I told my friend Graham that I often cycle the 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 as I wend my way up the incline I console 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 smug smile of satisfaction as I reach the top of the hill.
Problems are there to be faced and overcome. 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. 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. Whilst we cannot choose the adversity we can choose our attitude towards it.
The biographies of great people are littered with examples of how they took these kinds of steps to overcome the difficulties they faced. The common thread is that they did not become defeatist or depressed. They chose their attitude. They chose to be positive. They took on the challenge. They won. Which of the following would be the best title of the passage?
| A．Attitude makes difference |
| B．Well begun is half done. |
| C．The early bird gets the worm. |
| D．Easier said than done. |
From Helen Keller’s example we can infer that__________.
| A．Great people are born to be great and successful |
| B．Life is hard and difficult so we have to give up |
| C．We cannot achieve anything with an easy life |
| D．Practice makes people successful and powerful |
What do you think the author is most likely to suggest if he/she continues to write?
| A．Some examples of our daily life. |
| B．His stories of overcoming difficulties. |
| C．Stories of some unlucky great people. |
| D．Some examples of his friend Graham. |
The underlined word “adversity ” in the fourth paragraph probably NOT refers to ______.
| A．problems | B．difficulties | C．hardships | D．advertisements |
There are several ski hills that can be found locally, and not so locally. Here’s a bit of an informal snow report for any visitors to the city who may be unfamiliar with the local options for skiing.
Sunshine Village
Sunshine is definitely the premier ski hill in the area. Of all the hills in Alberta, Sunshine is the one that has earned international renown. Ticket prices are cheaper this year than they have been in the past. Adults pay $76.5, seniors $61.5, and children only pay $26.5. At present, they have a snow base of 107 cm. The terrain (地形) is a mix of both easy and hard runs.
Lake Louise
Of all the ski resorts nearby it is the largest with 4,200 acres of ski-able terrain. It has the best balance between easy and difficult runs, and it gets snow of 93 cm right now. Adults pay $75.5, seniors pay $54.5, and children pay $24.5. Lake Louise is a great choice for anyone looking to do some easy access backcountry skiing.
Nakiska
While it will be opening shortly, Nakiska is popular to the public. Currently, they have a base of 71cm. The terrain at Nakiska is varied, but slants (倾斜) more towards the easy side. It’s the best place for families to go skiing as there is a lot of beginner and kid terrain. Tickets are relatively cheap. Adults pay $64.5, seniors pay $51.5, and children only pay $19.5.
Olympic Park
O.P. was built for the 1988 Winter Olympics in Canada, and it is a world-class facility (设施） for almost every winter sport. It has facilities not only for skiing, but also for all kinds of other activities. It has a snow base of 102 cm, but it isn’t the primary focus. However, with tickets starting at $5 and capping at $39, it is very inexpensive.What can we know about Sunshine Village?
| A．It is a ski hill in Europe. |
| B．Its snow is the thickest of the four. |
| C．It is suitable for ski beginners. |
| D．its ticket prices are getting more expensive. |
What does the underlined word "renown" mean in the passage?
| A．Good attraction. | B．Place of interest. |
| C．Prize or reward. | D．Fame or reputation. |
Which will be the best choice for someone who is fond of other sports games besides skiing?
| A．Sunshine Village. | B．Lake Louise. |
| C．Olympic Park. | D．Nakiska. |
How much will a woman pay if she and her husband with two children go skiing in the best family place?
| A．168 dollars. | B．103.5 dollars. |
| C．209 dollars. | D．129.5 dollars. |
Here is a true story about a famous man who worked in the White House and a criminal. They once faced the same thing: their mother gave them apples when they were young.
The criminal said: one day, my mother brought some apples and asked my brother and me: “Which do you want?” “The reddest and biggest one,” my little brother said. My mother stared at him and said to him angrily: “You should learn to give the good things to others; you shouldn’t always think of yourself.” Seeing this, I suddenly changed my idea and then said to my mother: “Mum, please give me the smaller one and give the bigger one to my little brother.” Hearing my words, my mother was very happy. She kissed me on my face and gave the reddest and biggest apple to me as a prize. From then on, I learned to tell lies, fight, steal and rob. In order to get what I wanted, I played hard. As a result, I was sent into prison.
The famous man from the White House said: One day, my mother brought some apples. She said to my brother and me: “You all want the reddest and biggest one, right? Well, let’s have a competition. Now I divided the grassland in front of the gate into two and I will give one to each of you and you must shear(修剪) it well. And I will give the reddest and biggest apple to him who does it the most quickly and best.”
After the competition, I won and I got the biggest apple. In our family, as long as you want to get the best things, you must take part in competition. I think it is fair. No matter what you want, you must pay lots of efforts.The criminal got the reddest and biggest apple because .
| A．he told the truth that he wanted a smaller one |
| B．he knew how to make his mother happy from her answer |
| C．elder brother should of course have the bigger one |
| D．his mother loved him more than she loved the younger brother |
We can conclude from the passage that .
| A．it’s wrong to ask children to choose apples when they are not old enough |
| B．it’s important to make children aware that no matter what they want, they must pay work |
| C．it’s wrong to ask children not to always think of themselves |
| D．it’s always necessary to have a competition when we give children apple |
The writer tells the story by .
| A．organizing it in the order of time |
| B．making a comparison between two men |
| C．providing some scientific information |
| D．describing it in the order of space |
It is implied in the passage that .
| A．we should always try to win competitions which can bring us a lot |
| B．in order to get what we want, we should play hard |
| C．a mother’s educational method has a great influence on a child’s growing |
| D．giving children apples will lead them to become criminals |
In bringing up children, every parent watches eagerly the child’s acquisition（学会）of each new skill — the first spoken words, the first independent steps, or the beginning of reading and writing. It is common that parents hurry the child beyond his natural learning rate, but this can set up dangerous feelings of failure and states of worry in the child. This might happen at any stage. A baby might be forced to use a toilet too early, and a young child might be encouraged to learn to read before he knows the meaning of the words he reads. On the other hand, though, if a child is left alone too much, or without any learning opportunities, he loses his natural enthusiasm（热情） for life and his desire to find out new things for himself.
Parents vary greatly in their degree of strictness towards their children. Some may be especially strict in money matters; others are severe over time of coming home at night or punctuality（准时）for meals. In general, the controls imposed（强加的）represent the needs of the parents and the values of the community（社区）as much as the child’s own happiness.
As regards the development of moral standards in the growing child, consistency is very important in parental teaching. To forbid a thing one day and excuse it the next is no foundation for morality. Also, parents should realize that “example is better than precept”. If they are not sincere and do not practice what they preach（说教）, their children may grow confused, and emotionally insecure when they grow old enough to think for themselves, and realize they have been to some extent fooled.
A sudden awareness of a marked difference between their parents’ principles and their morals can be a dangerous disappointment.Eagerly watching the child’s acquisition of new skills _____.
| A．should be avoided |
| B．is universal among parents |
| C．sets up dangerous states of worry in the child |
| D．will make him lose interest in learning new things |
When children are learning new skills, parents should _____.
| A．achieve a balance between pushing them too hard and leaving them on their own |
| B．not expect too much of them |
| C．encourage them to read before they know the meaning of the words they read |
| D．create as many learning opportunities as possible |
The second paragraph mainly tells us that _____.
| A．parental restrictions vary, and are not always enforced for the benefit of the children alone |
| B．parental controls satisfy only the needs of the parents and the values of the community |
| C．parents should be strict with their children |
| D．parents vary in their strictness towards their children according to the situation |
The underlined word “precept” （in Paragraph 3） probably means “_____”.
| A．idea | B．punishment | C．instruction | D．behaviour |
In moral matters, parents should _____.
| A．satisfy their children’s needs |
| B．be aware of the marked difference between adults and children |
| C．forbid things which have no foundation in morality |
| D．observe（遵守，奉行） the rules themselves |
The campaign is over. The celebrations have ended. And the work for US president-elect Barack Obama has begun.
The 47-year-old politician rose to the highest post because of his stand against the war in Iraq and his plans to fix a weak economy. But what will the first 47-year-old African-American president do for race relations?
Obama’s victory appears to have given blacks and other minorities a true national role model. For years, many looked to athletes and musicians for inspiration. As Darius Turner, an African-American high school student in Los Angeles, told the Los Angeles Times, “Kobe doesn’t have to be everybody’s role model anymore.”
Recent polls（民意测验）also suggest that Obama’s victory has given Americans new optimism about race relations. For example, a USA Today poll found that two-thirds of Americans believe relations between blacks and whites “will finally be worked out”. This is the most hopeful response since the question was first asked during the civil rights revolution in 1963.
However, it’s still too early to tell whether Obama’s presidency will begin to solve many of the social problems facing low-income black communities.
Although blacks make up only 13 percent of the US population, 55 percent of all prisoners are African-American. Such numbers can be blamed on any number of factors on America’s racist past, a failure of government policy and the collapse(瓦解)of the family unit in black communities.
It is unlikely that Obama will be able to reverse (扭转) such trends overnight. However, Bill Bank, an expert of African-American Studies, says that eventually young blacks need to find role models in their own communities. “That’s not Martin Luther King, and not Barack Obama,” he told the Los Angeles Times. “It’s actually the people closest to them. Barack only has so much influence.”
In the opinion of black British politician Trevor Phillips, Obama’s rise will contribute more to multiculturalism than to race relations in the US.
“When the G8 meets, the four most important people in the room will be the president of China, the prime minister of India, the prime minister of Japan and Barak Obama,” he told London’s The Times newspaper. “It will be the first time we’ve seen that on our television screens. That will be a huge psychological shift (心理转变) for both the white people and the colored ones in the world.”For years, before Obama was elected president of the US, __________.
| A．Kobe was the only role model for all the blacks |
| B．blacks could only find role models on the basketball court |
| C．minorities in America couldn’t find role models in their real life |
| D．American blacks had no role model who was successful in political area |
According to Bill Bank, ____________.
| A．it’s better for young blacks to find role models in those who are close to them |
| B．young blacks should not be so much influenced by Obama |
| C．blacks should find other role models because Obama is far from their reality |
| D．Obama is not the proper role model for African-Americans |
What would be the best title for this passage?
| A．The First African-American President | B．America’s New Role Model |
| C．Obama-- A Successful Black . | D．Choosing a Right Role Model |
What will be the huge psychological shift Trevor mentioned at the end of the passage?
| A．The other three leaders all support Obama. |
| B．Obama is an African-American president. |
| C．None of the four leaders is white. |
| D．The other three leaders except Obama are from Asian countries. |
In our life, we have rarely expressed our gratitude to the one who’d lived those years with us.In fact, we don’t have to wait for anniversaries to thank the ones close to us—the ones so easily overlooked. If I have learned anything about giving thanks, it is this: give it now！While your feeling of appreciation is alive and sincere, act on it. Saying thanks is such an easy way to add to the world’s happiness.
Saying thanks not only brightens someone else’s world, but it also brightens yours. If you’re feeling left out, unloved or unappreciated, try reaching out to others. It may be just the medicine you need.
Of course, there are times when you can’t express gratitude immediately. In that case don’t let embarrassment sink you into silence—speak up the first time you have the chance.
Once a young minister, Mark Brian, was sent to a remote parish of Kwakiutl Indians in British Columbia. He had been told that the Indians did not have a word for thank you. But Brian soon found that these people had exceptional generosity. Instead of saying thanks, it is their custom to return every favor with a favor of their own, and every kindness with an equal or superior kindness. They do their thanks.
I wonder if we had no words in our vocabulary for thank you, would we do a better job of communicating our gratitude? Would we be more responsive, more sensitive and more caring?
Thankfulness sets in motion a chain of reaction that transforms people all around us—including ourselves, for no one ever misunderstands the melody of a grateful heart. When we say something for what others do for us, it ______.
| A．is good for both us and people who help us |
| B．benefits the people who do something for us |
| C．wastes our and our friends' time at the same time |
| D．does harm to both us and people who help us |
According to the writer, could be the best way to prevent ourselves from being left out.
| A．seeing a doctor to find the right medicine we need |
| B．expressing our gratitude in an easy way |
| C．speaking up the moment we have the chance |
| D．showing others actively we are willing to help them |
Mark Brain’s story is mentioned in the passage in order to show the fact that .
| A．the Indians didn’t have any words for appreciation |
| B．the Indians were particularly generous to others |
| C．some people may express their gratitude through different approaches |
| D．Mark Brain set the Indians an example to show saying thanks is very important |
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