A heartless thief is believed to have crashed a fund-raiser and made off with a bag of cash meant to help a New York City firefighter pay for life-changing surgery for his 9-year-old son. But little Aidan Sullivan -- who was born with a facial defect and no right ear -- yesterday put up a brave front, with a message for the crook(thief): "I'm going to kick your butt!"
"I want to look normal," said Aidan, whose father, Tim, is a firefighter in the Bronx. The third-grader has hemi facial micro soma, in which one half of the face doesn't develop correctly.
Last weekend, family friend Peter Drake, a Ridgefield, Conn., firefighter, hosted a fund-raiser, collecting between $8,000 and $9,000. But when the party at a Danbury, Conn., Irish cultural center was over, the money had disappeared.
"At the end of the night, all the money that was donated was put in a zippered bag," said Tim Sullivan. "A bartender gave the bag to Pete... He had it in his hands. He put it down to go do something, and when he came back, he saw that it was missing."
Sullivan said his longtime friend -- who has had fund-raisers to pay for Aidan's 10 previous surgeries -- is "devastated."
"Pete was so upset. He kept saying, 'I let Aidan down, I let Aidan down,” Colleen Sullivan, 40, recalled.
"We even went Dumpster diving, in case it was thrown out."
The Sullivans plan to go ahead with the March 1 surgery led by specialists at NYU's Langone Medical Center in Manhattan. The money would have offset the $10,000 to $15,000 that insurance doesn't cover. Yesterday, Aidan said he's not a fan of hospitals and doesn't like to be away from his sister, Kaylee, 4. But he's willing to do it. "I'm excited," he said. "Finally, an ear." Where do you probably read this text from?
| A．A magazine. | B．A newspaper. | C．A book. | D．An advertisement. |
How did little Aidan Sullivan feel when he knew the money was missing.
| A．He felt excited. | B．He felt surprised. |
| C．He felt upset. | D．He felt annoyed. |
What is the money used for according to this text?
| A．To help Aidan Sullivan to have another operation. |
| B．To help pay for Aidan Sullivan’s life insurance. |
| C．To return the money the Sullivans owed to the hospital. |
| D．To help a firefighter who got hurt in the ear. |
What is true of little Aidan Sullivan?
| A．He hates going to hospital. |
| B．He will go to New York for the surgery. |
| C．He didn’t care too much about the lost money. |
| D．He has received 10 surgeries before. |
What can we infer about Pete from the text?
| A．He was heartless. | B．He was kind. |
| C．He was caress. | D．He was a firefighter. |
Over the last 70 years．researchers have been studying happy and Unhappy people and finally found out ten factors that make a difference．Our feelings of well-being at any moment are determined to a certain degree by genes．However of all the factors，wealth and age are the top two．
Money can buy a degree of happiness．But once you can afford to feed，clothe and house yourself, each extra dollar makes less and less difference．
R
esearchers find that，on average，wealthier people are happier．But the link between money and happiness is complex．In the past half-century, average income has sharply increased in developed countries，yet happiness levels have remained almost the same．Once your basic needs are met，money only seems to increase happiness if you have more than your friends，neighbors and colleagues．
“Dollars buy Status(社会地位)，and status makes people feel better,” conclude some experts，which helps explain why people who can seek status in other ways-scientists or actors，for example-may happily accept relatively poorly-paid jobs．
In a research，Professor Alex Mic
halos found that the people whose desires-not just for money，but for friends，family, job，health-rose furthest beyond what they already had，tended to be less happy than those who felt a smaller
gap(差距)．Indeed，the size of the gap predicted happiness about five times better than income alone．“The gap measures just blow away the only measures of income，”says Michalos．
Another factor that has to do with happiness is age．Old age may not be so bad．“Given all the problems of aging，how 
could the elderly be more satisfied?” asks Professor Laura Carstensen．
Why are old people happier? Some scientists suggest older people may expect life to be harder and learn to live with it，or they're more realistic about their goals，only setting ones that they know they can achieve．But Carstensen thinks that with time running out，older people have learned to focus on things that make them happy and let go of those that don't．
“People realize not only what they have，but also that what they have cannot-last forever,” she says．“A goodbye kiss to a husband or wife at the age of 85，for example，may bring far more complex emotional responses than a similar kiss to a boy or girl friend at the age of 20.”According to the passage，the feeling of happiness _________.
| A．has little to do with wealth | B．increases gradually with age |
| C．is measured by desires | D．is determined partly by genes |
Some actors would like to accept poorly-paid jobs because the jobs _________.
| A．make them feel much better | B．provide chances to m ake friends |
| C．improve their social position | D．satisfy their professional interests |
Aged people are more likely to feel happy because they are more _________.
| A．optimistic | B．p ractical |
C．successful | D．emotional |
Professor Alex Michalos found that people feel less happy if __________.
| A．the gap between reality and desire is bigger |
| B．they have a stronger desire for friendship |
| C．their income is below their expectation |
| D．the hope for good health is greater |
“My kids really understand solar and earth-heat energy,” says a second-grade teacher in Saugus, California. “Some of them are building solar collectors for their energy course.” These young scientists are part of City Buildin
g Educational Program (CBEP), a particular program for kindergarten through twelfth grade that uses the stages of city planning to teach basic reading, writing and math skills and more.
The children don’t just plan any city. They map and analyze (分析) the housing, energy, and transportation requirements of their own district and foretell its needs in 100 years. With the aid of an architect (建筑师) who visits the classroom once a week, they invent new ways to meet these needs and build models of their creations. “Designing buildings of the future gives children a lot of freedom,’’ says the teacher who developed this program. “They are able to use their own rich imagination and inventions without fear of blame, because there are no wrong answers in a future context. In fact, as the class enters the final model-building stage of the program, an elected ‘official’ and ‘planning group’ make all the design decisions for the model city and the teacher steps back and becomes an adviser.
CBEP is a set of activities, games and imitations that teach the basic steps nec
essary for problem-solving: observing, analyzing, working out possible answers, and judging them based on the children’s own standards.The program is designed to_________.
| A．direct kids to build solar collectors |
| B．train young scientists for city planning |
| C．develop children’s problem-solving abilities |
| D．help young architects know more about designing. |
An architect pays a weekly visit to the classroom to ________.
| A．find out kids’ creative ideas | B． help kids with their p rogram |
| C． discuss with the teacher | D． give children a lecture |
Who is the designer of the program?
| A．An official. | B．An architect. | C．A teacher. | D．A scientist |
The children feel free in the program because __________.
| A．they can design future buildings themselves |
| B．they have new ideas and rich imagination |
| C．they are given enough time to design models |
| D．they need not worry about making mistakes |
A popular saying goes, “Sticks and stone may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” However, that’s not really true. Words have the power to build us up or tear us down. It doesn’t matter if the words come from someone else or ourselves – the positive and negative effects are just as lasting.
We all talk to ourselves sometimes. We’re usually too embarrassed to admit it, thoug
h. But we really shouldn’t be, because more and more experts believe talking to ourselves out loud is a healthy habit.
This “self-talk” helps us motivate ourselves, remember things, solves problems, and calm ourselves down. Beware, though, that as much as 77% of self-talk tends to be negative. So in order to stay positive, we should only speak words of encouragement to ourselves. We should also be quick to give ourselves a p
at on the back. The next time you finish a project, do well in 
a test, or finally clean your room, join me in saying, “Good job!”
Words possess power because of their lasting effects. Many of us regret something we once said. And we remember unkind words said to us! Before speaking, we should always ask ourselves: Is it true? Is it loving? Is it needed? If what we want to say doesn’t pass this test, then it’s better left unsaid.
Words possess power: both positive and negative. Those around us receive encouragement when we speak positively. We can offer hope, build self-esteem(自尊) and motive others to do their best. Negative words destroy all those things. Will we use our words to hurt or to he
al? The choice is ours.The author argues in the first paragraph that ________.
| A．words will never hurt us at all |
| B．words have lasting effects on us |
| C．positive effects last longer than negative effects |
| D．negative words last longer than positive effects |
Why should we not feel embarrassed when talking to ourselves?
| A．Almost everybody has the habit of talking to oneself. |
| B．It does harm to have “self-talk” when we are alone. |
| C．Talking to ourselves helps us to solve all the problems. |
| D．Talking to ourselves is believed to be good for our health. |
The underlined phrase “give ourselves a pat on the back” in Paragraph 3 means _________.
| A．blame ourselves | B．punish ourselves |
| C．praise ourselves | D．talk to ourselves |
Which of the
following statements would the author agree to?
| A．It is better to think twice before talking to others. |
| B．It is impossible for unkind words to be forgotten. |
| C．Words always possess long positive effects. |
| D．Kind words are sometimes not needed at all. |
Although many online personality tests are fun, only a few will really give you insight into who you are and what you are supposed to 
be doing with your life.
At CareerPlanner.com we believe that each individual, regardless of （不管） race or religion, has a purpose in life, and until you discover what your purpose is, you will not find true happiness, nor true job satisfaction.
This doesn’t mean you won’t be successful. It just means you won’t be happy until you are moving towards your true purpose.
Unfortunately, our school system does very little to help students discover their true career. This is where online personality tests and career tests can help.
Online personality tests and career tests can help you better understand what type of work you should be 
doing to achieve job satisfaction, happiness, and success.
Personality tests are most useful in giving you insight into “how” your personality compares to others and “how” you like to work.
In particular, if you frequently experience difficulty working with others, or getting their support and cooperation, a really good personality test would show you how to get along better.
While personality tests are very useful at showing you how you like to work and how you like your work environment, they are not really designed to show you “what” type of work is right for you.
That is where Career Interest Tests come in. Online Career Tests, such as the CareerPlanner.com offers will help you discover what your true interests are, and what type of work you will be passionate (热诚的) about.
But back to personality
tests. The most well-established personality tests are the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator R, and the Enneagram. The underlined word “insight” in the first paragraph means _____.
| A．theory | B．demand | C．understanding | D．term |
You can’t achieve true job satisfaction unless you _____.
| A．find your true purpose in life | B．choose the best work |
| C．get along well with others | D．adapt to the work environment |
The writer’s purpose in writing this passage is _____.
| A．to recommend some popular online personality tests |
| B．to inform readers of online personality and career tests |
| C．to tell the differences between some popular online tests |
D．to persuade people to take online personali ty or career tests |
What will the writer most probably talk about next?
| A．The differences between personality tests and career tests. |
| B．The similarities between personality tests and career tests. |
| C．The reasons why personality and career tests are popular. |
| D．The details of the two most well-established personality tests. |
An Australian company, Smart Car Technologies, has developed a system that lets drivers know when they’re speeding. When the technology becomes commercially available, it could help lead-footed drivers avoid tickets and also save lives. The company that developed the product hopes to convince Australian government agencies to put the technology into use in their automobile fleets.
The product, called Speed Alert, links real-time location data and speed obtained with the help of GPS to a database of posted speed limits stored in a driver’s PDA or programmable mobile phone. The setup of the product does not need to be hooked up to a car’s speedometer. In fact, it is entirely portable. It will also work with newer phones and PDAs that have built-in GPS receivers. If a driver exceeds the speed limit, the speed is shown and an alert sounds.
Michael Paine, an Australian vehicle design engineer and traffic safety consultant, was hired to analyze the product. He told Live Science that his colleagues in the road safety field are “very enthusiastic” about what they’re now calling “intelligent speed alert.” Other research, according to Paine, shows that 40 percent of all traffic deaths involve speeding. There is also a potentially controversial future use: “Since the system is so portable, it would be easy to make it a requirement for teenage drivers to always use a speed alert device when driving,” Paine said. “The system even has the capability to record speeding violations, so parents can monitor their teenage drivers.”
The product will soon go on sale in Sydney. What’s the purpose of the new product?
| A．To inform us of the new car system. | B．To introduce some improvement in cars. |
| C．To limit certain drivers to safe driving. | D．To popularize the built-in car system. |
The second paragraph mainly talks about .
| A．the project of the built-in product | B．why the system becomes popular |
| C．the functions of GPS in cars | D．how the product is programmed |
Which of the following is true of Speed Alert according to Michael Paine?
| A．Most of the traffic deaths can be avoided. | B．Speeding violations can be easily found out. |
| C．The system will excite some teenage drivers. | D．The product will not be available for adults. |
What can be the best title of the passage?
| A．Speed Alert and Its Future Use. | B．Progress in Car-making Science. |
| C．Warning for Adventurous Drivers. | D．New In-Car Device against Speeding. |
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