“How was school, Ben?” I asked my grandson after he began kindergarten(幼儿园) this year. “The work is too long… and there’s not enough time to play,” he replied.
I couldn’t help but remember Ben’s own mother, my daughter, Jane, and her reaction(反应) to the first day of school. Julie was also disappointed with the first day of school and so was her little sister. My three-year-old daughter announced angrily after her big sister got on the big yellow school bus, “I want to go ‘sool’ and you not let me!”
When Julie returned home that afternoon, I asked her the same question that I asked Ben, “How was school, Julie?” Julie replied, “I didn’t learn to read today.”
This year as the school bus passed my house, my mind went back to those school days again. I could almost smell the chalk dust in the air. I also wonder what the children these days manage to get chosen to do in order to get out of school for a few moments since there are no erasers to clean. It was fun to be “chosen” for eraser cleaning duty. This was a task finished by going outside and beating erasers together while sneezing and coughing. No wonder so many babies now have allergies(过敏症), and it’s simply because we all have chalk dust in our lungs!
On the first day of school, the expectation was so great that I would be ready long before it was time to leave for school. We didn’t have backpacks because we had cigar boxes. We carried our small supplies inside a cigar box from one of the local stores. We saved the cigar boxes and used them from year to year until they fell apart.
The first day of school was exciting. It was a new beginning. The doors of knowledge had been opened. The first day of school is an event in our lives that most of us remember. It’s a big step for a small child toward leaving babyhood and so “there isn’t enough time to play”.Why did Jane become angry according to the passage?
| A．Because she didn’t learn to read on the first day of school. |
| B．Because there was too much work for her to do at school. |
| C．Because she had no time to play at school. |
| D．Because she was not allowed to go to school. |
The underlined sentence in Paragraph 4 suggests that .
| A．the author was thinking of her school days jokingly |
| B．the author warned students against the harm of chalk dust |
| C．the author suffered from an allergy because of chalk dust |
| D．the author doubted whether her lungs had chalk dust |
In the opinion of the author, the first day of school is .
| A．a day when a child is the happiest |
| B．a day when a child does much work |
| C．the beginning of great learning |
| D．the end of childhood full of toys |
Samuel Osmond is a 19-year-old law student from Cornwall, England. He never studied the piano. However, he can play very difficult musical pieces by musicians such as Chopin and Beethoven just a few minutes after he hears them. He learns a piece of music by listening to it in parts. Then he thinks about the notes in his head. Two years ago, he played his first piece Moonlight Sonata（奏鸣曲）by Beethoven. He surprised everyone around him.
Amazed that he remembered this long and difficult piece of music and played it perfectly, his teachers say Samuel is unbelievable. They say his ability is very rare, but Samuel doesn’t even realize that what he can do is special. Samuel wanted to become a lawyer as it was the wish of his parents, but music teachers told him he should study music instead. Now, he studies law and music.
Samuel can’t understand why everyone is so surprised. “I grew up with music. My mother played the piano and my father played the guitar. About two years ago, I suddenly decided to start playing the piano, without being able to read music and without having any lessons. It comes easily to me ---I hear the notes and can bear them in mind---each and every note,” says Samuel.
Recently, Samuel performed a piece during a special event at his college. The piece had more than a thousand notes. The audience was impressed by his amazing performance. He is now learning a piece that is so difficult that many professional pianists can’t play it. Samuel says confidently, “It’s all about super memory---I guess I have that gift.”
However, Samuel’s ability to remember things doesn’t stop with music. His family says that even when he was a young boy, Samuel heard someone read a story, and then he could retell the story word for word.
Samuel is still only a teenager. He doesn’t know what he wants to do in the future. For now, he is just happy to play beautiful music and continue his studies. What is special about Samuel Osmond?
| A．He has a gift for writing music. |
| B．He can write down the note he hears. |
| C．He is a top student at the law school. |
| D．He can play the musical piece he hears. |
What can we learn from Paragraph 2?
| A．Samuel chose law against the wish of his parents. |
| B．Samuel planned to be a lawyer rather than a musician. |
| C．Samuel thinks of himself as a man of great musical ability. |
| D．Samuel studies law and music on the advice of his teachers. |
What can we infer about Samuel in Paragraph 4?
| A．He became famous during a special event at his college. |
| B．He is proud of his ability to remember things accurately. |
| C．He plays the piano better than many professional pianists. |
| D．He impressed the audience by playing all the musical pieces. |
Some young engineers from the United States have brought the Internet to several areas of rural Kenya. 
Their idea was to connect the communities to the Web by satellite. But there was a problem. The areas are not even connected to Kenya’s electric power supply. The answer: solar panels. Energy from the sun powers the satellite dishes (蝶形卫星天线) and computers that link the areas with the world outside.
Kelly Moran, Joan Ervin and Tricia Donajkowski spent ten days in Kenya in November. The women recently earned master’s degrees in space systems engineering from the University of Michigan.
Another engineer, Drew Heckathorn, did not go to Africa but worked on parts of the project.
Kelly Moran says there was excitement when the team would arrive to connect communities to the Internet. People would sometimes run alongside the car carrying the engineers to welcome them. And local residents would offer to help the team build the Internet stations.
People now have access to educational, medical and all kinds of other information. Farmers, for example, can easily find weather, crop and price information online.
The project began back at the college of engineering in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 2007. That was when twenty-five students in a class taught by Thomas Zurbuchen first talked about the idea.
The goal was to test whether Internet stations could be set up, how much they would cost, and how long they could operate. But the engineers also had to consider other things — like social needs. Students from the public health and business schools offered advice.
The young engineers also had to design the equipment to survive the heat in Africa. Professor Zurbuchen praises his former students for “making something work in a different climate far away from home. ”
Google paid for the final design of the equipment. The company is also supporting the costs of the satellite bandwidth needed for the connections. Google has invested in a new company that wants to put up a system of satellites over Africa. The availability of more satellites would reduce the costs.
Just five percent of Africans have Internet connections. The International Telecommunication Union says one-third of Kenyans have mobile phones. But mobile phones may or may not work well with the Internet.What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．Solar energy has been used to operate the Internet. |
| B．Engineers from America help the communities in Kenya. |
| C．The Internet Stations are to be set up in some areas of rural Kenya. |
| D．The Internet plays an important part in people’s life in Kenya. |
Why did Google give the project financial support?
| A．Because it is willing to help to rid Kenya’s residents of poverty. |
| B．Because the use of satellites would benefit a lot its business in Kenya. |
| C．Because the project is one of its investments in Africa. |
| D．Because it wants to test whether its equipment is the best in the world. |
The underlined part in the ninth paragraph suggests that_____ .
| A．what Kelly and her partners to do will make a difference to the residents in Kenya |
| B．it is difficult for Kelly and her partners to build the Internet stations in Kenya |
| C．the climate in Kenya is so bad that Kelly and her partners will have difficulty in building the Internet stations |
| D．to help Kenya build the Internet stations, Kelly and her partners have to leave their homes |
From the passage we can learn that______ .
| A．the idea of building the Internet stations in Kenya was put forward by Professor Zurbuchen |
| B．the Internet stations are powered by solar energy |
| C．the project hasn’t got any support from Kenya’s government |
| D．Professor Zurbuchen is giving the project the technical direction |
I will never forget what my old headmaster told me. Normally when you are only 15 years of age you do not remember most of the things that are preached by your teachers. But, this particular story is one such lesson that I will never forget. Every time I drift off course, I get reminded of this story.
It was a normal Monday morning at an assembly, and he was addressing the students on important things in life and about committing ourselves to what is important to us.
This is how the story went:
An old man lived in a certain part of London, and he would wake up every morning and go to the subway. He would get the train right to Central London, and then sit at the street corner and beg. He would do this every single day of his life. He sat at the same street corner and begged for almost 20 years.
His house was filthy, and a stench (恶臭) came out of the house and it smelled horrible. The neighbours could not stand the smell any more, so they summoned the police officers to clear the place. The officers knocked down the door and cleaned the house. There were small bags of money all over the house that he had collected over the years.
The police counted the money, and they soon realized that the old man was a millionaire. They waited outside his house in anticipation to share the good news with him. When he arrived home that evening, he was met by one of the officers who told him that there was no need for him to beg any more as he was a rich man now, a millionaire.
He said nothing at all. he went into his house and locked the door. The next morning he woke up as usual, went to the subway, got into the train, and sat at the street corner and continued to beg.
Obviously, this old man had no great plans, dreams or anything significant for his life. We learn nothing from this story other than staying focused on the things we enjoy doing, commitment(专心，敬业). We should remain true to our course, although it may mean committing ourselves to things that people around us would normally disapprove. Just keep it in mind that commitment attracts wealth. Why did the headmaster tell us the story?
| A．To enjoy ourselves. |
| B．To teach us how to make money. |
| C．To tell us the importance of commitment. |
| D．To tell us not to look down upon beggars. |
According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?
| A．The old man made a living by begging. |
| B．The old man was excited to be a millionaire. |
| C．The old man became a millionaire by begging every weekday. |
| D．The old man planned to become a millionaire. |
Why did the police officers clean the old man’s house?
| A．Because the old man hired them to. |
| B．Because they wanted to know how much money the old man had begged. |
| C．Because the old man wanted to live comfortably. |
| D．Because the neighbours could not stand the smell coming out of the old man’s house. |
CWU
The communication union
Head of Research
Salary:￡55.271
We are looking for a Head of Research to manage the CWU Research Department and Information Centre. You would be required to exercise control of all research work of the department and manage a team of three researchers and four support staff.
The person appointed would be expected to carry out research work of a strategic nature across the range of businesses in which the CWU has or seeks membership and to contribute to the strategic thinking and direction of the union as a whole.
You will need: proven line management skills, especially in managing and motivating a team; good research skills, holding a good degree in a related subject or other similar experience; a high level of mathematical and calculating skills; the ability to produce high quality work under pressure; a commitment to and knowledge of the trade union movement and social democratic politics; and knowledge and/ or experience of the postal and/ or telecommunications industry.
To apply, please request an application pack by emailing hr@cwu.org or by telephoning HR( Human Resources ) on 020 8971 7482. When applying please state your source.
Closing Date for Applications: 4th August 2010
Anticipated interview date: 17th August 2010
No agencies please In which column of a newspaper could we find this advertisement?
| A．Arts. |
| B．Sales. |
| C．Jobs. |
| D．News. |
One of the duties of the person to be appointed is .
| A．taking charge of research work. |
| B．seeking membership for the trade union. |
| C．managing a team of three or four members. |
| D．running a telecommunications company. |
If you want to apply for this position, you can do all EXCEPT .
| A．ask an agency for an application form. |
| B．dial 020 8971 7482 for more information. |
| C．email hr@cwu.org for an application pack. |
| D．send in your application before 4th August 2010 |
Which of the following applicants is most likely to be employed?
| A．A school teacher with a master’s degree. |
| B．A university graduate majoring in computer science. |
| C．A director from a research centre with a master’s degree. |
| D．A clerk from a telecommunications company. |
Andy rode slowly on his way to school, day-dreaming about the fishing trip that his father had promised him. He was so busy dreaming about all the fish he would catch that he was unaware of everything else around him.
He rode along until a strange sound drew him to the present. He came to a stop and looked curiously up to the heavens. What he saw shocked and terrified him. A huge swarm of bees filled the sky like a black cloud and the buzzing mass seemed to be heading angrily towards him.
With no time to waste, Andy sped off in the opposite direction, riding furiously—but without knowing how to escape the swarm. With a rapidly beating heart and his legs pumping furiously, he sped down the rough road. As the bees came closer, his panic increased. Andy knew that he was sensitive to bee stings(蜇). The last sting had landed him in hospital—and that was only one bee sting! He had been forced to stay in bed for two whole days. Suddenly, his father’s words came to him. “When you are in a tight situation, don’t panic. Use your brain and think your way out of it.”
On a nearby hill, he could see smoke waving slowly skywards from the chimney of the Nelson family home. “Bees don’t like smoke,” he thought. “They couldn’t get into the house.” Andy raced towards the Nelson house, but the bees were gaining ground. Andy knew he could not reach the house in time. He estimated that the bees would catch up with him soon.
Suddenly, out of the corner of his eyes, he spotted a small dam used by Mr. Nelson to irrigate his vegetable garden. Off his bike and into the cool water he lived, disappearing below the surface and away from the savage insects. After holding his breath for as long as he could, Andy came up for air and noticed the bees had gone. Dragging himself out of the dam, he struggled up the hilly slope and rang the doorbell. Mrs. Nelson took him inside and rang his mother.
“You’ll really need that fishing break to help you recover,” laughed his mother with relief. “Thank goodness you didn’t panic!” But Andy did not hear her. He was dreaming once again of the fish he would catch tomorrow.Why did Andy fail to notice the swarm of bees earlier?
| A．He was riding to school. |
| B．He was listening to a strange sound. |
| C．He was going fishing with his father. |
| D．He was lost in the thought of the fishing trip. |
Which of the following is NOT mentioned about the swarm of bees in the passage?
| A．They crowded like a black cloud. |
| B．They shocked and terrified Andy. |
| C．They tried to attack Andy in a mass. |
| D．They made Andy stay in hospital for two days. |
How did Andy avoid the bees in the end?
| A．He asked Mr. Nelson for help. |
| B．He did himself under the water. |
| C．He rushed into the Nelson house. |
| D．He rode off in the opposite direction. |
Which of the following can best describe Andy’s escape from the bees?
| A．No pains, no gains. |
| B．Once bitten, twice shy. |
| C．Where there is a will, there is a way. |
| D．In time of danger, one’s mind works fast. |
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