You might say that Barack Obama was elected President of the US because h
e knows how to give a good speech. In 2004, the little-known Obama gave a speech at the Democratic national Convention(民主党全国会议). It was a great speech---poetic, and inspiring. The people who heard it would remember it for a long time.
Since 2004, Obama has written and delivered thousands of speeches. These are usually praised for two reasons: he treats the audiences like intelligent adults, and he is able to express difficult ideas in a straightforward, natural way.
Before becoming President, Obama was a lawyer, a college professor, and a successful writer---his two memoirs have become best-sellers. The skills he needed to succeed in 
his previous jobs have also contributed to his success as a speechmaker.
As a lawyer, Obama learned how to make strong, convincing arguments. As a professor, he learned how to explain complex subjects in ways that helped students understand without boring them. As a writer, he learned how to use language to have a powerful influence on his audience.
Secret weapons of Obama
Writing team: Obama has a team of people who write his speeches. The writers chat with Obama for hours about what he wants to say. They listen to recordings of past presidential addresses and seek advice from advisers. Obama usually edits and rewrites the drafts several times.
Make fun of the guests: Obama starts his speech by gently making fun of his guests. His opening lines attract the audiences’ attention while giving them an opportunity to relax and laugh at themselves and each other.
Making fun of himself: Obama laughs at his past mistakes and is never afraid of showing them to the public.
Obama delivers speeches to audiences large and small. He can make his audiences laugh or cry. His speeches are always thoughtful, well written, and just right for each occasion... The third and fourth paragraphs mainly talk about _____.
| A．why Obama’s speeches are praised | B．how Obama acquired his speaking ability | C．what subjects Obama’s speeches about | D．Obama’s success as a writer and a lawyer |
. When delivering a speech, Obama ______.
| A．usually starts with some famous sayings | B．sometimes turns his speech into a song |
| C．sometimes shares a joke with the audience | D．is very strict most of the time |
. What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．Obama won the election campaign. | B．Obama is a brilliant speechmaker |
| C．Obama had taken a couple of jobs. | D．Obama is good at writing. |
阅读理解
The easy way out isn't always easiest . I learned that lesson when I decided to treat Doug , my husband of one month , to a special meal . I glanced through my cookbook and chose a menu(菜谱) which included homemade bread . Knowing the bread would take time , I started on it as soon as Doug left for work . As I was not experienced in cooking , I thought if a dozen was good , two dozens would be better , so I doubled（加倍）everything . As Doug loved oranges , I also opened a can of orange and poured it all into the bowl . Soon there was a sticky dough (面团) covered with ugly yellowish marks . Realizing I had been defeated , I put the dough in the rubbish bin outside so I wouldn't have to face Doug laughing at my work , I went on preparing the rest of the meal , and , when Doug got home , we sat down to eat Cornish chicken with rice . He tried to enjoy the meal but seemed disturbed . Twice he got up and went outside , saying he thought he heard a noise . The third time he left , I went to the windows to see what he was doing . Looking out , I saw Doug standing about three feet from the rubbish bin , holding the lid up with a stick and looking into the container . When I came out of the house , he dropped the stick and explained that there was something alive in our rubbish bin . Picking up the stick again , he held the lid up enough for me to see . I felt cold . But I stepped closer and l
ooked harder . Without doubt it was my work . The hot sun had caused the dough to double in size and the fermenting yeast (酵母)made the surface shake and sigh as though it were breathing .It looked like some unknown being from outer space. I could see why Doug was so shaken. I had to admit what the 'living thing” was and why it was there . I don't know who was more embarrassed(尴尬)by the whole thing － Doug or me.The writer's purpose in writing this story is ___________
| A．to tell an interesting experience |
| B．to show the easiest way out of a difficulty |
| C．to describe the trouble facing a newly married woman |
| D．to explain the difficulty of learning to cook from books |
Why did the woman's attempt at making the bread turn out to be unsuccessful?
| A．The canned orange had gone bad. |
| B．She didn't use the right kind of flour. |
| C．The cookbook was hard to understand. |
D．She did not fo llow the directions closely. |
Why did the woman put the dough in the rubbish bin?
| A．She didn't see the use of keeping it |
| B．She meant to joke with her husband. |
| C．She didn't want her husband to see it . |
| D．She hoped it would soon dry in the sun. |
What made the dough in the rubbish bin look frighteni
ng?
| A．The rising and falling movement. |
| B．The strange-looking marks. |
| C．Its shape. |
| D．Its size. |
When Doug went out the third time , the woman looked out of the window because she was ______________.
| A．surprised at his being interested in the bin |
| B．afraid that he would discover her secret |
| C．unhappy that he didn't enjoy the meal |
| D．curious to know what disturbed him |
阅读理解
Maybe ten-year-old Elizabeth put it best when she said to her father. “But Dad, you can't be healthy if you're dead.”
Dad , in a hurry to get home before dark so he could go for a run, had forgotten to wear his safety belt--a mistake 75% of the US population make every day. The big question is why.
There have been many myths about safety belts ever since their first appearance in cars some forty years ago. The following are three of the most common.
Myth( 神话)Number One: It's best to be “thrown clear” of a serious accident.
Truth: Sorry , but any accident serious enough to “throw you clear” is also going to be serious enough to give you a very bad landing. And chances are you'll have traveled through a windshield(挡风玻璃)or door to do it. Studies show that chances of dying after a car accident are twenty-five times greater in cases where people are “thrown clear.”
Myth Number Two: Safety belts “trap” people in cars that are burning or sinking in water.
Truth: Sorry again. but studies show that people knocked unconscious(昏迷) due to not wearing safety belts have a greater chance of dying in these accidents. People wearing safety belts are usually protected to the point of having a clear head to free themselves from such dangerous situations, not to be trapped in them.
Myth Number Three: Safety belts aren't needed at speeds of less than 30 miles per hour
Truth: when two cars traveling at 30 mph hit each other. An unbelted driver would meet the windshield with a force equal to diving headfirst into the ground from a height of 10 meters.Why did Elizabeth say to her father, “But. Dad, you can't be healthy if you're dead”?
| A．He was driving at great speed. |
| B．He was running across the street. |
| C．He didn't have his safety belt on. |
| D．He didn't take his medicine on time. |
The reason Father was in a hurry to get home was that he＿＿＿＿＿．
| A．wasn't feeling very well |
| B．hated to drive in the dark |
| C．wanted to take some exercise |
| D．didn't want to be caught by the police |
According to the text, to be “thrown clear” of a serious accident is very dangerous ,because you ＿＿＿＿＿．
A. may be knocked down by other cars
B may get seriously hurt being thrown out of the car
C. may find it impossible to get away from the seat
D. may get caught in the car doorSome people prefer to drive without wearing a safety belt because they believe＿＿＿.
| A．the belt prevents them from escaping in an accident |
| B．they will be unable to think clearly in an accident |
| C．they will be caught when help comes |
| D．cars catch fire easily |
What is the advice given in the text?
| A．Never drive faster than 30 miles an hour. |
| B．Try your best to save yourself in a car accident. |
| C．Never forget to wear the safety belt while driving. |
| D．Drive slowly while you're not wearing a safety belt. |
阅读理解
The report came to the British on May 21,1941. The German battleship Bismarck, the most powerful warship in the world, was moving out into the Atlantic Ocean. Her task: to destroy the ships carrying supplies from the United States to war-torn England.
The British had feared such a task. No warship they had could match the Bismarck in speed or in firepower. The Bismarck had eight 15-inch guns and 81 smaller guns. She could move at 30 nautical miles(海里) an hour, she was believed to be unsinkable.
However, the British had to sink her. They sent out a task force headed by their best battleship Hood to hunt down the Bismarck. On May 24, the Hood found the Bismarck.
It was a meeting that the German commander Luetjens did not want to see. His orders were to destroy the British ships that were carrying supplies, but to stay away from a fight with British warships.
The battle didn’t last long. The Bismarck’s first torpedo(鱼雷)hit the Hood, which went down taking all but three of her 1,419 men with her.
But in the fight, the Bismarck was slightly damaged （损坏）. Her commander decided to run for repairs to France, which had at that time been taken by the Germans. The British force followed her. However, because of the Bismarck’s speed and the heavy fog, they lost sight of her.
For two days , every British ship in the Atlantic tried to find the Bismarck. But with no success. Finally, she was sighted by a plane from Ireland. Trying to slow the Bismarck down so that their ships could catch up with her, the British fired at her from the air. The Bismarck was hit.
On the morning of May 27, the last battle was fought. Four British ships fired on the Bismarck. And she was finally sunk.The Bismarck sailed into the Atlantic Ocean_____.
| A．to sink the Hood |
| B．to gain control of France |
| C．to cut off American supplies to Britain |
| D．to stop British warships reaching Germany |
Many people believed that the Bismarck could not be defeated because she_____.
| A．was fast and powerful |
| B．had more men on board |
| C．was under Luetjens' command |
| D．had bigger guns than other ships |
We learn from the text that on 24 May_____.
| A．the British won the battle against the Bismarck |
| B．the Bismarck won the battle against the British |
| C．the British gunfire damaged the Bismarch seriously |
| D．the Bismarck succeeded in keeping away from the British |
Luetjens tried to sail to France in order to_____.
| A．have the ship repaired |
| B．join the other Germans |
| C．get help from the French |
| D．get away from the British |
Which of the following is the immediate cause of the sinking of the Bismarck?
| A．The British air strikes. |
| B．The damage done by the Hood. |
| C．Gunfire from the British warships. |
| D．Luetjen's decision to run for France |
阅读理解。从ABCD中选出正确的答案。（每题2分，共40分）
It was a winter morning, just a couple of weeks before Christmas 2005. While most people were warming up their cars, Trevor, my husband, had to get up early to ride his bike four kilometers away from home to work. On arrival, he parked his bike outside the back door as he usually does. After putting in 10 hours of labor, he returned to find his bike gone.
The bike, a black Kona 18 speed, was our only transport. Trevor used it to get to work, putting in 60-hour a week to support his young family. And the bike was also used to get groceries（食品杂货）, saving us from having to walk long distances from where we live.
I was so sad that someone would steal our bike that I wrote to the newspaper and told them our story. Shortly after that, several people in our area offered to help. One wonderful stranger even bought a bike, then called my husband to pick it up. Once again my husband had a way to get to and from his job. It really is an honor that a complete stranger would go out of their way for someone they have never met before.
People say that a smile can be passed from one person to another, but acts of kindness from strangers are even more so. This experience has had a spreading effect in our lives because it strengthened our faith in humanity（人性） as a whole. And it has influenced（影响） us to be more mindful（注意的，留神的）of ways we, too, can share with others. No matter how big or how small, an act of kindness shows that someone cares. And the results can be everlasting. Why was the bike so important to the couple?
| A．They used it for work and daily life. |
| B．It was their only possession. |
| C．It was a nice Kona 18 speed. |
| D．The man's job was bike racing. |
What does the underlined phrase mean?
| A．go very far to see someone |
| B．walk out on foot to greet someone |
| C．help someone with one’s best |
| D．enjoy the moment with someone |
We can infer from the text that ________.
| A．the couple worked 60 hours a week |
| B．people were busy before Christmas |
| C．the stranger brought over the bike |
| D．life was hard for the young family |
How did people get to know the couple's problem?
| A．From a stranger. |
| B．From a newspaper. |
C．From TV  news. |
| D．From radio broadcasts. |
What do the couple learn from their experience?
| A．Strangers are usually of little help. |
| B．One should take care of their bike. |
| C．News reports make people famous. |
| D．An act of kindness can mean a lot. |
You’re lost in the world of dreams and sleep. You roll over, smiling as you come across a swimming pool filled with chocolate. And then, your wonderful dream becomes a nightmare when someone is screaming, “Get up!” It’s just what every teenager goes through each morning!
Now, there seems to be one school that finally understands that requiring teens to show up at 9 am is not just cruel but also harmful to both the kids and the school.
The Monkseaton High School in North Tyneside, Britain, recently decided to experiment to see if there is any difference in student behavior if they just pushed back the start of their day by one hour, from 9 am to 10 am. And the results are surprising.
Since carrying out the later start, Monkseaton has seen a 28% drop in truancy, even hardly any lateness, and best of all, higher test scores. One of the reasons is that the teenagers are much happier to have the extra hour of sleep, but there is also a scientific reason behind why they need the extra sleep.
The school’s decision to push back the time was based on the research done by Oxford Professor Russell Foster, who pointed out that teenagers and adults have different sleep cycles, explaining why teenagers go to bed late and wake up late.
While adults are wide awake and ready at 8 am, teenagers are not fully awake until 10 am, sometimes even noon. Teachers may argue that their students perform better in the morning, but in fact, it is because they are in the zone while their students are still sleepy, making the students easier to control. Memory tests prove that the more difficult classes should be in the afternoon when teenagers are most wide awake.
The Monkseaton school officials are encouraged by the results and plan on voting to make it a permanent change.What’s the best title of this passage?
| A．Get up early, teenagers! |
| B．Finally, a school understands teenagers. |
| C．Why do teenagers stay up late? |
| D．Difference between teens and adults. |
What’s the meaning of the underlined word “truancy”?
| A．grades | B．subject s | C．absence | D．classes |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．Teenagers and adults have the same sleep cycle. |
| B．Teenagers are fully awake at 10 am. |
| C．Teenagers are much happier to sleep than study. |
| D．Teenagers need the extra sleep also for a scientific reason. |
Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．The Monkseaton school is satisfied with the result of experiments. |
| B．It is cruel for the teenagers to show up at 9 am. |
| C．The Monkseaton school plans to change the school time forever. |
| D．Teenagers perform better in the morning than in the afternoon. |
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