Surprises often come in boxes. Birthday presents wrapped in colorful paper, brown paper packages mailed from a friend. No matter what kind of box it is, people like to open it up and see what's inside. In America, and in many other countries, one special kind of box contains the future. It's called a ballot box. What people put into the box on election day can change the course of history.
Elections are the lifeblood of a democracy. The word democracy literally means "the people rule," an important concept in American history. In the mid-1700s, England began passing laws that made the American colonies angry. The colonists had to pay more and more taxes and enjoyed less and less freedom. They felt the government of England didn't represent their interests. On July 4, 1776, the colonies declared their independence from England. They wanted to establish a democracy where people could have a voice in government.
An effective democracy holds regular elections. In America, elections are held every two years for members of Congress. In these elections, all seats in the House of Representatives and one-third of the Senate seats are up for grabs. In addition, every four years, voters go to the polls to elect the nation's president and vice-president. Voters also regularly cast their ballots for state and city government leaders and local school board members. Sometimes they also have to vote on a proposed law.
In the American electoral system, people don't really vote for presidential candidates. Instead, voters cast their ballots for "electors" who support each candidate. Each state has as many electors as the total number of its representatives in Congress. This equals two senators per state plus the number of its representatives in the House (which is based on the state's population). The candidate who has the most votes in a state wins all of the state's electors. To win the presidential election, a candidate must gain at least 270 of the 538 total electoral votes.
Over the years, the U.S. has made a number of election reforms. Some early reforms outlawed cheating, giving bribes and threatening voters. They also limited the amount of money candidates could receive from donors and spend on their campaigns. In 1870, black people gained the right to vote, and in 1920, that right was extended to women. In recent decades, laws against unfair rules for voting have been passed. No longer do people have to pay a special tax or pass a test in order to vote. In 1971, the voting age was lowered to 18. Other reforms made voting easier for the blind, the disabled and people who couldn't read. In some areas, ballots had to be printed in languages besides English.
In November, Americans will again elect those who will represent them in government. Although some citizens aren't even registered to vote--and some registered voters don't bother to go to the polls--most Americans exercise their right to vote. They realize that their future is wrapped up in a special package--the ballot box. It's a package that must definitely be "handled with care." According to the context, what does a “ballot box” mean in Chinese?
| A．彩票箱 | B．投票箱 | C．礼品箱 | D．保险箱 |
Democracy means that ____.
| A．People couldn’t have a voice in a government. |
| B．In America, elections are held every four years for members of Congress. |
| C．Democracy is the lifeblood of elections. |
| D．Basically “ the people rule”, and it’s very important in American history. |
How will the votes distributed if Romney got 20 votes while Obama received 17 votes in California in the election?
| A．Romney will win 20 votes in California. |
| B．Obama will win 20 votes in California. |
| C．Romney will win 37 votes in California. |
| D．Obama will win 37 votes in California. |
Which one is RIGHT about election reforms?
| A．People have to pay a special tax to vote. |
| B．There are bribes and threatening in elections now. |
| C．People above eighteen years old can vote now. |
| D．The disabled or the blind have tough access to voting. |
What’s the main idea of this passage?
| A．Birthday boxes in the U.S. | B．Election systems in the U.S. |
| C．Election reforms in the U.S. | D．Democracy in the U.S. |
“Love your neighbor as yourself" is a saying familiar to most of us. It means that you must have he ability to love and accept yourself in order to form and keep satisfying relationship with others self-esteem means accepting yourself for who you really are, and believing that you are indeed a ivdrthwhile person who is deserving of love and respect from others.
Self-esteem is our sense of how good we feel about ourselves. It is based on our judgment of urselves, not on other people's assessment, but simply on our own. Our self-esteem is not efaendent on our talent. Some very ordinary people feel very good about themselves, while other extranordinarily high achievers hold low opintions of themselves.
Self-esteem is the primary key to long-term stress managerment. Why? The first three sourees of stress are: predictable life event, unexpected changes and build-up of daily stresscs, These are much easier to handle when we believe in ourselves, A postive, healthy self-estcem gives us the “hardiness”(强健) to deal with the difficulities of life, and to see them as challenges to be met, rather than threals to be feared.
The forth category of streesons is entirely the result of a low self-esteem. It is the category of stress that is most common and tiring over the long run. This kind of stress cannol be overcome, or evenchanged, until the self-exteem problems that cause it are corrected.
Learning to love yourself for who y ou are is the key to overcoming stress. Self-esteem comes form the self, and cannot be promoted by others. A person who fecls that his self-estecm comes from the approval of those around him or her is bound to self-destruct(自毁), One cannot keep the level of “performance” required to please everyone else, especially if that performance disagrees with who you are and is simply a facade that makes you popular with the world. When the applause is gone, there is nothing left.
Only those who can feel the strength of knowing who they are and those who can feel good about that will survive the stresses of life. Sef-esteem is the basis of contentment and positive living.
58． What is self-csteem?
A．A kind of positive lifestyle.
B．The impression we have on other people.
C．Our sense of how good we feel about ourselves.
D．Our understanding of how we are seen by others.
59．What is the key to overcoming stress according to the passage?
A．Removing yourself from stressful situation．
B．Learning to love yourself for who you are．
C．Facing the stress and dealing with it．
D．Getting help from friends．
60．What does the underlined word "facade" （in Para 5） mean?
A．A false appearance． B．A big worry．
C．A wrong action． D．A strange feeling．
61．The passage is written to ______．
A．tell people how to overcome stress
B．help people form good relationship with others
C．show the importance of feeling good about yourself
D．provide the different methods to get a clear view of yourself
It was the first snow of winter- an exciting day for every child but not for most teacher. UP until now, I had been able to dress myself for recess (课间休息), but today I would need some help. Miss Finlayson, my kindergarten teacher at Princess Elizabeth School near Hamilton, Ontario, had been through first snow days many times in her long career, but I think she may still remember this one.
I managed go get into my wool snow pants. But I struggled with my jacket because it didn’t fit well. It was a hand-me-down from my brother, and it made me wonder why I had to wear his ugly clothes. At least my hat and matching scarf were mine, and they were quite pretty. Finally it was time to have Miss Finlayson help me with my boots. In her calm, motherly voice she said, “By the end of winter, you will be able to put on your own boots.” I didn’t realize at the time that this was more a statement of hope than of confidence.
I handed her my boots and stuck out my foot. Like most children, I expected the adult to do all the work. After much wiggling and pushing, she managed to get first one into place and then, with a sigh, worked the second one on too.
I announced, “They’re on the wrong feet.” With the grace that only experience can bring, she struggled to get the boots off and went through the joyless task of putting them on again. Then I said, “These aren’t my boots, you know.” As she pulled the offending boots from my feet, she still managed to look both helpful and interested. Once they were off, I said, “They are my brother’s boots. My mother makes me wear them, and I hate them!” Somehow, from long years of practice, she managed to act as though I wasn’t an annoying little girl. She pushed and shoved, less gently this time, and the boots were returned to their proper place on my feet. With a great sigh if relief, seeing the end of her struggle with me, she asked, “Now, where are your gloves?”
I looked into her eyes and said, “I didn’t want to lose them, so I put them into the toes of my boots.”
39. According to the passage, the little girl got ______ from her brother.
A. the wool snow pants and the jacket B. the jacket and the boots
C. the jacket and the hat D. the boots and the gloves
40. What made it so hard for the teacher to help the little girl put her boots on?
A. The gloves in the toes of the boots. B. The slowness of the teacher.
C. The wrong size of the boots D. The unwillingness of the girl
41. It can be inferred that before the little girl finally went out to enjoy the first snow of winter, the teacher had to help her put on her boots______ .
A. once B. twice C. three times D. four times
42. Which of the following sentences from the text BEST indicates that the teacher is very considerate?
A. In her calm, motherly voice she, “By the end of winter,…”(Paragraph 2)
B. With the grace that only experience can bring, she struggled to…(Paragraph 4)
C. …she still managed to look both helpful and interested. (Paragraph 4)
D. …she managed to act as though I wasn’t an annoying little girl. (Paragraph 4)
Ⅲ. 阅读理解 (共15小题;每小题2分,满分30)
The World Trade Organization (WTO), founded on January 1, 1995, aims to encourage international trade to flow as possible, making sure that trade agreements are respected and that any disputes can be settled.
In the five years since its founding, the WTO has become well known as one of the world’s most powerful economic organizations, taking its place alongside the World Bank and International Money Fund.
The system of global rules for international trade, however, dates back half a century to 1948 when the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade was formed after World War II.
As time went by, it became clear that the GATT had two major drawbacks-the limited areas of trade it covered, and the lack of an effective system to settle disputes.
After seven years of trade talks ending in 1994, the so-called Uruguay Round finally give birth to the WTO, complete with an effective system to settle disputes and new rules covering trade in services and intellectual property.
Even after seven years of talks and 22, 500 pages of agreements, there were still problems, especially the difficulty to deal with areas of agriculture and services, which the member nations agreed to revise in 2000. The WTO, with its head office in Geneva, has 135 members with 30 more waiting to join.
36. From the passage we know that the GATT stopped working ________.
A. soon after World War II ended
B. a little more than 50 years after World War II
C. just in the year 1994
D. seven years before the Uruguay Round talk
37. Compared with the GATT, the WTO _______.
A. didn’t pay enough attention to services and intellectual property
B. got its members to sign the agreements more easily
C. has got to many areas of international trade to deal with to work effectively
D. can do better to settle disputes in more areas of international trade
38. In the new century the WTO will ________.
A. take the place of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund
B. have more members and settle more problems
C. make complete new rules in every area of international trade
D. have new rules covering trade in services and intellectual property
An Australian 3-year-old was described as a hero after saving his mum from an almost certain death by calling emergency services right after she collapsed(because of an epileptic attack (癫痫发作).
Aiden McDonald amazed the doctors who arrived at Jeanine McDonald’s house 10 minutes after Aiden called 000. The boy was very calm and spoke to the doctors as his mother got into an unconscious state.
Sasha Lewis took the strange call and sent out an ambulance immediately. Aiden answered questions during the 19-minute call that made it clear it was a serious matter.
Lewis said: “He sounded worried and was telling me things like ‘Mummy is not awake’, so I got an idea that it was a fairly serious matter.”
This is part of the “conversation” they had:
“Can I talk to Mummy please?”
“Mummy’s not well.”
“How old are you, sweetheart?”
“I got a clock.”
“Can I talk to Mummy?”
“I can’t get my Mummy.”
“Where is she?”
“On the floor. Mummy’s had a fit （昏厥）.”
“Do you live in Kallangur?”
“We’ve got milk in the fridge and, um, (pause) I can’t find the ambulance (crying), Mummy, Mum ... Mum ... Mum ...”
Mrs McDonald, who was making a cup of tea when she collapsed, was taken to hospital and allowed to leave the same night. “After hearing what he did I thought, no, that can’t be right,” Jeanine McDonald said. “But I’m so proud.”
72. In Australia, people will call 000 when t
hey _____.
A. are diagnosed with a serious illness
B. are looking for a job
C. need emergency help in the event of health problem
D. need to find someone to take care of their children
73. Why did Sasha Lewis talk with Aiden on the phone so long?
A. She tried to comfort Aiden and calm him down.
B. She tried to get as much information as possible.
C. Aiden was too slow in speaking on the phone.
D. Aiden was too nervous to describe what was happening.
74. Jeanine McDonald received medical help about _____ after she suddenly became unconscious.
A. 10 minutes B. 20 minutes C. 30 minutes D. one hour
75. The most useful lesson that parents learn from the story is that _____.
A. it’s important to teach children to respond properly in serious situations
B. it’s important to teach children to use the phone
C. they should build a parent-child relationship based on love and trust
D. they should believe that children have the abilities to solve their own problems
Communicating effectively means more than knowing what to say and when to say it. Communication involves the subtle signals your body language sends to those who are watching. Here are some common body actions and the impressions they create:
● Fiddling (好动) — Playing with your watch or a pen looks like you’re bored or impatient.
● Clock watching — It looks like you’re to move on to something else.
● Tapping — Tapping your feet or fingers suggests you are impatient or nervous.
● Staring — An unblinking (不眨眼的) stare conveys threatening or violent behaviour.
● Legs crossed or body hunched (弓背，耸肩) — Closing up your body profile — becoming smaller — looks like you lack confidence.
● Arms crossed — If you keep your arms folded during communication, you appear to be defending yourself against the others.
● Touching your face — When you have your hand in front of your mouth, you appear very shy.
● Rubbing your nose, looking away — People who are lying often rub their nose or look away when speaking.
● No eye contact — If you won’t look the other speaker in the eye, you seem to have low interest or a lack of confidence. (Don’t forget staring above.)
How you communicate with your body language is just as important as what you say. Watch your body language and control the unconscious messages you might be sending.
68. According to the passage, effective communication includes all of the following EXCEPT _____.
A. knowing what to say
B. sending unconscious messages to other people
C. saying the right thing at the right time
D. getting information from the other speaker’s body language
69. Which of the following people looks shy according to the passage?
A. 
B. 
C. 
D. 
70. If you want to show confidence when communicating, you should ______.
A. cross your legs or hunch your body
B. avoid direct eye contact
C. look the other speaker in the eye
D. keep touching your face
71. Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?
A. How to make a good impression on others
B. Can you read body language?
C. Control your body language for effective communication
D. How to send effective information through body language
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