Several years ago， a television reporter was talking to three of the most important people in America. One was a very rich banker， another owned one of the largest companies in the world， and the third owned many buildings in the center of New York.
The reporter was talking to them about being important.
“How do we know if someone is really important？” the reporter asked the banker.
The banker thought for a few moments and then said， “I think anybody who is invited to the White House to meet the President of the United States is really important.”
The reporter then turned to the owner of the very large company. “Do you agree with that？” she asked.
The man shook his head， “No. I think the President invites a lot of people to the White House. You’d only be important if while you were visiting the President， there was a telephone call from the president of another country， and the President of the US said he was too busy to answer it.”
The reporter turned to the third man. “Do you think so？”
“No， I don’t，” he said. “I don’t think that makes the visitor important. That makes the President important.”
“Then what would make the visitor important？” the reporter and the other two men asked.
“Oh， I think if the visitor to the White House was talking to the President and the phone rang， and the President picked up the receiver， listened and then said， ‘It’s for you.’ ”There are _______ in this passage.
| A．two men and two women | B．three men and one woman |
| C．three women and one man | D．four women |
The banker thought _______.
| A．he was really important because he was a rich banker |
| B．the visitor to the White House was really important |
| C．the visitor who met the President of the United States |
| D．the reporter was really important |
The owner of the very large company thought _______.
| A．she was really important because she owned one of the largest companies |
| B．the banker was really important |
| C．the owner of many buildings in the center of New York was really important |
| D．the visitor would be really important if while he was visiting the President， the President would not answer any telephone call |
The owner of many buildings thought _______.
| A．he was really important because he owned many buildings in the center of New York |
| B．the owner of the very large company was really important |
| C．the visitor was really important if he talking to the President and the President received a telephone call for the visitor |
| D．the person who worked in the White House was really important |
The best title of the passage is ________ .
| A．Who’s more important,the President or me? |
| B．White House and the President. |
| C．The richer the more important. |
| D．How to be an important person. |
Cutting global warming pollution would not only make the planet healthier, it would make people healthier too, new research suggested.
Cutting carbon dioxide emissions could save millions of lives, mostly by reducing preventable deaths from heart and lung diseases, according to studies released Wednesday and published in a special issue of The Lancet, a British medical journal.
"Relying on fossil fuels leads to unhealthy lifestyles, increasing our chances of getting sick and in some cases takes years from our lives," US Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in a telecast briefing from her home state of Kansas. "As greenhouse gas emissions go down, so do deaths from cardiovascular（心血管） and respiratory（呼吸道） diseases. This is not a small effect."
Instead of looking at the health ills caused by future global warming, as past studies have done, this research looks at the immediate benefits of doing something about the problem, said Linda Birnbaum, director of the US National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.
Some possible benefits seemed highly speculative, the researchers conceded, based on people driving less and walking and cycling more. Other proposals studied were more concrete and achievable, such as reducing cook stoves that burn dung（粪便）, charcoal and other polluting fuels in the developing world.
And cutting carbon dioxide emissions also makes the air cleaner, reducing lung damage for millions of people, doctors said.
"Here are ways you can attack major health problems at the same time as dealing with climate change," said lead author Dr. Paul Wilkinson, an environmental epidemiologist at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Wilkinson said the individual studies came up with numbers of premature deaths prevented or extra years of life added for certain places.
For example, switching to low-polluting cars in London and Delhi, India, would save 160 lost years of life in London and nearly 1,700 in Delhi for every million residents, one study found. But if people also drove less and walked or biked more, those extra saved years would soar to more than 7,300 years in London and 12,500 years in Delhi because of less heart disease.What does the passage mainly talk about? _______.
| A．How can people live longer? |
| B．Cutting carbon dioxide emissions saves lives. |
| C．Global warming threatens people’s lives. |
| D．People should stop relying on fossil fuels. |
The new research differs from past studies in that _______.
| A．it focuses on the immediate benefits of cutting carbon dioxide emissions |
| B．it studies the bad effects arising from future global warming |
| C．it is believed by more people |
| D．it mainly targets at developing countries |
According to Kathleen Sebelius, _______.
| A．sometimes it takes years to see the bad effects caused by consuming fossil fuels |
| B．without greenhouse gas emissions, people would not die of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases |
| C．the main reason why people get sick is that they rely on fossil fuels |
| D．deaths from cardiovascular and respiratory diseases are closely related to greenhouse gas emissions |
Which of the following is the most practical way to cut carbon dioxide emissions according to the passage? _________.
| A．Driving less |
| B．Walking and cycling as much as possible. |
| C．Stopping using fossil fuels |
| D．Reducing the use of polluting fuels to cook. |
It can be inferred from the passage that _____.
| A．London and Delhi have already benefited from reducing greenhouse gas emissions |
| B．switching to low-polluting cars would save 160 lives in London each year |
| C．walking and biking instead of driving will reduce the chance of heart disease |
| D．attacking health problems and dealing with climate change are contradictory |
As a boy growing up in India, I had longed to travel abroad. I used to listen to the stories my father would tell me about his stay in Canada and tours to Europe in the 1970s, with great interest.
My big moment finally came in the summer of 1998 when I was able to accompany my parents to Europe, where my father was to attend a meeting. We planned to travel to Belgium, Netherlands and West Germany.
I have clear memories even today of going to Mumbai airport at night all excited about finally going abroad. I had heard several great things about Lufthansa till then but now I finally got to experience them first hand, during the flight to Frankfurt. We flew business class and even today I can remember the excellent service by the Lufthansa crew （工作人员）. The flight was really smooth and thoroughly enjoyable, even for someone like me, who is especially afraid of flying.
After spending almost two weeks in Europe, we took the Lufthansa airport express from Dusseldorf to Frankfurt airport, for our return flight. What a journey that was! All along the Rhine (莱茵河), it was simply an unforgettable experience. I had a sombre feeling on the flight back to Mumbai as it marked the end of a wonderful vacation, but the Lufthansa crew members were able to change it into a most enjoyable experience yet again, with the quality of their service.
Being the first airline to take me abroad, Lufthansa will always hold a special place in my heart. Even today，I continue to enjoy flights on Lufthansa and simply cannot dream of choosing any other airline. Flying, in general，for me，has always been a terrible and painful experience．Flying on Lufthansa，however, is something I always have and always will look forward to. Which country does the author live in now? ________.
| A．India. | B．Canada. | C．Belgium. | D．Germany. |
What made the author so interested in traveling abroad? ________.
| A．Growing up in India. |
| B．Once staying in Canada. |
| C．Once traveling to Canada with his father. |
| D．His father's stories about his traveling experiences. |
Which of the following is true about the author's trip to Europe in 1998? _________.
| A．The author traveled with one of his parents. |
| B．Both their going and return were by air. |
| C．They traveled in spring that year. |
| D．They stayed in Europe for nearly two months. |
It can be inferred from the passage that Lufthansa is ________.
| A．a city in India | B．a city in Europe |
| C．an airline company | D．a travel agency |
he underlined word “somber” in the 4th paragraph probably means “________”.
| A．happy | B．sad | C．angry | D．enjoyable |
The USA is a land of immigrants. Between 1815 and 1914, the world witnessed the greatest peaceful migration in its history: 35 million people, mostly Europeans, left their homelands to start new lives in America. Why did these people risk everything by leaving their homes and families?
First, what forced emigrants to make the decision to leave? One major cause for European farmers to leave was the rise in population which in turn led to land hunger. Another was politics. There was an increased taxation（税收）and the growth of armies, and many young men fled eastern Europe to avoid being forced to join the army.
Physical hunger provided another pressing reason. Following the collapse （衰退）of the economy of southern Italy in the 1860s, hundreds of thousands decided to start a new life in America. Religion also encouraged millions to leave the Old World.
In short, people chose to leave their homes for social, economic and religious reasons. As a result, by 1890 among a total population of 63 million, there were more than nine million foreign-born Americans.
But what were the attractions? First of all, there was the promise of land which was so scarce in Europe. Next, factories were calling for workers, and pay conditions were much better than back home. Men were needed to open up the West and build the long railroads, and new towns needed settlers to live in and to develop business. There was the space for religious people to practice their faith in peace.
This immigration meant that by around the 1850s Americans of non-English had started to be more than those of English. As we know, there were losers. To start with, there were those unwilling immigrants, the slaves who had been used as a source of cheap labour. Nor should we forget the equally unlucky American Indians. By 1860 there were 27 million free whites, four million slaves and a mere 488,000 free blacks.
Nowadays, the USA is still seen by millions as the Promised Land. As always, it remains an attractive place to those who think it will offer them a second chance.What is not the cause for people to leave their homeland?
| A．The search for religious freedom. | B．The search for adventure. |
| C．Unwillingness to join the army. | D．Economics. |
Why was life of the 19th Century European farmers difficult?
| A．There was no land. | B．There was no peace. |
| C．The population had gone down. | D．There were too many of them. |
Which of the following was not an attraction of the USA?
| A．Employment | B．A healthy life |
| C．freedom of religion | D．Business opportunities |
What is the topic of this passage?
| A．The USA is still seen by millions as the Promised Land. |
| B．The USA is a land of immigrants. |
| C．Religion encouraged millions to leave the Old World. |
| D．About one-eighth of non-native born Americans live in the USA in 1890. |
The American Indians __________.
| A．were as fortunate as the slaves |
| B．were more unfortunate than the slaves |
| C．were the most unfortunate |
| D．were as unfortunate as the slaves |
How to improve my life? Many people think that they have to accept whatever life throws at them. They'll say, "This is my fate, my destiny. I cannot change it."
Of course not! You don't have to suffer needlessly. Your destiny depends on you, not on any other external factors.
I know someone who says she just accepts what life gives her because she has done everything she can to improve it. Guess what her lifestyle is? She wakes up in the morning, goes to work, comes back home, relaxes, chats with people, watches TV, then goes to sleep. Next day, the same routine cycle follows.
Huh! Is this what she calls "doing her best"? She believes she has tried her best and just accepts it in her heart that this is the life that God has intended for her to live; that her luck can only change if God wills it. Of course God wants us to be happy and live our life to the fullest, but we have to do our share of exerting(运用) the effort to live the life of our dreams.
Remember that you reap what you sow. You just don't sit around and wait for a million dollars to fall from the sky. You have to get off the couch, get your eyes off the TV screen, get your hands off the phone. Don’t expect your luck to change unless you do something about it. If something goes wrong, don't just regard it as a temporary setback; but use it as feedback. Learn your lesson, make the most of the situation, and do something to solve the problem. It's not enough to think positively; you also have to act positively.
If someone's life is in the trouble, do you just hope and pray that things will turn out fine? Of course not! You get to do anything you can to save the person. So it is with your own life. It is not enough to hope for the best, but you have to do your best. In other words, don't just stand (or sit ) there, do something to improve your life.According to the woman mentioned in Para.3, her life ____________.
| A．Doesn't need improving | B．couldn't be improved |
| C．will be better some day | D．Will be worse in the future |
What does the author think of the woman's life? ____________.
| A．positive | B．satisfying | C．colorful | D．passive |
Which of the following statements is the author's opinion? ___________.
| A．Your temporary problem is not discouraging. |
| B．Your luck can be changed by your efforts |
| C．You can only achieve success when God wills it. |
| D．You should treat yourself in the way you treat friends. |
In Para.5, the author emphasized the importance of _____________.
| A．positive action | B．positive thinking |
| C．hope for the best | D．intention to succeed |
The text is mainly written to advise you to ____________.
| A．understand yourself | B．improve your life |
| C．believe in yourself | D．change your normal way |
ARIEL, West Bank: A suicide bomber blew up near Israeli soldiers outside a Jewish settlement in the West Bank yesterday, killing at least three people and wounding about 30
Ron Nachman, mayor of the settlement of Ariel. “Soldiers were among the casualties（伤亡者）. ”People on the spot said the bomber blew up after soldiers eating at a food stand in a petrol station at the entrance of the settlement found him. According to some people on the spot accounts reported by Israeli media, a soldier shot and wounded the bomber, who then exploded.
The Magen David Adorn ambulance service said at least three people were killed and at least 30 wounded in the blast（爆炸）, which set the bomber burning at Ariel, about 25 kilometers east of Tel Aviv.
A fire brigade（旅） official said: “The bomber was still burning when we got there and we put out the fire immediately.”
Meanwhile, a blast shook homes in Lebanon’s largest Palestinian refugee camp early yesterday, damaging buildings but causing no injuries, Palestinian sources said. They said the bomb was planted outside the home of a member of Palestinian President Yasser Arafat’s Fatah faction in Ain el-Hilwch camp, and exploded while the family was sleeping.Some of people including ________were killed or wounded in the blast accident.
| A．mayor | B．soldiers |
| C．rescue workers | D．a fire brigade official |
The suicide bomber blew himself up because________.
| A．there was something wrong with his brains |
| B．he couldn’t see the settlement’s mayor |
| C．a soldier shot and wounded him |
| D．he wanted to make himself known |
It can be concluded that the passage is most probably part of a(n）________.
| A．announcement | B．advertisement |
| C．science research | D．news report |
粤公网安备 44130202000953号