Making an apology is not the same as making amends. Sometimes we apologize just because it’s the easiest thing to do. What’s actually important is to identify where we go wrong, take full responsibility for our mistakes and , if possible, try to make up for them.
A recent case involving Hewlett-Packed, the US computer giant, shows the importance of presenting a sincere apology. The Chinese consumers who had bought notebook computers of certain models, which have been put on Chinese market since 2007, suffered a massive flash screen failures and overheating problems. Through investigation, Chinese AQSIQ (国家质检总局) identified these HP computers had quality problems and HP admitted this. HP made a proposal that they would extend the warranty (保修) period of such computers, but this could not satisfied the consumers. What they needed was a thorough description of the truth. HP has “sincerely” apologized. But the consumers remain angry, and say that only a product recall — as HP has done in the past — will prove that the apology is sincere.
Another apology that fell flat on its face was that of Thierry Henry, the famous French footballer. His deliberate handball in November 2009 created the goal which knocked Ireland out of the 2010 World Cup. The incident caused great anger in the football world, and eventually Henry issued an apology. Two days later, he wrote, “I’m not the referee…but if I hurt someone I’m sorry.” Better late than never, perhaps, but even then he passed the blame onto the referee!
Such high-profile cases, which attract a lot of publicity often under the spotlight, but similar incidents occur in our everyday lives. Stress caused by schoolwork and tiredness can sometimes result in outbursts of anger against friends and family. Have you ever lost your temper for minor reasons? After calming down, most people are quick to realize their mistake and apologize. But it’s just as important to identify what caused the error in the first place and take action to ensure it doesn’t happen again.
No one should hold a negative attitude to making a sincere apology. Empty words are easy to say, but they are as useless as they sound. A real show of remorse（痛悔;自责）demands hard work and commitment to put error right. What does the author intend to tell us in the case of HP?
| A．A true apology needs sincere actions. |
| B．HP should recall all the faulty computers. |
| C．Good quality makes a good company. |
| D．A company should apologize and pay for their mistakes. |
According to the author, when we do anything wrong we firstly _________.
| A．make an apology face to face honestly |
| B．admit we were wrong and try to make the wrong right |
| C．take the responsibility for apologizing to others |
| D．choose the easiest thing to do |
We can infer from the case of Thierry Henry that _________ .
| A．it’s never too late to say “I’m sorry.” |
| B．writing an apology is not a good idea |
| C．Henry didn’t identify his fault. |
| D．the football fans were mad with Henry. |
Which of the following can best explain the word “commitment” in the last paragraph?
| A．Decision. | B．Promise. | C．Agreement. | D．Responsibility. |
What’s the best title of this passage?
| A．What really puts things right |
| B．Don’t apologize easily |
| C．Making an apology — no one is out of exception |
| D．How to judge an apology — sincere enough? |
The first time I heard the actual London Bridge was in Lake Havasu City, Arizona, I thought it was a joke. A stupid joke at that. I mean, what sort of moron would take a perfectly good, perfectly famous bridge and move it halfway around the world to some no-name town in northwest Arizona? Back in 1962 when all this started, Lake Havasu City was nothing. A couple of shops, a couple of homes, and no tourism at all.
It turns out Robert McCulloch is the moron in question, and he wasn’t quite the moron I thought he was. His 2.45 million dollar investment in the 130-year-old bridge—which the British government was selling because it was about to fall into the Thames—ended up being the investment of a lifetime. You see McCulloch was a real businessman, among other things, and his money paid off big. He turned Lake Havasu into one of the most visited tourist attractions in Arizona.
It took nine long years to take down the bridge, ship it brick by brick to the middle of nowhere, and build it up again. When it finally did open up in 1971, it was a huge deal covered by the international press.
The bridge is now a popular tourist attraction, and there’s even a mini “English Village” at the foot of the bridge with souvenirs and real British food so you can have a good old time.
Nowadays Lake Havasu is a busy town with a population of about 56,000 citizens and another2.5 million visitors each year. Most of that is during spring break when the town overflows with energetic boys and girls. Even MTV and the Girls Gone Wild people get in on the action. All thanks to that little bridge.
I don’t know about you, but I’m saving my pennies. When the French get sick of that Eiffel Tower, I’ll be the first to put money on it. It’ll look great in my backyard.
The underlined word "moron" in the first paragraph means .
| A．a brave person | B．a foolish person |
| C．a famous person | D．a strange person |
Why did the British government put the London Bridge up for sale?
| A．It polluted the Thames. |
| B．It was no longer popular. |
| C．It was going to fall down. |
| D．It could bring them the needed money. |
What was Lake Havasu City like before 1962?
| A．It was a good place for investment. |
| B．It was known for its English Village. |
| C．It was a small town with no tourism. |
| D．It had a population of 56,000 citizens. |
In the last paragraph, the author tries to be .
| A．polite | B．friendly | C．practical | D．Humorous |
"Ok," I said to my daughter as she bent over her afternoon bowl of rice. "What's going on with you and your friend J.?" J. is the leader of a group of third-graders at her camp—a position Lucy herself occupied the previous summer. Now she's the one on the outs, and every day at snack time, she tells me all about it, while I offer up the unhelpful advice all summer long.
"She's fond of giving orders," Lucy complained. "She's fat," Lucy mumbled（含糊地说）to the bowl "We are going upstairs," I said, my voice cold, "We are going to discuss this." And up we went.
I'd spent the nine years since her birth getting ready for this day, the day we'd have to have
the conversation about this horrible word. I knew exactly what to say to the girl on the receiving end of the teasing（嘲笑），but in all of my imaginings, it never once occurred to me that my daughter would be the one who used the F word一Fat.
My daughter sat on her bed, and I sat beside her. “How would you feel if someone made fun of you for something that wasn't your fault?” I began. “She could stop eating so much,” Lucy mumbled, mouthing the simple advice a thousand doctors and well-meaning friends and relatives have given overweight women for years．
"It's not always that easy,” I said. “Everyone's different in terms of how they treat food”
Lucy looked at me, waiting for me to go on. I opened my mouth, then closed it. Should I tell her
that, in teasing a woman's weight, she's joined the long, proud tradition of critics who go after any woman with whom they disagree by starting with "you're ugly" and ending with “no man would want you and there must be something wrong with any man who does"？Should I tell her I didn't cry when someone posted my picture and commented, “I'm sorry, but aren't authors who write books marketed to young women supposed to be pretty?”
Does she need to know, now, that life isn't fair? I feel her eyes on me，waiting for an answer I don't have. Words are my tools．Stories are my job．It's possible she'll remember what I say forever, and I have no idea what to say.
So I tell her the only thing I can come up with that is absolutely true．I say to my daughter,
“I love you, and there is nothing you could ever do to make me not love you. But I'm disappointed in you right now. There are plenty of reasons for not liking someone. What she looks like isn't one of them.”
Lucy nods, tears on her cheeks.“I won't say that again,”she tells me，and I pull her close,
pressing my nose against her hair. We are both quiet, and I don't know if I have said the right thing. So as we sit there together, shoulder to shoulder, I pray for her to be smart．I pray for her to be strong. I pray for her to find friends，work she loves, a partner who loves her, and for the world not to deprive（剥夺）her of the things that make her who she is，for her life to be easy, and for her to have the strength to handle it when it's not. And still, always，I pray that she will never struggle as I've struggled, that weight will never be her cross to bear. She may not be able to use the word in our home, but I can use it in my head. I pray that she will never get fat．
The underlined sentence in Paragraph 1 indicates that Lucy＿＿＿.
| A．has turned against her friend J. |
| B．often makes fun of her friend J. |
| C．gets along well with her friend J. |
| D．has begun to compete with her friend J. |
Why does the author want to discuss with Lucy?
| A．Because she is really shocked at Lucy's rudeness． |
| B．Because she wants to offer some other helpful advice. |
| C．Because she has prepared the conversation for nine years. |
| D．Because she decides to tell Lucy a similar story of her own． |
What does the author want to tell her daughter?
| A．It is not easy to take the doctors' advice to eat less． |
| B．People shouldn't complain because life is unfair. |
| C．People shouldn't be blamed for their appearance. |
| D．She herself was once一laughed at for her appearance. |
It can be inferred from the passage that ___ .
| A．the author is a fat but good-looking woman |
| B．the author earns a living by writing stories |
| C．the author will stop loving her daughter for what she said |
| D．the author's daughter agreed with her from.the very beginning |
We can learn from the last paragraph that ．
| A．Lucy is deeply moved by her mother's prayer |
| B．a mother's prayer will shape her daughter's attitude towards life |
| C．the author allows her daughter to use the F word in her head |
| D．the author hopes her daughter will never have weight trouble |
The author's attitude towards her daughter can be best described as ．
| A．satisfied and friendly |
| B．indifferent but patient |
| C．loving but strict |
| D．unsatisfied and angry |
Reading is a great way to improve your English. You'll learn new words, revise previously-taught structures and absorb thousands of useful expressions and phrases... without any effort. By reading, you are receiving valuable language input. And this is how you learn! Remember, language learning is a combination of input + practice. As you're reading, you're taking in language naturally, and you're seeing how it all fits together. This is crucial to your learning.
The great thing about reading is that learning takes place subconsciously. There are no exercises to do, no grammar rules to learn, no tasks to complete... it's all natural. The language flows in through your eyes, and gets registered(记录) in your brain. What could be easier?
The key to effective reading is to read things that you want to read. There are millions of books, magazines and websites out there. You couldn't possibly read them all. So, the important thing is to find things that you like reading. Then, you'll be motivated to read. And then the reading won't be difficult. It'll be easy! And then you'll learn. It's simple.
Remember: read what you want to read. What you like reading. What motivates and inspires you. But where can you start? Well, you could read a book that you've already read in your own language. Simply find a translated version of a book that you have read and enjoyed. This will make processing the content in the target language much easier as you’ll already know what the book is about! You could also read the news. This is great as you can read the news in your own language first, then in English. You'll see that it won't be too difficult as you'll be familiar with the topics and stories. Magazines are also great. Find one that covers a topic you're interested in: business, clothing, guns, horses, houses, housekeeping, stocks and shares, sports, computers, electronics, designing, cooking... you name it, they'll have it. If not, look for information on the internet. There are also websites for every topic under the sun! Why not join a forum? They're a great source of English input as the language is often written in a simple, spoken style. Go to Google Groups, which has discussion groups based on common interests. Just type in the topic that interests you and join the chat.
Finally, how you read is also important. The best thing is to read without using a dictionary. Let the words flow over you. Just skip the parts you don't understand. If you make your reading feel too much like work, it'll stop being fun. Of course, you could make a note of any new words and phrases that you like or see repeated frequently, but try not to break your concentration too much. Also, set yourself mini-objectives. For example, if you're reading a novel, read 20 pages a day. Very soon, you'll have been exposed to thousands of useful phrases and words. Have fun reading! You'll learn so much!The underlined word “crucial” in the first paragraph is closest in meaning to ________.
| A．easy | B．difficult |
| C．important | D．suitable |
The key to effective reading is __________.
| A．to be motivated to read |
| B．not to learn grammar rules |
| C．to read millions of books |
| D．to read easy things |
You can start to read by ____________.
| A．reading a book that you've already read in English |
| B．reading the news in English first |
| C．going to Google Groups to practice spoken English |
| D．reading magazines containing topics you are interested in |
From the passage we can learn that _____________.
| A．to read is as much fun as to work |
| B．the great thing about reading is that you can read without any effort |
| C．when you read you needn’t look up every new word in the dictionary |
| D．you should make notes of every new word and phrase while reading |
The best title of the passage can be _________________.
| A．How To Read English Novels |
| B．How To Learn English By Reading |
| C．How To Absorb Expressions And Phrases |
| D．How To Learn English Without Any Effort |
All bookings made before 12 September will receive free travel insurance for
the entire family! ** Insurance is issued by Live Life Insurance Group.
10% OFF ALL BOOKINGS
for departures from 5 to 11 September
* Child must be accompanied by two paying adults.
** Terms and conditions apply.
One of the benefits mentioned in, the advertisement is .
| A．a free flight to any destination in the world |
| B．30% off any book purchased at Ruby Bookstore |
| C．a discount on any course at Tanya Language School |
| D．a free bowl of dessert at any restaurant at the airport |
Which of the following bookings may receive the most benefits?
| A． Booking date Departure date September 13 September 18 |
| B． Booking date Departure date August 15 September 4 |
| C． Booking date Departure date September 2 September 12 |
| D． Booking date Departure date August 16 September 8 |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the advertisement?
| A．Club members enjoy free travel insurance for any flight. |
| B．You need to pay $50 to sign up a child under the age of 12 for the club. |
| C．The advertisement is intended for students of all ages. |
| D．Any child must be accompanied by at least one paying adult. |
Where is the passage probably taken from _____________?
| A．A magazine. | B．A newspaper. |
| C．A report. | D．A website. |
Change is everything in the case of mobile phones. Recent research indicates that the mobile phone is changing not only our culture, but our very bodies as well.
First, let’s talk about culture. The difference between the mobile phone and its parent, the fixed-line phone, is that a mobile number corresponds to a person, while a landline goes to a place. If you call my mobile, you get me. If you call my fixed-line phone, you get whoever answers it.
This has several implications（含义）. The most common one, however, and perhaps the thing that has changed our culture forever, is the “meeting” influence. People no longer need to make firm plans about when and where to meet. Twenty years ago, a Friday night would need to be arranged in advance. You needed enough time to allow everyone to get from their place of work to the first meeting place. Now, however, a night out can be arranged on the run. It is no longer “see you there at 8”,but “text me around 8 and we’ll see where we all are.”
Texting changes people as well. In their paper, “Insights into the Social and Psychological Effects of SMS (Short Message Service) Text Messaging", two British researchers distinguished between two types of mobile phone users: the “talkers” and the “texters”－those who prefer voice to text messages and those who prefer text to voice.
They found that the mobile phone’s individuality and privacy gave texters the ability to express a whole new outer personality. Texters were likely to report that their family would be surprised if they were to read their texts. This suggests that texting allowed texters to present a self-image that differed from the one familiar to those who knew them well.
Another scientist wrote of the changes that mobiles have brought to body language. There are two kinds that people use while speaking on the phone. There is the “speakeasy”: the head is held high, in a self-confident way, chatting away. And there is the “spacemaker”: these people focus on themselves and keep out other people.
Who can blame them? Phone meetings get cancelled or reformed and camera- phones intrude（侵入）on people’s privacy. So, it is understandable if your mobile makes you nervous. But perhaps you needn’t worry so much. After all, it is good to talk.The “meeting” influence of a mobile phone refers to the fact that ________.
| A．people are able to meet someone at any place and any time |
| B．people have to make a firm plan about when and where to meet |
| C．people can arrange their meeting place and time more flexibly |
| D．people have to attend more phone meetings than ever before |
According to the two British researchers, the Social and Psychological Effects are most likely to be seen on ________.
| A．talkers | B．Texters |
| C．the “spacemaker” | D．the “speakeasy” |
We can infer from the passage that the texts sent by texters are _________.
| A．shocking to others |
| B．well written |
| C．unacceptable by others |
| D．showing or making a new personality known |
According to the passage, who is afraid of being heard while talking on the mobile?
| A．talkers | B．the “speakeasy” |
| C．the “spacemaker” | D．texters |
Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?
| A．The Influence of Short Message Service |
| B．Body Language and the Mobile Phone |
| C．Changes in the Use of the Mobile |
| D．Changes Caused by Mobile Phone Use |
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