Once upon a time there was a wise man that used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work.
One day he was walking along the shore. As he looked down the beach, he saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought that someone would dance on the beach. So he began to walk faster to catch up.
As he got closer, he saw that it was a young man and the young man wasn’t dancing, but instead he was reaching down to the shore, picking up something and very gently throwing it into the ocean.
As he got closer he called out, “Good morning! What are you doing?”
The young man paused, looked up and replied, “Throwing starfish in the ocean.”“I guess I should have asked, why are you throwing starfish in the ocean?”“The sun is up and the tide is going out, and if I don’t throw them in they’ll die.”
“But, young man, don’t you realize that there are miles and miles of beach and starfish all along it. You can’t possibly make a difference!”
The young man listened politely, then he bent down, picked another starfish and threw it into the sea, past the breaking waves and said, “It made a difference for that one.”
There is something very special in each and every one of us. We have all been gifted with the ability to make a difference. And if we can know that gift, we will gain through the strength of our visions the power to shape the future.
We must each find our starfish. And if we throw our starfish wisely and well, the world will be better.One day, the wise man saw the young man .
| A．dancing along the beach | B．walking with a dancer |
| C．picking up starfish for sale | D．trying to save as many starfish as possible |
Near the end of the passage, “something very special” refers to .
| A．the gifts from friends | B．the strength of making decision |
| C．our own starfish | D．the ability of shaping one’s own future |
From the last two paragraphs, we can learn that .
| A．the wise man realized something new and important |
| B．the wise man thought it was foolish of the young man to throw starfish into the ocean |
| C．the young man had the ability to make a difference |
| D．it is necessary for us to save starfish on the beach |
The writer told this story in order to show us .
| A．how and where we can write a good article |
| B．everyone can do something for the future |
| C．wise men are sometimes stupid |
| D．young people are actually wiser than old people |
A culture’s values can be mirrored by its humor. Humor has been evaluated by many great minds such as Thomas Hobbes, who, in “On Nature”, disliked humor, “Laughter is nothing else but sudden glory arising from sudden thought of feeling far better than others.” He thought humor to be a negative quality of human narrow-mindedness.
However, Mordechai Gordon, Ph. D of Education, insists, “Humor allows us to view the world from an angle that is amusing rather than serious.” I agree with Gordon. Learning to look at the world through humor is important.
In the United States, every four years an election occurs. Without humor as a way to express their feelings, how else would Americans keep from clawing their eyes out and going the way of lemming? Television shows like “The Daily Show” have become important parts of American culture. They are mothering the masses by metaphorically(隐喻地) airplane-ing politics into our mouths. They make politics fun.
Of course, politics is only one type of humor. Social humor helps people through the twists and turns of the human condition. American pop culture promotes an unhealthy self- image. On the topic of self-image, Hari Kondabolu stands out. He has a joke about the popular musical group “The Pussycat Dolls”, describing their hit song “Don't Cha” as a negative representation of women. He points out an obvious offence in American culture.
A study from Loyola University of Maryland has shown that humor is one determining factor for selecting a mating partner. Amongst other things, mates look for an outstanding funny bone in a potential partner.
Of course, humor is not always used for good purposes. Humor can be linked to vulgarity (粗俗)and racism, but, like everything else, it has potential to unite human beings by allowing us to laugh at ourselves, our failures and our connection with one another.
Though 1ife may seem tough and depressing at times, all I have to do is look in the mirror at my increased wrinkles(皱纹) to know that there is a comedy out there that even Chaplin wasn’t aware of.
With that in mind, remember to laugh with humanity and sometimes at humanity. Hobbes believes that humor__________.
| A．was for people to view the world from another angle |
| B．resulted in narrow-mindedness of human beings |
| C．had the power to mirror personal glory and national values |
| D．was only a way to laugh at others to make oneself feel better |
The fourth paragraph is developed mainly__________.
| A．by comparison | B．by process | C．by example | D．by classification |
What can we learn from the last two paragraphs?
| A．The author is determined to face life with a sense of humor. |
| B．The author feels helpless and sad about getting older. |
| C．Never be the one who laughs at other people. |
| D．Chaplin wasn’t aware of being laughed at. |
Millions of people are using cell phones today.In many places it is actually considered unusual not to use one.In many countries，cell phones are very popular with young people.They find that the phones are more than a means of communication—having a mobile phone shows that they are cool and connected.
The explosions around the world in mobile phone use make some health professional worried.Some doctors are concerned that in the future many people may suffer health problems from the use of mobile phones.In England，there has been a serious debate about this issue.Mobile phone companies are worried about the negative publicity of such ideas.They say that there is no proof that mobile phones are bad for your health.
On the other hand，why do some medical studies show changes in the brain cells of some people who use mobile phones？Signs of change in the issues of the brain and head can be detected with modern scanning equipment.In one case，a traveling salesman had to retire at a young age because of serious memory loss.He couldn’t remember even simple tasks.He would often forget the name of his own son.This man used to talk on his mobile phone for about six hours a day，every day of his working week，for a couple of years.His family doctor blamed his mobile phone use，but his employer’s doctor didn’t agree.
What is it that makes mobile phones potentially harmful？The answer is radiation.Hightech machines can detect very small amounts of radiation from mobile phones.Mobile phone companies agree that there is some radiation.But they say the amount is too small to worry about.
As the discussion about their safety continues，it appears that it’s best to use mobile phones less often.Use your regular phone if you want to talk for a long time.Use your mobile phone only when you really need it.Mobile phones can be very useful and convenient，especially in emergencies.In the future，mobile phones may have a warning label that says they are bad for your health.So for now，it’s wise not to use your mobile phone too often.People buy cell phones for the following reasons except that________.
| A．they’re popular | B．they’re convenient |
| C．they’re useful | D．they’re cheap |
The word “detected” in Paragraph 3 could be best replaced by________.
| A．discovered | B．removed |
| C．cured | D．caused |
The salesman retired young because________.
| A．he disliked using mobile phones |
| B．he couldn’t remember simple tasks |
| C．he was tired of talking on his mobile phone |
| D．his employer’s doctor persuaded him to |
On the safety issue of mobile phones，the manufacturing companies________.
| A．deny the existence of mobile phone radiation |
| B．develop new technology to reduce mobile phone radiation |
| C．hold that the amount of radiation is too small to worry about |
| D．try to prove that mobile phones are not harmful to health |
The writer’s purpose of writing this article is to advise people________.
| A．to buy mobile phones |
| B．to use mobile phones less often |
| C．to update regular phones |
| D．to stop using mobile phones |
Microsoft founder Bill Gates has opened up about being a parent，stating that 13 is an appropriate age for a child’s first cell phone.
The 57yearold，fatherofthree，revealed on The Today Show that his children Jennifer and Rory were not allowed phones until their 13th birthday and his youngest daughter Phoebe is still waiting for one.
“We’ve chosen in our family that it’s 13 where you get a phone，” the selfmade billionaire explained.
He said as a result his children often return home from school complaining，“All the other kids have one.I’m the only one without one.It’s so embarrassing.”
Asked if he keeps passwords to his son and daughters’ email and Facebook accounts，Mr Gates said that he doesn’t for Jennifer,16，who he describes as “independent”．He admitted that monitoring online activity is “a very tricky issue for parents now”．
Despite their vast wealth Mr and Mrs Gates，who live in Lake Medina，have said they want to give their children as normal an upbringing as possible.
It was previously reported that their youngsters have to complete household chores and are given a modest amount of pocket money.
And in 2010 Mr Gates said that he intends to give most of his $61 billion fortune away rather than hand it down.“That wouldn’t be good either for my kids or society，” he said.
Also during the Today interview with host Matt Lauer，Mr Gates，who stepped down from Microsoft in 2008 to concentrate on philanthropy，said that helping others gives him the same excitement as creating software.
“What you really feel is what you’ve achieved.If a piece of software gets out there and lots of people love it—it lets them get their work done in better ways—that’s exciting，” he explained.Bill Gates will not let his children own a cell phone________.
| A．until they reach the age of 13 |
| B．if they don’t really need one |
| C．unless they do some housework |
| D．before they become independent |
Which of the following is true about Bill Gates’ children?
| A．All his children now have cell phones. |
| B．Phoebe has her own cell phone. |
| C．They are not given any pocket money. |
| D．Jennifer can use the Internet freely. |
What does the underlined word “That” refer to in the text?
| A．Being a parent as a billionaire. |
| B．Handing all his money down to his children. |
| C．Allowing his children to have their phones. |
| D．Giving away all his money to good causes. |
What can we learn about Bill Gates from the text?
| A．He is a warmhearted father to his children. |
| B．He has created a lot of software since 2008. |
| C．He now devotes himself to helping others |
| D．He cares more about money than anything else. |
What is the text mainly about?
| A．How Bill Gates made himself a billionaire. |
| B．How Bill Gates deals with his money. |
| C．How Bill Gates managed his business. |
| D．How Bill Gates brings up his children. |
“Oh，you must have been a spoiled (宠坏的) kid.You must be really bossy.I wonder what you’re going to be like to deal with？” That’s often the response Angela Hult gets when people find out she’s an only child，she told ABC News.Despite such negative (消极的) remarks，Hult has decided to have only one child herself.And she’s not alone.
According to the US’ Office for National Statistics，women approaching the end of their childbearing years had an average of 1.9 children in 2004，compared with 3.1 for their counterparts in 1976.The percentage of onechild families in Britain had risen from 18 percent in 1972 to 26 percent in 2007.
But even though only children are becoming increasingly common，the traditional view that they’re selfish，spoiled and lack social skills holds strong.Even parents of only children，like Hult，are made to feel guilty about having only one child.Worried that they’re being selfish and endangering their child’s future，they flock to online discussion forums seeking advice.Soon，however，they ask themselves：is this social prejudice really reasonable?
“There have been hundreds and hundreds of research studies that show that only children are no different from their peers (同龄人)，” Susan Newman，a social psychologist at Rutgers University in the US，told ABC News.
This raises another question：why are only children still viewed with such suspicion?
“There is a belief that’s been around probably since humans first existed that to have just one child is somehow dangerous，both for you and for the continuation of your race，” Toni Falbo，a professor of educational psychology，told the Guardian.“In the past a lot of children died.You’d have had to be crazy to only have one.”
Times，of course，have changed and infant mortality (婴儿死亡率) has largely reduced.So what do only children themselves say?
Kayley Kravitz，a blogger for The Huffington Post，grew up as an only child and highly recommends the experience.“Being an only child taught me the most valuable skill of all：the ability to be alone，” she said. Which of the following could be the best title for the text?
| A．Are only children lonely? |
| B．Are only children common? |
| C．Are only children dangerous? |
| D．Are only children different? |
What does Susan Newman mean?
| A．Only children are as good as their peers. |
| B．Only children are more selfish and spoiled. |
| C．Parents feel guilty about having only one child. |
| D．Parents will endanger their only child’s future. |
What is the common belief since human existed?
| A．The infant death rate always stays high. |
| B．People are crazy to have only one child. |
| C．It’s easy for only children to earn their living. |
| D．It’s hard to continue the family line with only one child. |
An only child like Kayley________.
| A．must be difficult to persuade |
| B．can possibly learn to be alone |
| C．should value special skills |
| D．need ignore bad experience |
What’s the author’s attitude towards having only one child?
| A．Neutral. | B．Negative. |
| C．Positive. | D．Doubtful. |
When you tidy your messy bedroom，it gets a lot easier to find things.Dreams may work the same way for a messy brain，helping you learn by organizing memories and ideas.
To test how much dreams can help learning，Robert Stickgold had some students play a shapefitting game called Tetris (俄罗斯方块) for a few hours and then go to sleep.Soon they were dreaming of falling Tetris shapes.Interestingly，the worst Tetris players had the most Tetris dreams and improved their game the most.Similar tests have shown the same results for all kinds of skills.
As we dream，many important tasks are getting done.The brain decides what to keep and what to forget.It is connecting new experiences to older learning.In fact，the brain is learning all night long.
Another important task of dreams may be to help us deal with emotions (情绪)．At night，emotions are in the driver’s seat.People who have had an upsetting experience often dream about it afterward.Often the dream event changes somehow—another way the brain tries to make the memory less upset.So if your best friend moves away，you might dream that you’re the one who’s moving.In fact，dreams have a proven power to improve mood，and people who dream about what’s bothering them usually feel better sooner than those who don’t.
Everybody dreams for a couple of hours every night—in the course of your life，you’ll spend about 25 years asleep and 6 years dreaming.There’s probably no single answer to the question why we dream，but there doesn’t have to be.One dream might help you remember your math facts，while another might lead to a new invention，or give you a fun，crazy story to tell your friends.It’s all in a night’s work for our busy，mysterious brains. Robert Stickgold’s test shows that________.
| A．games are useful for memory |
| B．dreams can help improve skills |
| C．players stop learning in dreams |
| D．tasks can only be settled through dreams |
We can learn from Paragraph 4 that________.
| A．dreams can get rid of sufferings |
| B．only drivers can deal with emotions |
| C．one may be less upset after a dream |
| D．dreams can copy what one experienced |
Which of the following does the author probably agree with?
| A．Dreaming does harm to one’s mood. |
| B．Dreaming affects the quality of sleep. |
| C．It’s hard to find out the secrets of dreaming. |
| D．It’s not so important to know the cause of dreaming. |
What does the text focus on?
| A．Dreams and memories. | B．Dreams and emotions. |
| C．The benefits of dreams. | D．The patterns of dreams. |
In which part of a magazine can this text be found?
| A．Entertainment. | B．Tourism. |
| C．Science. | D．Advertisement. |
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