Paula and Rory have fives kids, three dogs, and a rabbit. When the house is very noisy, Megan, one of the children, is quietly inventing. A year ago, the 10-year-old had to design an anti-smoking poster, she came up with the idea of creating something that shows the average amount of tar(尼古丁) a smoker collects from just four packs of cigarettes.
“I like people to play with things more than read and write,” she says. So she researched her idea on the Internet, found a company in China that could make it, saved up her pocket money and got her idea made.
Paula says her daughter “think differently”: Ideas jump into her mind. After she got sunburnt on holiday, Megan invented a small plastic bracelet(手镯) that changes colors in the sun, telling you when to put on sunscreen(防晒霜). Several sunscreen companies have expressed an interest in the idea. She also came up with an idea to make a ball filled with water to stop the dog from feeling thirsty. “But we didn’t do anything with it,” says Paula.
Then she pulls out a picture of a special fishing rod(钓鱼竿) she had designed. “There is a camera on the hook(钩),” she explains, “and the screen is on the handle, and it shows if you’ve caught a fish or not.”
Megan doesn’t want to go to university. She keeps her pink-and -cream bedroom tidy. Paula is amazed and a bit confused by her daughter. “Everything has to be in a certain order,” Paula says. “Her brothers and sisters go with the flow, but with Megan, it’s ‘What time will that be happening?’ or ‘Where am I being picked up from today?’”From Paragraph 2, we can infer that Megan .
| A．is not willing to go to school | B．likes to play with her brothers and sisters |
| C．prefers making something by herself | D．is good at reading and writing |
What did Megan invent after she got sunburnt on vacation?
| A．The anti-smoking poster |
| B．The ball providing water for thirsty dogs |
| C．The fishing rod telling whether you’ve caught a fish |
| D．The bracelet telling when to put on sunscreen |
The underlined phrase “go with the flow” probably means “ .”
| A．do what the most people usually do | B．follow the fashion closely |
| C．set an example to others | D．do something differently from others |
According to the passage, which of the following about Megan is true?
| A．She has fives kids, three dogs, and a rabbit. |
| B．She designed an anti-smoking poster when she was nine. |
| C．She founded a company in China to get her idea made. |
| D．She invented a small plastic bracelet to change the color of sunscreen. |
The passage is mainly about .
| A．how Megan helps people give up smoking |
| B．a little girl’s dream to be a world-famous inventor |
| C．a 10-year-old inventor’s story |
| D．Megan’s relationship with her family members |
The Most Direct Solution to Any Problem
When trying to solve various problems in life, an approach I find very useful is to first identify what I’d consider the most direct solution, regardless of how I feel about actually implementing (实施) it. What is the clearest, most direct path to my goal or the most efficient way to get around an obstacle?
Many problems will have multiple direct solutions, but often these solutions will be unpleasant at first glance because they’ll require courage, self-discipline, creativity, or persistence to implement.
For example, suppose you want to lose weight. And suppose we can say that one of direct solutions is to eat the same as you’re eating now and increase your exercise output by 500 calories a day. It may require discipline and persistence, but most people would agree that it will work if you follow through.
Another example: However, you don’t know how that person feels about you. One direct solution would be to simply walk up, explain your thoughts and feelings, and ask if she or he is interested in discussing the possibility of a closer relationship. This will take less than a minute to say, and whatever the outcome is, at least you know where you stand.
Anyhow it’s very simple and straightforward.
What’s the simplest and quickest way to reach your goal, assuming that you had limitless courage and discipline?
| A．Of course this solution may require a lot of courage toovercome the possibility of rejection. |
| B．But if we can get ourselves to follow through, we know the solutions will actually work. |
| C．See if you can identify the most direct solution to some of your problems. |
| D．So the best way to overcome the difficulty is to ask your friends for advice. |
E. If you implement this rather simple solution, you’ll lose weight.
F. Suppose you’re interested in starting a relationship with someone.
G. However, the solution implemented does not work.
While success is surely sweeter than failure, it seems failure is a far better teacher, and organizations that fail miserably often flourish (繁荣) more in the long run, according to a new study by Vinit Desai, assistant professor of management at the University of Colorado Denver Business School. Researchers have found that people missing their goals perform much better in the long run. That is because they gain more knowledge from their failures than their successes and the lessons are more likely to stay longer in their minds.
“We found that the knowledge gained from success was often fleeting while knowledge from failure stuck around for years,” said professor Desai, who led the study. “But companies often ignore failure. Managers may fire people or turn over the whole workforce while they should treat the failure as a learning opportunity.”
Prof Desai compared the flights of the space shuttle Atlantis and the Challenger. During the Atlantis flight last year, a piece of insulation (绝缘体) broke off and damaged the left solid rocket booster (助推火箭) but didn’t influence the program. There was little investigation. The Challenger was launched next and another piece of insulation broke off. This time the shuttle and its seven–person crew were destroyed. The disaster led to a major investigation resulting in 29 changes to prevent future disasters.
The difference in response in the two cases came down to this: Atlantis was considered a success and the Challenger a failure.
“Despite crowded skies, airlines are extremely reliable,” he said. “The number of failures is extremely small. And past researches have shown that older airlines, those with more experience in failure, have a lower number of accidents.”
Prof Desai doesn’t recommend finding out failure in order to learn. Instead, he advises organizations to analyze small failures to collect useful information rather than wait for major failures. Why did experts pay little attention to the problem of Atlantis?
| A．Because it worked perfectly. |
| B．Because the right booster was still OK. |
| C．Because nothing serious happened then. |
| D．Because fewer people died in the flight. |
Fewer accidents happen to older airlines in that ________.
| A．their planes couldn’t fly high in the sky |
| B．they gained much from experience in failure |
| C．their planes were often checked by the experts |
| D．they were unpopular among passengers |
The passage is written mainly to ________.
| A．show failure is a better teacher than success |
| B．explain why Challenger failed |
| C．introduce something about Prof Desai |
| D．tell managers how to achieve success |
Which writing strategy is NOT used in developing the passage?
| A．Giving definitions. |
| B．Making comparisons. |
| C．Analyzing causes. |
| D．Providing different examples. |
Kids Fishing Photo Contest
It certainly isn’t hard to “ picture it”, that is – smiles, laughs, looks of anticipation (期望) and excitement. So, join in the fun, catch the excitement of your child on film while fishing and enter his or her picture in the yearly Kids Fishing Photo Contest! The contest is sponsored by Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF) in celebration of National Fishing Week!
The winning pictures are those that best catch the theme “kids enjoying fishing”. Children in the first through third place photographs of each category will receive different fishing-related prizes. Winning pictures will also be posted on the VDGIF website and may be used in all kinds of VDGIF publications. There is no need to be a professional photographer. Any photo will do.
Contest Rules
·Children in the photographs must fall into one of the following age groups when the picture is taken: 1—4, 6—10.
·Photos must not be more than 1 year old.
·Photos must be taken in Virginia.
·Children in a boat must be wearing a life jacket.
·Only one photo submission (提交) per child.
·Submit the photo on photograph quality paper, no CD’s accepted.
·Photos must not be bigger than “4×6” size.
·Please stick a piece of paper to the back of the photo including: name, age, address, phone number and location where the photograph was taken.
·A Photo Contest Release Form (PDF) must be submitted along with the photograph.
·Photos must be postmarked on or before April 19, 2013.
·Judging will take place in May and winners will be posted on the VDGIF website.
·Prizes will be sent directly to the winning children.
·This contest isn’t open to immediate family of VDGIF employees and sponsors. Immediate family members refer to children, siblings (同胞) or others living in the same household with a VDGIF or sponsor employee.
To Enter:
Send your photo, with the child’s name, age, phone number and address, along with the Photo Contest Release Form (PDF), to:
Kids Fishing Photo Contest
Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries
P.O. Box 11104
Richmond, VA 23230–1104The advertisement is intended for ________.
| A．children who are below 11 years old |
| B．people whose children like fishing |
| C．those who are good at photos |
| D．those whose parents like fishing |
The purpose of the contest is to ________.
| A．encourage people to take more pictures |
| B．help people realize the importance of fishing |
| C．celebrate a national fishing-related activity |
| D．encourage people to go fishing with kids |
Which of the following photos can enter the contest?
A. A photo which is in a CD.
B. A photo in which there is a 12-year-old girl.
C. A big photo which is “8×10” size.
D. A photo which was taken in Virginia on July 23, 2012. What should be sent with the photo together?
A. A life jacket.
B. A quality CD.
C. A stamped addressed envelope.
D. A Photo Contest Release Form.
When next year’s crop of high-school graduates arrive at Oxford University in the fall, they will be joined by a new face: Andrew Hamilton, the 55-year-old provost (教务长) of Yale, who will become Oxford’s vice-chancellor –– a position equal to university president in America.
Hamilton isn’t the only educator crossing the Atlantic. Schools in France, Egypt, Singapore, etc. have also recently made top-level hires from abroad. Yet the talent flow isn’t universal. High-level personnel (人员) tend to head in only one direction: Outward from America.
The chief reason is that American schools don’t tend to seriously consider looking abroad. For example, when the board of the University of Colorado searched for a new president, it wanted a leader familiar with the state government, a major source of the university’s budget. “We didn’t do any global consideration,” says Patricia Hayes, the board’s chair. The board finally picked Bruce Benson, a 69-year-old Colorado businessman and political activist who is likely to do well in the main task of modern university presidents: fund-raising. Fund-raising is a particularly American thing, since U.S. schools rely heavily on donations. The fund-raising ability is largely a product of experience and necessity.
Many European universities, meanwhile, are still mostly dependent on government funding. But government support has failed to keep pace with rising student numbers. The decline in government support has made fund-raising an increasingly necessary ability among administrators (管理人员), and has made hiring committees hungry for Americans.
In the past few years, well-known schools around the world have joined the trend. In 2011, when Cambridge University appointed Alison Richard, another former Yale provost, as its vice-chancellor, the university publicly stressed that in her previous job she had overseen (监督) “ a major strengthening of Yale’s financial position”.
Of course, fund-raising isn’t the only skill outsiders offer. The globalization of education means more universities will be seeking heads with international experience of some kind to promote international programs and attract a global student body. Foreigners can offer a fresh perspective (视角) on established practices. What is the current trend in higher education discussed in the text?
| A．Institutions worldwide are hiring administrators from the U.S. |
| B．More international students are being admitted to American universities. |
| C．University presidents are paying more attention to fund-raising. |
| D．A lot of activists are being hired as administrators. |
What do we learn about European universities from the text?
| A．The tuition they charge has been rising considerably. |
| B．They are strengthening their position by globalization. |
| C．Their operation is under strict government control. |
| D．Most of their money comes from the government. |
In what way do top-level administrators from abroad contribute to university development?
| A．They can improve the university’s image. |
| B．They will bring with them more international personnel. |
| C．They will view a lot of things from a new angle. |
| D．They can set up new academic subjects. |
Which of the following would make the best title of the text?
| A．High Education Globalization |
| B．Global Headhunting in Higher Education |
| C．Global Higher Education Cooperation |
| D．Universal Higher Education Development |
A father with Parkinson’s disease was arrested as he watched the Olympic cycling road race because he failed to smile or look as if he was enjoying himself.
Mark Worsfold, a martial arts trainer and former soldier, claims that he was thrown to the floor and handcuffed just as cyclists passed by. His worried wife Nicola only found out he was being held after she reported him missing when he did not turn up for their daughter’s ninth birthday party. The 54-year-old man had his fingerprints, DNA and mugshot taken before being questioned about why he did not appear to be enjoying the event on July 28. Police said Mr. Worsfold, who was held for over five hours, was arrested because of his manner, his state of dress and his being too near to the course. A spokesman added that the arrest was necessary to avoid a breach (破坏) of the peace because he was standing near a group of protesters (抗议者).
But Mr. Worsfold, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2010, said that one of the symptoms of the disease is muscle rigidity, which can cause his face to become expressionless. “I was sitting minding my own business”, he told a local newspaper. “Before I knew anything the police grabbed me off this seven-foot wall, threw me to the floor and handcuffed me, so all I saw of the cycle race was between the feet of people from the pavement. It could have been done better. I was arrested for not smiling. I have Parkinson’s disease. ”
Mr. Worsfold has since asked for a letter of not being guilty from police. The officers who made the arrest have apologized to him. Which word can be used to replace the underlined word “mugshot” in the second paragraph?
| A．clothes | B．photos | C．measures | D．tools |
Which statement is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Worsfold’s wife was immediately informed of his being arrested by the police. |
| B．Worsfold was arrested because he was extremely dangerous. |
| C．Worsfold enjoyed the cycle race though he saw it between the feet of people from the pavement. |
| D．Worsfold was arrested because of his clothes as well as his facial expression. |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．The officers must have been punished for Worsfold’ arrest. |
| B．Worsfold has an expressionless face and probably looks strong. |
| C．The officers apologized to Worsfold after one day’s arrest. |
| D．Worsfold was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease four years ago. |
粤公网安备 44130202000953号