Like lots of small-business owners, Lola Gonzalez had to decide to cut down her company’s nine-person staff (员工) when the economic recovery began to fail last spring. Unlike other companies, she picked an unlikely employee to lay off (解雇): herself.
Her business began to have problems in 2008 after going through her books (账簿)
One day, her husband, Marcos, told her she had to reduce her payroll（薪金总额）by one person. Gonzalez said at a meeting, “I want you all to know that I have to lay somebody off and it’s been a very difficult decision. And that person is me.” Employees first froze in amazement and then burst into laughter until they realized she was serious. Gonzalez ’s employees said they were grateful for her kindness.
Her reason was simple. Although she ran the business and her employees did the legwork (跑腿), she thought she could find work more easily than her staff. Sure enough, she soon got a job as a social worker for a non-profit organization called Devereux Kids. She enjoys her social-worker job now, but the salary (薪水) cut has required some lifestyle changes. She and Marcos no longer eat out daily; they no longer pay for their son’s car and mobile phone, and they changed their car to a smaller one to save $300 a month.
Her business has picked up a bit recently and Marcos has begun to work part-time at Gonzalez’s company. Gonzalez says she has no plan to return to work at her company until the economic situation becomes better, perhaps in a year. Her employees, however, will get Christmas bonuses (奖金) this year.How many workers are there in Gonzalez’s company at present?
| A．8. | B．9. | C．10. | D．11. |
How did her employees feel at first when they heard Gonzalez’s decision?
| A．Happy. | B．Grateful. | C．Surprised. | D．Unbelievable. |
After leaving her company, _____________.
| A．Gonzalez sold her car and went to work by bus |
| B．Gonzalez always had meals in a restaurant |
| C．Gonzalez’s son helped her a lot |
| D．Gonzalez changed her lifestyle a lot |
From the text, we can learn that ___________.
| A．Gonzalez will not return to her company in future |
| B．Gonzalez’s business has improved a little lately |
| C．Gonzalez got her social-worker job with great difficulty |
| D．Marcos lost his job and had to work at Gonzalez’s company |
阅读下面短文，根据所读内容在表格中的空白处填入恰当的词。
注意：每个空格只填一个单词。
Fruit also makes up a flowering plant. It carries the seeds . The purpose of fruit is to protect a plant’s seeds and help them get spread about. Wind and water spread seeds .So do animals when they eat fruit and drop the seeds .
There are two main types of fruit: fleshy and dry. Fleshy fruits are soft and juicy , the way we usually think of fruits . Peaches ,plums ,and apples are all fleshy fruits . Dry fruits are thin and hard . Grains like wheat and rice , or nuts are dry fruits.
You’ve eaten seedless oranges and grapes . How can they be fruits? It’s because people have changed the way they grow fruit. They can now grow seedless fruit . Seedless fruit comes from special plants called hybrids(杂交生物体) . A hybrid is made by combining two varieties of a fruit to form a new variety . This hybrid grows and produces seed
s . But the plants grown from these seeds are seedless . These plants cannot reproduce themselves.
A tomato is a vegetable , right? No , it’s actually a fruit . Other food we think of as vegetables—such as squash , peppers ,and eggplant—also are fruit . They’re fruit because they carry seeds and develop from flowers . Here’s another surprise . Scientists classify the tomato as a berry(浆果) . In addition , th
ey don’t consider some fruits we call berries to be true berries because a berry is normally a type of fruit with a lot of seeds inside it . Technically ,
a strawberry , isn’t a berry , because it has its seeds on the outside . The red part is just the tip of the strawberry stem that’s enlarged.
Fruits are a source of nourishing(滋养) substances that keep us alive and healthy . For example , they contain many vitamins , especially vitamins A and C, and many minerals . They also provide fibre for a healthy digestive system and carbohydrates that the body needs to make energy.
| Title： |
|
| Basic knowledge |
Being Protecting a plant’s seeds and helping spread them about. Mainly |
| Fleshy fruit :Juicy and Dry fruit : Thin and hard , like wheat ,rice , nuts ,etc . |
|
| Fruit seeds |
Coming from a |
| Some surprises |
Tomato , squash ,peppers and eggplant are fruits because they carry seeds and develop from Some fruits like strawberry aren’t technically berries because they have seeds on the |
| Being to humans |
Keeping people alive and Providing vitamins , fiber and carbohydrates. |
With the theme "Cherishing the earth's resources, transforming the mode of development and living a low-carbon lifestyle," China's Ministry of Land and Resources held a ceremony this Thursday to mark the 41st World Earth Day, aims to generate new ideas of resource-saving, especially among the younger generation. In fact, Chinese young urbanities are turning to the seemingly trendy low-carbon lifestyle.
But for the country as a whole to achieve a low-carbon economy, it could mean ordinary people paying more for electricity, water, gas or simply every purchase. Of necessity, a low-carbon economy would be the basis of China's economic growth, yet it comes with a high price tag. Everybody longs for fresh air, clean water and healthy surroundings. But, who is going to pay for that?
For those who are still working hard for the basic necessities of life, sharing the cost of a greener environment can be taxing. For those who are already victimized by environmental pollution, additional expenditure for saving the environment 
is hard to bear. Behind all the lofty goals and loaded phrases of climate change 
negotiations, in everyday terms, the Chinese want to know whether companies will make them pay the cost of saving energy or whether government would come up with new levels.
They have reasons to worry. The recent hike in the charges of utilities, such as natural gas, water and electricity, have led to widespread public grievance(抱怨,牢骚), for the increases were imposed without proper public hearing. Besides the practice of monopoly State-owned enterprises raising prices at will does not seem to bode well for a low-carbon economy.
The government has a responsibility to strengthen regulation of utility charges and make the pricing mechanism more transparent. In the age of the low-carbon economy, the Chinese government needs to strike a new balance between public welfare and business competitiveness.
How far the initiatives toward a low-carbon economy succeed depends on whether they truly benefit ordinary people and is accepted by them. The majority cannot sacrifice their life to build a greener world for the few.The author probably agrees to call on ____________.
| A．more and more citizens to devote themselves to the “Low-carbon economy” for the sake of our earth immediately |
| B．the rich to generally pay for the bill, which aims at saving our planet. |
| C．our government to take proper measures to make the “Low-carbon economy” benefit more people |
| D．all the big enterprises to reduce their prices to build a greener world |
According to the passage, which of the following statements is NOT TRUE?
| A．Some people can’t afford their everyday expenses, let alone pay for a better environment. |
| B．Putting forward the “Low-carbon economy” costs much. |
| C．The balance between public welfare and business competitiveness in China now is not that good for the “Low-carbon economy”. |
D．Now that it’s hard for us to make the “Low-carbon economy” into practice, our government should p ut it to an end. |
The “Low-carbon economy” __________.
| A．is beneficial only to the rich people |
| B．has led to widespread public grievance |
| C．can be realized when pigs fly in the sky |
| D．cannot be called success before it has been fully considered |
What’s the best title of the passage?
| A．China reaches out for younger generation to promote low-carbon lifestyle. |
| B．Low-carbon economy, acceptable or not? |
| C．Who will get the most benefit from the Low-carbon economy? |
| D．Put forward the new policy and save the world. |
Motherhood may make women smarter and may help prevent dementia(痴呆) in old age by bathing the brain in protective hormones(荷尔蒙) , U.S. researchers reported on Thursday.
Tests on rats show that those who raise two or more litters of pups do considerably better in tests of memory and skills than rats who have no babies, and their brains show changes that suggest they may be protected against diseases such as Alzheimer’s(早老痴呆症). University of Richmond psychology professor Craig Kinsley believes his findings will translate into humans.
“Our research shows that the hormones of pregnancy(怀孕) are protecting the brain, including estrogen(雌激素), which we know has many neuroprotective (保护神经的) effects,” Kinsley said.
“It’s rat data but humans are mammals just like these animals are mammals,” he added in a telephone interview. “They go through pregnancy and hormonal changes.”
Kinsley said he hoped public health officials and researchers will look to see if having had children protects a woman from Alzheimer’s and other forms of age-related brain decline.
“When people think about pregnancy, they think about what happens to babies and the mother from the neck down,” said Kinsley, who presented his findings to the annual meeting of the Society of Neuroscience in Orlando, Florida.
“They do not realize that hormones are washing on the brain. If you look at female animals who have never gone through pregnancy, they act differently toward young. But if she goes through pregnancy, she will sacrifice her life for her infant—that is a great change in her behavior that showed in genetic alterations(改变) to the brain.”What does the phrase “litters of pups” mean in the second paragraph?
| A．Baby rats. | B．Animals. | C．Old rats. | D．Grown-up rats. |
What can protect the brain of a woman according to the passage?
| A．Estrogen. | B．The hormones of pregnancy. |
| C．More exercise. | D．Taking care of children. |
“It’s rat data but humans are mammals just like these animals are mammals.” What does the sentence suggest?
| A．The experiments on the rats have nothing to do with humans. |
| B．The experiments on the rats are very important for animals. |
| C．The experiments on the rats are much the same on humans. |
| D．The experiments on the rats are much the same on other animals. |
Which title is the best for this passage?
| A．Do You Want to Be Smarter? | B．Motherhood Makes Women Smarter |
| C．Mysterious Hormones | D．An Important Study |
I told my friend Graham that I often cycle two miles from my house to the town centre but unfortunately there is a big hill on the route．He replied, “You mean fortunately．”He explained that I should be glad of the extra exercise that the hill provided．
My attitude to the hill has now changed．I used to grumble as I approached it but now I tell myself the following．This hill will exercise my heart and lungs．It will help me to lose weight and get fit．It will mean that I live longer．This hill is my friend．Finally I comfort myself with the thought of all those silly people who pay money to go to a gym and sit on stationery exercise bicycles when I can get the same value for free．I have a smile of satisfaction as I reach the top of the hill．
Problems are there to be faced and overcome．We cannot achieve anything with an easy life．Helen Keller was the first deaf and blind person to gain a university degree．Her activism and writing proved inspirational．She wrote
，“Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet．Only through experiences of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened，vision cleared，ambition inspired and success achieved.”
One of the main determinants of success in life is our attitude towards adversity(逆境)．From time to time we all face hardships，problems．accidents、afflictions and difficulties．Some are of our making but many confront us through no fault of our own．While we cannot choose the adversity we can choose our attitude towards it．
Douglas Bader was 21 when in 193l he had both legs cut off following a flying accident．He was determined to fly again and went on to become one of the leading flying aces in the Battle of Britain with 22 aerial victories over the Germans．He was an inspiration to others during the war．He said, “Don't listen to any-one who tells you that you can’t do this or that．That's nonsense．Make up your mind，you'll never use crutches(拐杖)or a stick，then have a go at everything．Go to school，join in all the games you can．Go anywhere you want to．But never，never let them persuade you that things are too difficult or impossible.”
The biographies（传记）of great people are full of
examples of how they took steps to overcome the difficulties they faced．The common thread is that they did not become depressed．They chose their attitude．They chose to be positive．They took on the challenge．They won．
Nevertheless．there is still the problem of how you change your attitude towards adversity．Which of the following is true according to the author of the passage?
| A．Climbing hills on bicycles is the best way to take exercise． |
| B．People are silly to pay to go to the gym． |
| C．Those who want to achieve success can't expect to live all easy life． |
D．People's attitude towards adversity is the only factor that determines whether they will succeed． |
By quoting what Douglas Bader said，the author intends to tell us“ ．”
| A．Failure is the mother of Success． |
B．A fall into t he pit，a gain in your wit． |
| C．If you venture nothing，you will have nothing． |
| D．Nothing is difficult to the man who will try． |
Following this passage，the author will further talk about ．
| A．how his friend helped him to change his attitude towards the adversity he faced |
| B．what steps to take to change your attitude towards the adversity you face |
| C．what great people have in common |
| D．why it is important to keep optimistic in face of adversity |
Which of the following can best function as the title of the passage?
| A．Face adversity with a smile | B．Different attitudes towards adversity |
| C．Nothing is impossible | D．Life is full of adversity |
Each Indian(印第安人) was supposed to keep his birth name until he was old enough to earn one for himself. But his playmates(游戏伙伴) would always give him a name of their own. No matter what his parents called him, his childhood friends would use the name they had chosen. Often it was not pleasing, such as Bow Legs or Bad Boy. But sometimes a name fit so well that the youngster found it difficult to shake it off. If he could not earn a better one from a war later, he could be stuck with a name like Bow Legs for the rest of his life.
The Indian earned his real name when he was old enough for his first fight against the enemy. His life name depended on how he acted during this first battle. When he returned from the war, the whole tribe would gather and observe the ceremony in which he would be given his name by the chief. If he had done well, he would get a good name. Otherwise he might be called Crazy Wolf or Man-Afraid-Of-a-Horse. So an Indian’s name told his record or described the kind of man he was.
A man was given many chances to improve his name, however. If in a later battle he was brave in fighting against the enemy, he was given a batter name. Some of our great fighters had as many as twelve names—all good and each better than the last.
An Indian’s names belonged to him for the rest of his life. No one else could use them. Even he himself could not give them away because names were assigned by the tribe, not the family. So no man could pass on his name unless the chief and the tribe asked him to do so.
Sometimes an Indian would be asked to give his name to a son who had performed a noticed deed. I know of only three of four times when this happened. It is the rarest honor for a person—the honor of assuming(承担) his father’ name.An Indian could be given the second name by__________.
| A．his father | B．the enemy | C．the chief of the tribe | D．his childhood friends. |
The greatest honor an Indian could earn was__________.
| A．a victory in his first battle against the enemy. | B．a name given by the chief. |
| C．a ceremony to get his real name. | D．the right to use his father’ name. |
If an Indian had more than ten names, it means that___________.
| A．many people in the tribe liked him. | B．he was a great fighter. |
| C．he had a lot of friends. | D．he had fought in fewer than ten battles. |
Which of the following statements is not true according to the passage?
| A．The names given by the playmates of an Indian were usually not pleasant. |
| B．The life name of an Indian was earned in battle. |
| C．An Indian could throw away his birth name when he was old enough to earn one for himself. |
| D．The Indians themselves were not allowed to give their names away. |
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