“Image is everything.” An entire industry has been built upon the assumption that image is everything, but when it comes down to it, an appealing image is not enough. If there is no substance（事实）behind the image, the product, service or person will fail eventually.
First of all, one should consider how important image is in the selling of products and services. Advertising agencies have raised the art of creating an image to a state of near perfection. Public concept of that product or service is certainly managed by the images created by the advertising agencies．But if the product or service does not live up to the image that was created, the customer will be very dissatisfied and possibly ask for their money back. For example, the Arthur Andersen accounting firm had spent decades building up an image of trustworthiness. But the recent scandal (丑闻) showed that behind that image, it cheated in business practices. Despite the previous positive image, the firm is being accused of criminal actions and it will probably not survive as a business unit. Although the image had been nearly perfect, the reality behind the image has led to the downfall of the world famous accounting firm.
Similarly, personal advisers can build up a public image for politicians and movie stars. Putting out positive news releases, making sure that only the best photographs are published, and ensuring that the person is seen in all the right places can build up a very positive image in the view of the general commons. But once again, history is filled with examples of both politicians and movie stars that fell from grace like the story of the Hollywood actor giving in to the pressures of fame and fortune. With people, just as with products and services, image is certainly important, but without positive substance behind the image, failure is close.
To summarize, it is clear that an appealing image is extremely important to success, whether that image is related to selling a product or service or to the “selling” of a person. But image is only half of the equation. What lies behind that image is every bit as important as the image itself —— the person or product must deliver on that image or there is little chance for long-term success.The downfall of the Arthour Andersen accounting firm is due to ___________.
| A．its dishonesty in business | B．its previous images |
| C．its bad management | D．its poor service |
Why did some famous people fall from grace?
| A．Their images were not well built up. |
| B．They failed to live up to their images. |
| C．They felt much pressure from the public. |
| D．They paid little attention to fame and fortune. |
The structure of the passage is ___________.
A: Argument P: Point C: Conclusion
The author tries to argue that ___________.
| A．image creates everything |
| B．image is the key to success. |
| C．truth is unlikely ever to be equaled |
| D．truth and image are equally important |
When the evening is coming, my dear son and I are preparing for the tape time. “Shoes on,” I remind 9-year-old Sam. “Snakes are always waiting for the chance to kiss you. But with our feet stepped into my car, we are safe.” We take blankets and cups of milk and head out to the shelter that serves as our garage. This has become our bedtime habit.
I press “play.” A motherly voice fills the car. My mother and my aunt send us books on tape obtained from secondhand shops or rescued from the back of drawer. Maybe no one in England lays cassettes anymore, but I still love them.
Sam rests on his seat. He’s sitting in the front seat. I am listening to the cassette. But I am also thinking. In a month’s time, my boy will be 10. Next year, he will be 11. And so it will go on, until he leaves me and his father and his sister to live out his own stories---as it is only right and proper he should.
Will he think back to the times when he sat in the dark in a car in Africa, listening to tales of Wales in World War Ⅱ, the finest lady detective of Botswana, or a country he has visited, and tells me he finds them “very interesting”? Will he think , when he is grown-up, the poor mum always makes the ancient tape player which is out of date work?
I like to believe that he will recall those wonderful moments. By then, perhaps, my child will realize a deep love of sharing and understanding by listening to the old tape player. I hope Sam will think that these evenings we spend in the car are a story themselves. It is his own first chapter. In time my boy will ease off the hand brake and roll out into the world. Until then, I’ll keep pressing “play”.What habit did the writer and her son develop?
| A．To play outside in the evening |
| B．To listen to tapes in a car |
| C．To drive in the evening |
| D．To read books together at night |
How does the author think about Sam’s leaving the family in the future?
| A．Interesting. | B．Common and natural. |
| C．Absurd. | D．Unbearable. |
In paragraph4, the two questions can prove that ________.
| A．playing with children is fun for parents |
| B．listening to stories is a good way to enjoy life |
| C．children need to ask questions in reading |
| D．Listening experiences will be part of Sam’s life |
The best title for the passage may be “_______”.
| A．A gift of a story player |
| B．A childhood full of love and story |
| C．Deep love for the tape player |
| D．The future life of our children |
Fascinated with images from the Mars Rover? It turns out you don’t have to go to space. The following spots may look like they are on another planet, but they are right here on earth.
* Socotra Island, Indian Ocean
The largest of the four-island Socotra Archipelago, the island has about 250 species of plants that are not found anywhere else in the world. This includes the canopy-topped dragon’s blood tree, which has blood-red resin(树脂）that runs down if the trunk is cut deep. It can grow to 10 feet with a bulbous(球根的）trunk that swells with water absorbed in case of dry weather.
See it for yourself: There are regular flights from the Yemen capital of Sanaa on(Felix Airways) ($ 180 each way)
* Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, Arizona
This wilderness in Northern Arizona/southern Utah is home to some of the most striking landscapes in the American Southwest. The nearly 300,000-acre site is known for its abundance of colorful shale（页岩）and Navajo sandstone that has been eroded(侵蚀）by the elements to create cliffs that rise as high as 3,000 feet. In the northwest of the park is the Coyote Buttes, where you’ll find The Wave, a wall of red sandstone that twists and turns in a way that just doesn’t look natural ---but is.
See it for yourself: Permits are required to hike in Vermilion Cliffs. Paria Canyon and Buckskin Gulch permits are available at on-site pay stations or in advance ($5 per person).
*Perito Moreno Glacier, Argentina
The huge size of the Perito Moreno Glacier is unbelievable---it is more than 50 miles in length and 500 feet deep. The terminus(终点）of the glacier is Lago Argetino, where a 50-foot blue-hued ice wall rises from the lake. The Perito Moreno is also one of the only glaciers left on earth that is still growing.
See it for yourself: Many tour companies offer day trips to Perito Moreno from El Calafte. Viator’s full-day tour includes transportation from a local hotel and a guided tour for $ 106 per person.Which is true about the canopy-topped dragon’s blood tree?
| A．It grows where there is little rain. |
| B．It has blood-red skin. |
| C．It is shaped like a dragon. |
| D．It stores water for dry season. |
What do we know about The Wave?
| A．It is created in a natural way. |
| B．It is created by waves. |
| C．It is as high as 3,000 feet. |
| D．It looks quite natural. |
How much does a couple pay for a trip to Perito Moreno Glacier, Argentina?
| A．$106 | B．$ 212 | C．$ 360 | D．$ 420 |
Where does the text probably come from?
| A．A geography book. | B．A tourist guidebook. |
| C．A news report. | D．A TV program. |
The world consumes hundreds of billions of single-use plastic bags each year. They are difficult to recycle, wasteful and damage the nature. Environmental activists want to ban plastic bags or---as many communities have done ---charge a fee for them. But the plastic bag industry defends their use, saying people reuse plastic bags, and industry officials argue recycling is a matter of personal responsibility and should not be forced.
City officials say New Yorkers use 5.2 billion plastic bags each year. They are offered free with nearly every supermarket, or convenience store purchase. Many people like them, even if they sometimes feel guilty about using them. But what happens to those bags after they’ve been used in a huge environmental problem. They are found on beaches. They are caught in trees. They are swallowed by marine life.
Plastic bags are made of petroleum products and natural gas, and do not biodegrade (分解). And they are difficult to recycle. So New York City spends nearly $ 10 million dollars a year to send 100---thousand tons of plastic bags to landfills out of state.
In Washington, D.C., a five percent charge on all single-use bags led to about a 60 percent reduction and in Los Angeles County in California , a 10 cent charge on single-use bags led to a 95 percent reduction. With a 10 cent charge on bags, customers are much more likely to stop and think about whether they need a bag or not. And that’s really all that these laws are doing.Who object to the limit of using plastic bags?
| A．Plastic bag makers. | B．Government officials. |
| C．Stores and supermarkets. | D．Most of the consumers. |
Paragraph 2 mainly tells us _____.
| A．the difficulty about dealing with plastic bags |
| B．the popularity of plastic bags in New York |
| C．the great convenience brought by using plastic bags |
| D．the usage and problems of plastic bags in New York |
What measure does the writer introduce to reduce the use of plastic bags?
| A．Reducing the production of plastic bags. |
| B．Charging for the use of plastic bags. |
| C．Offering paper bags instead of plastic bags. |
| D．Making people realize the harm of plastic bags. |
From July to October every year, about a quarter of the world’s blue whales feed in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California. But the whales currently face a major threat in their favorite feeding area. Ships carrying cargo (货物）sail in the same area at the same time. All too often, the whales’ paths and the ships’ travel lines overlap (重叠)，and a ship will hit a whale.
According to a new study, these ship strikes have become a serious threat to the overall population of the world’s blue whales. Only about 10,000 of the creatures still exist worldwide. Blue whales are the largest known animals ever to live on Earth. Even so, if hit by a container ship, a blue whale will likely die from its injuries.
In 2007 alone, large ships killed five blue whales in the waters off San Francisco and Los Angeles, California. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) says that because there are so few whales already, losing three to five from the California whale population every year is a significant loss. “The estimated population of blue whales in this part of the Pacific is 2,500”, says Sean Hastings, a NOAA analyst. “So every whale counts toward this species moving off the endangered-species list.”
Now, marine scientists must figure out how to protect the whales from the giant container ships. One very simple program is already under way in the Santa Barbara Channel, a waterway that separates mainland California from the nearby Channel Islands.
The Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary has asked large container ships passing through the area to voluntarily slow down. Sailing slower will allow the ships’ crew (船员）more time to change course before hitting a whale.
Several of the world’s largest shipping lines are set to participate in the new program. For every ship that passes through the Santa Barbara Channel at or below the reduced speed of 12 knots (海里 / 小时），the company that owns the ship will be paid $2,500.
From Paragraph 1, we can know that_____.
| A．people intend to illegally hunt blue whales for money |
| B．large ships often carrying goods may pollute the sea |
| C．there is fewer fish in blue whales’ favorite feeding area |
| D．the container ships may hit the blue whales frequently |
Why is the death of several whales regarded as significant loss to the world's blue whales?
| A．Because other blue whales will be scared away. |
| B．Because the number of the blue whales is so small. |
| C．Because blue whales are the largest animals in the world. |
| D．Because many blue whales get killed throughout the year. |
According to Sean Hastings，it’s inferred that .
| A．the blue whales are still on the endangered-species list. |
| B．the number of the blue whales is decreasing sharply. |
| C．most of the world’s blue whales live in the Pacific Ocean. |
| D．blue whales are often disturbed by other endangered creatures. |
What are the last three paragraphs mainly about?
| A．The basic responsibility of a sailor. |
| B．The world’s largest shipping lines. |
| C．Measures to protect the blue whales. |
| D．Ways to slow down the speed of the ships. |
Singles' Day ---- the Chinese opposite of Valentine’s Day has turned into a massive online shopping event. It is a day when single people are supposed to buy themselves presents. But there are sociological reasons behind China's “celebration” of single life. And the imbalance could have big consequences for the country.
There were 34 million more men than women in China in 2011. Part of that is natural – usually there are 105 boys born for every 100 girls. But the Chinese gender ratio (性别比例) at birth is much more obvious. It was 116 boys to 100 girls in 2012. The one child policy is largely to blame. Brought in to limit population expansion, the policy allows only one child per family. But because male children are seen as more valuable, as well as more likely to support their parents in old age, some parents choose to have a son over a daughter. The result is that large numbers of men will likely never get married. In fact, one study has predicted that by 2030, 1 in 5 Chinese men in their 30s will never have married, while another states that 94% of unmarried people in China are men.
Traditionally, China has seen high levels of marriage, usually among the young. Besides, the increased education and career opportunities for women have meant that marriages are happening later. It is also traditional that women often marry men of a higher socioeconomic status than themselves. So women at the top and men at the bottom find themselves alone. One study has even suggested a link between an imbalanced gender ratio and growth in violent crime in the country.
Singles ' Day can’t solve all the problems China’s singles face. Indeed, it is possible that it is causing even more problems, as men resort to increasingly risky lines of work to increase their chances of gaining money and thus a wife. I am worried that as money starts to overcome romance, there is evidence that China ' s marriage market is increasingly materialistic.
In 2012, if 50 girls were born, how many boys were probably born?
| A．50. | B．52. | C．58. | D．60. |
What made women in China get married late?
| A．Their support of the government’s late marriage policy. |
| B．Their higher education level and more work chances. |
| C．That they expect to enjoy their single time when young. |
| D．That there are too many excellent young men to choose from. |
What’s the writer’s attitude to the imbalance gender ratio in China?
| A．Optimistic | B．Concerned |
| C．Indifferent | D．Unknown |
We can learn from the passage that .
| A．Singles' Day is celebrated all over the world. |
| B．by 2030, 1 in 5 Chinese women in their 30s will be out of marriage. |
| C．an imbalanced gender ratio is related to the growth in violent crime. |
| D．Singles' Day will solve all the problems China’s singles face. |
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