when looking round the world, all kinds of dance performances are being offered. There are competitions that claim to be a World Cup or World Championship, and the young dancer or the dance teacher who wants to enter his students might be quite confused. Which is which? Which is of high standard and good quality, and which is not worth going to? First of all it has clearly got to be distinguished between the different styles of dance and the purpose of such competitions. When a person wants to learn classical ballet, he or she would never dream of going to a ballroom teacher. Such a teacher might even have been world champion in his ballroom dancing, but he would definitely not be qualified in teaching proper classical ballet.
People in Britain and the USA are taking more interest in modern dance. Dance classes of all kinds are popular; the audiences going to watch modern dance companies are also larger. And perhaps the most popular modern dance company in Britain is the Ballet Rambert.
The Ballet Rambert is Britains’ oldest established dance company which began in 1926. In the 60 s the company lacked the money to go on staging big productions. The directors wanted to encourage new talent and to keep up their high standards. A chan
ge of direction was necessary. They decided to give the ballet a ‘new look” in 1966. The aim was to provide a chance for new talent – for musicians and designers as well as dancers – and to show dance as a contemporary art form. And although some of the company’s previous fans dislike the change, new audiences came to see the productions.
The modern dance pieces and modern music found unexpected popularity. In the 21 st century the Ballet Rambert was a great success in L
ondon’s West End. The company becam
e a focus for new, progressive talent in the art.
Then, the Ballet Ramvert started to introduce young people to modern dance by giving performances at schools, which again, was a success.
The Ballet Rambert has managed to make modern dance popular while creating original and often avant – garde (标新立异) productions. It can claim to be the oldest dance company in Britain and at the same time one of the most modern!If a person wants to learn classical ballet, he or she will go to .
| A．the Ballet Rambert | B．a ballroom teacher |
| C．a world champion | D．a qualified school |
The underlined phrase “new talent” in Para. 3 probably means .
| A．new programs | B．new audiences |
| C．avant – garde productions | D．skilled young dancers |
From the passage we know that the Ballet Rambert .
| A．has succeeded in making modern dance popular |
| B．wanted to become the oldest dance company |
| C．was once a popular dance company |
| D．changed old dance into new ones |
This passage is mainly about .
| A．the popularity of modern dance |
| B．the introduction to new modern dancers |
| C．the development of the Ballet Rambert |
| D．the high standard of dance performances |
To learn an instrument such as the violin or accordion（手风琴）takes years. The job opportunities for musicians are scarce and competition is fierce. Then why are more people than ever before paying a lot of good cash to get their children the best music teaching they can afford?
The secret lies in the influence of music on the whole person. It has been found that learning a musical instrument actually increases a per
son’s IQ over time. Different instruments and different trypes of music have varying effect, with classical music and the string family coming out on top, potentially increasing you IQ by up to 12 points!
When is a good time to start learning music? Experts have found that even the fetus（胎儿）can benefit from listening to classical music. Surround yourself and your family with good music from the first. The Suzuki Piano Method teaches children from the age of 3 years piano, with two lessons per week. From preschool, children can learn to read music and play from sheet music. Progress in learning your instrument is directly proportional（成比例的）to the amount of practicing.
Is there such a thing as an unmusical child? Shinichi Suzuki proposes that music is the native home language of all human beings and therefore nobody can be “unmusical”. Of course there are exceptional talents, compared to which others may seem to be slower learners.
Is there any benefit for adults in starting an instrument? Apart from the purely relaxing aspect, yes. Learning an instrument can earn even adults additional IQ points, and as an added benefit in improves your health by reducing your stress levels. Your social life may benefit too, if you are prepared to come out of your box and join occasions such as Ceilidhs (musical get-togethers) or arrange house concerts. It has been established that people who play instruments tend to be more emotionally balanced and more patient with themselves, others and life in general.
So go ahead, sign up for that amateur orchestra, dust off your old trombone（长号）or take your first real six-string down from the attic（阁楼）; get out there and play!Playing which of the following musical instruments can help increase a person’s IQ most?
| A．The piano | B．The violin | C．The trombone | D．The accordion |
According to Shinichi Suzuki, .
| A．The progress in learning an instrument depends on natural gifts |
| B．It is too late for an adult to start an instrument |
| C．Every child has a natural talent for music. |
| D．All people can understand and read music. |
What can be inferred from the text?
| A．Music can balance our life. |
| B．Music can improve our living conditions. |
| C．Playing instruments can make adults keep their IQ points. |
| D．Playing instruments can help us get along well with others. |
By writing the text, the author mainly wants to .
| A．persuade us to send our children to music schools |
| B．express his great interest in musical instruments |
| C．tell us the importance of Music in Development |
| D．invite us to attend Ceilidhs |
粤公网安备 44130202000953号