I believe in leaving work at five o’clock. In a nation with such a strict work ethic(道德规范) , this is considered strange. Working only 40 hours a week? I just don’t know many people who punch out (打卡下班) at five o’clock anymore.
My father tried to teach me the importance of hard work, long hours and devotion to a career. But then there are the things he taught me unintentionally, like when he arrived home from work for the last time and crawled up the stairs.
My father, a self-employed sales trainer, was that sick, that tired. His body was wracked with liver cancer, and he suffered the effects of a diabetic ulcer（糖尿病）. Despite all this, he insisted on traveling a long way to give a lecture. He probably earned a lot of money that day, but he paid the price. He returned to the hospital soon afterwards and was dead within three months, aged just 58.
It’s been 10 years since I saw my father come home that night and since then, I’ve thought a lot about work. I’ve decided something: I will never crawl up the stairs exhausted. As much as I love my job as a newspaper reporter, I will never work myself into the ground, physically or emotionally. Not taking my work home didn’t come easily to me at first. After all, I am my father’s daughter. In college, I was the girl who sat on the library steps each morning, waiting for the doors to open. I even dreamt about schoolwork.
My dad once told me he was unable to just gaze at a sunset; he had to be doing something as he looked at it—writing, reading, playing chess. You could say he was a success: He was a published author, an accomplished musician, fluent in many languages. That’s an impressive list, but the thing is I want to gaze at sunsets. I don’t want to meet a deadline during them or be writing a column at the same time, or glance at them over the top of a book.
This raises the question: If I leave work at five o’ clock to watch the sunset, what are the consequences? Do I risk not reaching the top of my profession? Maybe, because honestly, knocking off after eight hours probably won’t earn me the best promotion. But hey, leaving work at five o’ clock means I eat dinner with my family. I get to hop on my bike and cycle through the streets of my hometown when there is no traffic.
And I get to take in a lot of sunsets. That’s got to be worth something.Which of the following about the author’s father is true?
| A．He set a good example to his daughter. |
| B．He tried to force his values on his daughter. |
| C．He gained much pleasure from his work. |
| D．He achieved great success at the expense of his health. |
What does the author mean by saying “Not taking my work home did not come easily at first” in Paragraph 4?
| A．There was so much work to do. |
| B．All her colleagues took work home. |
| C．She was educated to be a workaholic. |
| D．She wanted a promotion in her work. |
What’s the author’s attitude toward promotion?
| A．She doesn’t care about it at all. |
| B．She is eager to get promoted |
| C．She thinks it’s for the ambitious people |
| D．Getting promoted at all costs is not worthwhile |
This text is developed________.
| A．by giving examples | B．by making comparisons |
| C．by describing process | D．by order of time |
What does the writer intend to tell us?
| A．To praise his father’s diligence |
| B．To ask us to take time off work to enjoy life |
| C．To complain about the strict work ethic |
| D．To stress the importance of hard work |
When you enter a crowded room or go on a picnic or to a party, who is the most attractive and appealing person? It is the person who is cheerful, has a smiling face and behaves as if he or she is enjoying every moment of the event! Such people have an optimistic opinion on life．They are the ones with a positive attitude．On the other hand, let’s see that fellow in the corner with a long face．He is most probably thinking about the time and money wasted in having fun．He is a pessimist, one with a negative attitude．
A person with a positive attitude gets on well with the job at hand．He doesn’t worry about what’s gone before or what might happen in the future．If there is a problem, he quickly thinks of ways to solve it．If the problem cannot be solved singly, he seeks help from someone else．He doesn’t feel that it’s beneath his dignity to seek assistance．
When Sonal lost her history notes days before an important examination, she sat down and cried．Then she pulled herself together, borrowed a friend’s notes, worked day and night and managed to copy down whatever she had lost．Sonal passed the exam with flying colors．
It’s just not possible, even for the greatest optimist, to smile all the time and feel good all day．Everyone has a period of blues now and then, when everything seems sad and without cheer．But once you develop a positive attitude, once you realize that life is a series of ups and downs, dark clouds and bright sunshine, in no time at all, you’ve bounced back, ready to welcome the world again with open arms and a huge smile! So from this moment on, keep your face to the sunshine and you’ll never see the shadows．
1．What might be the best title of the passage？
A．To live with an aim in life B．To be a pessimist or optimist
C．Life is full of ups and downs D．Develop the positive attitude
2．The case of Sonal suggested that _______．
A．a person can solve the problem once he thinks of a way
B．Sonal made up for what she had lost by working day and night
C．Sonal was a pessimist because he lost her history notes
D．the history notes that she lost was not important for her
3．The underlined phrase bounced back in the last paragraph means_______．
A．moved back and forth B．jumped up
C．returned to active state D．came back
4．According to the last paragraph, which of the following statement is TRUE?
A．If you always look at the shadows, you will be in high spirits．
B．It is impossible for a person to be in a good mood all the time．
C．A negative attitude will make you welcome life with a big smile．
D．When someone feels sad, he thinks the world comes to an end．
How did a high school football coach build a championship dynasty by never playing to win? In Smith Center, Kansas, Roger Barta, 64, a longtime coach and former math teacher at Smith Center High School, wearing a red shirt, stood before his players．“…Guys．We don't talk about winning and losing．We talk about getting a little better every day, about be
ing a team．” Over the next four months, his team went on to beat other teams, winning another perfect season．
Barta grew up in Plainville, and when a back injury ended Barta's playing career, he wasn't sure whether he wanted to be a college student．One summer, he took a job in the Kansas oil fields．It took him a single rainy day of working in the field to realize that university was for him．“I almost froze to death,” he says．He looked around at his co-workers, who were aged beyond their years．"They were all missing fingers and teeth．I didn't want to do that for the rest of my life．"
He returned to Fort Hays State to earn a mathematics degree and went on to get a master's in math education at the University of Georgia．Today, Barta spends as much time helping players figure out what they want to do with their lives as he does coaching．
To most kids here, Barta is not just a winning coach but also a mentor（导师，顾问）．Barta insists that the members of his team be well-rounded．During last year's playoffs（附加赛）, for instance, Joe Osburn was struggling with Macbeth in English class．Barta told him that either he mastered Shakespeare or his season was finished．Barta got the captains involved, and they took turns quizzing Osburn on his lines of Shakespeare．He pulled his grades up and kept playing．
“Roger likes everything about football,” says Barta's wife, Pam．“But what he loves most is watching the boys learn a little more．”
1．What does the first paragraph mainly talk about?
A．How Barta built a championship dynasty?
B．Barta’s career as a coach．
C．How Barta taught his students football skills．
D．Barta’s attitude towards winning and losing．
2．From the the passage we know Barta ．
A．hurt his back in an oil field
B．didn’t want to be a college student
C．wasn’t satisfied with being an oil worker
D．began his playing career at high school
3．Which of the following statements about Barta is TRUE??
A．He earned his master’s degree from Fort Hays State．
B．He helps his players deal with life．
C．He likes Shakespeare very much．
D．He loves football more than anything else．
4．Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
A．How to Be a Good Football Coach
B．A Brief Introduction to Roger Barta
C．Coach and Math Teacher—Roger Barta
D．Life Coach—Roger Barta
第二部分阅读理解（共25小题。第一节每小题2分，第二节每小题1分；满分45分）
第一节阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
When you think of snowy winter festivals, Sapporo in J
apan probably isn't the first thing that comes to mind．In Japan, there are winter festivals every year that draw great crowds and offer lots of attractions to everybody．
The biggest one is the Sapporo Snow Festival which is held every year in February on Japan's snow covered northern island, Hokkaido（北海道）．The Sapporo Snow Festival was the first of its kind held in Japan, and it is still the biggest．Every year, 2 million snow lovers rush to Sapporo, the biggest city in Hokkaido, to enjoy the Snow Festival in the first two weeks of February．At the Festival, you can see hundreds of snow sculptures made by artists from all over the world．Some are a couple of building stories high and weigh tons．There are ice sculptures too, and ice bars where you can go inside and have a beer．
The Sapporo Snow Festival was started in the 1950's by a group of high school kids．Feeling very bored in winter, they started a snow sculptures competition．Every year, more kids took part in the competition and n
ow the festival draws snow artists from 15 different countries．There are also musical performances, light shows, and snowball fights．
Every major area has its own snow festival．One of the most popular is the Iwate Snow Festival．It's held in the small town of Shizukuishi in early or mid-February．Iwate is also famous for its yearly fireworks displays, where festival-goers can watch the colors reflected off the snow．In Iwate, you can see traditional Japanese musicians and dancers perform on floats．
If you want a truly unique winter festival experience, northern Japan is a great place to go．Just make sure you dress warmly．
1．Why is the Sapporo Snow Festival famous in Japan?
A．The snow in Hokkaido is very thick．
B．it is the first and the biggest in Japan
C．There are lots of snow sculptures there．
D．its snow sculptures are the highest．
2．When is the Sapporo Snow Festival held in Japan?
A．In late February．
B．From January to February．
C．In the first two weeks of February．
D．Two weeks before February．
3．Who started the Sapporo Snow Festival at first?
A．The government of Sapporo．
B．Artists from all over the world．
C．Kids who liked outside activities．．
D．A group of high school students．
4．The author wrote the passage to _______．
A．introduce Japan’s Sapporo Snow Festival
B．attract people to take part in northern Japan’s winter festival
C．introduce Japan’s winter festival activities
D．tell us the history of Japan’s winter festivals
第二部分阅读理解(共25小题。第一节每小题2分，第二节每小题1分；满分45分)
第一节阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Bill Clinton was born on August 19, 1946 in a town called Hope, with the birth name William Jefferson Blythe. His birth father died in a car accident just three months before his birth. When he was born, his mother sent him to live with his grandparents because she couldn’t possibly support a child by herself. He lived with his grandparents for two years while his mother was away at a nursing school in New Orleans, trying to advance her career. When Bill was four, his mother returned to Hope, where she met and married Roger Clinton Sr. A few years later, Bill and his family moved to Hot Springs, where Bill attended school. When he was nine years old, he changed schools and went to Ramble Elementary. When Bill was ten, Roger Clinton Jr. was born, and at age fifteen, Bill took his stepfather’ s last name in hopes of helping his mother’s troubled relationship.
While Bill was growing up in Hot Springs, the town was troubled by gambling (赌博), but Bill had little contact with this part of society despite his parents’ frequent participation (参与) in these illegal practices. As time went by, his mother’ s relationship with Roger Clinton Sr. became more and more unstable. His parents often separated. In high school, Bill was a member of the band, student government, honor society and many other organizations. One summer at a political summer camp called Boys State, Bill ran for delegate (代表) to Boys Nation. He won this election and was on his way to Washington to meet John F. Kennedy, the president. Bill said of his victory, “I didn’t know if I could win a race like that... ”. After that, Bill became determined to enter politics.
1 . William Jefferson Blythe moved to Hot Springs ________.
A. when he was born B. before he was nine years old
C. when his mother remarried D. when he was two
2. Bill Clinton once stayed in the following places EXCEPT ________.
A. the town of Hope B. the nursing school in New Orleans
C. Hot Springs D. Ramble Elementary
3. Which of the following statements is NOT true?
A. Roger Clinton Sr. was always kind to Bill and his mother.
B. Bill Clinton was once called William Jefferson Blythe before 15.
C. Bill’ s mother and stepfather were interested in gambling.
D. Roger Clinton Jr. was Bill Clinton’ s half (同母异父) brother.
4. It can be learned from the passage that ________.
A. Bill wanted to be a president while studying at school
B. Boys Nation was a political summer camp
C. members of Boys State could see the president
D. Bill decided to enter politics after meeting John F. Kennedy
Anxiety is the proper emotion when the immediate personal terror — of a volcano, an arrow, a stab（刺伤）in the back and other disasters — is directed against one’s self–disappears.
The kind of world that produces anxiety is actually a world of relative safety, a world in which no one feels that he himself is facing sudden death. The anxiety exists as an uneasy state of mind, in which one has a feeling that something unspecified（不具体的）and indeterminable may go wrong. If the world seems to be going well, this produces anxiety — for good times may end. If the world is going badly — it may get worse. Anxiety tends to be without focus；the anxious person doesn’t know whether to blame himself or other people. He isn’t sure whether it is a change in climate or the atom bomb that is to blame for this unclear sense of unease.
It is clear that we have developed a society which depends on having the right amount of anxiety to make it work. While we agree that too much anxiety is harmful to mental health, we have come to rely on anxiety to push us into seeing a doctor about a symptom（症状）which may indicate cancer, into checking up on that old life–insurance policy which may have out–of–date provisions in it, into having a conference with Bill’s teacher even though his report card looks all right.
People who are anxious enough keep their car insurance up, have the brakes checked, and don’t take a second drink when they have to drive. People who are too anxious either refuse to go into cars at all or drive so tensely that they help cause accidents. People who aren’t anxious enough take chance after chance, which increases the terrible accidents of the roads.
1. In the world that produces anxiety, _____.
A. people have sudden uneasiness B. everything goes well
C. people are clear about their life D. danger is almost everywhere
2. The author holds that _____.
A. anxiety is a good thing
B. anxiety is a symptom of mental illness
C. some anxiety can lead to changes for the better
D. no anxiety is bad for society
3. Accidents of the road tend to be caused by _____.
A. all those who are too anxious B. all those who have anxiety
C. those who have no anxiety D. those who are not anxious enough
4. The best title for the passage would be _____.
A. Anxiety B. The Right Amount of Anxiety
C. Anxiety vs Safety D. Different Attitudes to Anxiety
粤公网安备 44130202000953号