How I Turned to Be Optimistic
I began to grow up that winter night when my parents and I were returning from my aunt＇s house, and my mother said that we might soon be leaving for America. We were on the bus then. I was crying, and some people on the bus were turning around to look at me. I remember that I could not bear the thought of never hearing again the radio program for school children to which I listened every morning.
I do not remember myself crying for this reason again. In fact, I think I cried very little when I was saying goodbye to my friends and relatives. When we were leaving I thought about all the places I was going to see—the strange and magical places I had known only from books and pictures. The country I was leaving never to come back was hardly in my head then.
The four years that followed taught me the importance of optimism, but the idea did not come to me at once. For the first two years in New York I was really lost—having to study in three schools as a result of family moves. I did not quite know what I was or what I should be. Mother remarried, and things became even more complex for me. Some time passed before my stepfather and I got used to each other. I was often sad, and saw no end to “the hard times. ”
My responsibilities in the family increased a lot since I knew English better than everyone else at home. I wrote letters, filled out forms, translated at interviews with Immigration officers, took my grandparents to the doctor and translated there, and even discussed telephone bills with company representatives.
From my experiences I have learned one important rule: Almost all common troubles eventually go away! Something good is certain to happen in the end when you do not give up, and just wait a little! I believe that my life will turn out all right, even though it will not be that easy. How did the author get to know America?
| A．From her relatives | B．From her mother |
| C．From Books and pictures | D．From radio programs |
Upon leaving for America the author felt .
| A．confused | B．excited | C．worried | D．amazed |
What can we learn about the author from Paragraph 4?
| A．She worked as a translator |
| B．She attended a lot of job interviews |
| C．She paid telephone bills for her family |
| D．She helped her family with her English |
The author believes that .
| A．her future will be free from troubles |
| B．it is difficult to learn to become patient |
| C．there are more good things than bad things |
| D．good things will happen if one keeps trying |
For six hours we shot through the landscape of the Karoo desert in South Africa. Just rocks
and sand and baking sun. Knowing our journey was ending, Daniel and I just wanted to remember all we had seen and done. He used a camera. I used words. I had already finished three notebooks and was into the fourth, a beautiful leather notebook I’d bought in a market in Mozambique.
Southern Africa was full of stories. And visions. We were almost drunk on sensations. The roaring of the water at Victoria Falls, the impossible silence of the Okavango Delta in Botswana . And then the other things: dogs in the streets, whole families in Soweto living in one room, a kilometre from clean water.
As we drove towards the setting sun, a quietness fell over us. The road was empty -- we hadn’t seen another car for hours. And as I drove, something caught my eye, something moving next to me. I glanced in the mirror of the car; I glanced sideways to the right, and that was when I saw them. Next to us, by the side of the road, thirty, forty wild horses were racing the car, a cloud of dust rising behind them -- brown, muscular horses almost close enough to touch them, to smell their hot breath. I didn’t know how long they had been there next to us.
I shouted to Dan: “Look!”, but he was in a deep sleep, his camera lying useless by his feet. They raced the car for a few seconds, then disappeared far behind us, a memory of heroic forms in the red landscape. When Daniel woke up an hour later I told him what had happened.
“Wild horses?” he said. “Why didn’t you wake me up?”
“I tried. But they were gone after a few seconds.”
“Are you sure you didn’t dream it?”
“You were the one who was sleeping!”
Typical, he said. “The best photos are the ones we never take.”
We checked into a dusty hotel and slept the sleep of the dead. During their journey in Africa, the two travelers______.
| A．made friends with local residents |
| B．complained about the poor living conditions |
| C．enjoyed the sunset in the Karoo desert most |
| D．recorded their experiences in different ways |
What did Daniel think when he woke up and was told what had happened?
| A．He always missed out on the best thing. |
| B．He had already taken beautiful pictures. |
| C．A sound sleep was more important. |
| D．The next trip would be better. |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．How to view wildlife in Africa. |
| B．Running into wildlife in Africa. |
| C．Tourist attractions in southern Africa. |
| D．Possible dangers of travelling in the desert. |
Bill Gates, the billionaire Microsoft chairman without a single earned university degree, is by his success raising new doubts about the worth of the business world’s favorite academic title: the MBA (Master of Business Administration).
The MBA, a 20th century product, always has borne the mark of lowly commerce and greed on the tree-lined campuses ruled by purer disciplines such as philosophy and literature.
But even with the recession(经济萎缩) apparently cutting down the hiring of business school graduates, about 79,000 people are expected to receive MBAs in 1993. This is nearly 16 times the number of business graduates in 1960.
“If you are going into the corporate world it is still a disadvantage not to have one,” said Donald Morrison, professor of marketing and management science. “But in the last five years or so, when someone says, ‘Should I attempt to get an MBA?’ the answer a lot more is: It depends.”
The success of Bill Gates and other non-MBAs, such as the late Sam Walton of Wal-Mart Stores Inc., has helped inspire self-conscious debates on business school campuses over the worth of a business degree and whether management skills can be taught.
The Harvard Business Review printed a lively, fictional exchange of letters to dramatize complaints about business degree holders. The article called MBA hires “extremely disappointing” and said “MBAs want to move up too fast, they don’t understand politics and people, and they aren’t able to function as part of a team until their third year. But by then, they’re out looking for other jobs.”
The problem, most participants in the debate acknowledge, is that the MBA has acquired an aura (光环) of future riches and power far beyond its actual importance and usefulness.
Business people who have hired or worked with MBAs say those with the degrees of ten know how to analyze systems but are not so skillful at motivating people. “They don’t get a lot of grounding in the people side of the business”, said James Shaffer, vice-president and principal of the Towers Perrin management consulting firm.According to paragraph 2, what is the general attitude towards business on campuses ruled by purer disciplines?
| A．Envious(嫉妒的). | B．Realistic. |
| C．Scornful(蔑视的). | D．Appreciative. |
. It seems that the argument over the value of MBA degrees had been fueled mainly by ___.
| A．the complaints from various employers |
| B．the success of many non-MBAs |
| C．the criticism from the scientists of purer disciplines |
| D．the poor performance of MBAs at work |
. What is the major weakness of MBA holders according to the Harvard Business Review?
| A．They are usually self-centered. |
| B．They are aggressive and greedy. |
| C．They keep complaining about their jobs. |
| D．They are not good at dealing with people. |
. From the passage we know that most MBAs ________.
| A．can climb the corporate ladder fairly quickly |
| B．quit their jobs once they are familiar with their workmates |
| C．receive salaries that do not match their professional training |
| D．cherish unrealistic expectations about their future |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．Why there is an increased enrollment in MBA programs. |
| B．The necessity of reforming MBA programs in business schools. |
| C．Doubts about the worth of holding an MBA degree. |
| D．A debate held recently on university campuses. |
Clothes can make phone calls, play music, dial your pal’s number, keep you warm during cold weather and operate your computer?
This is not a fantasy. A British company, called Electrotextiles, has created a wide range of clothes — clothes that have minds of their own! Scientists, working for the company, have invented a kind of fabric that can be blended(混合) with flexible electronic materials to create intelligent clothing. The result are electronic garments.
If you think the wearer has to be wired to different devices, think again. These designer clothes are wire-free, soft to touch and washable!! Like any electronic device, these high-tech clothes have to be powered. Currently, a tiny nine-volt battery serves the purpose. But the researchers hope that in the near future the clothes will generate electricity by using body heat. These clothes are 100 percent shock proof, they say.
The Electrotextiles team has also created the world’s first cloth keyboard. This keyboard can be sewn into your trousers or skirt. To use this device, you will have to sit down and tap on your lap! These ‘lap- tap’ gadgets(器具) are all set to take over laptop computers!
Another useful garment is the shirt-cum-mobile phone. This handy invention enables drivers to chat comfortably with others at the wheel! Other popular electronic wear include the denim(牛仔布) jacket with flexible earphones sewn into the hood(风帽) and the electronic ski jacket with a built-in heater. The ski jacket is also programmed to send signals to a satellite. This technology is known as global positioning system and can be used to track lost skiers and wandering kids.
Having completed the cloth keyboard, scientists have already started to work on a new project—a necktie that can be used as a computer mouse. What is the next? Do you have any idea?. The electronic garments are similar to other electronic devices in that ______.
| A．they feel smooth and soft |
| B．they use electricity as power |
| C．they can be washed in water |
| D．they are made from flexible materials |
. How will researchers improve these high-tech clothes?
| A．Body heat will be used as power. |
| B．The wearer will not get shocked. |
| C．A tiny nine-volt battery will work. |
| D．They will get charged automatically. |
What does the underlined phrase “This handy invention” in Paragraph 5 refer to?
| A．The laptop computer. | B．The electronic ski jacket. |
| C．The shirt-cum-mobile phone. | D．The world’s first cloth keyboard. |
. If you are going on a ski adventure, which device do you need?
| A．The cloth keyboard. | B．The electronic ski jacket. |
| C．The necktie to be used as a mouse. | D．The denim jacket with earphones. |
. The main purpose of the text is ______.
| A．to advertise for an English company | B．to predict the future trend of science |
| C．to show how rapidly science develops | D．to introduce some intelligent clothing |
Men can be beautiful too, right?
CHINA is going to host the 18th World University Student Beauty Contest in Guangzhou this December. This year for the first time the contest will include a male section. Students from over 130 countries will compete for Mr. and Miss Beauty. The contest is one of the most respected beauty contests in the world. It was copied by the United Nations University (an international university belonging to the United Nations) in 1986.
Stick to studying
LI Yining, an economics professor at Peking University, said that he would not encourage students to try their luck in the stock market (股市). “They should stress study,” Li said, in his speech at Beijing Foreign Studies University. When asked, the professor said he expected house prices in Beijing to continue to rise. Li thinks the government should provide more affordable houses for low-level income people.
Campus cinema
Students at over 100 universities will have a digital cinema on campus after the National Day holiday. The 21st Century Digital Film on Campus Project was launched at the end of September. The ticket will cost 3-8 yuan, rather than 30-40 yuan at cinemas in town. Students often download movies online or watch DVDs. Now they can enjoy original films in the digital cinema. The digital cinema will show a variety of films other than Hollywood blockbusters (好莱坞大片).
Getting practical
All 12,000 graduates from vocational school in Shanxi Province have landed a job, according to the provincial government. In the past five years, it is estimated that over 95 percent of the professional school graduates have found jobs. However, the number for university graduates is 70 percent. Some employers said that they prefer professional school graduates who learned something more practical in school and expected lower salaries than university students. In the third part, the underlined word “launched” may mean ______.
| A．started | B．ended | C．told | D．mentioned |
Where can the material be chosen from?
| A．A novel. | B．A newspaper. | C．An advertisement. | D．A fashion magazine. |
. Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．More than 130 countries will take part in the 18th World University Student Beauty Contest. |
| B．The ticket for digital film will cost 3-8 yuan. |
| C．In the past five years, over 95 percent of the university graduates have found jobs in Shanxi. |
| D．Over 100 universities took part in the 21st Century Digital Film on Campus Project. |
. Professor Li thinks that ______.
| A．the house prices in Beijing will keep going up. |
| B．the students should try their luck in the stock market. |
| C．the government can do nothing about housing problem. |
| D．the students should not only pay attention to study. |
. What can we infer from the passage?
| A． In Shanxi, the professional school graduates are less popular with employers than university graduates recently. |
| B．The digital cinema will only show Hollywood blockbusters. |
| C．The graduates from universities can put what they learned into practice more easily. |
| D．No men competed in the World University Students Beauty Contest before this year. |
“Oh please God, no, no!” Stephen Eldredge cried out when he saw his wife, Shelli, badly wounded on the side of the road. She had broken actually every long bone in her body, along with her pelvis, jaw, and cheekbones. He was terrified his bride would bleed to death.
Stephen and Shelli had married just six months before near their home in South Jordan, Utah. They were in Hawaii on a family vacation with two of their sons. The family had rented electric motors and headed towards a nature preserve near Waikiki. But Shelli had fallen behind and the family turned back to make sure she was okay.
Shelli lost so much blood that her heart couldn’t function properly and she went into shock at the hospital. Physicians were able to make her come to herself. On the first and second days there, she lived through half a dozen operations. On day three, the worst of Stephen’s fears came true. Shelli didn’t wake. She had shown heart failure and lung failure. “I thought every heartbeat would be her last,” Stephen says.
As days passed with no change, one doctor gently asked if it was time to let Shelli go. An MRI（核磁共振）showed her brain didn’t have much chance of supporting life. Stephen couldn’t bear the thought of trapping his wife’s beautiful spirit in a body that would never work. If he kept her alive, what kind of life would she have ? He called family, religious leaders, and physician friends in Utah for guidance.
And he decided there still was a chance.
The family moved Shelli to a Utah hospital closer to home. In the next few weeks she started opening her eyes, but it wasn’t entirely clear how conscious she was. Nearly seven weeks after the accident, Stephen was joking with his sister in the hospital room when he saw Shelli smile, a big toothy grin. “Did you understand that?” he asked. She smiled again. Stephen fell to his knees in thanks.
Shelli’s recovery has been slow but steady. Initially, she couldn’t remember much of the previous months, including her own wedding. Shelli has endured 17 operations so far and may require more surgery. She will definitely need more months of recovery. But she is able to walk. “She’s got her life back. She’s able to love and be loved, and be the person she was.” Elovie says.
When Shelli hears about each step in her recovery, she calls it “miracle after miracle”. As for his experience, Stephen says, “This is a story of fear that was slowly replaced by faith.” We learn from the first two paragraphs that .
| A．Stephen and Shelli left home to hold the wedding ceremony. |
| B．Shelli was mainly wounded in the back |
| C．the couple were in Hawaii when the accident happened |
| D．the accident happened on their way to Waikiki |
In the hospital room Shelli smiled for the first time after the accident because .
| A．she liked people telling jokes. |
| B．she had remembered all that had happened |
| C．she was excited that she got her life back |
| D．she understood the joke being talked about |
By saying “miracle after miracle”, Shelli means that .
| A．she suffered what a terrible accident |
| B．she appreciated the care of her husband so much |
| C．the love for her family got her life back |
| D．it really surprised her that she survived so many operations |
. After reading the passage, what impresses us most may be that.
| A．Stephen’s not giving up | B．the doctor’s skill and hard work |
| C．Shelli’s bravery and persistence | D．the couple’s faith |
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