Everyone knows we must exercise regularly to maintain good health．Indeed, staying physically fit is a big part of our culture．We consider （and rightly so） that healthy people are attractive people．Since most of us want to be attractive, there is no shortage of exercise clubs, training videos, magazines, and books offering to help us stay physically fit．
Unfortunately, however, our culture does not place the same emphasis on mental fitness．Although we admire and love men and women with strong and healthy-looking bodies, we don’t have the same degree of respect or attraction for smart, educated and mentally healthy people．This is a shame, because there are immense rewards for people who have developed the ability to think well．
If your mind is well trained and flexible, you will be able to understand a great deal of what happens around you．And if you are also well educated--- that is, if you understand basic science, mathematics, music, art, literature, history and so on--- you will find it much easier to make good decisions throughout your life．Over the long run, this leads to a sense of control over your destiny and a much better life than otherwise．
People who are poorly educated or who don’t think well--- that is, people who are not mentally fit see things differently．Their world is controlled by mysterious, but often malevolent (恶意的) forces．Such people live within a system they will never master, forced to follow the rules they will never understand．Although it may not be obvious, most people spend their lives being manipulated (控制) by others．They are told what to do, what to think, how to spend their money, and what they should and should not aspire (渴求) to in life．
In my opinion, if you want to live well, you must be able to use your mind well．For this reason, I want you to be able to concentrate, solve problem, understand complex ideas, and think clearly and quickly．Such skills will make it easier for you to make informed decisions, understand current events, choose good friends, manage your money well, make wise long-term decisions, and appreciate music, art and literature．
The key to developing such skills is to enjoy learning, and to have the ability and motivation to teach yourself．
67．The writer of the passage feels disappointed that______________．
A．some people have not the skill to make good decisions
B．the world of the physically healthy people is controlled by mysterious forces
C．mentally healthy people are not as popular as physically people
D．too much has been done to help people stay physically fit
68．The underline word “this” refers to___________．
A．the understanding of a great deal of what goes on around you
B．the understanding of basic science and mathematics
C．good training in body and mind
D．being able to make good decisions in life
69．The writer of the passage thinks that those who are not mentally fit___________．
A．live a poor and mysterious life B．can’t control over their life
C．often do what others do D．enjoy being fooled and ruled
70．The best title of the passage will most probably be______________．
A．Mind Helps You More B．Train Your Mind
C．Make Informed Decisions D．Learn More to Help Yourself
In a book called Magnificent Obsession, by Lloyd C. Douglas, a description is given of people helping others but doing it secretly. When difficult problems worried an individual, friends nearby would meet to discuss possible solutions without the individual knowing their actions. When a solution was agreed upon, one or two of the friends would carry out the plan and solve the problem secretly, to the great delight of the worried individual. The helpers would stand by privately, content with their success. No reward was given to the problem solvers, not even a sincere “thank you”, because they were never known.
This concept is popular today but in a different way. The phrase “pay it forward” is now used when one person helps another. However, the person helped may not be able to repay the person or group that helped them. So rather than return the favor to their helpers, they are supposed to help someone else in the future, which means they pay it forward. It is a sense of responsibility which makes us want to give back in equal measure to the one who has helped us. But, in this case, the responsibility turns to helping someone in the future.
Suppose your elderly grandmother pays part of your schooling. She may tell you there is no need to repay her because it is a gift from someone who loves you very much. Nothing would please her more than to have you use her money to get a good education.
You may never be able to repay her for such a gift. However, she not only gave you some money, but she provided you with an example that you should also help other people who need it.
People with serious needs are everywhere. Many are children who need better clothes, more books and even better schools. Some are elderly people who can’t afford their medicine or a doctor’s care. Consider how you can “pay it forward” rather than pay money back to your grandmother.The helpers in the book “Magnificent Obsession” were not rewarded because ________.
| A．they hadn’t solved the problems thoroughly |
| B．they had solved the problems secretly |
| C．they were friends of the worried individual |
| D．they expected to be paid back in the future |
The underlined word “pay it forward” means ________.
| A．to repay someone who has helped you |
| B．to pay someone else who needs help |
| C．to help someone who has helped you |
| D．to help someone else who needs help |
What does the writer suggest with the example of “your elderly grandmother”?
| A．We should learn to respect our grandparents. |
| B．We should work hard to get a good education. |
| C．We should also lend a hand to other people in need of help. |
| D．We should never forget to repay people for their help. |
From the passage we know ________.
| A．everybody needs help |
| B．more children need help than elderly people |
| C．it costs a lot of money to “pay it forward” |
| D．nowadays many people help others without being repaid |
By writing the passage, the author wishes people in the world to be ________.
| A．unselfish | B．mysterious | C．honest | D．unforgettable |
In the age of reality television, success isn’t the only way to the public eye. Failure can also create fame, just like William Hung, 21, a native of Hong Kong.
Hung recently has made an agreement with US-based entertainment firms Koch Records and Fuse Music Network. They will publish a full-length record, titled “The True Idol” on April 6.
The idol is a civil engineering student at the University of California at Berkeley. He did a version（改写本）of Ricky Martin’s “She Bangs” on the television show “American Idol 3”, on January 27. The Fox TV singing contest searches for pop stars among ordinary people. In the case of Hung, however, his act was so bad that the judges cut him off in mid-act.
Hung’s response? “I already gave my best, so I have no regrets at all.” That’s good, because any common person would have found plenty to regret: the off-key singing; the blue Hawaiian shirt worn with pants pulled up too high; the terrible dancing; the hips jerking（摇摆）to a beat that did not belong to the song, maybe not even to this planet. It was, by all accounts, bad. But, it was this very bad act that sold well.
Marc Juris, president of Fuse, explained it this way: “Every one of us is happily guilty of singing our favorite song at the top of our lungs with complete freedom, completely off-key and completely unworried. That’s what William did and immediately won the hearts of America. ”
Whatever it is, for the moment it’s big. Three websites devoted to Hung have gone up on the Internet in the past few weeks. Versions of his performance have been remixed with hip hop and techno music and have made it to the top 10 request list at a Chicago radio station.
So, what does Hung think of this?
“There were all these people saying things about me. A lot were saying I was very courageous and that I was great on the show, but some didn’t have much respect for me and some were kind of mean ”
Now, he says he’s not so sure whether to distance himself from the glamour（魅力）or to accept it. Returning to normal hasn’t been easy. What is the main idea of this passage?
| A．Sometimes an idol behaves quite foolishly. |
| B．Hung’s performance attracted the public eye. |
| C．How an unsuccessful person became famous. |
| D．Success sometimes does not require hard work. |
Hung was popular in America for all the following reasons EXCEPT ________.
| A．his shirt and pants | B．his off-key singing |
| C．his hips jerking | D．his excellent version |
What does the underlined word “it” in paragraph 6 refer to?
| A．William Hung. | B．Hung’s bad act. |
| C．Hung’s website. | D．The public’s opinion. |
Which of the following shows the correct order of what happened to Hung?
a．The entertainment firms made an agreement with Hung.
b．The judges cut Hung off in mid-act in the singing contest.
c．Hung became popular among Americans.
d．Hung gave a terrible performance though he tried his best.
e．Three websites put Hung’s funny performance on the Internet.
| A．d, b, e, c, a | B．a, c, d, b, e | C．a, d, b, c, e | D．d, b, a, e, c |
Why was Hung able to win the hearts of America?
| A．His success was based on his own hard work. |
| B．He attracted people’s attention in the contest. |
| C．He was good-looking though he didn’t sing well. |
| D．His character was completely different from other idols” |
Smart job-seekers need to rid themselves of several standard myths about interviewing before they start looking for a job. What follows is a list of some of these untruths and some tips to help you do your best at your next interview.
Myth 1: The aim of interviewing is to obtain (means “get”) a job offer.
Only half true. The real aim of an interview is to obtain the job you want. That often means rejecting job offers you don’t want! So before you please an employer, be sure you want the job.
Myth 2: Always please the interviewer
Not true. Try to please yourself. Of course, don’t be hostile—nobody wants to hire someone disagreeable. But there is plainly a muddle ground between being too ingratiating（逢迎）and being hostile.
Myth 3: Try to control the interview
Nobody “controls” an interview. When someone tries to control us, we resent（憎恨）it. When we try to control others, they resent us. Remember you can’t control what an employer thinks of you, just as he can’t control what you think of him. So he is ready to give and take when being interviewed; never control the interview.
Myth 4: Never interrupt the interviewer
Study the style of the effective conversationalists: they interrupt and are interrupted! An exciting conversation always makes us feel free—free to interrupt, to disagree, to agree enthusiastically. Just hang loose. Try being yourself for a change. Employers will either like or dislike you, but at least you’ll have made an impression. Leaving an employer indifferent（冷漠的）is the worst impression you can make.To be your natural self in a job interview will__________.
| A．make your interviewer angry | B．please your interviewer |
| C．leave an impression on the interviewer | D．leave the interviewer indifferent to you |
For job seekers, efforts to control the interview are likely to __________.
| A．affect the interviewer’s opinion of them |
| B．lead to the offer of a job |
| C．enable them to express themselves fully |
| D．help to create a favorable image of themselves |
The most important thing to keep in mind when being interviewed for a job is to _________.
| A．try to obtain the job | B．reject the job first |
| C．qualify yourself for the job | D．see if it is a job you want |
The right attitude to a job interviewer is to be _________.
| A．obedient | B．hostile | C．pleasing | D．agreeable |
“hang loose” in last paragraph means to _________.
| A．stay calm and relaxed | B．become weak and passive |
| C．take charge | D．sit back comfortably |
I was very disappointed not to be able to go to the jazz concert last Friday. The announcement in the paper said that you could buy tickets at the theater box office in Richland Hills any day between 10:00 and 4:00. Since I work from 9 o’clock to 5:30, the only time I could go to the theater was during my 45-minute lunch break. Unfortunately, the theater is on the other side of the town, and the bus service between my office and Richland Hills is not very good. But if you are lucky, you can make the round trip in 45 minutes. Last Monday, I stood at the bus stop for fifteen minutes waiting for a bus. By the time I saw one come around the corner, there was not enough time left to make the trip—so I gave up and went back to the office. The same thing happened on Tuesday, and again on Wednesday. On Thursday, my luck changed, I got on a bus right away and arrived at the theatre in exactly twenty minutes. When I got there, however, I found a long line of people at the box office. I heard one man say he had been waiting in line for over an hour. Realizing I would not have enough time to wait in line, I caught the next bus and headed back across the town. By Friday I realized my only hope was to make the trip by taxi. It was expensive, but I felt it would be worth hearing the concert. The trip by taxi only took 10 minutes, but it felt like an hour to me. When I got to the theatre, I was relieved to see that nobody was waiting in line. The reason, I quickly discovered, was that they had already sold all the tickets.The writer is probably ______.
| A．worker | B．a college teacher |
| C．manager of a company | D．a clerk |
He learned ______ that there would be a concert last Friday.
| A．from his friends | B．from one of his colleagues |
| C．over the radio | D．from the newspaper |
He could go and buy the ticket ______.
| A．any day before work hours | B．both before and after work hours |
| C．only during lunch time | D．on Saturday and Sunday |
The word “relieved” in the last two sentences may best be replaced by “______”.
| A．surprised | B．pleased | C．puzzled | D．sorry |
The story is about ______.
| A．a good concert |
| B．someone enjoying a good concert |
| C．someone trying to buy concert tickets for his friends |
| D．someone’s disappointment at not being able to go to the concert |
Crossing Texas and Mexico, the Big Bend region is high in biodiversity(生物的多样性). It’s a place so untamed that if something doesn’t bite, stick, or sting, it’s probably a rock.
You know you have arrived in the heart of the Chihuahuan Desert when it feels as if you have fallen off the edge of the earth and into the rabbit hole. Nothing is as it appears. Moths (蛀虫) are the size of birds. Are those twin pillars (柱) of black rock (a landmark known as Mule Ear Peaks) ten miles (16 kilometers) away or fifty (80 kilometers)? Visibility (能见度) reaches more than a hundred miles on a clear day, and since there are few roads or buildings to use as milestones, distance is difficult to judge.
This is a place where water runs uphill, where rainbows have to wait for rain. The line between myth (虚构的故事) and reality is unclear. Stare long enough at the Chisos Mountains or the Sierra del Carmen, the two mountain ranges, known as sky islands, which lie on the land, and they rise and float above the plain.
The vast Chihuahuan Desert is a land of no people. There is always the chance you’ll die of thirst. The “You Can Die”possibilities are endless, and keep some visitors — 350,000 a year to Big Bend National Park, built in 1944 — from coming back. Those who do return are left to think of the remarkable courage of the brave few who have managed to survive in this terrible environment. The underlined word“untamed”in Paragraph 1 means“________”.
| A．untouched | B．wild | C．unchanged | D．fresh |
Why do the twin pillars of black rock seem ten or fifty miles away?
| A．They were put so far away. |
| B．They lie across the Chihuahuan Desert. |
| C．It is difficult to judge the distance, with few milestones. |
| D．One lies in the Chisos Mountains, the other in the Sierra del Carmen. |
How many years are there since the Big Bend National Park was built?
| A．350,000 years. | B．350 years. | C．66 years. | D．44 years. |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．The natural wonders of the Chihuahuan Desert. |
| B．Everything you see is not what it seems in the Chihuahuan Desert. |
| C．The terrible environment of deserts in Texas and Mexico. |
| D．A special place where none who go can return. |
What can we learn from the last paragraph?
| A．There are all kinds of living things in the Chihuahuan Desert. |
| B．No people live in the Big Bend region. |
| C．Nothing is as it appears in the Big Bend region. |
| D．Traveling in the Big Bend region is dangerous. |
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