When I was nine years old I lived in a small town. I found an ad for selling greeting cards in the back of a children’s magazine. I thought to myself I could do this. I begged my mother to let me send for the kit (配件). Two weeks later the kit arrived. The next three hours later, I returned home with no card and a pocket full of money shouting, “Mama, all the people couldn’t wait to buy my cards!” A salesperson was born.
When I was twelve years old, my father took me to see Zig Ziegler. I remember sitting in the dark hall listening to Mr. Ziegler raise everyone’s spirits up to ceiling. I left there feeling like I could do anything. When we got to the car, I turned to my father and said, “Dad, I want to make people feel like that.” My father asked me what I meant. “I want to be a motivational speaker just like Mr. Ziegler,” I replied. A dream was born.
Recently, I began pursuing（追求） my dream of motivating others. I realized that everything I had accomplished — the graduate degree, the successful sales career, speaking appointments, training and managing for a major fortune 100 company as a senior manager— had prepared me for this moment. I told my boss who was a great leader I would leave the company though I might not reach such a height in career. He told me to proceed（进行） and he believed I would succeed.
Having made that decision, I was immediately tested. One week after I gave notice, my husband was laid off from his job. We had recently bought a new home and needed both incomes to make the monthly mortgage (抵押) payment and now we were done to no income. I even planned to turn back to my former company, knowing they wanted me to stay but I was certain that if I went back, I would never leave. I decided I still wanted to move forward rather than end up with a mouth full of “if onlys” later on. A motivational speaker was born.
When I held fast to my dream, even during the tough times, the miracles（奇迹） really began to happen. In a short time period my husband found a better job. We didn’t miss a mortgage payment. And I was able to book several speaking appointments with new clients (客户). I discovered the incredible power of dreams. I loved my old job, my workmates and the company I left, but it was time to get on with my dream. To celebrate my success I had a local artist paint my new office as a garden. At the top of one wall she marked, “The world always makes way for the dreamer.”Why was the kit sent for?
| A．Selling greeting cards. | B．Collecting greeting cards. |
| C．Buying greeting cards. | D．Sending greeting cards. |
When did the author decide to become a motivational speaker?
| A．After buying a new home by mortgage. |
| B．After giving notice to leave her safe position in the company. |
| C．After finding a job in a major fortune 100 company. |
| D．After listening to Mr. Ziegler’s inspiring speech. |
Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE?
| A．She was once an excellent manager. |
| B．She left her post at the height of her career. |
| C．She was not sure whether the former company could accept her. |
| D．She didn’t miss paying the monthly mortgage payment. |
What does the underlined sentence mean in the last paragraph?
| A．Carry on with your dreams and you will be successful. |
| B．Risk everything you have for a dream and you will succeed. |
| C．The world belongs to dreamers. |
| D．Everyone will find their dreams. |
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Beldon and Canfield are two seashore towns, not far apart. Both towns have many hotels, and in summer the hotels are full of holiday-makers and other tourists.
Last August there was a fire at the Seabreeze Hotel in Beldon. The next day, this news appeared on Page 2 of the town’s newspaper. The Beldon Post:
FIRE AT SEABREEZE
Late last night firemen hurried to the Seabreeze Hotel and quickly put out a small fire in a bedroom. The hotel manager said that a cigarette started the fire. We say again to all our visitors： “Please don’t smoke cigarettes in bed.” This was Beldon’s first hotel fire for five years.
The Canfield Times gave the news in these words on Page One：
ANOTHER BELDON HOTEL CATCHES FIRE
Last night Beldon firemen arrived just too late to save clothing, bedclothes and some furniture at the Seabreeze Hotel. An angry holiday-maker said, “An electric lamp probably started the fire. The bedroom lamps are very old at some of these hotels. When I put my bedside light on, I heard a funny noise from the lamp.” We are glad to tell our readers that this sort of adventure does not happen in Canfield.
What are the facts, then? It is never easy to find out the exact truth about an accident. There was a fire at the Seabreeze Hotel last August: that is one fact. Do we know anything else? Yes, we know that firemen went to the hotel.
Now what do you think of the rest of the “news”?
68. Which of the following best gives the main idea of this text?
A. Beldon and Canfield are both good places for tourists in summer.
B. A fire broke out at night in Seabreeze Hotel last summer.
C. It was not easy to find out the exact truth from newspapers.
D. Two newspapers gave reports on the same matter.
69. Which of the following are probably facts?
a. The fire broke out in a bedroom at the hotel.
b. A cigarette started the fire.
c. An old lamp started the fire.
d. The fire broke out at night.
e. There wasn’t any fire in Canfield.
A. b and c B. a and d C. c and e D. a and c
70. The Canfield Times used the headline “ANOTHER BELDON HOTEL CATCHES FIRE” in order to make its readers think _______.
A. hotels in Beldon catch fire more often
B. hotels in Beldon don’t often catch fire
C. this was the second fire at the Seabreeze Hotel
D. Beldon was a good place except that hotels there are not quite safe
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Wash Your Clothes with a Cup of Water?
A washing machine that uses only a cup of water to carry a full wash, leaving clothes completely dry, has been developed by British inventors. Researchers say the technology, which uses less than 2 percent of the water and energy of a traditional machine, could save billions of liters of water each year.
The machine works by using thousands of plastic chips— each about half a centimeter in size—to absorb and remove dirt. Around 20 kilos of the chips are added to each load, along with a cup of water and detergent（洗涤剂）. During the washing cycle, the water is heated to help dissolve the dirt, which is then absorbed by the plastic chips. The inventors say the chips should be removed at the end of each wash, but can be used up to 100 times.
The technology, called Xeros, is already being compared to the Dyson bagless vacuum cleaner, which revolutionized the home cleaning industry when it was first introduced to the public in the mid-1990s.
If adopted by many homes across the UK, the machine could save billions of liters of water each year. According to the research, washing machine use has risen by 23 percent in the past 15 years, up from three times a week in 1990 to an average four times now. The average UK household uses most 21 liters of water daily on clothes washing. Nationally, this equals to approximately 455 million liters of water a day — enough to fill 145 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
Although the Xeros is now in the design and testing stage, the inventors say they are in talks with a commercial partner. The machine could be in the market as early as next year. Tests have produced quite astonishing results. “We’ve shown that it can remove all sorts of everyday stains including coffee and lipstick while using a tiny fraction of the water used by traditional washing machines,” said one of the inventors.
An expert said, “This is one of the most surprising and remarkable technologies I’ve had in recent years. Xeros has the ability to save billions of liters of water per year and, we believe, the potential to revolutionize the global laundry market.
64. Compared with the traditional washing machine, the most outstanding feature of the Xeros is that _________.
A. it doesn’t need any detergent
B. it saves a large amount of water
C. it can remove all sorts of everyday stains
D. the plastic chips can be removed at the end of each wash
65. The writer supports his idea with __________ in Paragraph 4.
A. examples B. words C. data D. imagination
66. What do we know about the Xeros from the passage?
A. It will be quite cheap as the plastic chips can be used up to 100 times.
B. It’ll take the place of the Dyson bagless vacuum cleaner in future.
C. The plastic chips play an important role in absorbing and removing the dirt.
D. It isn’t in the market now because no investors are willing to develop it.
67. What is the writer’s attitude toward the new technology in this passage?
A. Positive. B. Opposed. C. Indifferent. D. Doubtful.
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Some American schools paid teachers more if their students improved on
tests. Now there is a growing movement to pay the students --- in some cases, even just for coming to class.
Students at one school in New Mexico can earn up to three hundred dollars a year for good attendance. A program in New York City pays up to five hundred dollars for good attendance and high test scores.
In Baltimore, Maryland, high scores on state graduation tests can be worth more than one hundred dollars. And a New Jersey school system plans to pay students fifty dollars a week to attend after-school tutoring programs. Schools that pay students can be found in over one-fourth of the fifty states. Other state schools reward students with food or other things.
Robert Schaefer is public education director for the National Center for Fair and Open Testing, an activist group. He says paying may improve performance in the short term, but students develop false expectations for the future. He sees a lack of long-term planning in these programs because of pressure on schools to raise test scores.
Public schools need to show improvement under the education reform law. Low-performing schools may lose their federal money; teachers and administrators may lose their jobs. Often these schools are in poor neighborhoods where getting students to go to school can be a continual problem.
Critics say paying students sends a message that money is the only valuable reward. But some students say it makes school more exciting. And some teachers have reported getting more requests for extra help.
60. What is the passage mainly about?
A. Some American schools pay teachers more for improving students’ scores.
B. Some American schools pay students for good attendance and high test scores.
C. Public schools need to improve their teaching management.
D. Some American schools pay teachers for after-school tutoring programs.
61. In _________ of the fifty states, schools pay the students.
A. less than one half B. less than ten
C. more than ten D. more than one half
62. We can learn from the text that _________.
A. all the people are in favor of the movement to pay the students.
B. not all the people think the movement to pay the students is good
C. in New York City students can get food for high test scores.
D. teachers can’t lose their jobs in some schools in American poor neighborhoods
63.The text is probably taken from_________.
A. education report B. health report
C. information report D. science news
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第三部分：阅读理解
第一节：（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项中，选出最佳选项。
Liu Qian, a magician from Taiwan, cast his spell（魔法）over an audience of thousands on the CCTV Spring Festival Show. Die-hard fans are still trying to work out the secrets behind many of the tricks he performed.
But Liu, 32, when asked, laughed off the idea that there might be an “answer” to his magic. “The most fascinating thing is the puzzling process. People enjoy how magicians make the impossible come true,” said Liu.
Few people today believe in the possibility of real magic. They also often fail to consider magicians’ devotion to their art. It can take a magician years’ of practice to perfect a trick before he performs it on stage.
Part of Liu’s star appeal is his astonishing skill. However, when he began in the industry, he was all embarrassingly clumsy. “I could practice thousands of times for one single act. It wasn’t much fun,” he said.
No magician’s supernatural powers on stage extend to their life off stage. Liu says his life was no easier or funnier because he was a magician.
He developed an interest in magic at a young age, but didn’t consider making a living out of it until he graduated from university. He had studied Japanese and found himself unable to find a job. “My parents never considered being a magician as a proper job. To begin with, I had little confidence I would be doing this in the long term,” he said.
Yet Liu felt a powerful calling to become a magician. “For many people, magic somehow means a miracle, which is something we all secretly wish for no matter how hard-bitten we become,” he said.
Liu may be right. A popular modern dream is of the fairy godmother, who waves her magic wand(魔杖) and makes our dreams come true. But according to Liu, we all have the power to create magic in our lives. As Liu puts it: it’s not the magic that makes it work；it’s the way we work that makes it magic.
56. According to the passage, we can tell that __________.
A. being a famous magician, Liu Qian leads a comfortable life
B. it is a hard job for magicians to perform magic tricks well
C. Liu Qian’s parents supported his wish to be a magician
D. Liu Qian showed great talents for magic tricks when he first took it up
57. Talking of whether there’s real magic, Liu Qian believes _________.
A. there is no real magic and what counts in our life is the way we work
B. if we secretly wish for something, magic will turn out to be a miracle
C. the puzzling process of performing magic tricks is the answer to magic
D. there exists a fairy godmother waving her magic wand to make our dreams come true
58. Which of the following is similar to the underlined sentence in meaning?
A. All roads lead to Rome. B. A miss is as good as a mile.
C. Every dog has his day. D. No pains, no gains.
59. What is the best title for the passage?
A. Magic Power by Liu Qian B. The Magic Skill
C. A Popular Magician---Liu Qian D. How to Be a Successful Magician
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(BBC News April 18) All flights in and out of the UK and several other European countries have been cancelled as ash from a volcanic eruption in Iceland moves south.
Up to 4,000 flights are being cancelled with airspace closed in Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark among others.
The UK’s air traffic control service (Nats) said no flights would be allowed in UK airspace until at least 07:00 BST on Friday for fear of engine damage.
Safety group Eurocontrol said the problem could last for 48 hours.
The volcano is still erupting and the wind direction is expected to continue bringing clouds into UK and European airspace for some time to come.
The UK’s airspace restriction was the worst in living memory, a Nats spokesman said. Some 600,000 people are thought to have been affected.
Nats suggested that the restrictions were unlikely to be lifted (解除) after 07:00, saying it was “very unlikely that the situation over England will improve in the foreseeable future”.
Passengers were advised to contact their carriers before travelling.
Transport Secretary Lord Adonis said he was “closely monitoring the situation” and would be meeting with key transport officials on Friday morning.
Experts have warned that the tiny particles of rock, glass and sand contained in the ash cloud from the still-erupting volcano could be sufficient to jam aircraft engines.
The Health Protection Agency said the ash from the eruption did not bring a significant risk to public health because of its high altitude.
However, the British Lung Foundation has warned people with lung conditions to keep their medication (医疗护理) with them as a precautionary measure.
These are some of the knock-on effects:
● Eurocontrol says Germany is monitoring the situation and considering partial airspace closures.
● The two main airports in Paris and many others in the north of France are closing.
● There is severe disruption (崩溃) in France and Spain, where all northbound flights are cancelled.
● Nats is due to make an announcement shortly as to the arrangements that will be in place
through to 13:00 BST on Friday.
● British Airways offers refunds or an option to rebook after all its domestic flights are suspended.
Flybe announces it has cancelled all flights up until 13:00 BST on Friday and more than 25 services due to run after that.
British sports teams have been hit by travel problems after flights were grounded.
60. What may passengers do on hearing the news according to the passage?
A. They may cancel their international flights.
B. They may contact the airlines before traveling.
C. They may take measures to protect their lungs from the ash.
D. They may stay indoors till the volcanic eruption dies down.
61. Why have some European countries cancelled flights after the volcanic eruption?
A. Because the volcanic ash may make passengers ill.
B. Because people refuse to take the international flights.
C. Because the volcanic ash may jam or damage the engine.
D. Because the flights may be hit by the rocks from the eruption.
62. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
A. All the flights are likely to return to normal in 48 hours.
B. British people had experienced a worse airspace restriction before that.
C. Germany is monitoring the situation and considering closing all airspace.
D. The UK airspace restrictions are unlikely to be lifted in the foreseeable future.
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