When middle-aged Alex gave up his job and made up his mind to become a self-employed writer, no one could tell surely
whether he would succeed or not．He found a cold storage room in a building, set up a used typewriter and settled down to work．
After a year or so, however, Alex began to doubt himself．He found it was difficult to earn his living by selling what he wrote．But Alex determined to put his dream to the test-even though it meant living with uncertainty and fear of failure．This is the shadow land （虚幻世界） of hope, and anyone with a dream must learn to live there．
One day Alex got a call, "We need an assistant, and we're paying $ 6,000 a yea
r．" $ 6,000 was real money in 1960．It would enable Alex to get a nice apartment, a used car and more．Besides, he could write in his spare time．As the dollars were dancing in Alex's head, something cleared his senses．He had dreamed of being a fulltime writer．"Thanks, but no," Alex said firmly and swiftly.
After Alex got off the phone, he pulled out everything he had: two cans of vegetables and 18 cents．Alex put the cans and cents into a paper bag, saying to himself," There's everything you've made of yourself so far．I'm not sure I ever felt so low．"
Finally his work was published in 1970．Instantly he had the kind of fame and success that few writers ever experience．The shadows had turned into focus of attention．
Then one day, Alex found a box filled with things he had owned years before．Inside was a paper bag with two cans and 18 cents．Suddenly he pictured himself working in that cold storage room．It reminds Alex, and anyone with a dream, of the courage and persistence （坚毅） it takes to stay the course (坚持到底)in the shadow land．Why did A
lex give up his job?
| A．Because he didn't like the working conditions． |
| B．Because he couldn't earn enough to make a living． |
| C．Because he felt he had no potential in his job． |
D．Because he wanted to be a full-time writer． |
What did Alex exp
ress when he answered the call?
| A．He refused the job offer． |
| B．He was willing to give them a hand． |
| C．He expected them to pay him more money． |
| D．He would write in his spare time． |
What kind of person is Alex?
| A．Determined． | B．Modest． | C．Shy． | D．Brave． |
Which of the following can be the best title of the passage ?
| A．Look before you leap． | B．Two heads are better, than one． |
| C．Hold on to your dream, and it will come true． | D．A bird in hand is worth two in the bush． |
You may have noticed something different when you ate at your favorite restaurant. Or perhaps you picked up on it while looking through your social media apps (社交媒体软件) . You guessed it ---we’re becoming a foodie (吃货) culture.
For some, that means photographing every dish, but others are taking it one step further. Sophia Hampton, a senior at Staples High School in US, chooses to make her own food. She has been published in Future Chefs, a cookbook of recipes (食谱) by teens.
Hampton’s best advice for those who want to be foodies is to get in the kitchen.
“Start cooking,” she said. “There are so many resources online, like recipes and articles about food. Go to your local farmers’ market and start cooking with them.
Besides blogs and online resources, there are also hands-on cooking classes for students. The Chopping Block, a Chicago cooking school, offers many different classes for teens, including courses on chocolate and French food.
By attending cooking classes, surfing online and going to restaurants, you can find endless recipes. But sometimes becoming a real foodie means being behind a camera. As our food-loving culture becomes more popular and teen-friendly, social media apps like Facebook, have become major players in food culture.
“Getting involved in foodie culture is as easy as having a camera and a social media app,” one foodie said. “I always go to streets and farmers’ markets to take beautiful pictures of food. Wherever food prices are expensive, the photos are free.”What does Hampton advise those who want to be foodies to do?
| A．Post their recipes online. |
| B．Cook food by themselves. |
| C．Eat at their favorite restaurant. |
| D．Take photos of every dish they eat. |
Where can students find new recipes, according to the article?
① cooking classes ② online resources
③ new restaurant ④ public libraries
| A．①②③ | B．①③④ |
| C．②③④ | D．①②④ |
What has made foodie culture more popular, according to the article?
| A．People’s growing interest in traditional culture. |
| B．The convenience of getting different food. |
| C．The use of cameras and social media. |
| D．The drop in food prices. |
The Adventures of Tom Thumb and Thumbelina
For the first time ever, two little fairy tale (童话) characters meet in one fun-filled, action-packed musical adventure. Trying to find their way in a great big world, Tom Thumb and Thumbelina join forces and face difficulties in a great journey to find their true home.
Starring: Elijah Wood, Peter Gallagher
Runtime: 1 hour 16 minutes
Buy with 1 click
Uptown Girls
Carefree Molly Gunn loses her inheritance (遗产) and must do something she’s never done before---to get a job. She ends up as babysitter to an 8-year-old girl who teaches Molly to be a grownup, while Molly teaches her to be a kid.
Starring: Brittany Murphy, Dakota Fanning
Runtime: 1 hour 33 minutes
Buy with 1 click
Magic Beyond Words: The J.K. Rowling Story
Based on a true story, the movie Magic Beyond Words: The J.K. Rowling Story is about the British author’s rise to fame, from poor single mother to author of the popular Harry Potter books, and one of the wealthiest woman in the world.
Starring: Poppy Montgomery, Emily Holmes
Runtime: 1 hour 26 minutes
Buy with 1 click
The Book Thief
To everyone’s excitement, Geoffrey Rush and Emily Watson star in this moving film based on the bestseller about a girl who changes the lives of those around her in World War II Germany.
Starring: Emily Watson, Geoffrey Rush
Runtime: 2 hours 11 minutes
Buy with 1 click Where can the passage be found?
| A．On the website. | B．In a newspaper. |
| C．In a magazine. | D．On a poster. |
_______ will be interested in the passage.
| A．People who love books |
| B．People who enjoy films |
| C．People who are fond of stories |
| D．People who are crazy about music |
Which of the following will help you know about the writer of Harry Potter?
| A．The Adventures of Tom Thumb and Thumbelina. |
| B．Uptown Girls. |
| C．Magic Beyond Words: The J.K. Rowling Story. |
| D．The Book Thief. |
According to the passage, which actor or actress may be the most popular?
| A．Poppy Montgomery | B．Emily Holmes |
| C．Brittany Murphy | D．Geoffrey Rush |
How often do you let other people like a bad driver, a rude waiter, or an angry boss, change your mood (情绪)?
Sixteen years ago I learned a lesson. I got in a taxi, and we took off for Grand Central Station. We were driving in the right lane (车道) when all of a sudden, a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver used his brakes (车闸), the tires made a loud noise, and at the very last moment our car stopped just 3cm from the back of the other car.
I couldn’t believe it. But then I couldn’t believe what happened next. The driver of the other car, the guy who almost caused a big accident, turned his head around and he started shouting at us. I couldn’t believe it!
My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. So, I said, “Why did you just do that? This guy could have killed us!” And this is when my taxi driver told me what I now call, “The Law of the Garbage Truck”. He said, “Many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of anger and disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they look for a place to dump (倾倒) it. And if you let them, they’ll dump it on you.
So I started thinking how often I let Garbage Trucks run right over me and how often I take their garbage and spread it to other people.
I began to see Garbage Trucks. I see the load people are carrying. I see them coming to dump it. And like my taxi driver, I don’t take it personally. I just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on.What happened to the author on his way to Grand Central Station?
| A．He was caught in a traffic jam. |
| B．He had a fight with his taxi driver. |
| C．His taxi suddenly got a flat tire. |
| D．His taxi almost ran into another car. |
When the author saw his taxi driver smile and wave at the driver of the black car, he ______.
| A．got very angry |
| B．was deeply impressed |
| C．felt quite disappointed |
| D．praised him for his manners |
The underlined part “the load” in the last paragraph probably refers to _______.
| A．waste materials | B．poor habits |
| C．the bad mood | D．great pressure |
How did the author learn to deal with Garbage Trucks?
| A．Fight back immediately. |
| B．Call the police for help. |
| C．Smile and move on. |
| D．Dump it on someone else. |
Leadership is the most significant word in todays competitive business environment because it directs the manager of a business to focus inward on their personal abilities and style．Experts on leadership will quickly point out that“how things get done”influences the success of the outcomes and indicates a right way and a wrong way to do things．When a noted leader on the art of management，Peter Drucker,coined the phrase“Management is doing things right；leadership is doing the right things，”he was seeking to clarify the distinctions he associates with the terms．
When Stephen Covey,founder and director of the Leadership Institute，explored leadership styles in the past decade，he focused on the habits of a great number of higllly effective individuals．His Seven Habits of Highly Effective People became a popular bestseller very quickly. His ideas forced a reexamination of the early leadership example，which centered on the feature that was found in the character ethic(道德)and the personality ethic．The former ethic suggested success was founded on modesty,loyalty,courage，patience，and so on. The personality ethic suggested it was one’s attitude，not behavior,that inspired success, and this ethic was founded on a belief of positive mental attitude．In contrast to each of these ideas，Covey advocates that leaders need to understand universal principles of effectiveness，and he highlights how vital it is for leaders to first personally manage themselves if they are to enjoy any hope of outstanding success in their work environments；To achieve a desired vision for your business，it is essential that you have a personal vision of where you are headed and what you value．Business leadership means that managers need to“put first things first,” which implies that before leading others，you need to be clear on your own values，abilities，and strengths and be seen as trustworthy．What does Peter Drucker’s phrase infer?
| A．Leaders should be good at making right decisions． |
| B．Leaders should be good at doing things right． |
| C．Leaders should be good at ignoring distinctions． |
| D．Leaders should be skilled in predicting future． |
Under what condition are people likely to succeed，in terms of what the personality ethic suggests?
| A．When people have little determination，they will be successful． |
| B．When people have good behaviour，they will gain success． |
| C．If people have positive mental attitude, they are likely to succeed． |
| D．If people have negative mental attitude，they are certain to succeed． |
How Can leaders enjoy outstanding success in their work environments，according to Stephen Covey?
| A．Firstly they have to think highly of themselves． |
| B．They are supposed to benefit themselves． |
| C．They can not adjust themselves． |
| D．First they must manage themselves． |
What is the meaning ofthe underlined word “vision”?
| A．Bright future． | B．Good beginning． |
| C．Good scenery． | D．Pretty background． |
To be good leaders．what must managers Pay close attention to?
| A．Universal principles of effectiveness． |
| B．Values，abilities and strengths． |
| C．Good qualities such as modesty． |
| D．Courage as well as patience． |
Global warming happens when greenhouse gases trap heat and light from the sun in the earths atmosphere, which increases the temperature. This is like when heat is trapped in a car. On a hot day, the car gets hotter when it is out in the parking lot. This is because the heat and light from the sun can get into the car, by going through the windows，but it can’t get back out. This is what the greenhouse effect does to the earth .The heat and light can get through the atmosphere, but it can’t get out. As a result，the temperature rises.
Sometimes the temperature can change in a way that helps us. The greenhouse effect makes the earth appropriate for people to live on. Without it，the earth would be freezing，or it would be burning hot. It would be freezing at night because we would not get the sun’s heat and light .During the day, especially during the summer, it would be burning because the sun would be up with no atmosphere to filter(过滤)it，so people，plants，and animals would be exposed to all the light and heat.
Although the greenhouse effect makes the earth able to have people living on it，if there gets to be too many gases，the each can get unusually warmer, and many plants，animals．and people will die. Plants would die because they would not be able to take the heat .This would cause us to have less food to eat,and it would also limit the food that animals have. With less food for the animals that we need to survive we would even have less food. Gradually,people，plants，and animals would all die of hunger．
People are doing many things to try to stop global warming .One thing is carpooling—driving with someone to a place that you are both going to. Another thing is being more careful about leaving electrical devices turned on. Now,more people are even riding buses or bikes to lower the amount of greenhouse gases in the air .Although adults do many things to help stop global warming,kids call do just as much.By the example given in Paragraph l, the author wants to__________.
| A．explain how global warming happens. |
| B．show his feeling in a car in hot summer. |
| C．tell us cars are causes of greenhouse gases. |
| D．say that I there are greenhouse gases in every car. |
The underlined worditin Paragraph 2 refers to__________.
| A．light | B．greenhouse effect |
| C．temperature | D．heat |
What is the effect of atmosphere?
| A．It only traps the heat of the sun. |
| B．It does great harm to humans. |
| C．It makes the earth neither too hot nor too cold. |
| D．It prevents all the light from the sun shining on the earth. |
What is the main idea of the third paragraph?
| A．lf there is greenhouse effect,all the plants will die |
| B．Human beings are likely to disappear from the earth |
| C．Crops can’t take in the heat lf there is greenhouse effect |
| D．Although greenhouse effect is necessary,too much of it will cause us to die. |
What will the author most probably discuss in the paragraph that follows?
| A．What kids can do to help stop global warming. |
| B．Who should be responsible for the environmental problems. |
| C．What global warming is doing to the environment. |
| D．Why cars and buses pollute the air a lot. |
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