Brazil is the greatest football nation in the world. There are 170 million Brazilians. How many of them are football fans? 100 million! All of them think they know all about football. This makes life very difficult for the Brazilian team managers. When things go bad for the Brazilian team, the newspapers would demand that the team manager should leave his job. “If we win, they me in heaven,” a manager once said. “If we lose, they put me in hell(地狱).”
You can’t escape football in Brazil. There are football matches on every street and beach. On television, the results of football matches come before the main news programs. There are six television channels(频道) in Rio de Janeiro. On Sundays each channel shows a different football match.
Brazil is not the richest country in the world, but the government spends lots of money on football. It cost more than one billion pounds to prepare for the 1978 World Cup. That’s 10 pounds for every Brazilian man, woman, and child. And many Brazilians don’t earn as much as 10 pounds a week. Is it worth it?
“Brazil must have a great football team,” says one journalist. “If it costs one billion pounds, that’s all right. If the government doesn’t give us a good team, then it will become unpopular. Football is more than a game in Brazil.”
Football is more than a game in Brazil. This is certainly true in its largest city, Sao Paulo. The most popular team is Corinthians. Corinthians’ fans are the most loyal and emotional in Brazil. When Corinthians win, production(产量) in the Sao Paulo car factories increases by fifteen per cent. When they loses, it drops. At one time Corinthians won the national championship for the first time, for four days fans danced and sang in the streets,
Why are people so loyal to one football team? What makes a football fan? One man says, “Without Corinthians my life would be sad. Corinthians bring some joy and excitement into my life. We all need that, don’t we?”In Paragraph 1, what the manager said means_______.
A, he is respected by newspapers B,. he will probably be killed by fans
C. he is judged on his team’s results D. it’s difficult for him to get good scoresAll the following statements about the Brazilians and football are true EXCEPT _______.
| A．all the Brazilians know all about football |
| B．football has an influence on politics in Brazil |
| C．the Brazilians spend a lot of money on football |
| D．Corinthians’ fans are always supporting their team |
Some people danced and sang in the streets for four days in Sap Paulo because_______.
| A．production in the Sao Paulo car factories increased | |
| B．Corinthians won a national football championship | |
| C．Corinthians won the World Cup | D．the newspapers put a team manager in heaven |
People are loyal to their football team mainly because _______.
| A．it brings joy and excitement to their life | B．they could always count on it |
| C．it can increase the car production | D．they could see hope in it |
Dior was born in Normandy in 1905, and his family’s original plans for him included a career in the diplomatic service, but by the time he was twenty-three, with his parents’money, he opened a small art gallery in Paris. By 1931, the money had been used up. Dior’s friends in the art gallery, asked him to draw and he took his first step at designing and drawing. His first job was with Lucien Lelong from whom Dior learned his craft（手艺）.
In February,1947, Dior started the New Look in his first major Paris collection. He was backed by a famous textile producer, Boussac, who looked after the dollars, while Dior looked after the fashions. Dior knew nothing about cutting and sewing, but he was good at fashion design.
The New Look started an entirely different look to costume, with a tiny waist, a rounded shoulder and a shapely bust（胸围）, usually with a low-cut neckline and a long full skirt. To women who had lived through the war years, the femaleness of the New look was a great success, for people were tired of tile extremely plain, wartime restrictive fashions.
It is said that dresses by Dior were “constructed like buildings”, but young people were attracted to his design, and all over the western world, manufacturers plunged(投入) into the production of his new style. Dior’s revolutionary designs lighted up a whole cycle of fashion, rounded, gentle, feminine, a delight in elegance. A New Look House of Dior opened in 1948, followed by one in London. Considered as King of Couture（women’s clothing）for years, the Dior empire grew until it covered every country in the western world, and included furs, hosiery, jewelry, perfumes, men’s wear and on and on. More than 1,000 people worked at the Paris headquarters then.
His sudden death in 1957 when he was 53 years old did not stop the growth of the House of Dior. Even now, so many years after his death, his name is closely connected with fashion throughout the world, and indeed is one of the most recognized names in the world, His first, great New Look, with its long skirts was an expression of freedom in the late 1940s. Which of the following designs is close to Dior’s?
| A． |
B． |
C． |
D． |
According to the passage. in Dior’s life, he did NOT___________.
| A．make creative fashion designs |
B．work in a diplomatic service |
| C．1earn craft as his first job |
D．open a New Look House |
We can infer from the passage that _________.
| A．Dior and his supporter had different interests in business |
| B．Dior’s New Look had little influence on people then |
| C．Dior is only a brand of women’s fashion |
| D．Dior’s fashion was not accepted at first |
What is probably the best title for the passage? .
| A．The History of the New Look |
B．The Growth of the Dior Empire |
| C．An Expression of Freedom—Dior |
D．The Founder of the New Look-Dior |
A new generation addiction is quickly spreading all over the world. Weboholism, a twentieth century disease, affects people from different ages.They surf the net, use e-mail and speak in chat rooms. They spend many hours on the computer, and it becomes a compulsive habit. They cannot stop, and it affects their lives.
Ten years ago, no one thought that using computers could become a compulsive
behavior that could affect the social and physical life of computer users. This obsessive behavior has affected teenagers and college students. They are likely to log on computers and spend long hours at different websites.
They become hooked on computers and gradually their social and school life is
affected by this situation. They spend all free time surfing and don’t concentrate on homework, so this addiction influences their grades, and success at schools. Because they can find everything on the websites, they hang out there. Moreover, this addiction to websites influences their social life.
They spend more time in front of computers than with their friends. The relation with their friends changes. The virtual life becomes more important than their real life. They have a new language that they speak in the chat rooms and it causes cultural changes in society,
Because of the change in their behavior, they begin to isolate themselves from the society and live with their virtual friends. They share their emotions and feelings with friends who they have never met in their life.Although they feel confident on the computer, they are not confident with real life friends they have known all their life. lt is a problem for the future. This addictive behavior is beginning to affect the whole world. The passage is about
| A．the cause of weboholism | B．the advantage of weboholism |
| C．the popularity of weboholism | D．the influence of weboholism |
The underlined word"obsessive" in the second paragraph most probably means
| A．attractive | B．addictive | C．professional | D．potential |
We can learn from the passage that .
| A．weboholism has the greatest effect on teenagers |
| B．teeangers can hardly balance real and virtual life |
| C．people are addicted to games on the lnternet |
| D．virtual life is more vivid and attractive anyway |
Which of the following is NOT true of weboholism?
| A．It contributes to the development of the web. |
| B．The chat room language may change social culture. |
| C．The problem will have a negative influence on our future. |
| D．People addicted to the web often become inactive in real life. |
The author’s attitude towards weboholism is that of being
| A．objective | B．positive | C．opposed | D．acceptable |
People in the United States honor their parents with two special days: Mother’s Day, on the second Sunday in May, and Father’s Day, on the third Sunday in June.
Mother’s Day was proclaimed a day for national observance by President Woodrow Wilson in 1915. Ann Jarvis from Grafton, West Virginia, had started the idea to have a day to honor mothers. She was the one who chose the second Sunday in May and also began the custom of wearing a carnation.
In 1909, Mrs. Dodd from Spokane, Washington, thought of the idea of a day to honor fathers. She wanted to honor her own father, William Smart. After her mother died, he had the responsibility of raising a family of five sons and a daughter. In 1910, the first Father’s Day was observed in Spokane. Senator Margaret Chase Smith helped to establish Father’s Day as a national commemorative day in 1972.
These days are set aside to show love and respect for parents. They raise their children and educate them to be responsible citizens. They give love and care.
These two special days are celebrated in many different ways. On Mother’s Day people wear carnations. A red one symbolizes a living mother. A white one shows that the mother is dead．Many people attend religious services to honor parents. It is also a day when people whose parents are dead visit the cemetery. On these days families get together at home, as well as in restaurants. They often have outdoor barbecues for Father’s Day. These are days of fun and good feelings and memories.According to the passage, which of the following about the second Sunday in May is
NOT true?
| A．It is a day to show love to mothers |
| B．It is a day to wear carnations |
| C．It is a day for people to visit the cemetery |
| D．It is a day for many people to attend religious services |
Choose the right time order of the following events.
a. The first Father’s Day was observed.
b. Mother’s Day was proclaimed a day for national observance
c. Father’s Day became a day for national observance.
d. The idea of honoring fathers was brought up
| A．a b c d | B．d a b c | C．b a c d | D．d a c b |
Who plays the most important role in Father’s Day becoming a national commemorative day?
| A．Mrs. Do | B．Margaret Chase Smith | C．Ann Jarvis | D．Woodrow Wilson |
From the passage, we know in the U.S. ________________.
| A．one should wear a red carnation if one’s mother pass away |
| B．on Mother’s Day, families often go out to have barbecues |
| C．on Father’s Day, people often stay at home to celebrate the special day. |
| D．The purpose to have these two special days is to show love to parents |
The author’s purpose of writing this passage is to __________
| A．call on people to love and respect their parents |
| B．introduce Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. |
| C．tell the difference between Mother’s Day and Father’s Day |
| D．show how important fathers and mothers are |
She is quiet, soft-spoken and has a kind face and a strong heart. She is my mom, Lili.
When I was nine, Lili quitted her job and started her own business. She said she didn’t want to stay at home and work as a housewife: “It’s a waste of life.” Lili became so busy that she spent less and less time with me. She didn’t help me with my schoolwork. It was, in her words, “so that you can develop your independence”. We quarreled because she rarely showed up at parents’ meetings.
Like mother, like daughter. I have many things in common with Lili. I want everything to be under control. I want to be perfect and I don’t expect other people to help me. I push myself hard to achieve my goals.
After I started to go to high school, Lili and I were too busy to communicate much with each other.
In biology class I began to be depressed. When the teacher showed us a picture of a butterfly, I was scared and screamed. I had a vision of thousands of butterflies flying toward me.
That night I told Lili about it. The next morning, I saw that she had red eyes with black circles around them.
She took me to see a therapist (治疗师). Three hours later, the therapist told Lili that my life was like a wheel spinning (旋转) faster and faster and that was the reason for what had happened to me. I only realized it when my body couldn’t stand the pressure anymore. At these words, Lili burst into tears. “It’s all my fault, she’s just a kid and I didn’t have time to take care of her….” To be honest, I had never seen Lili cry before.
After that, Lili began to spend more time at home, cooking and dragging me to do sports. I realized she was the one who would always be there when I was in real trouble. No mom is perfect, but she is the one who really cares about her kid.Lili quitted her job and started her own business because _________.
| A．she wanted to make more money | B．she was not willing to look after me |
| C．she didn’t want to waste her life | D．she likes keeping busy |
We quarreled because __________.
| A．she began to spend less and less time with me |
| B．she didn’t help me with my schoolwork. |
| C．she seldom attended the parents’ meetings in my school. |
| D．Lili and I were too busy to communicate much with each other. |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．Most women don’t want to be a housewife. |
| B．Most children want their mothers to accompany them at home. |
| C．We need to understand our mothers’ busy life. |
| D．Although mothers are not perfect, they all love the children |
Which of the following statements is WRONG?
| A．Lili is a quiet, strong-willed woman. |
| B．Lili began to spend more time at home after visiting the therapist. |
| C．I was scared and screamed in biology class because I hate butterflies. |
| D．I only realized my life was like a wheel when my body couldn’t stand the pressure anymore. |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．Mom Does Care. | B．A Busy but Successful Mother. |
| C．Change From Mother to Businessman. | D．A Student’s Opinion on Mother. |
One man tells of driving on a long and lonely road, the last 65 miles of it unpaved, in order to watch Indian dances in the state of Arizona. After the dances, he returned to his car only to find that it had a flat tire. He put on the spare and drove to the only service station in that town.
“Do you fix flats?” he inquired of the attendant.
“Yes,” came the answer.
“How much do you charge?” he asked.
With a twinkle in his eye, the man replied, “What difference does it make?”
This is what has been called a “Hobson’s choice”. A Hobson’s choice is a situation that forces a person to accept whatever is offered or go without.
According to Barbara Berliner, the phrase was inspired by sixteenth-century entrepreneur (企业家) Thomas Hobson. There was no choice by the customer — it was strictly Hobson’s choice.
But often we really have a choice, and the choice does make a difference. We may not always believe it. We may feel as if we have no choice, but almost always there is a choice in the matter. And when we realize that we do most things by choice, then we are taking control of our own lives.
Someone challenged me to try an experiment that completely changed my perspective. “For the next seven days,” he said, “eliminate the words ‘I have to’ from your vocabulary and say ‘I choose to’. Don’t say, ‘I have to work late tonight’. Instead, say, ‘I choose to work late’. When you choose to do it, you take control of your life. Instead of saying, ‘I have to stay home’, try ‘I choose to stay home’. The way you spend your time is your choice. You are responsible. You have control.”
In just seven days I was no longer saying “I have to” and I felt better about my decisions. I learned that there is very little in my life I actually have to do. You and I decide to do certain things because we believe that it will be for the best. When we eliminate “I have to” from our vocabularies, we take control.
Try it for a week and you see what happens. I think you’ll see it’s a change for the better. What did the attendant mean by saying “What difference does it make”?
| A．The man didn’t need to pay for the work. |
| B．It was unnecessary for the man to ask about the price. |
| C．There was no need for the man to have the tire fixed. |
| D．The man should keep silent. |
The author learnt from the experiment that he .
| A．could become more challenging |
| B．could spend more time relaxing himself |
| C．should take pleasure in helping others |
| D．actually changed his attitudes towards life |
What does the underlined word “eliminate” mean?
| A．Remember. | B．Repeat. | C．Remove. | D．Recite. |
What is the situation where we have a “Hobson’s choice”?
| A．We have no choice but to follow. |
| B．We should often change our choice. |
| C．We should make preparations before a journey. |
| D．We should think twice before taking action. |
The purpose of writing this text is to .
| A．advise us to become active in life |
| B．explain what Hobson’s choice is |
| C．tell an interesting story about the author |
| D．accept others’ advice modestly |
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