He only finished fourth in this year's Super Boy talent show. But it didn't stop him capturing the hearts of thousands of fans. He can hit high notes with ease. And he is very modest. Zhang Jie,25,shed(流) sweat and tears all the way through the competition, but he never gave up.
“No matter how life treats him, he always fights back bravely ,”said Wu Chunyan, a Senior 2 student in Hubei. “He has never lost his dream of being a singer.” The road to fame is always rocky, and Zhang is no exception. As a college student he was majoring in tourism. He was considering becoming a tourist guide after graduation until he entered a singing competition.
His life changed after he competed in My Show. He won first place and signed with a record company. “I was very excited and regarded it as a way to take me closer to my dream,” he said. But the company gave him little money to make music and slowly began to ignore him. Zhang even borrowed money to buy costumes. “Life has its ups and downs. But the tough reality only makes me stronger,” he said.
He forgot he was once a champion of a talent show and joined Super Boy. His decision got support from his family who worked hard to make ends meet. His mother sold rice noodles on a street in his hometown, but she said she would “support him forever.”
“I have the dream to buy a large house for my parents, where my mom can get a large window sill to grow flowers,” said Zhang.Which of the following is the best title of the passage?
| A．An easy way to success | B．A rocky path to success |
| C．A clever boy | D．A successful boy |
From the passage, we can know that _________.
| A．he once won the first place in Super Boy talent show. |
| B．he finished fourth in My Show. |
| C．he is an exception on his way to fame. |
| D．after signing with a record company, he didn’t get much money. |
When he met with difficulty in a record company, he decided to _______.
| A．join Super Boy | B．tell the others he was a champion |
| C．give up on his way to success | D．quarrel with the boss |
Before he joined in a singing competition, his dream was to become________.
| A．a great scientist | B．a good college student |
| C．a famous singer | D．a tourist guide |
In this age of Internet chat, videogames and reality television, there is no shortage of mindless activities to keep a child occupied. Yet, despite the competition, my 8-year-old daughter Rebecca wants to spend her leisure time writing short stories. She wants to enter one of her stories into a writing contest, a competition she won last year.
As a writer I know about winning contests, and about losing them. I know what it is like to work hard on a story only to receive a rejection slip from the publisher. I also know the pressures of trying to live up to a reputation created by previous victories. What if she doesn’t win the contest again? That’s the strange thing about being a parent. So many of our own past scars and dashed hopes can surface.
A revelation (启示) came last week when I asked her, “Don’t you want to win again?” “No,” she replied, “I just want to tell the story of an angel going to first grade.”
I had just spent weeks correcting her stories as she spontaneously (自发地) told them. Telling myself that I was merely an experienced writer guiding the young writer across the hall, I offered suggestions for characters, conflicts and endings for her tales. The story about a fearful angel starting first grade was quickly “guided” by me into the tale of a little girl with a wild imagination taking her first music lesson. I had turned her contest into my contest without even realizing it.
Staying back and giving kids space to grow is not as easy as it looks. Because I know very little about farm animals who use tools or angels who go to first grade, I had to accept the fact that I was co-opting (借用) my daughter’s experience.
While stepping back was difficult for me, it was certainly a good first step that I will quickly follow with more steps, putting myself far enough away to give her room but close enough to help if asked. All the while I will be reminding myself that children need room to experiment, grow and find their own voices.What did the author say about her own writing experience?
| A．She was constantly under pressure of writing more. |
| B．Most of her stories had been rejected by publishers. |
| C．Her way to success was full of pains and frustrations. |
| D．She did not quite live up to her reputation as a writer. |
Why did Rebecca want to enter this year’s writing contest?
| A．She wanted to share her stories with readers. |
| B．She had won a prize in the previous contest. |
| C．She was sure of winning with her mother’s help. |
| D．She believed she possessed real talent for writing. |
The author took great pains to refine her daughter’s stories because ________.
| A．she wanted to help Rebecca realize her dream of becoming a writer |
| B．she believed she had the knowledge and experience to offer guidance |
| C．she did not want to disappoint Rebecca who needed her help so much |
| D．she was afraid Rebecca’s imagination might run wild while writing |
What’s the author’s advice for parents?
| A．Children should be given every chance to voice their opinions. |
| B．Children should be allowed freedom to grow through experience. |
| C．Parents should keep an eye on the activities their kids engage in. |
| D．A writing career, though attractive, is not for every child to pursue. |
Never argue with one's own understanding.
The whisper of intelligence is always there, whatever you do.
If you create a time lag (隔绝层) between the whisper of intelligence and understanding in you and your action, then you are preventing the brain from growing into a new size. When you argue with intelligence, when you postpone acting according to understanding then there is confusion, the brain gets confused.
The voice of understanding, the voice of intelligence has insecurity about it. How do you know that it is the right thing?
So we tend to ignore it. Instead we accept authority. We obey.
But the brain cannot be orderly, competent, accurate and precise if you do not listen to it, if you have no respect. We are so busy with the outside world and its force that the world that is inside us does not command that respect and reverence (敬重), that care and concern from us.
So one has to be a disciple (信徒) of one's own understanding, and look upon that understanding as the master.
Sometimes one may commit a mistake, it might be the whim (念头) of the ego and we might mistake the whim, the wish of the ego for the voice of silence and intelligence, but that we have to discover. Unless you commit mistakes, how do you learn to discriminate between the false and the true? In learning there is bound to be a little insecurity, a possibility of committing mistakes. Why should one be terribly afraid of committing mistakes?
So instead of accepting the authority of habits and conditionings, while one is moving one watches, and when there is a suggestion, do not neglect, ignore, or insult the whisper from within and from one's own intelligence. What will happen if you refuse to follow your own understanding according to the above passage?
| A．Your brain will become smaller. |
| B．You will never get help from authority. |
| C．You will hardly know the world. |
| D．Your own intelligence will stop growing. |
What is the function of committing mistakes from the view of the author?
| A．Mistakes can make one practical. |
| B．Mistakes can make one know the facts. |
| C．Mistakes can allow one more time to develop. |
| D．Mistakes can improve one’s judgment. |
The whole passage is developed by ______.
| A．facts and ideas | B．reasoning and explaining |
| C．scientific experiments | D．arguing and debating |
The best title of the passage might be ______.
| A．Never argue with your own understanding |
| B．Never believe any authority while arguing |
| C．Never neglect whispers from around you |
| D．Never stop training yourself. |
Earlier this year, the Environmental Protection Agency proposed a stricter nationwide health standard for smog-causing pollutants that would bring substantial benefits to millions of Americans. With a final rule expected by the end of this month, some opponents, mainly from industrial and oil-producing states, are pushing back. They say investments required to produce cleaner air are too expensive and not scientifically justified.
Lisa Jackson, the E.P.A. administrator, needs to stick to her guns. This is only the first of several political tests to come this fall, as she also seeks to tighten rules governing individual pollutants like mercury and global warming gases like carbon dioxide.
The health standard she is proposing covers ground-level ozone, commonly known as smog, which is formed when sunlight mixes with pollutants from factories, refineries, power plants and automobiles. Ozone is a major health threat, contributing to heart disease and various respiratory (呼吸道的) problems.
Ms. Jackson’s proposal—to reduce the permitted level of smog in the air from the current 75 parts per billion to between 60 parts per billion and 70 parts per billion—is sensible, no matter what industry’s defenders may claim. It had been recommended by the agency’s independent scientific panel but rejected by the Bush administration, which proposed a weaker standard.
Industry will have to make investments in cleaner power plants, and new technologies may be required. As it is, about half the counties that monitor ozone levels are not yet in compliance with current standards, let alone the proposed standard.
Fears about burdening industry raised by critics like George Voinovich, a Republican of Ohio, and Mary Landrieu, a Democrat of Louisiana, cannot be dismissed out of hand, especially in the middle of a recession (萧条). But the health benefits, E.P.A. says, far outweigh the costs, and the time frame for compliance (服从) is generous. Why are some people strongly against a stricter limitation of smog-caused pollutants?
| A．Because they have to live a poorer life. |
| B．Because they think they have to spend more money. |
| C．Because they hold different political view. |
| D．Because they want to make more money. |
What does Ms Jackson propose to do?
| A．To reduce the permitted smog level as much as possible. |
| B．To raise the permitted smog level as much as possible. |
| C．To keep the permitted smog level from 60 to 70 to 75 parts per billion. |
| D．To lower the permitted smog level from 75 to 60 to 70 parts per billion. |
What is the attitude of the author to the smog-controlling issue?
| A．Objective. | B．Subjective. | C．Critical. | D．Unknown. |
Which of the following can serve as the best title of the whole passage?
| A．Cleaner power plant on the way. |
| B．Say no to smog pollutants. |
| C．Lower smog pollutant, better our life. |
| D．Debate on smog pollutants. |
The Danish (丹麦) architect of the iconic Sydney Opera House, Jorn Utzon, has died at the age of 90, after suffering a heart attack.
Mr. Utzon, an award-winning architect, put "Denmark on the world map with his great talent," said Danish Culture Minister Carina Christensen. Having won a competition in 1957 to design the building, he left the project before it opened in 1973. Mr. Utzon never visited the completed landmark, after disputes about costs. He had quarreled with the Australian client and the costs overran by 1,000%. Even decades later, he declined invitations to return to Australia, but did design, with his son, a new wing which opened in 2006. In 1998 he said, "It's part of education–I can't be bitter about anything in life." 
Most of the interior（内部）of the opera house was not completed according to his plans after government-appointed architects took over the job.
The Sydney Opera House planned to dim the lights on the sail-shaped roof on Sunday to mark Mr. Utzon's death.
The chairman of Sydney Opera House Trust, Kim Williams, said, "Jorn Utzon was an architectural and creative genius who gave Australia and the world a great gift. Sydney Opera House is core to our national cultural identity and a source of great pride to all Australians. It has become the most globally recognized symbol of our country."
Mr. Utzon also designed the National Assembly of Kuwait and several prominent buildings in Denmark.
Danish Minister of Culture Carina Christensen paid tribute to him, saying, "Jorn Utzon will be remembered as one of the Danes who in the 20th century put Denmark on the world map with his great talent."
Mr. Utzon won several international awards, including the Alvar Aalto Medal for architecture and France's Legion of Honour.
In 2003 he won the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize for his design of the opera house. Which of the following is true about Mr. Jorn Utzon?
| A．He was born in Demark and worked in Australia. |
| B．He left Australia before his design was completed. |
| C．He refused to go back to visit the Opera House all his life. |
| D．He disagreed with the government client on the building materials. |
From the above passage we may NOT know ______.
| A．what Mr. Utzon has contributed to the world |
| B．the exact time of Mr. Utzon’s birth and death |
| C．whether he had a family or not |
| D．when Opera House was completed |
What did the Opera House plan to do to mark its designer’s death?
| A．A memorial party would be held on Sunday. |
| B．Another award would be given out to Mr. Utzon’s son. |
| C．The lights on the roof of Opera House would become less bright. |
| D．Another wing would be designed to remember Mr. Utzon. |
The most proper title of the above passage might be ______.
| A．Sydney Opera House architect dies |
| B．Life of Mr. Utzon, a Great architect |
| C．Designer and builder of Opera House |
| D．Awards of the Opera House Architect |
Aggie Bonfire (篝火) was a long-standing tradition at Texas A&M University as part of the college rivalry (竞争) with the University of Texas at Austin. For 90 years, Texas A&M students—known as Aggies—built and burned a bonfire on campus each autumn. Known to the Aggie community simply as "Bonfire", the annual autumn event symbolized Aggie students' "burning desires”. The bonfire was traditionally lit around Thanksgiving in connection with festivities surrounding the annual college football game.
Although early Bonfires were little more than piles of trash, as time passed, the annual event became more organized. Over the years the bonfire grew bigger, setting the world record in 1969. Bonfire remained a university tradition for decades until, in 1999, a collapse during construction killed twelve people—eleven students and one former student—and injured twenty-seven others.
The accident led Texas A&M to declare a pause on an official Bonfire. However, in 2002, a student-sponsored-and-off-campus "Student Bonfire" came up.
In 2003, the event became known as Student Bonfire. In a design approved by a professional engineer, Student Bonfire uses a wedding cake design, but, in a departure from tradition, every log in the stack (堆) touches the ground. For added support, four 24 feet poles are spaced evenly around the stack and then bolted to the 45 feet center pole with a steel pipe. Since the group does not receive funding, Student Bonfire charges a fee to each attendee to cover expenses. Attendance for Student Bonfire ranges from 8,000–15,000 people and the event is held in Brazos County or one of the surrounding counties.When did Aggie Bonfire come into being?
| A．In 2003. | B．1999. |
| C．1909. | D．2002. |
Which of the following statements is true according to the above passage?
| A．Texas A&M University started Aggie Bonfire. |
| B．The University of Texas at Austin started Students Bonfire. |
| C．Texas A&M University and The University of Texas started Students Bonfire. |
| D．Texas A&M University and The University of Texas started Aggie Bonfire. |
Why did Aggie Bonfire once stop?
| A．Too many people wanted to join in it. |
| B．Some serious accidents occurred during the activity. |
| C．It ran out of fund and then stopped. |
| D．There were no official supports. |
Which of the following might serve as the best title of the whole passage?
| A．From Aggie Bonfire to Student Bonfire. |
| B．A brief history of American Bonfire. |
| C．Why not join Bonfire? |
| D．Bonfire in Texas of the United States. |
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