To err is human. To blame（责备） the other guy is even more human.
Common sense is not all that common.
Why tell the truth when you can come up with a good excuse?
These three popular misquotes（戏谑的引语）are meant to be jokes, and yet they tell us a lot about human nature. To err, or to make mistakes, is indeed a part of being human, but it seems that most people don’t want to accept the responsibility for the problem. Perhaps it is the natural thing to do. The original quote about human nature went like this: “To err is human, to forgive, divine（神圣的）.” This saying mirrors an ideal: People should be forgiving of others’ mistakes. Instead, we tend to do the opposite – find someone else to pass the blame on to. However, taking responsibility for something that went wrong is a mark of great maturity（成熟）.
Common sense is what we call clear thought. Having common sense means having a good general plan that will make things work well, and it also means staying with the plan. Common sense tells you that you take an umbrella out into a rainstorm, but you leave the umbrella home when you hear a weather forecast for sunshine. Common sense does not seem to be common for large companies, because there are so many things going on that one person cannot be in charge of everything. People say that in a large company, “the right hand does not know what the left hand is doing.”
And what is wrong with a society that thinks that making up a good excuse is like creating a work of art? One of the common problems with making excuses is that people, especially young people, get the idea that it’s okay not to be totally honest all the time. There is a corollary（直接推论）to that: if a good excuse is “good” even if it isn’t honest, then where is the place of the truth?Which of the following is NOT based on common sense?
| A．A secretary works to a timetable. |
| B．A company’s next move follows a good plan. |
| C．A girl goes out with an umbrella in stormy weather. |
| D．A man tries to manage everything in a large company. |
What can we infer from the last paragraph according to the writer?
| A．A good excuse is the same as honesty. |
| B．Inventing a good excuse needs creative ideas. |
| C．Unpleasant truth is better than a good excuse. |
| D．Making a good excuse is sometimes a better idea. |
What would be the best title for this passage?
| A．A Mirror of Human Nature |
| B．To Blame or to Forgive |
| C．A Mark of Maturity |
| D．Truth or Excuse |
Mark Twain is someone Americans are taught to love. Older relatives, English teachers and the media always praise him. But when you actually take the time to read The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, you find that his work is more wonderful than you could ever imagine.
The novel describes a young boy named Tom Sawyer growing up in a small town along the Mississippi River. He explores the countryside on a riverboat with his friends, falls in love with girls, starts secret clubs and searches for treasure. Twain’s idea of childhood is magical – a time of imagination, wonder and, of course, adventure.
More importantly, through the eyes of Tom Sawyer, Twain cleverly makes fun of US culture. For example, Tom hates going to church, and Twain uses scenes of Tom there to mock religion(宗教) and its old traditions.
Twain’s writing is full of these kinds of critical (批判的) points about culture and politics(政治). That’s why he is so loved in the US – he wasn’t afraid to state his opinions, and he did so clearly.
He also believed strongly in women’s right to vote in elections and gave a famous speech on the subject, called “Votes for Women”, in 1901.
“Tom was a great hero once more——the pet of the old, the envy of the young,” Twain writes in Tom Sawyer. But he could just as well be describing himself.According to the writer, after reading The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, you are likely to think ___.
| A．it’s not worth all the praise |
| B．it’s as wonderful as you imagined |
| C．it’s better to read it with teachers |
| D．it’s even better than you imagined |
What is Paragraph 2 mainly about?
| A．A brief(简要的) description of the novel. |
| B．Where Twain’s idea of childhood comes from. |
| C．How naughty and adventurous Tom Sawyer is. |
| D．What makes Tom Sawyer’s adventures so wonderful. |
What does the underlined word “mock” mean?
| A．make changes to | B．make fun of |
| C．give reasons for | D．give examples of |
Why is Twain so loved in the US according to the article?
| A．He supported women’s right to vote. |
| B．He wrote bad things about US wars abroad. |
| C．He criticized American culture and society(社会) clearly and cleverly. |
| D．He showed readers a magical childhood that everyone would love. |
Which is the best title of this passage?
| A．Mark Twain never stops laughing at US society |
| B．Mark Twain and Tom Sawyer |
| C．Mark Twain’s life |
| D．The Adventures of Tom Sawyer |
In some science fiction movies, evil robots refuse to die, no matter how hard people fight back.
Now science fiction has become science fact. For the first time, scientists have made a robot that can take a beating (挨打) and keep on going. Scientists from Cornell University made the robot, which looks like a spider with four legs.
Until now, even the most advanced (先进的) robot was almost certain to break down when it was damaged. That is because its computer inside simply doesn’t know how to make the machine work after its shape has changed.
To deal with this problem, the scientists put eight motors (发动机) and two sensors (传感器) that read how the machine is working. They all give signals to the machine’s software. Using this information, the computer can then figure out the machine’s shape at any moment.
The new technology is a big advance in robot-making, scientists say, and it’s far from scary. It may someday help scientists create better artificial (假的) arms and legs and give new freedom to people who lose them. It might also help scientists understand how people and animals figure out their own sense of place in space.
“It has been difficult to design robots that can work well when the environment changes or when it’s damaged,” says Olaf Sporns of Indiana University in US. “With this work, we are nearer to solving this problem.”Why do robots easily break down when they are damaged?
| A．They cannot repair themselves. |
| B．The computer has changed a lot. |
| C．They have no computers inside. |
| D．The computer cannot work if the robot changes. |
The new technology allows the robot to _________.
| A．do housework for humans |
| B．keep work ing after being damaged |
| C．remember a lot of information |
| D．tell people where it is |
The underlined word “them” in Paragraph 5 refers to ________.
| A．sensors | B．robots |
| C．arms and legs | D．scientists |
How do the sensors in the robot work?
| A．They can replace the computer when it’s broken. |
| B．They can find out where the damage comes from. |
| C．They help the computer learn the robot’s condition. |
| D．They can send signals to the person who uses the robot. |
The passage is probably from_____________.
| A．an advertisement | B．a tour guide |
| C．an application | D．a newspaper |
My sister Alli and I have been trying to get people to stop dropping cigarette butts(烟蒂) for seven years. One day, we were walking in our hometown and saw hundreds of cigarette butts on the ground. They made the town look so ugly that we decided to start a group to make people stop dropping butts. We called it “No Butts About It”. At first, we drew pictures with “The Earth is Not Your Ashtray(烟灰缸)” written on them. We put the pictures around our hometown---in parks, by beaches, and along roads. We wanted to make people understand that dropping butts hurts the environment. Most smokers don’t think that dropping butts hurts the earth. But it does! All rubbish does. Later, we wrote to companies and asked them for money to help us. We used the money to buy ashtrays to give smokers. We wanted smokers to carry the ashtrays with them so they didn’t have to drop butts. At the moment, we are trying to get cigarette companies to put an ashtray in each pack of cigarettes. Some companies want to do it.
Many people have started to join our group since it began. Today there are 45 other “No Butts About It” groups in America. And there are even groups in England, Australia and India! Many newspapers have written about my sister and I over the last seven years. And we have won many prizes for our good work.
But we are not interested in prizes. We just want to make the earth a better and cleaner place for animals, plants and people. One day it will be.“No Butts About It” started___________
| A．seventeen years ago. | B．seven years ago. |
| C．seventy years ago | D．It’s not mentioned. |
Why did they start the group?
| A．Because they don’t like cigarette. |
| B．Because they want to make money. |
| C．Because they want people to know them. |
| D．Because they want to protect the environment. |
How many “No Butts About It” groups are there in America?
| A．7 | B．45 | C．46 | D．49. |
The writer lives in_________
| A．America. | B．England. | C．Australia. | D．India. |
What did the writer do the following EXCEPT__________?
| A．starting a group called “No Butts About It” |
| B．writing to companies to ask them for help |
| C．asking newspapers to write about her sister and her |
| D．managing to get some cigarette companies to put an ashtray in each cigarette pack |
Success does not belong to a select group of individuals (个人). Success belongs to those who are willing to go after it and try their best to do what they have to do. Here are some useful practical ways for you if you want to be a success.
Desire. Desire is the strong wish to achieve a goal. Without desire you have nothing. Before you can run with desire, your goal must be plain, clear, and it must also be exciting.
Show up. Seventy percent of success in life is showing up. You can’t have a best seller, if you have never written a book. You can’t get your dream job, if you’re afraid to turn in an application. Showing up doesn’t guarantee(保证) success, but if you don’t show up, you won’t succeed.
Fail. Unless you’re willing to have a try, fail unhappily, and have another try, success won’t happen. To have success you have to do things the right way, but often the only way to do something right is to first fail at it. As Thomas J. Watson said, a simple formula (公式) for success is to double your rate of failure (失败). So welcome failure, become a student of failure, learn from failure, and soon you will succeed.
Work Harder. Everyone runs, but everyone is not willing to run for an hour every day. Success is not about doing what the common person can’t do. It’s about doing what the common person is unwilling to do. And on a deeper level, it’s about creating habits that the common person is unwilling to create. It’s the habit of doing things with excellence that causes success.
Enjoy the Journey. Success is a journey, not a destination (终点). Success is not a certain car or a certain house or a certain happy marriage. Success is the enjoyment of the journey. You have to enjoy the journey.
Someone once said, “Unless you change how you are, you will always have what you’ve got.” You have to change, you will change, and you will succeed.Who does success belong to?
| A．a select group of individuals |
| B．the common person who works hard |
| C．the people who try their best |
| D．the people who will change and succeed. |
Which of the following is NOT mentioned in achieving success?
| A．Working hard. | B．Good education. |
| C．Strong desire. | D．Enjoying failure. |
What does the writer really mean by saying “Everyone runs, but everyone is not willing to run for an hour every day.” ?
| A．It’s not easy for people to develop their health. |
| B．You are sure to meet with some difficulty in your life. |
| C．Keeping working harder is necessary when you go after success. |
| D．Most people don’t want to spend too much time running. |
Which of the following is TRUE about success according to the passage?
| A．If you want to succeed, you should have special talents. |
| B．If you want to succeed, you’d better not show up. |
| C．Success is about doing what the common person can’t do. |
| D．Success means the enjoyment of your gain or loss on the journey. |
The best title of the passage might be_______________.
| A．The Importance of Success | B． The Meaning of Success |
| C．Success or Failure | D．The Five Main Steps to Success |
April will bring a new product – the Apple Watch – into the market. Last week, the watch was firstly introduced by Tim Cook, Apple's CEO. The price of the watch will differ from $349 to $1,099, depending on its size, strap and whether it is a sports or regular version.
Apple engineers and designers have put in a lot of thought and hard work into creating this "small screen" on your wrist(手腕). The "sensor" on the screen not only detects your finger, but knows the difference between when you are tapping, and when you are pressing harder.
The watch also has “haptic feedback(触觉反馈)”. You can send personal messages to your friend, such as drawing a star or a special sign with your fingers, or tapping the watch, say 3 times, and your friend will receive those taps on their wrist.
Besides telling the time, the watch will use 'bluetooth' to connect with your iPhone and show calls or text messages that come in.
According to Tim Cook, the watch may open up a whole new area of applications that we had never thought of. Some car factories like BMW have developed an app that allows its car owners to open their cars with the watch. A 'Hotels' app may allow you to open the door to your hotel room without worrying about losing the smart-card. And finally, even airlines are jumping in--passengers may be able to simply wave their wrist to check into their flight.
The biggest use of the watch, however, is as your personal fitness coach. The watch can measure your pulse (heartbeat) using a sensor at the bottom of the watch. It also has the same "accelerometer" as your iPhone, so it knows when you are moving, and also how much you are walking or running. It will remind you if you have been sitting for too long without much activity.
Many stores are planning to stop selling the Nike, Jawbone and FitBit devices(设备) to welcome the Apple Watch. Will Apple Watch really replace these devices and make fitness much more fun?
We can learn from the passage that the Apple Watch ________.
| A．is designed by Tim Cook |
| B．was brought into the market last week |
| C．sells at different prices for different colours |
| D．will come into the market this coming April |
With apple watch, you can ________.
| A．develop your own personal app |
| B．connect your iphone with your ipad |
| C．receive personal messages from your friends’ iphone |
| D．send personal messages to your friends’ apple watches |
Many stores are planning to stop selling FitBit devices because ________.
| A．all of the devices are sold out |
| B．they cannot make fitness fun |
| C．they want to welcome the Apple Watch |
| D．Apple Watch can replace FitBit devices completely |
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