We Americans are wasteful people, not used to saving. Early settlers, our forefathers set us an example of wasting everything, for they thought nature’s resources were so plentiful that none of them ever imagined that natural materials would be used up in time. Within a few years of the first Virginia settlement, for example, pioneers burned down their houses when they were ready to move west. They burned down their houses with only one aim to get the nails（钉子）for future use. No one ever gave a thought to the priceless hardwoods that went up in smoke. As a people we destroy many valuable things that other people save. I noticed this when I was living in Britain. I received a letter from one England’s largest banks. It was enclosed in a used envelope（信封）that had been readdressed to me. Such a practice would be unthinkable in the United States. American banks, even the smallest, always use expensive stationery（信笺）with the names of all twenty - eight vice – presidents lists on side of the page. According to the passage, we know the writer is ________ .
| A．a Chinese | B．a Japanese | C．an Englishman | D．an American |
The writer thought their forefathers ________ .
| A．set a good example |
| B．wasted many natural resources |
| C．knew natural resources would be used up in time |
| D．made the best use of natural materials |
Which of the following statements is wrong?
| A．The writer lives in Britain now. |
| B．American banks use expensive stationery. |
| C．Americans are not used to saving. |
| D．The writer’s forefathers burned down their houses in order to get the nails. |
The purpose of the passage is to ________ .
| A．wish Americans not to waste | B．tell us the English are a good people |
| C．warn Americans against saving | D．encourage people to work hard. |
I was on my way home by train. The train’s gentle rocking made me feel sleepy, despite the fact that I was standing with what felt like a building in the bag on my back. I turned slightly to reduce some of the pain in my shoulder and saw the door at the end of the ear.
An obviously homeless man walked through the door. He was dressed in a dirty heavy coat. He dragged a bag that looked thirty times as heavy as mine. He asked people for spare change in the polite, experienced voice of a person who had done this before. I glanced down as I did a quick cheek of my pockets, hoping for spare change to give him that wouldn’t leave me short for the rest of the week. I came up empty and lifted my head just as his path crossed mine. Shrugging apologetically, I told him I had no change, expecting him to move through the door next to me and continue going to the next cars.
However, he stood and stared at me, saying something quietly. Then I realized he was asking me to take him home. Suddenly money didn’t matter that much to this man who lived in poverty without even think of the proper words to say besides “I can’t , I’m sorry.” He asked me , “What’s wrong with my request?” The answer was on my lips before I knew it. I told him that I was not good enough for him.
It was after the man had left that I thought about the answer I had given him and wondered why it felt so right to say so. I realized that I should have requested love over money or food. The fact that he could appreciate something so simple and invisible in more than I could ever have expected of myself.When the author was sleepy and tired, he saw a homeless man on the train__________.
| A．looking for his long-lost friend |
| B．asking people for spare clothes |
| C．begging passengers for some money |
| D．talking about his painful experience |
Which of the following can best describe the author according to Paragraph 2?
| A．Self-centered | B．Kind-hearted |
| C．Hard-working | D．Easy-going |
To his surprise, the author found that the homeless man wanted________.
| A．neither food nor money | B．not money but love |
| C．neither money nor love | D．both shelter and protection |
What did the author learn from the man?
| A．No place is more comfortable than home. |
| B．Friendship can bring two strangers closer. |
| C．People should bravely follow their dreams. |
| D．Love is more precious than money or food.. |
Do women’s minds work the same as men’s? Absolutely not.At least, that is what most men are convinced of.Psychologists view the subject either as a matter or frustration or a joke.Now the biologists have moved into this minefield, and some of them have found that there are real differences between the brains of men and women.But being different, they point out hurriedly, is not the same as being better or worse.
There is, however, a definite structural variation between the male and female brain.The difference is in a part of the brain that is used in the most complex intellectual processes-the link between the two halves of the brain.
The two halves are linked by a trunkline of between 200 and 300 million nerves, the corpus callosum.Scientists have found quite recently that the corpus callosum in women is always larger and probably richer in nerve fibres than it is in men.This is the first time that a structural difference has been found between the brains of women and men and it must have some significance.The question is "What?", and, if this difference exists, are there others? Research shows that present-day women think differently and behave differently from men.Are some of these differences biological and inborn, a result of evolution? We tend to think that is the influence of society that produces these differences.But could we be wrong?
Research showed that these two halves of the brain had different functions, and that the corpus callosum enabled them to work together.For most people, the left half is used for word handing, analytical and logical activities; the right half works on pictures, patterns and forms.We need both halves working together.And the better the connections, the more harmoniously the two halves work.And, according to research findings, women have the better connections.
But it isn't all that easy to explain the actual differences between skills of men and women on this basis.In schools throughout the world girls tend to be better than boys at "language subjects" and boys better at maths and physics.If these differences correspond with the differences in the hemispheric trunkline, here is an unalterable distinction between the sexes.
We shan't know for a while, partly because we don't know of any precise relationship between abilities in school subject and the functioning of the two halves of the brain, and we cannot understand how the two halves interact via the corpus callosum.But this striking difference must have some effect and, because the difference is in the parts of the brain involved in intellect, we should be looking for differences in intellectual processing.Which of the following statements is CORRECT?
| A．Results of scientific research fail to support popular belief. |
| B．Brain differences point to superiority of one sex over the other. |
| C．Biologists are conducting research where psychologists have given up |
| D．The structural difference in the brain between the sexes has long been known. |
The corpus callosum functions in __________.
| A．forming the nerve fibers. |
| B．differing man from woman. |
| C．enabling the brain to work. |
| D．processing the most complex intellectuality. |
According to the passage it is commonly believed that brain differences are caused by ______
| A．social | B．psycological | C．physical | D．biological |
"these differences" in paragraph 5 refer to those in ________.
| A．school subjects |
| B．skills of men and women |
| C．the brain structure of men and women |
| D．activities carried out by the brain |
At the end of the passage the author proposes more work on ________.
| A．the brain structure as a whole |
| B．the functioning of part of the brain |
| C．the distinction between the sexes |
| D．the effects of the corpus callosum |
People around the world are superstitious about numbers; even those ancient Greeks believed that all numbers and their multiples had some mystical significance.
Those numbers between 1 and 13 were in particular to have a powerful influence over the affairs of men.
For example, it is commonly said that luck, good or bad, comes in threes; if an accident happens, two more of the same kind may be expected soon afterwards.The arrival of a letter will be followed by two others within a certain period.
Another belief involving the number three has it that it is unlucky to light three cigarettes from the one match.If this happens, the bad luck that goes with the deed falls upon the person whose cigarette was the last to be lit.The ill-omen linked to the lighting of three things from one match or candle goes back to at least the 17th century and probably earlier.It was believed that three candles alight at the same time would be sure to bring bad luck; one, two, or four, were permissible, but never just three.
Seven was another significant number, usually regarded as a bringer of good luck.The ancient astrologers believed that the universe was governed by seven planets; students of Shakespeare will recall that the life of man was divided into seven ages.Seven horseshoes nailed to a house will protect it from all evil.
Nine is usually thought of as a lucky number because it is the product of three times three.It was much used by the Anglo Saxons in their charms for healing.
Another belief was that great changes occurred every 7th and 9th of a man's life.Consequently, the age of 63 (the product of nine and seven) was thought to be a very perilous time for him.If he survived his 63rd year he might hope to live to a ripe old age.
Thirteen, as we well know, is regarded with great awe and fear.The common belief is that this derives from the fact that there were 13 people at Christ's Last Supper.This being the eve of his betrayal, it is not difficult to understand the significance given to the number by the early Christians.
In more modern times 13 is an especially unlucky number of a dinner party, for example.Hotels will avoid numbering a floor the 13th; the progression is from 12 to 14, and no room is given the number 13.Many home owners will use 12 1/2 instead of 13 as their house number.
Yet oddly enough, to be born on the 13th of the month is not regarded with any fear at all, which just shows how irrational we are in our superstitious beliefs.What does the underlined sentence mean?
| A．If one good thing happens, two bad things will follow it. |
| B．If one bad thing happens, two good things will follow it. |
| C．If one good thing happens, two more good things will follow it. |
| D．Three good things and three bad things always come together. |
According to the passage, which of the following groups of numbers will certainly bring good luck to people?
| A．3 and 7 | B．7 and 9 | C．3 and 9 | D．3 and 13 |
What does the underlined word perilous in paragraphy 7 mean:
| A．dangerous | B．instable | C．unlucky | D．unhealthy |
The ill luck associated with 13 is supposed to have its origin in ________.
| A．legend |
| B．popular belief |
| C．religion |
| D．certain customs |
What is the author's attitude towards people's superstitious beliefs?
| A．His attitude is not clear. |
| B．He is strongly critical. |
| C．He is in favour of them. |
| D．He is mildly critical. |
Christmas is around the corner.If you look for a book as a gift for your child，you will be spoiled for choice even in a year there is no new Harry Potter.J．K Rowling's wizard is not alone．The past decade has been a harvest for good children's books, which has set off a large quantity of films and an increased sales of classics such as The Lord of the Rings．
Yet despite that, reading is increasingly unpopular among children．According to statistics in 1997, 23% said they didn't like reading at all．In 2003, 35% didn't．And around 6% of the children leave primary school each year unable to read properly．
Maybe the decline is caused by the increasing availability of computes games．Maybe the books boom has affected only the top of the educational pile．Either way, Chancellor Cordon Brown plans to change things for the bottom of the class．In his pre-budget report, he announced the national project of Reading Recovery to help the children struggling most．
Reading Recovery is aimed at six-year-olds, who receive four months of individual daily half-hour classes with a specially trained teacher．An evaluation this year reported that children on the school made 20 months' progress in just one year, whereas similarly weak readers without special help made just five months' progress ,and so ended the year even further below the level expected for their age．
International research tends to find that when British children leave primary school, they read well, but read text often for fun than those elsewhere．Reading for fun matters because children who are keen on reading can report lifelong pleasure and loving books is an excellent indicator of future educational success．According to the OECD, being a regular and enthusiastic reader is of great advantage．Which of the following is true of Paragraph 1?
| A．Many high-quality childrem’s books have been published. |
| B．Many children’s books have been adapted from films |
| C．The sales of classics have led to the popularity of films. |
| D．The sales of presents for children have increased. |
Statistics suggested that____________．
| A．the number of top students increased with the use of computers. |
| B．a large percentage of children read regularly |
| C．a minority of primary school children read properly |
| D．a decreasing number of children showed interest in reading. |
What do we know about Reading Recovery?
| A．An evaluation of it will be made sometime this year. |
| B．Weak readers on the project were the most hardworking. |
| C．Children on the project showed noticeable progress in reading. |
| D．It aims to train special teachers to help children with reading. |
Why is reading for fun important?
| A．Because book-loving children take greater advantage of the project. |
| B．Because book-loving children show the potential to enjoy a long life. |
| C．Because book-loving children would make excellent future researchers. |
| D．Because book-loving children are likely to succeed in their education. |
The aim of this text would probably be _________．
| A．to overcome primary school pupil reading difficulty |
| B．to introduce a way to improve early childhood reading. |
| C．to remind children of the importance of reading for fun. |
| D．to encourage the publication of more children’s books. |
| Take Action for a Better World: Volunteers Needed Six months' preparation in Denmark: Africa studies, team work combined with social work with risk group teenagers. Six months' community work in Malawi in People to People Projects: Child Aid, HIV / AIDS Fights and Teacher Training. Qualifications: 18 years, hard working and social engagement. Please contact us by e-mail: takeaction@betterworld.com. |
| Part-time work with Exchange Students YOUTH International is a non-profit high school foreign exchange student organization.We welcome teenagers from over 80 countries worldwide and provide host families.The Community Representative is a part-time position designed for people with a strong desire to do something rewarding in the community and earn some extra money. Applicants best suited for this work should enjoy teenagers, have a strong interest in cross-cultural communication and feel comfortable networking.Full training and support will be provided through branch offices throughout the US.Positions available in most states. If interested, please email staff@youth.org or call 888-123-9872. |
| International Summer Job Hi, I'm an ESL student in China.I'm 20, quiet and polite, and I speak reasonable English.I'm looking for a summer job in an English-speaking country.I can teach Chinese or do house and garden work and cook Chinese dishes.Can anybody offer me a job? I don't need to earn much, just enough in two months (July-August) to pay for my return ticket to China.My goal is to improve my English and see a bit more of the world. My email is: ram3462@hotmail.com. |
| Call for Native Speaker of English I am looking for native speakers of English to join in an experiment.This experiment is carried out over the Internet.You don't need any specific knowledge other than understanding and speaking English at a native level.The first task will take you around 15 minutes.After this task, you can decide whether you want to continue the experiment.The tasks involve reading texts and designing questions and answers. If you are willing to help me, then please email us: club3864@hotmail.com |
Who is suitable to work as a Community Representative in YOUTH International?
| A．One who has a strong desire to improve his or her English. |
| B．One who hopes to take action in fighting against diseases. |
| C．One who enjoys working with teenagers from different countries. |
| D．One who wants to earn some pocket money in the program. |
Where will Jack, a volunteer, receive the training before he is sent to work in Malawi?
| A．In some local offices in the U.S. |
| B．In a preparation program in Denmark. |
| C．In an ESL organization in China. |
| D．In an exchange student enter in Africa. |
If Mrs.Black in the U.S.hopes to learn more Chinese at home, she may contact _____.
| A．takeaction@betterword.com |
| B．staff@youth.org |
| C．club3864@hotmail.com |
| D．ram3462@hotmail.com |
What are volunteers for an experiment over the Internet supposed to do?
| A．To provide language exercises. |
| B．To do some housework. |
| C．To offer advice on Child Aid. |
| D．To interview people online. |
In which section of the newspaper can you find these?
| A．News | B．Classified ads. | C．Culture | D．Business |
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