I bought a Paul Smith shirt three months ago. For those who don’t know, Paul Smith is an English designer brand.
His shirts cost about 1,000 yuan and upwards. I paid 50 yuan for my colorful shirt from a street vendor in Beijing.
Of course my shirt was a knockoff, a cheap copy of the brand. After a few washes, little balls formed on the surface of the thin material.
Do I care? Not at all. You get what you pay for.
I have to admit I hate shopping. I don’t care enough about spending money on clothes. I have other priorities.
In You Are What You Wear, US writer Jennifer Baumgartner says people’s clothes tell a story about their personality.
She writes: “The clothes you choose to wear provide important information about you as a person: your approximate education level, your income, social status and even your level of self-esteem (自信).” When I started work as an undercover crime reporter, I had to shop for jeans and a hoodie (连帽衫) in order to fit in with a rough and ready (世故的) social group.
I bought the hoodie in a charity shop. My daughters were shocked. They thought I looked bad, but I knew my disguise was perfect.
Elizabeth L. Cline thinks she knows best when it comes to cheap clothes in her book Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion. She expresses sadness that clothing has been turned into a good that is thrown away after being used once or twice.
She looks down her nose at cheap fashion and longs for the good old days when department stores sold quality clothes at high prices.
I don’t agree. At least people now can choose what to wear without breaking the bank.The underlined sentence in the article meant that .
| A．I don’t mind spending money on clothes |
| B．there’s not much point spending money on clothes |
| C．it is too much trouble to spend money on clothes |
| D．I never spend money on clothes |
From the text we can infer that the author’s disguise .
| A．immediately won the admiration of his daughters |
| B．turned out unsuited to his plan |
| C．proved that clothes can’t show a person’s true personality |
| D．had something to do with his income |
The author mentions Elizabeth L. Cline’s book to .
| A．express his anger at the poor quality of clothes |
| B．show his disagreement with her idea |
| C．show his dislike for how people treat their clothes |
| D．support her attitude toward spending money on clothes |
Which of the following might be the best title for the story?
| A．The variety of clothes | B．You are what you wear |
| C．High cost of cheap fashion | D．You get what you pay for |
Two friends have an argument that breaks up their friendship forever, even though neither one can remember how the whole thing got started. Such sad events happen over and over in high schools across the country. In fact, according to an official report on youth violence, “In our country today, the greatest threat to the lives of children and adolescents is not disease or starvation or abandonment, but the terrible reality of violence”. Given that this is the case, why aren't students taught to manage conflict the way they are taught to solve math problems, drive cars, or stay physically fit?
First of all, students need to realize that conflict is unavoidable. A report on violence among middle school and high school students indicates that most violent incidents between students begin with a relatively minor insult(侮辱). For example, a fight could start over the fact that one student eats a peanut butter sandwich each lunchtime. Laughter over the sandwich can lead to insults, which in turn can lead to violence. The problem isn't in the sandwich, but in the way students deal with the conflict.
Once students recognize that conflict is unavoidable, they can practice the golden rule of conflict resolution(解决)：stay calm. Once the student feels calmer, he or she should choose words that will calm the other person down as well. Rude words, namecalling, and accusations only add fuel to the emotional fire. On the other hand, soft words spoken at a normal sound level can put out the fire before it explodes out of control.
After both sides have calmed down, they can use another key strategy(策略) for conflict resolution: listening. Listening allows the two sides to understand each other. One person should describe his or her side, and the other person should listen without interrupting. Afterward, the listener can ask nonthreatening questions to clarify the speaker's position. Then the two people should change roles.
Finally, students need to consider what they are bearing. This doesn't mean trying to figure out what's wrong with the other person. It means understanding what the real issue is and what both sides are trying to accomplish. For example, a shouting match over a peanut butter sandwich might happen because one person thinks the other person is unwilling to try new things. Students need to ask themselves questions such as these：How did this start? What do I really want? What am I afraid of? As the issue becomes clearer, the conflict often simply becomes smaller. Even if it doesn't, careful thought helps both sides figure out a mutual solution.
There will always be conflict in schools, but that doesn't mean there needs to be violence. After students in Atlanta started a conflict resolution program, according to Educators for Social Responsibility, “64 percent of the teachers reported less physical violence in the classroom; 75 percent of the teachers reported an increase in student cooperation; and 92 percent of the students felt better about themselves”. Learning to resolve conflicts can help students deal with friends, teachers, parents, bosses, and coworkers. In that way, conflict resolution is a basic life skill that should be taught in schools across the country.This article is mainly about ________.
| A．the lives of school children |
| B．the cause of arguments in schools |
| C．how to analyze youth violence |
| D．how to deal with school conflicts |
From Paragraph 2 we can learn that ________.
| A．violence is more likely to occur at lunchtime |
| B．a small conflict can lead to violence |
| C．students tend to lose their temper easily |
| D．the eating habit of a student is often the cause of a fight |
Why do students need to ask themselves the questions stated in Paragraph 5?
| A．To find out who is to blame. |
| B．To get ready to try new things. |
| C．To make clear what the real issue is. |
| D．To figure out how to stop the shouting match. |
After the conflict resolution program was started in Atlanta, it was found that ________.
| A．there was a decrease in classroom violence |
| B．there was less student cooperation in the classroom |
| C．more teachers felt better about themselves in schools |
| D．the teacherstudent relationship greatly improved |
The writer's purpose for writing this article is to ________.
| A．complain about problems in school education |
| B．teach students different strategies for school life |
| C．advocate teaching conflict management in schools |
| D．inform teachers of the latest studies on school violence |
Most people who move to a foreign country or culture may go through some form of culture shock，and its degree is determined by the differences between cultures，the anxiety to adapt to a new culture and the familiarity with a new culture，etc.If you go，for example，to a culture that is far different from your own，you’re likely to experience culture shock more sharply than those who move to a new culture knowing the language and the custom of it.
It is important to understand and learn how to deal with culture shock if you are to adapt successfully to your new home’s cultures.There are four general stages of cultural adjustment，and being aware of them helps you understand that culture shock won’t last long.It’s just a process you are going through rather than a constant situation.
The first stage is usually referred to as “the honeymoon stage”．Upon arriving in a new environment，you’ll be interested in the new culture.Everything will seem thrilling and everyone will seem friendly and helpful.During this stage you are merely taking in these impressions passively.
But it isn’t long before the honeymoon stage gives way to the second stage—“the withdrawal stage”．The excitement you felt before is gone and problems arise.The language is hard to learn，people are unusual and unpredictable，friends，are hard to make，and simple things like shopping and going to the bank are challenges.It is at this stage that you are likely to feel anxious and homesick，and you will probably find yourself complaining about the new culture or country.This is the stage called “culture shock”．
At some point，if you can manage it well，you’ll begin the transition into the next stage，“the recovery stage”，in which you’ll feel more confident functioning in the new culture.Customs and traditions are clearer and easier to understand.At this stage，you’ll deal with new challenges with humor rather than anxiety.According to the passage，culture shock can be________.
| A．dealt with more easily for some people |
| B．reduced by learning the language alone |
| C．avoided by knowing adjustment stages |
| D．got rid of by learning just the custom |
“The honeymoon stage” here refers to________.
| A．the first month after the wedding |
| B．the period of excitement |
| C．the stage of adaptation |
| D．the holiday for a newlymarried couple |
Which of the following doesn’t belong to the second stage?
| A．Becoming upset. | B．Missing family. |
| C．Feeling confident. | D．Making complaints. |
What would be probably discussed in the following paragraph?
| A．Consequences of culture shock. |
| B．Challenges in a new country. |
| C．Preparations for a new culture. |
| D．The 4th stage of cultural adjustment. |
One of the founding fathers of the Internet has predicted the end of traditional television.Vint Cerf，who helped to build the Internet while working as a researcher in America，said that the television was approaching its “iPod moment”．
In the same way that people now download their favorite music onto their iPod，he said that viewers would soon be downloading most favorite programs onto their computers.“85% of all videos we watch are prerecorded，so you can set your system to download them all the time，” said Mr Cerf，who is now the vice president of Google，the world’s largest search engine.“You’re still going to need live television for certain things—like news，sporting events and emergencies—but increasingly it is going to be almost like the iPod.”
Although television on demand has not yet become a mainstream activity in the UK，the BBC，ITV and Channel 4 have all spent vast sums of money on technology which enables viewers to watch their favorite shows on their computers.
But some critics (批评人士)，including some Internet service providers，have warned that the Internet will collapse with millions of people downloading programs at the same time.Over the next four years，it is thought that the number of videos watched over the Internet will be four times as big as that.Broadband companies claim that the service will cause “traffic jams”，which will cost millions of pounds to get it to normal.
But Mr Cerf dismissed the warnings as “scare thoughts”，saying that critics had predicted 20 years ago that the Net would collapse when people all around the world started to use it all together.“In the past 30 years it’s increased a million times...We’re far from reaching the capacity，” he said，“It’s an understandable worry when they see huge amounts of information being moved around online.”What would happen to television according to Vint Cerf?
| A．Television would come to an end. |
| B．Television would be replaced by the computer. |
| C．Viewers would prefer watching TV programs downloaded on their computers. |
| D．Most people would prefer the Internet to television. |
“iPod moment” refers to the time when________.
| A．people can enjoy the live broadcast of television |
| B．people can download content to look at later |
| C．all programs are recorded with careful plan |
| D．the computer and television are closely combined |
According to the last paragraph，Mr Cerf held the idea that______.
| A．the Internet will collapse with many people downloading programs at the same time |
| B．the Net will collapse when people all around the world start to use it all together |
| C．the Internet service will break down with many videos watched over the Internet |
| D．people’s downloading TV programs on their computers won’t cause the collapse of the Internet |
At a primary school in a small town in the east of South Carolina, second-grade teachers Garneau and Lynne are convinced that separating elementary-age boys and girls produces immediate academic improvement in both genders（性别）．
David Chadwell, South Carolina’s expert of single gender education says, “Boys and girls learn, hear and respond to their surroundings differently．We can teach boys and girls based on what we now know．”
Male and female eyes are not organized in the same way, he explains．The organization of the male eye makes it sensitive to motion and direction．“Boys understand the world as objects moving through space,” he says．
The male eye is also drawn to cooler colors like silver and black．It’s no accident that boys tend to create pictures of moving objects instead of drawing the happy colorful family, like girls do in their class．
The female eye, on the other hand, is drawn to warmer colors like red, yellow and orange．To attract girls, Chadwell says, the teacher doesn’t need to move as much as in boy’s class．Using descriptive phrases and lots of colors in presentations or on the blackboard gets their attention．
Boys and girls also hear differently．“When someone speaks in a loud tone, girls understand it as yelling,” Chadwell says．“They think you’re mad and can shut down．” Girls are more sensitive to sounds．He advises girls’ teachers to watch the tone of their voices．Boys’ teachers should sound more forceful, even excited．
A boy’s nervous system causes him to be more cautious when he is standing, moving, and the room temperature is around 69 degrees Fahrenheit．Stress in boys, he says, tends to increase blood flow to their brains, a process that helps them stay focused．Girls are more focused when seated in a warmer room around 75 degrees Fahrenheit．Girls also respond to stress differently．When exposed to threat and conflict, blood goes to their guts（肠道）, leaving them feeling nervous or anxious．
These differences can be applied in the classroom, Chadwell adds．“Single gender programs are about making the best use of the learning．”What is David Chadwell’s attitude toward separating elementary-age boys and girls while learning?
| A．Supportive | B．Worried |
| C．Concerned | D．Uninterested |
To engage boy in a class, the teacher ______．
| A．must have a moving object in this hand |
| B．needs to wear clothes in warm color |
| C．has to speak politely |
| D．had better move constantly while teaching |
Which of the following shows the organization of the passage?
（ =" Paragraph" 1 =" Paragraph" 2 =" Paragraph" 3 …．．． =" Paragraph" 8 ）
Which of the following students is most likely to be focused?
| A．A boy sitting in a warm room |
| B．A standing boy who is faced with stress |
| C．A girl standing in a cold room |
| D．A girl who is facing a lot of pressure |
The National Gallery
Description:
The National Gallery is the British national art museum built on the north side of Trafalgar Square in London. It houses a diverse collection of more than 2,300 examples of European art ranging from 13th-century religious paintings to more modern ones by Renoir and Van Gogh. The older collections of the gallery are reached through the main entrance while the more modern works in the East Wing are most easily reached from Trafalgar Square by a ground floor entrance
Layout:
The modern Sainsbury Wing on the western side of the building houses 13th- to 15th-century paintings, and artists include Duccio, Uccello, Van Eyck, Lippi, Mantegna, Botticelli and Memling.
The main West Wing houses 16th-century paintings, and artists include Leonardo da Vinci, Cranach, Michelangelo, Raphael, Bruegel, Bronzino, Titan and Veronese.
The North Wing houses 17th-century paintings, and artists include Caravaggio, Rubens, Poussin, Van Dyck, Velazquez, Claude and Vermeer.
The East Wing houses 18th- to early 20th-century paintings, and artists include Canaletto, Goya, Turner, Constable, Renoir and Van Gogh.
Opening Hours:
The Gallery is open every day from 10am to 6pm (Fridays 10am to 9pm) and is free, but charges apply to some special exhibitions.
Getting There:
Nearest underground stations: Charing Cross (2-minute walk), Leicester Square (3-minute walk), Embankment (7-minute walk), and Piccadilly Circus (8-minute walk).In which century’s collection can you see religious paintings?
| A．The 13th. | B．The 17th. |
| C．The 18th. | D．The 20th. |
Where are Leonardo da Vinci’s works shown?
| A．In the East Wing. | B．In the main West Wing. |
| C．In the Sainsbury Wing. | D．In the North Wing. |
Which underground station is closest to the National Gallery?
| A．Embankment. | B．Leicester Square. |
| C．Piccadilly Circus. | D．Charing Cross. |
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