Women, as all research suggests, are far more critical of their appearance than men. Most of them are likely to feel dissatisfied with their reflection in the mirror.
It is quite possible that men looking in the mirror are either pleased with what they see or indifferent. Research shows that men generally have a much more positive body-image than women---if anything, they may tend to over-estimate their attractiveness. Some men looking in the mirror may literally not see the flaws in their appearance.
Why are women so much more self-critical than men? Because women are judged more on their appearance than men, and standards of female beauty are considerably higher and more inflexible. Women are continually bombarded (轰炸) with images of the “ideal” face. And constant exposure to idealized images of female beauty on TV, magazines and billboards makes exceptional good looks seem normal and anything short of perfection seem abnormal and ugly. It has been estimated that young women now see more images of outstandingly beautiful women in one day than our mothers saw throughout their entire adolescence.
Also, most women trying to achieve the impossible standards of female beauty have in fact become progressively more unrealistic during the last century. In 1917, the physically perfect woman was about 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighed nearly 10 stone. Even 25 years ago, top models and beauty queens weighed only 8% less than the average women, now they weigh 23% less. The current media ideal for women is achievable by less than 5% of the female population---and that’s just in terms of weight and size. If you want the ideal shape, face etc., it’s probably more like 1%.The passage is mainly to _____________.
| A．compare different views on beauty between women and men |
| B．tell us that standards of female beauty are very high |
| C．explain why women are more critical of their appearance than men |
| D．show us that women pay more attention to their appearance than men |
Which of the following is NOT the reason why women are more critical of their appearance?
| A．People pay more attention to their appearance than men’s. |
| B．The criterion (标准；准则) used to judge women’s beauty is more critical and less changeable. |
| C．Idealized images of female beauty are constantly shown in different media. |
| D．Women tend to pursue perfection by nature. |
Which statement is true about men?
| A．Few men will feel pleased when they are looking themselves in the mirror. |
| B．Men looking in the mirror usually ignore the flaws in their appearance. |
| C．It is likely that men will consider themselves more attractive than they really are. |
| D．Men don’t care about their body image. |
Nowadays, if an average woman weighs 110 pounds, then a physically perfect woman should weigh about _________.
| A．85 pounds | B．101 pounds | C．90 pounds | D．135 pounds |
What can be inferred from the last paragraph?
| A．Most women try to achieve the standards of beauty. |
| B．The standards of female beauty. in the past were more easily achieved than today. |
| C．Women are more unrealistic in their pursuit of beauty than men. |
| D．Less than 5% of the female population can achieve the current media ideal for women. |
Mark and his brother Jason both were looking at the shining new computer enviously. Jason was determined not to go against their father’s wishes but Mark was more adventurous than his brother. He loved experimenting and his aim was to become a scientist like his father.
“Dad will be really mad if he finds out you’ve been playing with his new computer.” Jason said, “He told us not to touch it.”
“He won’t find out.” Mark said, “I’ll just have a quick look and shut it down.”
Mark had been scolded before for touching his father’s equipment. But his curiosity was difficult to control and this new computer really puzzled him.
“It was a strange-looking machine –one his dad had brought home from the laboratory where he worked. “It’s an experimental model,” his father had explained, “so don’t touch it under any circumstances.” But his warning only served to make Mark more curious. Without any further thought, Mark turned on the power switch. The computer burst into life and seconds later, the screen turned into colors, shifting and changing and then two big white words appeared in the center of the screen: “SPACE TRANSPORTER.”
“Yes!” Mark cried excitedly, “It’s a computer game. I knew it! Dad’s only been pretending to work. He’s really been playing games instead.” A new message appeared on the screen:
“ENTER NAMES
VOYAGER 1: …
VOYAGER 2: …”
Mark’s fingers flew across the keyboard as he typed in both of their names.
“INPUT ACCEPTED. START TRANSPORT PROGRAM. AUTO-RETRIEVE INITIATED（自动回收程序已启动）.”
The screen turned even brighter and a noise suddenly rose in volume.
“I think we’d better shut it off, Mark,” Jason yelled, reaching for the power switch. He was really frightened.
But his hand never reached the switch. A single beam of dazzling white light burst out of the computer screen, wrapping the boys in its glow (光芒), until they themselves seemed to be glowing. Then it died down just as suddenly as it had burst into life. And the boys were no longer there. On the screen, the letters changed.
“TRANSPORT SUCCESSFUL. DESTINATION: MARS. RETRIEVE DATE: 2025.”Why did Mark touch the computer against his father's warning?
| A．He wanted to take a voyage. |
| B．He wanted to practice his skill. |
| C．He was so much attracted by it. |
| D．He was eager to do an experiment. |
Where did the boys' father most likely work?
| A．In an electronic factory. |
| B．In a computer company. |
| C．In a scientific research center. |
| D．In an information processing center. |
Mark thought "SPACE TRANSPORTER" on the screen was the name of __________.
| A．a computer game |
| B．a company website |
| C．a software producer |
| D．an astronomy program |
Why did Jason want to shut off the computer?
| A．He was afraid of being scolded. |
| B．He didn't like the loud noise and light. |
| C．He didn't want to play games any more. |
| D．He was afraid something dangerous might happen. |
What happened to the boys at the end of the story?
| A．They were blown into the air. |
| B．They were sent to another planet. |
| C．They were hidden in the strong light. |
| D．They were carried away to another country. |
Grandpa Nybakken loved life—especially when he could play a trick on somebody. At those times, his large Norwegian frame shook with laughter while he pretended innocent surprise, exclaiming，"Oh, forevermore ！ “ But on a cold Saturday in downtown Chicago, Grandpa felt that God played a trick on him, and grandpa wasn't laughing.
Grandpa worked as a carpenter. On this particular day, he was building some boxes for the clothes his church was sending to an orphanage abroad. On his way home, he reached into his shirt pocket to find his glasses, but they were gone. He remembered putting them there that morning, so he drove back to the church. His search proved fruitless.
Suddenly, he realized what happened. The glasses had slipped out of his pocket unnoticed and fallen into one of the boxes, which he had nailed shut. His brand new glasses were heading for China ！The Great Depression was at its height, and Grandpa had six children. He had spent twenty dollars for those glasses that very morning.
"It's not fair，" he told God as he drove home in frustration. "I've been very faithful in giving of my time and money to your work, and now this."
Several months later, the director of the orphanage was on vacation in the United States. He wanted to visit all the churches that supported him, so he came to speak on Sunday night at my grandfather's small church in Chicago. Grandpa and his family sat in their usual seats among the small congregation (教堂会众).
"But most of all，" he said，" I must thank you for the glasses you sent last year. “ Even if I had the money, there was simply no way of replacing those glasses. Along with not being able to see well, I experienced headaches every day, so my coworkers and I were much in prayer about this. Then your boxes arrived. When my staff removed the covers, they found a pair of glasses lying on the top. " After a long pause, he continued，" Folks, when I tried on the glasses, it was as though they had been custom-made just for me! I want to thank you for being a part of that！"
The people listened, happy for the amazing glasses. But the director surely must have confused their church with another, they thought, there were no glasses on their list of items to be sent overseas.
But sitting quietly in the back, with tears streaming down his face, an ordinary carpenter realized the Master Carpenter had used him in an extraordinary way. Which of the following is NOT true about Grandpa Nybakken according to the passage?
| A．He was an outgoing man and held an active attitude towards life. |
| B．He had a large family to support. |
| C．He was a carpenter working in the church. |
| D．He was a loyal Christian. |
Grandpa spent much of his time and money in church mainly to __________
| A．help the priest do some religious work |
| B．help those people in need |
| C．make some woodwork for the church |
| D．seek some help from God |
The people in the church but Grandpa felt confused at what the director said because __________.
| A．Grandpa didn't tell the director that he was the owner of the glasses |
| B．the director wanted to return the glasses even though he liked it |
| C．the director could not get such glasses in their own country |
| D．the glasses were not included in the donation list |
Who does “the Master Carpenter" in the last paragraph probably refer to?
| A．Grandpa's master. |
| B．One of Grandpa's friends. |
| C．God. |
| D．Grandpa's coworker. |
Which can be the best title of the passage?
| A．Grandfather's life |
| B．The Helpful Donation |
| C．The Perfect Mistake |
| D．An Impressive Speech |
At the time friends visit us in the evening, they often tell us they are in a hurry and look at their watches. It isn't that our friends are all very busy; it is just that we haven't got a television. People think that we are very strange. “But what do you do in the evening?”，they are always asking. The answer is very simple. Both my wife and I have hobbies. We certainly don't spend our evenings looking at the walls. My wife enjoys cooking and painting and often attends evening classes in foreign languages. This is quite useful as we often go abroad for our holidays. I collect stamps and I'm always busy with my collection. Both of us enjoy listening to the music and playing chess together.
Sometimes there are power（电源） cuts and we have no electricity in the house. This does not worry us and we just light candles and carry on with what we were doing before. Our friends, however, are lost－no television!—So they don't know what to do. On such evenings our house is very full for they all come to us. They all have a good time. Instead of sitting in silence in front of the television, everybody talks and plays games.The couple have not got a television, because ________.
| A．they are not rich enough |
| B．they are strange people |
| C．they enjoy spending evenings in their own ways |
| D．they don't know what to do when there are power cuts |
Both of them are interested in __________.
| A．learning languages |
| B．travelling |
| C．staying home alone |
| D．watching people play games |
At night when there is no electricity, the couple ________.
| A．have to look at the walls |
| B．can do nothing but sit in silence |
| C．will have many visitors |
| D．have to go out for candles |
The writer tries to tell us that ________.
| A．life is possible without a television |
| B．life is enjoyable with many friends |
| C．electricity is important |
| D．television is useful |
The best title for this passage is ________.
| A．Why Do We Need a Television? |
| B．Candle! But No Electricity! |
| C．Different Friends, Different Hobbies. |
| D．We Go Without Televisions ！ |
I first went to Harrow in the summer term. The school had the biggest swimming pool I had ever seen. It was a good joke to come up behind a naked boy, and push him into the pool. I made quite a habit of this with boys of my own size or less.
One day 1 saw a boy wrapped in a towel on the side of the pool. He was no bigger than I was, so I thought him a fair game. Coming secretly behind, I pushed him in, holding on to his towel so that it would not get wet, I was surprised to see an angry face come out from the water, and a being of great strength making its way by fierce strokes(猛力地划)to the shore. I fled, but in vain. He overtook me, seized me violently, and threw me into the deepest part of the pool. I soon climbed out on the other side, and found myself surrounded by a crowd of younger boys. ‘‘Do you know what you have done?" they said，“ It's Amery ；he is in Grade Six. He is champion at gym. He has got his football honor. ”
I was frightened and felt ashamed. How could I tell his position when he was wrapped in a bath towel and so small. He didn't seem pleased at all, so I added in a most brilliant word，“ My father, who is a great man, is also small. ” At this he laughed, and after some general words about my rude behavior and how I had better be careful in the future, signified the incident was closed. The writer thought Amery "a fair game "because the boy ________.
| A．looked like an animal |
| B．was fond of games |
| C．was of similar size |
| D．was good at sports |
The writer felt" ashamed" because ________.
| A．he was laughed at by other boys |
| B．Amery turned out to be in the same grade |
| C．he pushed Amery hard and hurt him |
| D．he played a joke on an outstanding athlete |
By saying “ My father, who is a great man, is also small”，the writer ________.
| A．tried to please Amery |
| B．challenged Amery |
| C．threatened Amery |
| D．admired his father |
Which of the following is TRUE?
| A．The writer could run faster than Amery. |
| B．The writer liked playing on boys of all sizes. |
| C．Amery was a student in Grade Four， |
| D．Amery forgave the writer for his rude behavior. |
What does the underlined word "overtook" mean?
| A．caught hold of |
| B．caught up with |
| C．took a look at |
| D．shouted at |
Pop stars today enjoy what once only belonged to the royalty(皇室）. Wherever they go, people turn out in their thousands to greet them. The crowds go wild trying to catch a brief glimpse of their smiling, colorfully dressed idols. The stars are transported in their chauffeur driven Rolls-Royces, private helicopters or executive aero planes. They are surrounded by a permanent entourage (随从）of managers, press agents and bodyguards. Photographs of them appear regularly in the press and all their comings and goings are reported, for, like royalty, pop stars are news. If they enjoy many of the privileges of royalty, they certainly share many of the inconveniences as well. It is dangerous for them to make unscheduled appearances in public. They must be constantly shielded from the adoring crowds who idolize them. They are no longer private individuals, but public property. The financial rewards they receive for this sacrifice cannot be calculated, for their rates of pay are great.
And why not? Society has always rewarded its top entertainers lavishly. The great days of Hollywood have become legendary ： famous stars enjoyed fame, wealth and adulation (奉承）on an all-time scale. By today's standards, the excesses of Hollywood do not seem quite so spectacular. A single gramophone record nowadays may earn much more in royalties than the films of the past ever did. The competition for the title "Top of the Pops” is fierce, but the rewards are truly huge.
It is only right that the stars should be paid in this way. Don't the top men in industry earn enormous salaries for the service they perform to their companies and their countries? Pop stars earn vast sums in foreign currency—often more than large industrial companies- and the taxman can only be grateful for their massive annual contributions to the exchequer (国库）• So who would begrudge them their rewards?
It's all very well for people in boring jobs to complain about the successes and rewards of others. People who make envious remarks should remember that the most famous stars represent only the tip of the iceberg. For every famous star, there are hundreds of others struggling to earn a living. A man working in a steady job and looking forward to a pension at the end of it has no right to expect very high rewards. He has chosen security and peace of mind, so there will always be a limit to what he can earn. But a man who at-tempts to become a star is taking enormous risks. He knows at the outset that only a handful of competitors ever get to the very top. He knows that years of concentrated effort may be rewarded with complete failure. But he knows, too, that the rewards for success are very high indeed ： they are the payback for the huge risks involved and once he makes it, he will certainly earn them. That's the essence of private enterprise. The author develops the passage mainly by __________.
| A．comparing different ideas |
| B．giving explanations |
| C．inferring |
| D．listing typical examples |
The underlined word “begrudge" in the third paragraph is closest in meaning to __________.
A. be jealous of
B. be satisfied with
C. be anxious about
D, be crazy aboutAccording to the passage, which of the following can match the view of the author?
| A．He who laughs last laughs best. |
| B．If you venture nothing, you will gain nothing. |
| C．He who makes no mistakes makes nothing. |
| D．Success belongs to the persevering. |
The author holds a(n)__________ attitude towards the high income of pop stars.
| A．critical |
| B．approval |
| C．optimistic |
| D．indifferent |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．People are blind in idolizing stars. |
| B．There is fierce competition in becoming pop stars. |
| C．The government taxes pop stars very little. |
| D．Pop stars'life is more luxurious than that of royalty. |
粤公网安备 44130202000953号