Are you stuck in a rut（车辙）and looking for a change? Fed up of seeing hungry, poor faces on your TV screen and want to do something to help? Perhaps you’ve considered volunteering overseas but ruled it out because you thought you were too old, couldn’t commit enough time, or have a family. If so, think again.
“Over the past five years it has become far safer --- and more professionally acceptable --- to take up a job volunteering overseas,” says David Stitt, managing director of Gap Year for Grown Ups, a company catering for volunteers in their late 20s and upwards. “While 10 years ago intrepid souls took financial and personal risks in volunteering abroad, now several organizations exist to make the experience safe and well-organized.
Nowadays, universities and business encourage overseas volunteering among students and employees. Entire families can volunteer abroad, and agencies are employing more disabled and retired people. A prosperous “humanitarian tourism” industry has sprung up; thousands of UK citizens will do some form of overseas volunteering this year.
“Some volunteering jobs are easier to find than others,” explains Kevin Cusack, from a volunteer advice agency. “If you can speak English, it’s not too hard to land a job teaching English, even without a qualification, and those who enjoy working with children should be able to find child care work.”
Whether your interest is rainforests or women’s rights, you can find a volunteer position to suit you. But be warned: unless you have relevant skills or existing overseas development experience, it’s going to cost. Just how much depends on the location and length of the position, but you should budget for somewhere between £1,500 and £6,000.
“Having to pay to volunteer may sound paradoxical (矛盾的), but it’s the best way to ensure you get a position that benefits the local community while matching your interests and skills,” explains Cusack. “You can also discuss the time you want to commit to a project --- many positions can fit into a holiday or even a weekend.”
The underlined words “intrepid souls” in Paragraph 2 most probably refers to ___________.
| A．companies | B．volunteers | C．fighters | D．students |
In Kevin Cusack’s opinion, paying to volunteer overseas ___________.
| A．must be incredible and unrealistic |
| B．can help volunteers learn more about another culture |
| C．may benefit both volunteers and the community they work in |
| D．needs confidence, courage and determination |
What can we learn from the text?
| A．Disabled people can also take up a job volunteering overseas. |
| B．In the past no one could take up a job volunteering overseas. |
| C．“Humanitarian tourism” industry is in its beginning stage. |
| D．Taking up a job volunteering overseas needs at least £1,500. |
Where can we most probably read this article?
| A．In a job guidebook. |
| B．In a celebrity biography. |
| C．In a guidebook to work overseas. |
| D．In a report on volunteer work. |
What is the writer’s attitude towards volunteer work?
| A．Critical. | B．Unfavorable. | C．Supportive. | D．Disagreeable. |
Goedeker's loves to see happy customers, so every year we host a drawing competition in January and July, and one lucky person receives an iPad Mini. Goedeker’s customers can enter the competition through many ways, such as sending product or customer reviews.
When I spoke to July’s drawing winner, I couldn’t believe the encouraging story behind her efforts. Sari Bailey entered the drawing competition in hopes of winning the iPad Mini for her blind granddaughter, Aubrey. Aubrey, soon-to-be 4 years old, was born with a rare condition called Septo-Optic Dysplasia. The condition, also known as De Morsier’s Syndrome, happens when the optic(视觉的) nerves do not develop fully before the baby is born. Aubrey once had an iPad Mini, given to her by the Gia Foundation, which provides an iPad Mini to the blind once a year. However, it was stolen, and her family did not know how they could replace it. The iPad was extremely important to Aubrey’s development, as she uses it for intensive therapy(强化治疗). Each week, Aubrey works through an hour of physical and speech therapy.
While Aubrey may struggle with her sight, she loves music and plays the piano and sings fairly well for a three-year-old! As one can imagine, the iPad plays a huge role in this. She also finished her first year of school in May.
Sari says, "We are very happy for her progress. We like to have as many tools for learning as possible available to Aubrey, thus, my desire for the winning of the iPad Mini! She is a very special little girl and I love her dearly."
Here at Goedeker’s, we wish Aubrey the very best, and we hope she loves the new iPad Mini!Why did Sari take part in the drawing competition?
| A．To win an iPad Mini for her granddaughter. |
| B．To make customers at Goedeker’s happy. |
| C．To encourage her granddaughter to draw. |
| D．To prove her drawing talent to her family. |
How long has Aubrey been suffering from her illness?
| A．More than 1 year. | B．Around 2 years. |
| C．Less than 3 years. | D．Almost 4 years. |
The iPad Mini is special to Aubrey because________.
| A．it’s a prize received by her grandmother |
| B．it’s a tool for the treatment of her illness |
| C．it’s something her family can’t afford |
| D．it teaches her to sing and play the piano |
Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?
| A．The Yearly Competition at Goedker’s. |
| B．The Brave Girl Fighting Rare Disease |
| C．iPad Mini Winner Shares the Love |
| D．The New iPad Mini from Grandmother |
For lots of people in Britain, the 31st of December, or New Year’s Eve as we call it, is the biggest party of the year. It’s a time to get together with friends or family and welcome in the coming year. New Year’s Eve parties can take place at a number of different places. Some people hold a house party; others attend street parties, while some just go to their local for a few drinks with their mates. Big cities, like London, have large and wonderful fireworks shows.
There’s one thing that all New Year’s Eve parties have in common: the countdown(倒计时) to midnight. When the clock strikes(敲)twelve, people give a loud cheer, and give each other a kiss. They then link arms and sing a song called Auld Lang Syne, by a Scottish poet called Robert Burns. Not many people can remember all the words of the song, but the tune(旋律) is well known, so lots of people just hum along. The parties then continue into the early hours of the morning with lots of dancing and drinking. Other people might spend the day visiting relatives or friends they haven’t managed to catch up with for a while. Whatever happens, New Year’s Day tends to be very relaxed.
In Britain, it’s popular to make a promise to yourself about something you are going to do, or want to stop doing, in the New Year. This is called a New Year’s resolution. Typical resolutions include giving up smoking and joining a gym to get fit. However, the promise is often broken quite quickly and people are back into their bad habits within weeks or days.
New Year’s Day is the last bank holiday of the festive season, which means most people have to go to work the next day: bright and fresh and ready for the new year ahead!New Year’s Eve parties in Britain ________.
| A．end at midnight |
| B．can only be held indoors |
| C．only take place in big cities |
| D．include countdown to midnight |
The underlined word “hum” in Paragraph 2 probably means________.
| A．dancing to the music |
| B．singing with your mouth closed |
| C．learning to sin |
| D．keeping silent |
What does the author think of the New Year’s resolution?
| A．It can help people keep fit. |
| B．It’s a promise to your family. |
| C．It’s often hard to keep. |
| D．It’s a joke played on New Year’s Day. |
What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．New Year parties in Britain. |
| B．New Year countdown in Britain. |
| C．New Year’s resolution in Britain. |
| D．New Year celebration in Britain. |
There is an old saying about volunteer work that goes like this: No one can do everything, but everyone can do something.
Today, many people volunteer their time and energy to help others. There are a lot of ways to meet other people’s needs. For example, some volunteers provide help after a disaster. Others are happy to get dirty while repairing homes or planting trees or flowers in poor neighborhoods（地区）. Young people see suffering and loneliness around them and find ways to help. And history lovers help archeologists（考古学家）search for ancient objects to help deepen knowledge of the past.
Volunteers also work in many areas around the world, including Haiti（海地）. More than two years have passed since a 7.0 earthquake shook the nation. The exact number of people who died may never be known. Thousands of survivors of the Haitian earthquake still live in temporary（临时的）shelters. Last year, former American President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn joined five hundred Habitat volunteers in the town of Leogane to build houses.
Organizations do not have to be large to get volunteers. An activist group in Dharamsala, India is a good example. Jodie Underhill from England arrived in northern India several years ago. She planned to volunteer for an environmental project. She could almost not believe how much rubbish was ruining some of the area’s most beautiful sights. Ms Underhill learned about how to deal with the rubbish while taking part in other volunteer projects. But soon enough she formed her own group, Mountain Cleaners. Ms Underhill says the work is very hard. But she praises the group’s efforts as a wonderful experience. The young English woman says the Indian media started calling her “Garbage Girl”. And she says she was pleased with the name.
American teenagers also volunteer in many ways.The author uses an old saying in the first paragraph to .
| A．introduce the topic of the passage |
| B．draw the readers’ attention to care for the poor |
| C．encourage people to become volunteers |
| D．explain the meaning of volunteer work |
What did former American President Jimmy Carter do as a volunteer?
| A．Give some money to the poor in Haiti. |
| B．Plant trees and flowers in Haiti’s park. |
| C．Help archeologists search for ancient objects |
| D．Help to build houses after a disaster. |
How did Jodie Underhill feel when she saw beautiful sights ruined by the rubbish?
| A．shocked | B．pleased | C．moved | D．interested |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．The number of people died in Haiti’s earthquake is unclear. |
| B．Ms Underhill formed her own group to make money. |
| C．History lovers mainly learn the history from ancient objects. |
| D．Ms Underhill was called “Garbage Girl” by American media. |
What may the next passage talk about?
| A．The reason why people offer their services to others. |
| B．The way to join in a volunteer group. |
| C．The volunteer work that American teenagers do. |
| D．The benefits that volunteers can achieve. |
King Midas used to love gold. One day he met a fairy who allowed him to make a wish for something. The king replied at once, ‘‘I love gold. I want everything I touch to change into gold”. ‘‘Very well, tomorrow morning, everything you touch will turn into gold.” Saying this, the fairy disappeared.
The king waited excitedly till the next morning. To his joy, everything he touched changed immediately into gold. ‘‘I’m the richest man in the world now.” He shouted.
Soon Midas became hungry. He sat down at his table. All the foods and drinks turned into gold in his hand. ‘‘I’m dying of hunger.” He cried.
Just then his daughter came running in. ‘‘Why are you so sad, dad?” she asked, putting her arms around him. There and then she became a golden statue. The king loved his daughter very much .Seeing this, he began to cry. He looked up and suddenly saw the fairy before him. ‘‘Don’t you like the golden touch?” asked the fairy. ‘‘Please take it away,” begged the king, ‘‘give me back my daughter.” ‘‘Well, you have learned your lesson. Go and wash in the river. Then the golden touch will be gone.”
The king ran quickly to the nearby river.The fairy allowed the king to make a wish because
| A．She hoped to make the king the richest in the world. |
| B．She loved gold too. |
| C．She wanted to teach the king a lesson. |
| D．She wanted to turn the king’s daughter into gold. |
When the foods and drinks turned into gold the king was
A. excited B. hungry C. worried D happyThe king’s daughter became a golden statue when
| A．she saw her father |
| B．the king went to meet her |
| C．she put her arms around her father |
| D．the king loved her very much |
Which of the following might have happened afterwards?
| A．The king died in the river. |
| B．The king’s daughter changed back from gold to a lovely girl. |
| C．All the things the king had touched changed back into real ones. |
| D．Both B and C |
What do you think the story tries to tell us?
| A．Gold makes people unhappy. |
| B．More gold, more happiness. |
| C．Gold is not the thing that makes life happy. |
| D．People feel happy if they have not gold. |
When something goes wrong, it can be very satisfying to say, “Well, it’s so-and-so’s fault.” or “I know I’m late, but it’s not my fault; the car broke down(抛锚).” It is probably not your fault, but once you form the habit of blaming somebody or something else for a bad situation, you are a loser. You have no power and could do nothing that helps change the situation. However, you can have great power over what happens to you if you stop focusing on whom to blame and start focusing on how to remedy the situation. This is the winner’s key to success.
Winners are great at overcoming problems. For example, if you were late because your car broke down, maybe you need to have your car examined more regularly. Or, you might start to carry along with you the useful phone numbers, so you could call for help when in need. For another example, if your colleague causes you problems on the job for lack of responsibility or ability, find ways of dealing with his irresponsibility（不负责任） or inability rather than simply blame the person. Ask to work with a different person, or don’t rely on this person. You should accept that the person is not reliable and find creative ways to work successfully regardless of（不管） how your colleague（同事）fails to do his job well.
This is what being a winner is all about—creatively using your skills and talents so that you are successful no matter what happens. Winners don’t have fewer problems in their lives; they have just as many difficult situations to face as anybody else. They are just better at seeing those problems as challenges and opportunities to develop their own talents. So, stop focusing on “whose fault it is.” Once you are confident about your power over bad situations, problems are just stepping stop on for success.According to the passage, winners __________.
| A．deal with problems rather than blame others |
| B．meet with fewer difficulties in their lives |
| C．have responsible and able colleagues |
| D．blame themselves rather than others |
The underlined word remedy in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to __________.
| A．avoid | B． accept | C．improve | D．consider |
When your colleague brings about a problem, you should __________.
| A．find a better way to handle the problem |
| B．blame him for his lack of responsibility |
| C．tell him to find the cause of the problem |
| D．ask a more able colleague for help |
When problems occur, winners take them as __________.
| A．excuses for their failures |
| B．barriers to greater power |
| C．challenges to their colleagues |
| D．chances for self-development |
Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
| A．A Winner’s Secret. |
| B．A Winner’s Problem. |
| C．A Winner’s Opportunity. |
| D．A Winner’s Achievement. |
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