My teenage son Karl became withdrawn after his father died. As a single parent, I tried to do my best to talk to him. But the more I tried, the more he pulled away. When his report card arrived during his junior year, it said that he had been absent 95 times from classes and had six falling grades for the year. At this rate he would never graduate. I sent him to the school adviser, and I even begged him. Nothing worked.
One night I felt so powerless that I got down on my knees and pleaded for help.“
Please God, I can’t do anything more for my son. I’m at the end of my rope. I’m
giving the whole thing up to you.” I was at work when I got a phone call. A man introduced himself as the headmaster. “I want to talk to you about Karl’s absences.” Before he could say another word, I choked up and all my disappointment and sadness over Karl came pouring out into the ears of this stranger. “I love my son but I just don’t know what to do. I’ve tried everything to get Karl to go back to school and nothing has worked. It’s out of my hands.” For a moment there was silence on the other end of the line. The headmaster seriously said, “Thank you for your time”, and hung up.
Karl’s next report card showed a marked improvement in his grades. Finally, he even made the honor roll. In his fourth year, I attended a parent-teacher meeting with Karl. I noticed that his teachers were astonished at the way he had turned himself around. On our way home, he said, “Mum, remember that call from the headmaster last year?” I nodded. “That was me. I thought I’d play a joke but when I heard what you said, it really hit me how much I was hurting you. That’s when I knew I had to make you proud.” By saying “Karl became withdrawn”, the author means that the boy changed entirely and ______.
| A．preferred to stay alone at home | B．lost interest in his studies |
| C．refused to talk to others | D．began to dislike his mother |
There was silence on the other end of the line because______.
| A．the speaker was too moved to say anything to the mother |
| B．the speaker waited for the mother to finish speaking |
| C．the speaker didn’t want the mother to recognize his voice |
| D．the speaker was unable to interrupt the mother |
The sentence “he even made the honor roll means that______”.
| A．he was even on the list to be praised at the parent-teacher meeting |
| B．he was even on the list of students who made progress in grades |
| C．he was even on the list of students who had turned themselves around |
D．he was even on the l ist of the best students at school |
What is the main idea of this passage?
| A．Children in single-parent families often have mental problems. |
| B．Mother’s love plays an important role in teenagers’ life. |
| C．Being understood by parents is very important to teenagers. |
| D．School education doesn’t work without full support from parents. |
At exactly eleven Sir Percival knocked and entered,with anxiety and worry in every line of his face.This meeting would decide his future life, and he obviously knew it.
“You may wonder,Sir Percival,”said Laura calmly,“if I am going to ask to be released(免除)from my promise to marry you.I am not going to ask this. I respect my father’s wishes too much.”
His face relaxed a little,but one of his feet kept beating the carpet.
“No,if we are going to withdraw(退出)from our planned marriage,it will be because of your wish,not mine.”
“Mine?”he said in great surprise.“What reason could I have for withdrawing?”
“A reason that is very hard to tell you,”she answered.“There is a change in me.”
His face went so pale that even his lips lost their color. He turned his head to one side.
“What change?”he asked,trying to appear calm.
“When the promise was made two years ago,”she said,“my love did not belong to anyone. Will you forgive me,Sir Percival,if I tell you that it now belongs to another person?”
“I wish you to understand,”Laura continued,“that
I will never see this person again,and that if you leave me,you only allow me to remain a single woman for the rest of my life.All I ask is that you forgive me and keep my secret.”
“I will do both those things,”he said. Then he looked at Laura,as if he was waiting to hear more.
“I think I have said enough to give you reason to withdraw from our marriage,”she added quietly.
“No.You have said enough to make it the dearest wish of my life to marry you,”he said.How did Percival feel during his meeting with Laura?
| A．Angry. |
| B．Calm. |
| C．Nervous. |
| D．Excited. |
We can learn from the passage that _________.
| A．Laura had once promised to marry Percival |
| B．Laura’s father wished to end her marriage |
| C．Percival had been married to Laura for two years |
| D．Percival asked to be released from the marriage |
The passage is probably taken out of __________.
| A．a novel |
| B．a report |
| C．a diary |
| D．an essay |
You’ve just come home, after living abroad for a few years.Since you’ve been away,has this country changed for the better—or for the worse?
If you’ve just arrived back in the UK after a fortnight’s holiday, small changes have probably surprised you—anything from a local greengrocer suddenly being replaced by a mobile-phone shop to someone in your street moving house.
So how have things changed to people coming back to Britain after seven, ten or even 15 years living abroad? What changes in society can they see that the rest of us have hardly noticed—or now take for granted? To find out, we asked some people who recently returned.
Debi: When we left, Cheltenham, my home town, was a town of white, middle-class families—all very conservative（保守的）.The town is now home to many eastern Europeans and lots of Australians, who come here mainly to work in hotels and tourism. There are even several shops only for foreigners.
Having been an immigrant（移民）myself,I admire people who go overseas to find a job. Maybe if I lived in an inner city where unemployment was high, I’d think differently, but I believe foreign settlers have improved this country because they’re more open-minded and often work harder than the natives.
Christine: As we flew home over Britain, both of us remarked how green everything looked. But the differences between the place we’d left behind and the one we returned to were brought sharply into focus as soon as we landed.
To see policemen with guns in the airport for the first time was frightening—in Cyprus, they’re very relaxed—and I got pulled over by customs officers just for taking a woolen sweater with some metal-made buttons out of my case in the arrivals hall. Everyone seemed to be on guard. Even the airport car-hire firm wanted a credit card rather than cash because they said their vehicles had been used by bank robbers.
But anyway, this is still a green, beautiful country. I just wish more people would appreciate what they’ve got. After a short overseas holiday, people tend to________.
| A．notice small changes |
| B．expect small changes |
| C．welcome small changes |
| D．exaggerate small changes |
How does Debi look at the foreign settlers?
| A．Cautiously. |
| B．Positively. |
| C．Skeptically. |
| D．Critically. |
When arriving at the airport in Britain, Christine was shocked by__________ .
| A．the relaxed policemen |
| B．the messy arrivals hall |
| C．the tight security |
| D．the bank robbers |
Which might be the best title for the passage?
| A．Life in Britain. |
| B．Back in Britain. |
| C．Britain in Future |
| D．Britain in Memory. |
Big Brothers Big Sisters is based on the simplicity and power of friendship. It is a program which provides friendship and fun by matching vulnerable young people (ages 7-17) with a volunteer adult who can be both a role model and a supportive friend.
Volunteer tutors come from all walks of life — married,single,with or without children. Big Brothers and Big Sisters are not replacement parents or social workers. They are tutors:someone to trust,to have fun with,to talk and go to when needed.
A Big Sister and Little Sister will generally spend between one and four hours together three or four times each month for at least twelve months. They enjoy simple activities such as a picnic at a park,cooking,playing sport or going to a football match. These activities improve the friendship and help the young person develop positive self-respect, confidence and life direction.
Big Brothers Big Sisters organizations exist throughout the world. It is the largest and most well-known provider of tutor services internationally and has been operating for 25 years.
Emily and Sarah have been matched since March 2008. Emily is a 10-year-old girl who has experienced some difficulties being accepted by her schoolmates at school.‘I was pretty sure there was something wrong with me.’
Emily’s mum came across Big Brothers Big Sisters and thought it would be of benefit to Emily by ‘providing different feedback（反馈） about herself other than just relying on schoolmates to measure her self-worth.’
Sarah wanted to get involved in a volunteer program.‘I googled it and found out how to be a part of it. I thought it would be fun for me to get involved in making time to do something because sometimes it’s all work and no play.’
Big Brothers Big Sisters has been of great benefit and enjoyment to both Emily and Sarah. They love and look forward to their time together and the partnership has certainly helped Emily be more comfortable in being the wonderful, happy and unique girl she is!What is the aim of Big Brothers Big Sisters?
| A．To offer students public services. |
| B．To help students improve their grades. |
| C．To organize sport activities for young people. |
| D．To provide partnership and fun for young people. |
A volunteer is usually expected to work within a year for at least _________.
| A．24 hours |
| B．36 hours |
| C．48 hours |
| D．72 hours |
According to Emily’s mother, this program may provide Emily with___________ .
| A．advice from her teachers |
| B．a new way to assess herself |
| C．a new way to judge her schoolmates |
| D．more comments from her schoolmates |
Why did Sarah want to get involved in the program?
| A．She used to be a volunteer. |
| B．She needed a part-time job. |
| C．She felt a bit bored with her life. |
| D．She wanted to get a challenging job. |
You are given many opportunities in life to choose to be a victim or a creator.When you choose to be a victim, the world is a cold and difficult place.“They” did things to you which caused all of your pain and suffering.“They” are wrong and bad,and life is terrible as long as “they” are around. Or you may blame yourself for all your problems,thus internalizing（内化） your victimization. The truth is, your life is likely to stay that way as long as you feel a need to blame yourself or others.
Those who choose to be creators look at life quite differently. They know there are individuals who might like to control their lives,but they don’t let this get in the way. They know they have their weaknesses,yet they don’t blame themselves when they fail. Whatever happens,they have choice in the matter. They believe their dance with each sacred(神圣的) moment of life is a gift and that storms are a natural part of life which can bring the rain needed for emotional and spiritual growth.
Victims and creators live in the same physical world and deal with many of the same physical realities,yet their experience of life is worlds apart.Victims relish (沉溺) in anger,guilt,and other emotions that cause others—and even themselves—to feel like victims,too. Creators consciously choose love,inspiration,and other qualities which inspire not only themselves,but all around them. Both victims and creators always have choice to determine the direction of their lives.
In reality,all of us play the victim or the creator at various points in our lives. One person,on losing a job or a special relationship,may feel as if it is the end of the world and sink into terrible suffering for months,years,or even a lifetime. Another with the same experience may choose to first experience the grief,then accept the loss and soon move on to be a powerful creative force in his life.
In every moment and every circumstance,you can choose to have a fuller, richer life by setting a clear intention to transform the victim within, and by inviting into your life the powerful creator that you are.What does the word “they” in Paragraph 1 probably refer to?
| A．People and things around you. |
| B．Opportunities and problems. |
| C．Creators and their choices. |
| D．Victims and their sufferings. |
According to Paragraph 2,creators________.
| A．seem willing to experience failures in life |
| B．possess the ability to predict future life |
| C．handle ups and downs of life wisely |
| D．have potential to create something new |
What can we learn from Paragraph 3?
| A．Creators and victims face quite different things in life. |
| B．Creators and victims are masters of their lives. |
| C．Victims can influence more people than creators. |
| D．Compared with victims,creators are more emotional. |
The examples mentioned in Paragraph 4 show that__________ .
| A．strong attachment to sufferings in life pulls people into victims |
| B．people need family support to deal with challenges in life |
| C．it takes creators quite a long time to get rid of their pains |
| D．one’s experiences determine his attitude toward life |
Successful people in international business understand the cultures of other countries and learn to change their practices in different cultures. They understand the importance of avoiding business decisions based on misconceptions—mistaken ideas.
One cause of misconceptions is ethnocentrism, the belief that one’s own culture’s way of doing things is better than the way of other cultures. It’s ethnocentrism that leads to failure in international business. To avoid ethnocentrism, it’s necessary to study the different elements（组成部分）of culture: language, values and attitudes, and customs and manners.
Language
A. knowledge of the local language can help international business people in four ways. First, people can communicate directly. Second, people are usually more open in their communication with someone who speaks their language. Third, an understanding of the language allows people to infer meanings that are not said directly. Finally, knowing the language helps people to understand the culture better.
Values are people’s basic beliefs about the difference between right and wrong, good and bad . An attitude is a way of thinking or acting. Values and attitudes influence international business. For example, many people in the United States believe that chocolate from Switzerland is better than chocolate from other countries, and they buy a lot of it.
Customs and manners
Customs are common social practices. Manners are ways of acting that the society believes are polite. For example, in the United States, it is the custom to have salad （色拉） before the main course at dinner, not after. It’s not acceptable to talk with food in mouth at table. Failure to understand the customs and manners of other countries will bring difficulty selling their products. Orange juice as a breakfast drink of an American company in France doesn’t sell well because the French don’t usually drink juice with breakfast. A. knowledge of the local language allows international business people _________.
A. to be more open with their customers
B. to communicate without outside help
C. to express their thoughts indirectly
D. to have a better idea of their own culture The act of many people buying chocolate of Switzerland shows the role of ________.
| A．manners |
| B．values |
| C．attitudes |
| D．customs |
What would be the best title for the text?
| A．Misconceptions in Business |
| B．Basic Beliefs in Business |
| C．International Business Culture |
| D．Successful International Business |
The author’s purpose of writing this article is to tell people ___________
| A．how to take a right attitude in business |
| B．how to avoid misunderstandings in business |
| C．how to use a local language in business |
| D．how to act politely and properly in business |
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