Ever felt like destroying the car in front of you when you’re stuck in an endless traffic jam?
Well, the Spanish company StopStress is offering clients the possibility of doing just that－but in controlled, safe conditions.
Clients can also destroy computers, mobile phones and TV sets in what the company calls“destructotherapy”.
“We target the machines that cause the most stress in modern life,” company co-founder Jorge Arribas said in a telephone interview.“People get rid of stress by screaming and beating the machines until they are tired out,”he explained.
The company, based in the northern Spanish city of Sofia, uses deserted cars that still work. Heavy-metal music is used to excite the clients. They are given protective suits and glasses, helmets and huge hammers.
Most people’s rage only lasts for 5 to 10 minutes. But some go on for hours: they beat cars on which they’ve put the names of people or ideas they would like to get rid of.
“Some even get together to turn the car over,”Arribas says. A session costs 60 euros (US＄80) per person.
Arribas says the idea came to him when he was having trouble parking his car.
Dozens of people have used the therapy, which helps people become aware of their stress level and helps them to slow down, Arribas explained.
“It’s better to channel violence in a controlled way than to get it out on one’s wife or in a traffic husband and jam,”he added.
StopStress already has branches in three Spanish cities, and is planning to extend its market beyond Spain’s borders.The Spanish company StopStress offers people the chance to _______.
| A．calm down when they are angry |
| B．destroy things they no longer need |
| C．get rid of stress by destroying things |
| D．get rid of stress by screaming and shouting |
Which of the following is NOT a means used directly to help people get less stressful in StopStress?
| A．Heavy-metal music. | B．Mobile phones. |
| C．Deserted cars. | D．Protective suits and glasses. |
The passage is mainly intended to tell you _______.
| A．how to attract potential customers | B．a special way to get rid of stress |
| C．a new and expanding business | D．how to deal with stress in Spain |
The underlined word“destructotherapy”in paragraph 3 refers to _______.
| A．a stress-relief remedy | B．a destructive behavior |
| C．a violent movement | D．a mental disorder |
Lady Bird Johnson was born Claudia Alta Taylor in nineteen twelve. The Taylor family lived in the small town of Karnack, Texas. Claudia's father, Thomas Jefferson Taylor, owned two stores as well as thousands of hectares（公顷） for cotton production. Her mother, Minnie Taylor, died when Claudia was only five years old. A woman who worked for the Taylor family gave Claudia her nickname. Alice Tittle said the small child was "as purty as a lady bird."
As first lady, Missus Johnson became an energetic activist for educational and environmental issues. She helped support Head Start, a public program aimed at giving educational and health services to young children from poor families.
She started the Society for a More Beautiful National Capitol. Its aim was to improve the beauty of Washington by planting trees and flowers in public areas and parks. Missus Johnson understood that these improvements were also linked to important issues such as pollution, public transportation, mental health, and crime rates.
Lyndon Johnson and Lady Bird Johnson had a difficult four-year term. The president faced strong opposition about the United States involvement in the war in Vietnam. In nineteen sixty-eight, President Johnson surprised the nation by announcing that he would not seek reelection as president. The Johnsons left politics and returned home to Texas. Mister Johnson died of a heart attack in nineteen seventy-three.
Lady Bird Johnson continued her tireless work to improve the country's natural environment. She created the National Wildflower Research Center in nineteen eighty-two. The center helps to educate people about the environmental importance and value of native plants. Missus Johnson died in two thousand seven at the age of ninety-four. Her memory lives in the many fields of wildflowers that color the roads of America.What happened to Claudia in 1917?
| A．She was born | B．She got her nickname |
| C．She got married | D．Her mother died |
From the passage,we know that The Beautifieation Act is a(n)____.
| A．activity | B．ornanization | C．Law | D．center |
Which of the following statements is true according to the article?
| A．Lady Bird Johnson had an unhappy childhood |
| B．Lady Bird Johnson was brough up by Alice Tittle |
| C．Mrs. Johnson was devoted to education and environment |
| D．Mrs. Johnson did not support her husband during hiw four-year term |
The passage inicates that Mrs. Johnson was the best know for ___
| A．the National Wildflower Research Center |
| B．her contribution to environmental improvement |
| C．her concerns about the helth of poor young children |
| D．her influence on other activists |
Build the Dream is a website produced by Travis Perkins, one of the UK's leading builders merchants, to assist with self-builds, renovations, extensions and improvements. Go with the first step; find land, get planning permission and cost your project. Start out with our advice and practical help on costing your project—labor, materials and those hidden extras. All of the information you need on all aspects of building your project, from sourcing building materials to understanding building regulations and from site safety to hiring tools and equipment.
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Cost Your Project. Our cost-effective estimating and take-off service gets your project off to a flying start. Your material and labor costs are set out by build stage to help you control your project costs.
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Building Materials. We supply over 120,000 products from the leading manufacturers.
☆Read more about Building MaterialsIf you want to do self-builds, the first step to follow is to________ .
| A．get permission; cost project; finish touches |
| B．cost project; build project; finish touches |
| C．find land; cost project; build project |
| D．find land; get permission; cost project |
Where will you click when you need to hire tools?
| A．Use Our Estimating Service |
| B．Use Our Branch Finder Service |
| C．Visit the Travis Perkins Hire Website |
| D．Read more about Building Materials |
What does Code For Sustainable Homes do?
| A．Assists with self-builds. |
| B．Sets national standards for design and constructions. |
| C．Offers help on costing your project, and so on. |
| D．Offer the information on all aspects. |
What’s the aim of Build the Dream?
| A．To build one’s dream. |
| B．To supply building materials. |
| C．To help leading manufacturers. |
| D．To attract people to do self-builds. |
It remains a curiosity and a bit of a historical mystery why we don't all drive on the same side of the road. The fact is that most people are right-handed; that's why, for much of history, drivers have stuck to the left. Ancient Romans using two-wheeled carriages are believed to have held the reins(缰绳) with their right hands and a whip with their left; to avoid whipping the near drivers, they favored the left-hand side the road. It's also easier for right-handers to get on a horse from the left, so riders were attracted to that side to avoid the near traffic as they climbed on and off. Finally, knights(骑士) and the other drivers favored the left so they could do battle, if necessary, with their good hand.
So why does most of the world travel on the right side today? Theories differ, but there's no doubt Napoleon was a major influence. The French have used the right since the late 18th century. Some say that before the French Revolution, people in upper class drove their carriages on the left, forcing the peasantry to the right. During the violence, fearful rich people sought to mix with the peasantry by traveling on the right as well. Regardless of the origin, Napoleon brought right-hand traffic to the nations he conquered, including Russia, Switzerland and Germany. Hitler, in turn, ordered right-hand traffic in Czechoslovakia and Austria in the 1930s. Nations that escaped right-handed conquest, like Great Britain, kept their left-handed tradition.Who had a major effect on “keep-right” traffic law?
| A．Ancient Romans | B．Hitler |
| C．Napoleon | D．Austrians |
What does the second paragraph mainly tell us?
| A．Napoleon brought right-hand traffic to the nations he conquered. |
| B．Hitler ordered right-hand traffic in Austria. |
| C．Great Britain escaped right-handed conquest. |
| D．The reasons that most of the world drives on the right side. |
What does the word peasantry in the last paragraph mean?
| A．People in upper class. |
| B．Right-handers. |
| C．Drivers. |
| D．Poor people. |
Apart from Great Britain, which country mentioned in the text keeps left-hand
traffic?
| A．France | B．Ancient Rome |
| C．Russia | D．Germany |
A jobless man Hambley applied for the position of "office boy" at Microsoft. The HR manager interviewed him then watched him cleaning the floor as a test.
"You are employed" he said. "Give me your e-mail address and I'll send you the application to fill in, as well as date when you may start."
Hambley replied "But I don't have a computer, neither an email."
"I'm sorry", said the HR manager. "If you don't have an email that means you do not exist. And who doesn't exist, cannot have the job."
The man left with no hope at all. He didn't know what to do, with only ten dollars in his pocket. He then decided to go to the supermarket and buy ten kilograms tomatoes. He then sold the tomatoes in a door to door round. In less than two hours, he succeeded to double his capital（本金）. He repeated the operation three times, and returned home with sixty dollars.
Hambley realized that he can survive by this way, and started to go earlier every day, and return late. Thus, his money doubled every day. Shortly, he bought a cart, then a truck, and then he had his own fleet of delivery vehicles. Five years later, Hambley is one of the biggest food retailers in the US.
He started to plan his family's future, and decided to have a life insurance. He called an insurance broker(代理人), and chose a protection plan. When the conversation was concluded the broker asked him his email. Hambley replied, "I don't have an email."
The broker answered curiously, "You don't have an email, and yet have succeeded to build a company. Can you imagine what you could have been if you had an email?" Hambley thought for a while and replied, "Yes, I'd be an office boy at Microsoft!" Hambley was refused by the HR manager because he________.
| A．didn’t have an email |
| B．didn’t exist |
| C．couldn’t clean the floor. |
| D．was dishonest |
In less than two hours, Hambley succeeded in earning ________ dollars.
| A．twenty | B．sixty | C．ten | D．thirty |
What do the underlined words “the retailers”refer to?
| A．People that sell insurance. |
| B．People that sell goods to the public. |
| C．People that double their capital |
| D．People that have their own truck. |
What is Hambley’s opinion on Network?
| A．It’s helpful |
| B．He wanted to use it later. |
| C．An office boy should use it. |
| D．It doesn’t mean everything. |
（共15小题，每小题2分，满分30分）
Elephants are trained, at an early age, not to escape. One leg of a baby elephant is tied with a rope to a wooden post planted in the ground. The rope limits the baby elephant to an area determined by the length of the rope. At first the baby elephant tries to break free from the rope, but the rope is too strong. Soon the elephant learns that he cannot break the rope in any case. This space defined by the rope becomes the elephant's comfort zone.
As the elephant grows up it could easily break the rope, but it does not even try because it was conditioned as a baby to think that it still could not break free. As a result, the large elephant remains tied and stays in a small space.
This metaphor(隐喻) can be used to describe what happens to human beings as we become trapped in a comfort zone. Just as the elephant's space determines what it can do, our comfort zone determines what we are able to achieve. Fortunately, humans are born with the ability to make conscious choices. The elephant doesn't try to break the rope free while we can easily leave our comfort zone.
In order to expand our potential and succeed in life, we must expand our comfort zone into unfamiliar fields. You will never realize what you are truly able to achieve if you remain in your comfort zone. The area where the baby elephant can move around is decided by ________.
| A．the space covered by the elephant |
| B．the length of the rope |
| C．the elephant’s comfort zone |
| D．the wooden post planted in the ground |
The large elephant does not try to break the rope, because ________.
| A．the rope is too strong |
| B．a wooden post is planted in the ground |
| C．the elephant likes the small space |
| D．the elephant thinks it still could not break free |
What can be the best title for the text?
| A．How to train elephants |
| B．A cautious elephant |
| C．A comfort zone |
| D．Expand your comfort zone |
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