It was about midday. I’d left work early in the morning to cash a cheque. I walked along to the bank, and found that there weren’t too many people about ten or eleven customers in there, which was pretty unusual for those central city banks.
I waited until it was my turn and just went up to the desk and started to talk to the bank clerk. He had a really strange expression
on his face -- just sort of blank stare at least I thought he was looking at me and then I realized he was staring over my shoulder.
I began to turn round to see what he was looking at. At the same moment the outside bank guard came flying through the door and lay face down on the floor and following him through the door were three frightening masked men. They were carrying guns; at least I think the one in front was carrying a gun. Whether or not they said anything at that point I can’t remember to this day, or whether people just automatically put their hands up I’ve just no idea.
For a few moments there was just total silence, suddenly broken by the telephone ringing and I remember thinking and wondering who was on the other end of the telephone. Nobody went to answer the telephone, so this thing just kept on ringing and ringing. Then two of the masked men went to the counter, jumped over it and got the cashiers and the bank clerks to start filling the bags with cash. While the two were getting the money, the one at the door who was covering us with the gun was a bit frightened. He started swearing at them, and telling them to hurry up, to get a move on. They jumped back over the counter. One of them slipp
ed as he landed on the floor and fell over and the other two swore at him again. They left through the door. Warning us, “Don’t move, stay like that with your hands up for ten minutes.” And then they just disappeared. Again back to total silence. People put their hands down, I put my hands down but I just stayed exactly where I was.What does the writer mean by saying “…a pretty unusual number for those central banks” in the first paragraph?
| A．More customers than usual were staying in the bank. |
| B．Less bank clerks than expected were in the bank. |
| C．There were often more than a dozen customers in the bank. |
| D．More banks should be open to serve customers in the city center. |
The bank clerk wore a blank expression on his face probably because ________.
| A．he was feeling upset at that moment |
| B．he felt puzzled and sensed something terrible |
| C．he was required to keep silence |
| D．he was threatened with a gun by robbers |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．The customers didn’t wait in line but jumped the queue because of the confusion. |
| B．All the people in the bank except the writer put their hands up automatically. |
| C．Nobody answered the phone because all the clerks were busy with work. |
| D．the bank workers were forced to fill the robbers’ bags with cash. |
What’s the best title of this passage?
| A．A Street Gang | B．A Strange Bank |
| C．A Bank Robbery | D．A Horrible Adventure |
Friends play an important part in our lives, and although we may take the fact of friendship for granted, we often don’t clearly understand how we make friends. While we get on well with a number of people, we are usually friends with only a very few. For example, the average among students is about 6 per person.
In the beginning, it much depends on how people meet, and on good first impressions. As we get to know people, we consider things like age, race, looks, economic and social status, and intelligence. Although these factors are not of the greatest importance, it is more difficult to have a good relationship with people when there is a big difference in age and background.
We pay attention to actual behavior, facial expression, and the way a person speaks. Friends will stand closer together and soft voices also express friendliness, and it is because they may give the wrong signals that shy people often have difficulty in making friends. A friendly look with the wrong facial expression can turn into an unfriendly stare, and nervousness may be wrongly understood as unfriendliness.
Some relationships are a result of argument and discussion, but it is usual for close friends to have the same ideas and beliefs, the same opinions and interests — they often talk about “being on the same wavelength”. The more closely involved people become, the more they depend on one another. People want to do friends favors and hate to let them down. Equally, friends have to learn to make allowances for each other, to put up with annoying habits, and to accept differences in opinion.
In contrast with marriage, there are no friendship ceremonies to strengthen the relationship between two people. But the mutual support and understanding that results from shared experiences and emotions does seem to create a close and lasting relationship, which can overcome differences in background, and break down barriers of age, class or race.Why should we consider such things as age and background when making friends?
| A．Because people of different age can’t have the same interest. |
| B．Because people who enjoy different social status have nothing in common. |
| C．Because when making friends people need know these. |
| D．Because differences in age and background make it difficult to make friends. |
From the passage we know that ______.
| A．we should hold ceremonies to celebrate our friendship |
| B．we can’t make friends with the people of different races |
| C．friends should understand each other |
| D．argument and discussion may break down the friendship. |
According to the author, unfriendliness may be caused by ______.
| A．worried expressions | B．nervousness |
| C．different opinions | D．wrong words |
People in several American states may be surprised to see cars on city streets without a driver. Experimental driverless vehicles now are legal in Florida, Nevada and California. They are pointing the way to a future that is not far down the road. The high-tech company Google has a number of self-driving cars, which had covered 480,000 kilometers by August. Volvo is among the companies doing road tests and says it plans to sell driverless cars by 2020.
In September, California Governor Jerry Brown signed an act to allow autonomous vehicles on the roads of his state. “Today we're looking at science fiction becoming tomorrow's reality-the driverless car.”The technology for these cars includes cameras, radar and motion sensors. The systems have been improved through competitions sponsored by the U. S. government agency DARPA. Engineer Richard Mason of the Rand Corporation helped design driverless vehicles for DARPA challenge races.
Cars have become much more fuel-efficient, and new electronic features are making Hondas safer, said Angie Nucci of Honda America. “A camera on the passenger-side mirror actually engaged on your guiding screen so you can safely change lanes.” Other safety features include warning systems on the front and the sides of the cars. The systems help drivers, but don't replace them. Curator Leslie Kendall of the Petersen Automotive Museum said autonomous cars will make the high ways safer.
“By taking out drivers, you also remove most risks of an accident,” Kendall said. He said consumers, however, may be unwilling to lose control. “It may take them time to come to realize that the technology is indeed reliable, but it will have to prove itself first.”
Mason said the technology already works and the biggest challenge now is getting down the cost for driverless vehicles from hundreds of thousands of dollars to something more affordable. He said this will happen as the technology is improved.What can we learn from Paragraph 1?
A. Driverless vehicles are now legal in the whole USA.
B. Volvo will be the first to sell driverless cars.
C. Google’s self-driving cars have covered a long distance.
D. Driverless cars are pointing us a faraway future.We learn that Governor of California Jerry Brown_________.
| A．helped design self-driving cars. |
| B．supports self-driving cars on roads. |
| C．considers self-driving cars science fiction. |
| D．improved the self-driving car systems. |
According to Richard Mason, what is the biggest challenge for driverless cars?
| A．They are now too expensive for consumers. |
| B．Their technical problems remain to be solved. |
| C．They are not allowed to run on the road. |
| D．They are more dangerous for people on the street. |
What's the best title of the passage?
| A．The benefits of the self-driving cars. |
| B．The biggest challenge of the self-driving cars. |
| C．Self-driving cars-science fiction future is near. |
| D．Safer or more dangerous-self-driving cars. |
Jacksonville is the largest city in Florida and has a large number of shopping malls to suit different tastes for tourists and guests to shop. Here are some great places where you can shop in Jacksonville.
Gateway Town Center
The venerable Gateway Town Center is one of Jacksonville’s oldest shopping malls, providing an eclectic mix of exciting stores and fun amusements! Gateway Town Center is located at 5184 Norwood Avenue and owns a mixture of retail boutiques (时装店), like Footlocker and Ashley Stewart. You can visit Gateway Town Center Mondays through Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., and Sundays from noon to 6:00.
St. Johns Town Center
The newest and trendiest shopping destination in the city is St. Johns Town Center. This center has all your national favorites like Dillard’s, Barnes & Noble and Target as well as a great restaurant selection. St. Johns Towns Center is open from 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Sundays.
Regency Square Shopping Center
On 9501 Arlington Expressway stands the Regency Square Mall. Children like riding on the mall’s mini train while adults like to shop and socialize. Movie fans will like knowing that the Regency Square Mall has a 24 screen AMC theater. You can visit this mall from 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, and Sundays from noon to 6:00 p.m.
River City Marketplace
River City Marketplace located in Jacksonville is the largest shopping mall in the city with 70 shops including such stores as Lowes, Wal-Mart Super Center, Pet Smart and Old Navy. All these shops can be found at the open-air plaza. The mall’s 14 screen Hollywood theaters are a great attraction for movie buffs. River City Marketplace’s hours of operation are 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Sundays. If you want to enjoy a good dining during shopping you can go to __________.
| A．St. Johns Town Center | B．River City Marketplace |
| C．Gateway Town Center | D．Regency Square Shopping Center |
Children would like to visit Regency Square Shopping Center probably because __________.
| A．they can buy a lot of wonderful toys |
| B．they can take the mini train there |
| C．they can play their favorite computer games |
| D．they can make many friends |
On Sundays you should visit River City Marketplace at __________.
| A．10:00 a.m. | B．8:30 a.m. |
| C．9:00 a.m. | D．6:30 p.m. |
This passage is probably taken from __________.
| A．a textbook | B．a science magazine |
| C．an advertisement | D．an announcement |
For many years, I was convinced that my suffering was due to my size. I believed that when the weight disappeared, it would take old wounds, hurts and rejections with it.
Many weight-conscious people also mistakenly believe that changing our bodies will fix everything. Perhaps our mistake is believing that being thin equals being loved, being special, and being cherished. We fantasize (幻想) about what it will be like when we reach the long-awaited goal .We work very hard to realize this dream. Then, at last, we find ourselves there.
But we often gain back what we have lost. Even so, we continue to believe that next time it will be different. Next time, we will keep it off. Next time, being thin will finally fulfill its promise of everlasting happiness, self-worth, and, of course, love.
It took me a long time to realize that there was something more for me to learn about beauty. Beauty standards vary with culture. In Samoa a woman is not considered attractive unless she weighs more than 200 pounds. More importantly, if it’s happiness that we want, why not put our energy there rather than on the size of our body? Why not look inside? Many of us strive hard to change our body, but in vain. We have to find a way to live comfortably inside our body and make friends with and cherish ourselves. When we change our attitudes towards ourselves, the whole world changes.The passage tries to stress the importance of ____________.
| A．body size | B．different beauty standards |
| C．culture difference | D．attitudes towards life |
What does the word “everything” in paragraph 2 mean?
| A．The whole world | B．All the problems. |
| C．All the properties. | D．The absolute truth. |
What can be inferred about the author?
| A．The author is a Samoan. |
| B．The author succeeded in losing weight. |
| C．The author probably got wounded in wars or accidents. |
| D．The author has been troubled by her/his weight. |
According to the author , what is the common view of those who have lost some weight first and gained it back later ?
| A．They feel optimistic about future plans on weight control. |
| B．They are indifferent to the regained weight. |
| C．The feel angry about the regained weight. |
| D．They think they should give up their future plans on weight control. |
Starting a bank a child’s play? Absolutely, if you ask some enterprising youngsters in India, who have not only managed to establish one, but also, unlike many of the large International banks, run it successfully since 2001. What’s even more impressive is that the young bankers and their 90,004---clients(委托人) are all homeless!
The Children’s Development Khazana (treasure) opened its first branch in 2001 at a homeless shelter in New Deli as a way to help the street children protect their hard-earned money from thieves. Since then, the idea has caught on like wildfire.
Today, Khazana has 12 branches all across New Deli, with a total of Rupees 12lakh (about 22,000USD) in deposits. Not only that, there are now 77 branches in other parts of Asia, ranging from Nepal, Bangladesh and Afghanistan to the island of Sri Lanka, and even Kyrgyzstan in Central Asia. While no deposit or balance is too small for the bank, they do have strict regulations about where the money is earned from. Funds obtained by begging or selling drugs are not welcomed at this bank !
Also, unlike the real banks, all employees are volunteers , which means that they go to school or a paying job during the day and work at the bank in the evening. To ensure that everybody gets a chance to participate in running the branch, two volunteer managers are elected from the clients base every six months.
Karan, the current manager is just 14-year-old. During the day he earns a living by helping out the cleaning workmates at wedding banquets and other big parties. In the evening, he handles the deposits（存款）and withdrawals（取款）in the bank. After the bank closes, he along with an adult volunteer from the shelter head over to a regular bank and deposit the funds collected into Khazana’s interest-bearing bank account and though it started with one single purpose. The Children’s Development Khazana is today a well-developed bank, one kids can not only deposit money which earns them 5% interest, but also, request loans for family emergencies, to start a business or even to pay for school.The initial aim of starting the Children’s Development Khazana is to______.
| A．provide for jobs for homeless children |
| B．help homeless families with emergencies |
| C．sponsor homeless children to go to school |
| D．safeguard homeless children’s hard-earned money |
The children’s Development Khazana is different from regular banks in that_______.
| A．all its workers are street children |
| B．it pays its customers no interest |
| C．customers can be made its managers |
| D．it opens in the evening six month a year |
According to the passage, the Children’s Development Khazana________.
| A．welcomes all money, however small it is |
| B．offers more and better service than before |
| C．is run by a 14-year-old boy, Karan alone |
| D．has more than 70 branches across India |
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