Both of Jessica’s parents were lawyers and expected her to follow suit. So she went to law school, got a job at a great firm in Washington, DC, and worked as a lawyer for a decade. But her heart was never in it. “I had a big salary but no personal satisfaction,” she says.
Jessica found pleasure in the same thing that had brought her joy since joining the church choir at the age of 12. “Singing always felt like communicating something real at a spiritual and emotional level,” says Jessica. Yet she never considered it a career option. “That seemed like something people did in fairy tales, and I would never let my parents down,” she says.
It was her mom’s diagnosis of brain cancer in 2009 that made Jessica realize she had to write her own happy-ever-after. “Work was busy and my mother was ailing. So I was flying back and forth from Washington, DC to Houston to see her,” Jessica says. “I finally said, ‘Enough!’ and quit.” While caring for her mom, Jessica made a plan. She would spend her savings and study music for a year, and then open a part-time law practice so she could pursue her passion. Before her mother passed away two years later, she encouraged Jessica to follow her dream. Her song Live This Life was inspired by her mom, and her dad came to watch her perform at clubs.
In 2012, Jessica moved to Nashville to try singing and songwriting. A decade of presenting cases in court gave her the confidence to sing for a crowd. “At 20, I would have been too shy to perform,” says Jessica.
“Doing music is so free,” Jessica says. “There’s no pressure to be a star. Success, to me, isn’t a dollar amount or a record deal; it’s doing what I love.”Which of the following is TRUE?
| A．Jessica didn’t really like working as a lawyer. |
| B．Jessica didn’t know what she truly loved for ten years. |
| C．Jessica wasn’t satisfied with the pay she got as a lawyer. |
| D．Jessica was grateful for her parents’ arrangement for her. |
What does the underlined word “ailing” in Paragraph 3 mean?
| A．Sick. | B．Crazy. |
| C．Worried. | D．Unhappy. |
What was Jessica’s mother’s attitude toward her singing?
| A．Unknown. | B．Doubtful. |
| C．Supportive. | D．Negative. |
By telling Jessica’s story, the writer most probably wants to _______.
| A．encourage us to pursue our dreams |
| B．show that singing can be a practical career |
| C．tell us the importance of choosing a right job |
| D．show that family members’ support is important |
My students often tell me that they don’t have “enough time” to do all their schoolwork．
My reply is often a brief “You have as much time as the president．”I usually carry on a bit about there being twenty-four hours in the day for everyone, and suggest that “not enough time” is not an acceptable explanation of not getting something done．
Once in graduate school，I tried to prove to one of my professors by saying that I was working hard．His answer to me was． “That’s irrelevant（无关的）．What’s important is the quality of your work． ” Since then I have had time to think carefully about the “hard worker” dodge（诀窍），and I have come to some conclusions—all relevant to the problem of how much time we have．
If you analyze the matter, you can identify two parts of the prob1em：There is, of course，the matter of “time”, which we call think of as fixed． Then there is the problem of “work” during that time． But, as my professor suggested, it’s not how hard one works but the quality of the product that’s important．
That led me to a new idea: the quality of the work．That concept is perhaps best explained by a sign I once saw on the wall in someone s office: “Don't work harder． Work smarter．” There is a lot of sense in that idea．
If you can’t get more time，and few of US can，the only solution is to improve the quality of the work．That means thinking of ways to get more out of the same time than we might otherwise get．That should lead us to an analysis of our work habits．Since “work” for students usually means “homework”, the expression “work habits’ should be read as “study habits”．
Then, as a smart student，you will seek to improve those skills that you use in study, chiefly reading and writing． If you learn to read better and write better，there are big advantages that pay off in all your studies．From the passage，we know that the author is probably ．
| A．a poet | B．an educator | C．a novelist | D．an engineer |
We can infer from the 2nd paragraph that we students still ．
| A．have enough time | B．can meet the president |
| C．get everything done well | D．should accept the explanation |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．The author's students make good use of their time to do all their homework． |
| B．The author tried to tell the professor that he／she（the author） had done a good job． |
| C．You can’t improve the quality of the work if you can’t get more time． |
| D．You’11 try to improve your skills in reading and writing if you're a clever student． |
What’s the passage mainly about?
| A．Students don’t have enough time． | B．Don’t work harder; work smarter． |
| C．No one can get more time． | D．Read better and write better． |
The rising sea waters caused by global warming have inspired a Russian architect to design a hotel that could be built on water as well as land．The eco-friendly “Ark” could be constructed in just a few months anywhere in the world, the designer says．
It’s called “The Ark”，but looks more like a ship sitting upside down on the water．A new design by Russian architect A1exander Remizov challenges the tradition of land-based hotel and would provide a shelter in the future—should the world face a modern-day flood as described in the Bible．
The building of the hotel could be fast and simple．“Prefabricated（预制装配的）section could be put together in three to four months,” Remizov said． The versatile（万能的）structure could be constructed in most corners of the earth, even in earthquake-prone areas．Constructing “The Ark"—which would include 14 000 square meters of living space‑‑‑would cost roughly the same as building an energy-efficient house． The self-supporting structure would be built around a central post, connecting wind generators and heat pumps on its roof with the basement，where solar，wind，and thermal（热量的）energy could be stored and turned into electricity． Remizov has designed the building without glass，choosing instead the lasting and self-cleaning foil（箔）that could defend itself against rough weather conditions．That foil would be fastened to metals，which would also collect rainwater．The building would also feature an indoor jungle, creating its microclimate．What’s the purpose of designing “The Ark,?”
| A．To prevent flood happening． | B．To draw the public’s attention |
| C．To secure people from flood． | D．To attract more tourists． |
Which of the following might be the shortest time to make the parts of "The Ark”?
| A．14 months． | B．3 months． | C．4 months． | D．7 months． |
What is the main difference between the hotel designed by Ale Remizov and other hotels?
| A．It can be built on water． | B．It is energy-efficient． |
| C．It is eco-friendly． | D．It has enough living space． |
What characteristics will the new hotel have?
| A．A climate with no rain will form around the hotel． |
| B．The material can protect the hotel from bad weather． |
| C．A power station will be built in the hotel． |
| D．Bricks will be used as the materials instead of glass． |
One of my wonderful memories is about a Christmas gift． Unlike other gifts，it came without wrap（包装）．
On September 11 th , 1 958，Mum gave birth to Richard．After she brought him home from hospital，she put him in my lap，saying, “I promised you a gift, and here it is．” What an honor! I turned four a month earlier and none of my friends had such a baby doll of their own．I played with it day and night． I sang to it, I told it stories．I told it over and over how much I loved it!
One morning, however，I found its bed empty． My doll was gone! I cried for it．Mum wept and told me that the poor little thing had been sent to a hospital．It had a fever． For several days，I heard Mum and Dad whispering such words as “hopeless”，“pitiful"，and “dying”, which sounded Ominous．
Christmas was coming, “Don’t expect any presents this year,” Dad said, pointing at the socks I hung in the living room． “If your baby brother lives, that’ll be Christmas enough．” As he spoke，his eyes filled with tears． I’d never seen him cry before．
The phone rang early on Christmas morning．Dad jumped out of bed to answer it．From my bedroom I heard him say, “What? He’s all right?” He hung up and shouted upstairs． “The hospital said we can bring Richard home!” “Thank God!” I heard Mum cry．
From the window upstairs，I watched my parents rush out to the car．I had never seen them so happy． And I was also full of joy． What a wonderful day! My baby doll would be home． I ran downstairs． My socks still hung there flat．But I knew they were not empty: they were filled with love !What happened to the author on September 11th,1958?
| A．He got a baby brother． | B．He got a Christmas gift． |
| C．He became four years old． | D．He received a doll． |
What does the underlined word “ominous” in Paragraph 3 probably mean?
| A．Impossible． | B．Boring． | C．Difficult． | D．Fearful． |
Which word can best describe the feeling of the father when Christmas was coming?
| A．Excitement． | B．Happiness． | C．Sadness． | D．Disappointment． |
The Information Highway ．
| A．is free from traffic accidents | B．is crowded with car drivers |
| C．offers just a few on-line services | D．appeals to a large number of users |
How does Mr． Cool manage to travel the Information way so fast?
| A．By storing fewer files | B．By repairing the system． |
| C．By buying a better computer | D．By using a broad—band connection． |
What can be learned from Passage 2 ?
| A．There will be a book show at Grayson Hall． |
| B．Friedman is now studying the Great Barrier Reef． |
| C．There will be a talk on global warming this week． |
| D．Friedman is a leading expert on computer science． |
Passage 2 is most probably ．
| A．a poster about a lecture | B．an ad for a new book |
| C．a note to a doctor in a university | D．an introduction to a professor |
How to Avoid Weight Gain Over Holidays
Do you love the holidays, but hate the pounds that follow? You are not alone. Holidays are times for feasting and celebrating. Many people are worried about their weight. ______1______ Whether you are celebrating at the office party or sitting down for the traditional family dinner, regard eating as a time for tasting a variety of foods. The idea is to enjoy the holidays but not to eat too much. You don’t have to turn away from the foods that you enjoy.
Here are some tips for preventing weight gain and maintaining physical fitness:
Don’t skip meals.
Before you leave home, have a small, low-fat meal or snack. ______2______
Control portions.
Use a small plate (about 10 inches) and put aside the large ones that may encourage you to “load up.” ______3______ Once you have your “tasting” serving, move away from the dining table. Doing so will make it less tempting (吸引人的) to be eating constantly as your appetite is inspired by the sight of food.
Begin with soup and fruit or vegetables.
Fill up beforehand with water-based soup and raw fruit or vegetables. Or drink a large glass of water before you eat to help you feel full.
Stick to physical activity.
______4______ A 20-minute walk after a meal can help burn off additional calories.
______5______
Dishes that look oily or creamy may have a large amount of fat. Choose lean meats. Fill your plate with salad and green vegetables. Use lemon juice instead of dressing or butter.
| A．This may help to avoid getting too excited before delicious food. |
| B．You had better turn your attention away from delicious foods. |
| C．With proper planning, though, it is possible to keep normal weight during the holidays. |
| D．You should be most comfortable eating an amount of food about the size of your fist. |
E. Avoid high-fat foods.
F. Don’t let exercise take a break during the holidays.
G. You’d better remember the Dos and Don’ts for keeping fit and slim.
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