A friend of mine, in response to a conversation we were having about the injustices of life, asked me the question, “Who said life was going to be fair, or that it was even meant to be fair?” Her question was a good one. It reminded me of something I was taught as a youngster: life isn’t fair. It’s a disappointment, but it’s absolutely true. One of the mistakes many of us make is that we feel sorry for ourselves, or for others, thinking that life should be fair, or that someday it will be. It’s not and it won’t be.
One of the nice things about surrendering(屈从) to the fact that life isn’t fair is that it keeps us from feeling sorry for ourselves by encouraging us to do the very best we can with what we have. We know it’s not “life’s job” to make everything perfect: it’s our own challenge. Surrendering to this fact also keeps us from feeling sorry for others because we are reminded that everyone is dealt a different hand; everyone has unique strengths and problems in the process of growing up, facing the reality and making decisions; and everyone has those times that they feel unfairly treated.
The fact that life isn’t fair doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do everything in our power to improve our own lives or the world as a whole. To the contrary, it suggests that we should. When we don’t recognize or admit that life isn’t fair, we tend to feel pity for others and for ourselves. Pity, of course, is a self-defeating emotion that does nothing for anyone, except to make everyone feel worse than they already do. When we do recognize that life isn’t fair, however, we feel compassion(热情)for others and for ourselves. And compassion is a heartfelt emotion that delivers loving-kindness to everyone it touches. The next time you find yourself thinking about the injustices of the world, try reminding yourself of this very basic fact. You may be surprised that it can make you out of self-pity and into helpful action. The writer thought of his friend’s question as a good one because .
| A．he also wanted to know who held such an opinion. |
| B．it made him recall something during his childhood. |
| C．many people thought life was fair |
| D．like his friend, he also thought life was unfair. |
The second paragraph of the passage mainly tells us that .
| A．it’s nice to complain about life |
| B．it’s nice to accept the injustice of life |
| C．we should not feel sorry for everything |
| D．everyone should be treated fairly |
From the passage, we can learn that the author’s attitude to life is .
| A．positive | B．negative | C．self-pity | D．indifferent |
Which of the following could be the best title of the text?
| A．A Helpful Action: Try to Feel Compassion |
| B．A bad Question: Why Life Isn’t Fair |
| C．Surrender to the Fact That Life Isn’t Fair |
| D．Do Our Best to Improve Ourselves |
People have always been wondering about what our future will look like. Go on reading this text, and you will know what will happen in the next fifty years.
How can we know what the future will look like? To be able to understand the future, you must know the past. What has taken us to where we are today and what has changed along the way? The world has changed a lot in the last 150 years, but we humans are driven by the same basic needs as we were 150 years ago. Will this change in the next 150 years? No.
What inventions have really made a difference in the last 150 years? In the past years, the inventions that have affected most people around the world for everyday living are the telephone, electricity, radio, television, computer, the car and the ability to communicate through the Internet. Then we of course have a lot of inventions that have made life easier, like new medicine, faster transports etc. In general, human beings have been working hard in the last 150 years to make the inventions so that they will be able to get control of the time and the world. Since there is still much to do in this area, this will be the focus at least for the next 150 years.
Why do we need to predict the future? Predicting the future is important for two reasons first we need to start to think about what kind of future we would like for ourselves and to pass on to the next generation, and then we need to know what decisions we need to make today that will give the best result in the future.What does the author try to tell us in the second paragraph?
| A．The world is quite different from what it was. |
| B．Our basic needs will not change in the future. |
| C．Humans will no longer enjoy food in the future. |
| D．The world will be completely changed tomorrow. |
Our past inventions have made .
| A．it easy for us to live |
| B．our daily life more stressful |
| C．our work easily done |
| D．us work less time |
What will humans do in order to keep the world under control?
| A．To produce more cars for transportation. |
| B．To focus on making more inventions. |
| C．To work much harder to achieve their goals. |
| D．To spend more time working on the Internet. |
What is the main idea of the last paragraph?
| A．What result we’ll receive in the future. |
| B．The decisions we make for our future. |
| C．The importance of predicting the future. |
| D．The two reasons of predicting the future. |
Housing Price in China has always aroused heated discussion among property developers and ordinary Chinese. To many property developers and local government officials, housing price in China is still low compared with many developed countries. However, the average housing price in the United States is only 8, 000 yuan per square metre, while in China, it is even higher than that in the United States. “This shows that there are some bubbles(泡沫) in Chinese real estate(房地产) market,” the International Finance News reported.
Although the average price of residential houses in the United States, after changed to RMB, is about 8, 000 yuan per square metre, the houses in the US are not sold in terms of building area, as most Chinese property developers do when they sell their houses. If the US property developers sell their houses according to the building area, then the housing price will be even lower than 8, 000 yuan per square metre. In most big Chinese cities, such as Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, houses are sold at a price even higher than those in the US.
The high housing price in large cities in China proves that Chinese real estate market does have some bubbles. Moreover, Chinese houses cannot be compared with houses in the US in terms of building quality, environment and supporting facilities. Furthermore, it should be noted that American people’s average income is several dozen times higher than that of Chinese people. How can the Chinese afford to buy a house which is even more expensive than that sold in the US?
At the beginning of 2007, Chinese government issued a set of policies that aimed to benefit the public. Now in order to reduce the high housing prices, the government can regulate the real estate market by raising tax on property industry and controlling the release of loans and lands to property developers. Meanwhile, the government should allow people to build more houses through various fund-raising channels, such as funds collected from buyers or raised by working units. By applying these multiple means, it is expected that the high housing prices can be lowered and Chinese public can really benefit from the economic achievement.When it comes to housing price in China, many ________think it reasonable.
| A．property developers and ordinary people |
| B．property developers and local governments |
| C．ordinary people and the Chinese government |
| D．property developers and the Chinese government |
How does the writer feel about the problem of high housing price in China?
| A．Encouraged and confident. |
| B．Satisfied. |
| C．Hopeless. |
| D．Concerned but optimistic. |
It can be learned from the passage that .
| A．housing price in China will drop considerably very soon |
| B．a set of laws have been passed to improve Chinese real estate market |
| C．regardless of housing price, Chinese houses have poorer building quality than those in the US |
| D．the Chinese government has not realized the importance of the problem |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．The problem of high housing price in China and possible solutions to it. |
| B．Different opinions on the problem of high housing price in China. |
| C．A comparison in residential housing price between China and the US. |
| D．The reaction of Chinese government to the bubbles in real estate market. |
Don’t be afraid! We are not encouraging people to steal. It’s one of the most popular topics currently talked about by people in cities, together with, “How many vegetables did you steal today?”or, “It’s harvest time for your peaches,” and, “I bought you a new car today.”
Listening to a conversation like this, you do not have to feel strange. These people don’t really have their own farms or so much money that they can casually buy someone else a car.
They are just playing games on Social Networking Sites(SNS) like kaixing001.com. Can you imagine millions of people in China spending lots of time on SNS playing games and talking to friends? This is especially true of white-collar workers in cities, Take kaixing001.com for example --the number of current members has already hit 38 million.
However, the large number of people using SNS highlights another problem. That is, lots of people choose to escape from reality, NSN just offers them a virtual(虚拟的) environment where they can escape from reality.
Different games provide netizens with different experiences: dreaming, chatting and playing. It offers people the opportunity to escape from reality. But the virtual world is not the real one; no one can live in it forever, and reality is not as surfing on the Internet.
Since this kind of social networking sites have become so popular, people have started to think about moving it into the real world. And so far as we know, a farmland of this kind exists in Shanghai where it has reached its first base.
After playing the “Happy Farm”game on kaixing001.com, would you like to put yourself among the real world while smelling the fragrances (芳香) of the countryside? Recently a farmland service called “Happy Farm in Reality” was opened in the suburbs of Shanghai where white-collar workers can experience the real farmers’ for themselves.What does the underlined word “it”in Para .5 refer to?
| A．The real world. | B．Farmland in Shanghai. |
| C．The virtual world. | D．An expensive car. |
Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．Millions of people in China are spending lots of time on SNS. |
| B．People steal vegetables on SNS for living. |
| C．Lots of people play games on SNS to escape from reality. |
| D．White-collar workers can have the real farmers’ life. |
You can find the passage in part on a newspaper.
| A．politics | B．entertainment |
| C．economy | D．military |
What might be the best title?
| A．The virtual world is dangerous. |
| B．Buy a new car for your friend. |
| C．Did you steal vegetables today? |
| D．Be careful about being stolen. |
Most people say “yes” much more readily than “no”.
A friend is moving house this weekend and would like some help, and you agree. But, what you really wanted was a couple of quiet days relaxing at home. Or a roommate spends the entire weekends playing video games and wants to borrow your homework for “reference”. You say “yes”.
Many people say “yes” to these kinds of requests. They tend not to consider their own interests and feelings, and are often angry with themselves afterwards.
Saying “no” requires courage and considerable practice, in fact, according to psychologists. “ Everyone wants to be liked,” says Gabriele Steinki, a German psychologist. “Saying ‘no’ risks losing the affection of the person asking the favor or even a job.”
The result is that many people say “yes” just for keeping the peace. But experts say this is regrettable. Anyone should have the right to say “no”.
In fact, rejecting a request can even help to strengthen a relationship because it expresses a true feeling.
But, for people used to agreeing to every request, changing can be a long and uncomfortable learning process. Most people believe that “If I say ‘no’, I'll lose the affection of the person. But the affection is important to me.” This way of thinking can be replaced by this: “If he only likes me because I always do what suits him, the price of his affection is too high in the long term.”
Steinki says the key is talking to the other person to find a mutual (相互的) solution. “One needs to present the situation from one’s own point of view, and to suggest how the situation can be dealt with to the advantage of both parties. The other person must have the feeling that his interests are being considered.”
When the refusal is not accepted, Steinki advises us to give the reasons calmly again until the person gets the message.Most people say “yes” much more readily than “no” because ________.
| A．they don’t care about their own interests and feelings |
| B．they don’t know they will regret afterwards |
| C．they have already been used to saying “yes” |
| D．they care more about others’ affection |
In the opinion of experts, _________ .
| A．people need a lot of practice to say “no” |
| B．people should say “yes” to keep the peace |
| C．saying “no” means losing a job |
| D．people have the right to be liked |
According to the writer, what should you do if you want to refuse the other person’s request?
| A．Just say you can’t help him. |
| B．Say sorry to him. |
| C．Refuse him clearly. |
| D．Talk to the other person to find a mutual way. |
What is the best title of the passage?
| A．You Need Courage to Say “No” |
| B．“Yes” More Than “No” |
| C．Anyone Has the Right to Say “No” |
| D．It’s Hard to Say “No” |
If English means endless new words, difficult grammar and sometimes strange pronunciation, you are wrong. Haven’t you noticed that you have become smarter since you started to learn a language?
According to a new study by a British university, learning a second language can lead to an increase in your brain power. Researchers found that learning other languages changes grey matter. This is the area of the brain which processes information. It is similar to the way that exercise builds muscles.
The study also found the effect is greater when the younger people learn a second language. A team led by Dr. Andrea Mechelli, from University College London, took a group of Britons who only spoke English. They were compared with a group of “early bilinguals” who had learnt a second language before the age of five, as well as a number of later learners. Scans showed that grey matter density (密度) in the brain was greater in bilinguals than in people without a second language. But the longer a person waited before mastering a new language, the smaller the difference.
“Our findings suggest that the structure of the brain is changed by the experience of learning a second language,” said the scientists.It means that the change itself increases the ability to learn.
Professor Dylan Vaughan Jones of the University of Wales, has researched the link between bilingualism and maths skills. “Having two languages gives you two windows on the world and makes the brain more flexible (灵活的),” he said. “You are actually going beyond language and have a better understanding of different ideas.”
The findings were matched in a study of native Italian speakers who had learned English as a second language between the ages of two and thirty-four. Reading, writing, and comprehension were all tested. The results showed that the younger they started to learn, the better. “Studying a language means you get an entrance to another world,” explained the scientists.The main subject talked about in this passage is ___________.
| A．science on learning a second language |
| B．man’s ability of learning a second language |
| C．that language learning can help brain power |
| D．language learning and maths study |
The underlined word “bilingual” probably means ____________.
| A．a researcher on language learning |
| B．a second language learner |
| C．a person who can speak two languages |
| D．an active language learner |
We may know from the scientific findings that ____________.
| A．the earlier you start to learn a second language, the higher the grey matter density is |
| B．there is no difference between a later second language learner and one who doesn’t know a second language |
| C．the experience of learning a second language has bad effect on people’s brain |
| D．the ability of learning a second language is changing all the time |
In the last two paragraphs, the author wants to tell us that ____________.
| A．learning a second language is the same as studying maths |
| B．early learning of a second language helps you a great deal in studying other subjects |
| C．Italian is the best choice for you as a second language |
| D．you’d better choose the ages between 2 and 34 to learn a second language |
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