Who is there among us who hasn’t dreamed of having his or her own small (maybe , several years later , even big )business , and having wonderful freedom , both from a boss and from the time clock ; the freedom to make up our own rules for our work , and our own plans —arranging our own hours of work ? That way work would be both painless and fun. Or, so we imagine.
Well, in fact it isn’t quite as simple as that. Yes , it is true that being the boss has its satisfactions and that you can arrange your working hours freely if you own your own small business . But in those early years of starting your own business, you shouldn’t think of a free day, not to mention flying off for a month’s vacation. It is not unusual for new business owners to work seventy or eighty hours a week , and if there is a day off , that day might need to be devoted to accounting (算账).
But this negative picture doesn’t destroy the beautiful hopes. The possibility of getting something wonderful in return—both material and mental—continues to drive that large number of people who start up small businesses each year in the United States.From the first paragraph, we know that everybody hopes ________ .
| A．to rule others | B．to be his or her own boss |
| C．to get a time clock | D．to be free from work |
Most new business owners have to ________ .
| A．work more than 10 hours a day | B．devote himself to accounting |
| C．fly to some places in the world | D．have a day off in a week |
The expression “negative picture” most probably means “ ________ “.
| A．a terrible experience | B．a poor picture |
| C．limited freedom | D．unpleasant situations |
The beautiful hopes will never be destroyed because ________ .
| A．people love beautiful things by nature |
| B．people have a strong desire to seek personal gains |
| C．small businesses make big money each year in the US |
| D．small businesses have advantages over big companies |
Use your American Express Card to enjoy one-day privileges at four of America’s greatest museums. Note the participating museums, and their exciting special exhibitions that you will not want to miss, listed below.
Boston
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
Chairs
February 11 — May 8, 2005
Italian furniture expert Fausto Calderai and Indian photographer Dayanita Singh present an exhibition of chairs from the museum’s collection and “chair photographs” from around the world presented in a Venetisan-style hall housing world-famous masterpieces.
For more information：www.gardnermuseum.org
New York
The Noguchi Museum
Noguchi and Graham
December 1, 2004 — May 1,2005
Noguchi’s long-term collaboration with dancer Martha Graham is regarded by many as a high point in the history of both modern dance and art. The exhibition highlights nine of the sets created through this collaboration.
For more information：www.noguchi.org
Philadephia
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
In Full view：American Painting (1720 — 2005)
January 11 — April 10, 2005
Founded in 1805, the Pennsylvania Academy has been home to America’s artists for 200 years. The Academy collects and exhibits the works of famous American artists, and is well-known for training fine artists. 2005 at the Academy begins with the largest exhibition of the Academy’s distinguished American collection in the institution’s history.
For more information：www.pafa.org
Seattle
Seattle Museum of Glass
Murano：glass from the Olnick Spanu Collection
Through November 7, 2004
This exhibition includes over 200 pieces of beautiful glass from Murano, the island of glassblowers near Venice, Italy. Watch live glass-blowing shows in the Hot Shop and see other modern glass exhibitions.
For more information：www.museumofglass.orgWhich of the following websites offers information about the furniture show?
| A．www.pafa.org | B．www.museumofglass.org |
| C．www.noguchi.org | D．www.gardnermuseum.org |
We learn form the text that Martha Graham is ______.
| A．a dancer | B．a glassblower |
| C．a painter | D．a photographer |
If you want to know the history of American painting, you may visit ______.
| A．The Noguchi Museum | B．Seattle Museum of Glass |
| C．Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum | D．Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts |
Millions of people visit Yosemite National Park every year to see the tall waterfalls and mountains. These mountains are a splendid sight when viewed form the valley floor. Lots of stores, hotels, and restaurants are needed to handle the crowds. Also, water, roads, and other service systems are part of the infrastructure (基础设施) that must be maintained.
Unfortunately, these systems are starting to break down. It’s not just in Yosemite but in national parks around the nation.
Yosemite is thirty years old according to Dennis Galvin, a National Park Service worker. The Park is not only old but worn out. Two or three times as many visitors come every year. That is too many visitors for the park to deal with.
Four years ago a storm washed out a water pipeline in the Grand Canyon. The National Park Service had to send water trucks to provide water for the visitors. Last month pipes almost broke again and roads had to be closed for a while.
Why hasn’t the National Park Service kept up the park repairs? There is a lack of money. The United States has 378 monuments, parks, and wilderness areas. Between three and four billion dollars are needed for repairs.
Yosemite is one national park that does have money for repairs. It has two hundred million dollars but cannot spend it any way it chooses. When the park workers started widening the road, they were forced to stop by the Sierra Club. The club claimed that the road work was damaging the Merced River that runs through the park.
A sierra Club lawyer, Julia Olson, feels that the infrastructure needs to be moved out of Yosemite. That way less pressure will be put on the already crowded park.According to the text, the mountains in Yosemite look most splendid when they are
appreciated from ______.
| A．the bottom of the valleys | B．the top of the mountains |
| C．the side of the mountains | D．the edge of the valleys |
National parks like Yosemite in the U.S. find it increasingly difficult to meet the need of
visitors because ______.
| A．their transport management needs improving |
| B．they spend too much on their service systems |
| C．their service systems frequently go out of order |
| D．they need help from environmental organizations |
The main problem of Yosemite National Park is its ______.
| A．rundown water pipes | B．overcrowdedness |
| C．lack of money | D．narrow roads |
According to the text, the Sierra Club is most likely to be ______.
| A．an environmental group | B．an information center |
| C．a travel service | D．a law firm |
WASHINGTON—Laura Straub is a very worried woman. Her job is to find families for French teenagers who expect to live with American families in the summer.
It is not easy, even hopeless.
“We have many children left to place—40 out of 75,” said Straub, who works for a Paris-based foreigner-exchange program started 50 years ago. Family life was more than accommodating (提供膳宿). For one thing, more mothers stayed at home. But now, increasing numbers of women work outside the home. Exchange-student programs have struggled in recent years to sign up host (主人) families for the 30 000 teenagers who every year come from abroad to spend a school year in the United States, as well as the thousands more who take part in summer programs.
School systems in many parts of the U.S., unhappy about accepting non-taxpaying students, have also strictly limited the number of exchange students they accepted. At the same time, the idea of hosting foreign students is becoming less exotic.
In search for host families, who usually receive no pay, exchange programs are increasingly broadening their requests to include everyone from young couples to retirees.
“We are open to many different types of families,” said Vickie Weiner, eastern area director for ASSE, a 25-year-old program that sends about 30 000 teenagers on school-year exchange programs worldwide.
For elderly people, exchange students “keep us young—they really do”, said Jen Foster, who is hosting 16-year-old Nina Post from Denmark. The underlined word “exotic” means _________.
| A．difficult | B．wonderful | C．exciting | D．accommodating |
According to the text, why was it easier for Laura Straub to find American families for foreign students?
| A．More mothers wasn’t working outside and was able to afford to look after children . |
| B．American school systems were better than now. |
| C．Foreign students paid hosting families a lot of money. |
| D．The government was happy because it could gain tax. |
Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
| A．All the families can host foreign students. |
| B．Only young couples can host foreign students. |
| C．Only those who were retired can host foreign students. |
| D．Exchange programs are open to many different types of families including everyone from young couples to retirees. |
Which of the following is the best title of this passage?
| A．U.S. Struggle to Find host Families |
| B．Idea of Hosting Students is Different |
| C．Foreign-exchange Program Is Going on |
| D．Exchange Students Keep Old People Young |
If you are planning to study in the United States, you need to consider several factors. Everyone has different opinions about where the best places to live in also; the best places to live are not always home to the best schools. Finally, many schools specialize in different areas of study. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, for example, is a great school for computer science and technology-based fields of study, However, if you want to study oceanography, your interests may be better served by attending school in a place that is on a coastline or near the ocean.
Now I am sure that you know which schools are considered the best in the country. So I will tell you about which states I believe are the best to live in.
California is a nice state. Northern California specifically has very good weather. Los Angeles in southern California is another story though. Life in LA is full of excitement and fast, and sometimes—dangerous. As for me, I enjoyed the history and culture. The weather is not as perfect as California, but it is still quite nice. My favorite area of America is the Mid-west. Middle America, I think, is home to the true American sense of values. In addition, there are many good universities there.
Also, you need to think about your likes and dislikes and then research the various states. You like sunshine and hate snow? Then you probably won’t like the Midwest or even the Northeast. Open space, nature and peace and quiet? Then you should stay away from America’s larger cities. Are you interested in government? Then Washington D.C. is the only place for you. Whatever you decided put some thought into it. The place you live could be the difference between a great study abroad experience and a state of great suffering on earth. From the first paragraph we can conclude that in the U.S.A. __________.
all colleges and universities lie in big cities
all colleges and universities lie in beautiful places
famous colleges and universities lie in nice places
famous colleges and universities may not lie in nice places What should be considered first if you want to study in the U.S.A.?
A. The climate. B. The scenery. C. The study condition. D. The living condition. If you study in Middle America, you can probably _______.
find the best universities
feel the real character of the nation
meet the most famous professors there
face more difficulty From the last paragraph of this passage we can get to know that ________.
Washington is the largest city in the U.S.A.
Washington is the political center of the U.S.A.
you can’t find sunshine in the Midwest
you can’t find any universities out of big cities in the U.S.A.
The decision to further all or part of your studies outside your country is a serious one, and one which for most students will have a special life-long benefit. If you realize English will help you in your career and enrich your personal life, you will find that coming to England to study English is a very special experience that you will never forget. I am very pleased to have this opportunity to invite you to join our English Language courses.
London is one of the world’s outstanding cultural and trade center. You will live in one of the world’s great cities. It provides the perfect arrangements in which to learn and develop English language skills. The international body of the students attending courses at English language Institutes in London provides an attraction because it is a good chance for you to enjoy other cultures in surroundings to develop personal character. As we prepare for the 21st Century, international communication has never been more important. To master a foreign language is becoming a useful tool for trade, industrial and professional success. Our aim at the English language Institutes is to develop students’ English language skills in friendly and helpful conditions.
Supported by computer, video and audio equipment, and using sound classroom, our team of teachers will guide you through your chosen course of study, you will receive excellent service and advice at every stage. Our out-of-class support staff will help you settle in and make the most of your stay in London. Truly, you will enjoy yourself in London and make friendships that will last a lifetime. I hope we can welcome you to this exciting world of London. Come and see us ! Visit a class in any of the English Language Institutes. See for yourself why we encourage you to study in London. The phrase “life-long benefit” in the first paragraph means ________.
| A．advantages in study | B．good in daily life |
| C．good in all life | D．use in work |
The writer invites you to join their English Language course, because __________.
London is really a good place for learning English
you can enjoy a special foreign culture
London is a great international trade center
Computers can teach you to learn English well the main purpose of the text is ________.
to introduce something about London
to let know the importance of learning English
to tell us the skills of learning English
to tell us that education in London is free This passage is a (n) ________.
| A．story | B．novel | C．letter | D．advertisement |
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