Does Fame Drive You Crazy?
Although being famous might sound like a dream come true, today's star, feeling like zoo animals, face pressures that few of us can imagine. They are at the center of much of the world's attention. Paparazzi (狗仔队) camp outside their homes, cameras ready. Tabloids (小报) publish thrilling stories about their personal lives. Just imagine not being able to do anything without being photographed or interrupted for a signature.
According to psychologist Christina Villareal, celebrities - famous people - worry constantly about their public appearance. Eventually, they start to lose track of who they really are, seeing themselves the way their fans imagine them, not as the people they were before everyone knew their names. "Over time," Villareal says, "they feel separated and alone."
The phenomenon of tracking celebrities has been around for ages. In the 4th century B.C., painters followed
Alexander the Great into battle, hoping to picture his victories for his admirers. When Charles Dickens visited America in the 19th century, his sold-out readings attracted thousands of fans, leading him to complain (抱怨) about his lack of privacy. Tabloids of the 1920s and 1930s ran articles about film-stars in much the same way that modern tabloids and websites do.
Being a public figure today, however, is a lot more difficult than it used to be. Superstars cannot move about without worrying about photographers with modern cameras. When they say something silly or do something ridiculous, there is always the Internet to spread the news in minutes and keep their "story" alive forever.
If fame is so troublesome, why aren't all celebrities running away from it? The answer is there are still ways to deal with it. Some stars stay calm by surrounding themselves with trusted friends and family or by escaping to remote places away from big cities. They focus not on how famous they are but on what they love to do or whatever made them famous in the first place.
Sometimes a few celebrities can get a little justice. Still, even stars who enjoy full justice often complain about how hard their lives are. They are tired of being famous already.
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It can be learned from the passage that stars today.
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What is the main idea of Paragraph 3?
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What makes it much harder to be a celebrity today?
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What is the author's attitude toward modern celebrity?
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BUKHANNON, West Virginia—Two rescue teams slowly moved along a two-mile path on Monday night to the site of a coal mine (矿) explosion that trapped 13 miners, who had not been heard from since the early morning accident.
Meanwhile, at a nearby church, more than 250 family members and friends gathered, waiting for updates (最新报道) on the rescuers’ progress.
The miners were trapped at about 6:30 and many families weren’t informed of the accident until about 10 a.m.—more than three hours after it happened. “It’s very upsetting, but you’ve got to be patient, I guess,” said John Helms, whose brother, Terry, was trapped in the mine.
The trapped miners were about 260 feet underground and about 10,000 feet from the Sago Mine’s entrance, said Roger Nicholson, general counsel from International Coal Group.
At a late night news conference, Nicholson said one team had advanced about 4,800 feet in the four hours since entering the mine just before 6 p.m. Another team entered the mine about 30 minutes later.
He said the crew was very experienced, with some members having worked underground for 30 to 35 years. The miners were equipped with about one hour of breathable oxygen (氧气) each. The company has not released the names of the miners.
The teams test the air about every 500 feet, and have to remove the power to the phones they use to communicate with the surface before doing that. “We don’t want to be energizing (通电) anything if it’s in an atmosphere with burnable gases,” Kips said. The cause of the explosion was not immediately known. High levels of carbon monoxide (一氧化碳) were detected shortly after the explosion, which delayed rescue efforts, but those levels have since subsided (减退), authorities said. According to the passage, we can infer that ________.
| A．all the miners who were trapped underground were still alive |
| B．communication with the trapped miners was cut off |
| C．the two rescue teams entered the mine at the same time |
| D．the rescue started as soon as the accident happened |
If the first team advanced at an average speed, they could dig about ________ per hour.
| A．1,000 feet | B．2,400 feet | C．1,200 feet | D．4,800 feet |
Which of the following shows the position where the miners were trapped?
Where can the passage be seen?
| A．In a magazine. | B．In a newspaper. | C．In a science book. | D．On an advertisement. |
Habits, whether good or bad, are gradually formed. When a person does a certain thing again, he is driven by some unseen force to do the same thing repeatedly, then a habit is formed. Once a habit is formed, it is difficult, and sometimes impossible, to get rid of. It is therefore so important that we should pay great attention to the formation of habits. Children often form bad habits, some of which remain with them as long as they live. Older persons also form bad habits lasting as long as they live, and sometimes become ruined by bad habits.
There are other habits which, when formed in early life, are of great help. Many successful men say that much of their success has something to do with certain habits in early life, such as early rising, honesty and so on.
Among the habits which children should not form are laziness, lying, stealing and so on. These are all easily formed habits. Unfortunately older persons often form habits which could have been avoided.
We should keep away from all these bad habits, and try to form such habits as will be good for ourselves and others. are formed little by little.
| A．Only good habits | B．Only bad habits |
| C．Both good habits and bad habits | D．Either good habits or bad habits |
The underlined word “them” in the first paragraph refers to .
| A．bad habits | B．good habits | C．children | D．other persons |
Why should we pay much attention to the formation of habits?
| A．Because habits are of great help to every one of us. |
| B．Because a man can never get rid of a habit. |
| C．Because it’s hard and sometimes even impossible to throw away bad habits. |
| D．Because we are forced to do them again and again. |
According to the passage, early rising .
| A．has something to do with success | B．is an easily formed habit |
| C．is such a habit as should have been avoided | D．is such a beneficial habit as will be kept |
I still remember the day when my mom said, “Let’s get you some new clothes.” You can imagine that to any little girl that would mean the world, but to me it meant the universe, because we were not very rich. After she said that, all I could think about was what kinds of clothes I would choose. To my surprise, my mom allowed me to pick out three dresses: a pink one, a blue one and a yellow one. The yellow one was my favorite.
I had a best friend named Seema, whose family was even poorer than ours. We played and studied together, and spent the best days of our childhood laughing at the silly stories we made up. I was excited to show her my three beautiful new dresses. She loved them all and was happy for me, but tearfully explained to me that her father could only afford to buy her clothes for her birthday. I felt sorry, and then did something that surprised even myself: I asked her to pick out one of my dresses for herself. To my disappointment, she picked up my favorite—the yellow one. Please remember, I was only seven years. My heart almost popped out (跳出) of my chest. But as she held it against her body, and I saw how brightly she smiled, I stopped feeling any hurt. I told her it looked lovely on her.
I’ll always remember Seema’s smile, and how at that moment nothing mattered more. When you value your friendships, nothing else matters! We’re still best friends today.Why did the new clothes mean the universe to the author?
| A．She loved dressing up more than anything else. |
| B．She thought they would make her more beautiful. |
| C．Her family was poor, and new clothes were very rare. |
| D．Her mother only bought her new clothes for her birthday. |
The author let Seema pick out one of her dresses because she wanted to _______.
| A．show her pity for Seema’s family | B．show off her family’s wealth |
| C．make Seema become her best friend | D．exchange it with Seema’s dress |
When Seema chose the yellow dress, the author was disappointed because ________.
| A．she was not generous | B．she didn’t expert to lose her favorite dress |
| C．Seema chose her favorite dress on purpose | D．Seema was careless about her feelings |
What can we conclude from the passage?
| A．Getting a best friend means losing other things. | B．Being generous is not easy. |
| C．Children like sharing their favorite things. | D．Friendship is precious (珍贵的). |
Everybody knows that words can carry messages. People communicate with words. Books, magazines, TV ，radio and films all help us to know what is going on in the world and what people are thinking about.
Do you think you can communicate without words? A smile on your face shows you are happy or friendly. Tears in your eyes tell others that you are sad. When you put up your hand in class, the teacher knows that you say something or ask a question. You shake your head, and people know you are saying “No”. You nod and people know you are saying “Yes”.
Other things can also carry messages. For example, a sign at the bus stop helps you to know which bus to take. A sign on the wall of your school helps you to find the library. Signs on doors tell you where to go in or out. Have you ever noticed there are a lot of signs around you and you receive messages from them all the time? People can communicate in many ways without words. For example, an artist can use his drawings to tell about beautiful mountains, seas and many other things.
46．Choose the best title for this passage.
A. Ways for Communication.
B. The Best Way for Communication.
C. The Only Way for Communication.
D. Words Can Carry Messages.
47．How can people communicate with each other?
A. With words only
B. Only without words.
C. Either with words or without words.
D. Just by using different kinds of signs.
48．Which of the following is NOT a way for communication without words?
A.A cry for help B.A smile on your face
C. Making a face D. Nodding your head
49．What does the road sign P tell people?
A. You can go into the park. B. You can please everybody.
C. You can leave your car there. D. You can cross the street there.
50．How can a musician (someone who writes music) communicate with people?
A. By saying something. B. By playing some music.
C. By writing letters. D. All of the above are right.
One day newly wedded Nancy lost her ring while helping to plant potatoes. Friends were called and the field was searched long but in vain. Later, when the potatoes were harvested, Everyone looked out for the ring but it remained lost. Another year came round and all the farmers working in the field kept their eyes open. The following year was the same. And year after year, whoever had business in the field aways had Nancy’s ring in his mind.
Then the farm changed hands but it went no farther than to cousins. So the memory of the lost ring remained alive until thirty-eight years had passed. Then came a spring day when a man was ploughing the field behind a pair of horses. Even after thirty-eight years he still looked out for the ring, and knew just which part of the field Nancy had lost it in. At this time, when he came there, he found it .He picked it up, put it carefully into his pocket, left his horse, and ran all the way down to the village and placed it into Nancy’s hand.
56．How did Nancy come to lose her ring?
A. She lost it while helping to harvest tomatoes in the field
B. She lost it while watering the plants in the field.
C. She lost it while working in the field.
D. She lost it while helping to plant potatoes in the field.
57. What was done so that the lost ring could be found?
A. Friends were asked to join in the search.
B. The field was searched for a long time.
C. Dogs were called to look for it.
D. Both A and B
58. Why did people keep looking for the ring even after the farm changed hands?
A. It was a very expensive ring B. They all wanted to solve the mystery.
C. They all loved Nancy. D. Everybody wanted to have this ring.
59. What did the ploughman do after finding the ring?
A. He picked it up and put it in his pocket.
B. He ran back to tell everybody in the village.
C. He placed it in a secret spot.
D. He returned it to the owner.
60. What can you infer from the story?
A. The ring was invaluable.
B. People on the farm were honest and helpful.
C. The ring’s mysterious disappearance was the work of supernatural power.
D. Nancy no longer expected that her ring would be found again.
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