Wealth starts with a goal saving a dollar at a time. Call it the piggy bank strategy(策略). There are lessons in that time-honored coin-saving container.
Any huge task seems easier when reduced to baby steps. I f you wished to climb a 12,000-foot mountain, and could do it a day at a time, you would only have to climb 33 feet daily to reach the top in a year. If you want to take a really nice trip in 10 years for a special occasion, to collect the $15,000 cost, you have to save $3.93 a day. If you drop that into a piggy bank and then once a year put $1,434 in a savings account at 1% interest rate after-tax, you will have your trip money.
When I was a child, my parents gave me a piggy bank to teach me that, if I wanted something, I should save money to buy it. We associate piggy banks with children, but in many countries, the little containers are also popular with adults. Europeans see a piggy bank as a sign of good fortune and wealth. Around the world, many believe a gift of a piggy bank on New Year’s Day brings good luck and financial success. Ah, but you have to put something in it.
Why is a pig used as a symbol of saving? Why not an elephant bank, which is bigger and holds more coins? In the Middle Ages, before modern banking and credit instruments, people saved money at home, a few coins at a time dropped into a jar or dish. Potters(制陶工) made these inexpensive containers from an orange-colored clay(黏土) called “pygg,” and folks saved coins in pygg jars.The Middle English word for pig was “pigge”. While the Saxons pronounced pygg, referring to the clay, as “pug”, eventually the two words changed into the same pronunciation, sounding the “i” as in pig or piggy. As the word became less associated with the orange clay and more with the animal, a clever potter fashioned a pygg jar in the shape of a pig, delighting children and adults. The piggy bank was born.
Originally you had to break the bank to get to the money, bringing in a sense of seriousness into savings. While piggy banks teach children the wisdom of saving, adults often need to relearn childhood lessons. Think about the things in life that require large amounts of money--- college education, weddings, cars, medical care, starting a business, buying a home, and fun stuff like great trips. So when you have money, take off the top 10%, put it aside, save and invest wisely.What is the piggy bank strategy?
| A．Paying 1% income tax at a time. |
| B．Setting a goal before making a travel plan. |
| C．Putting aside a little money regularly for future use. |
| D．Aiming high even when doing small things. |
Why did the writer’s parents give him a piggy bank as a gift?
| A．To delight him with the latest fashion. |
| B．To encourage him to climb mountains. |
| C．To teach him English pronunciation. |
| D．To help him form the habit of saving. |
The piggy bank originally was ________.
| A．a cheap clay container |
| B．a potter’s instrument |
| C．an animal-shaped dish |
| D．a pig-like toy for children |
The last paragraph talks about ________.
| A．the seriousness of educating children |
| B．the enjoyment of taking a great trip |
| C．the difficulty of starting a business |
| D．the importance of managing money |
第三部分阅读理解 (共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分)
阅读短文，从每题所给的四个选项 (A、B、C和D) 中，选出最佳选项.
A
Years of storms had taken their toll on the old windmill（风车）. Its wheel, rusted and fallen, lay silent in the lush bluegrass.
I hadn‘t walked across our old farm in fifteen years. Fifteen years ago，rain or shine, I used to walk this path each day to see Greta. She always made me smile, even after my sister and I had just had a big quarrel. I would help Greta with her chores. Then we would enjoy her delicious homemade chocolate cookies and ice cream. Being confined to a wheel chair didn‘t stop Greta from being a great cook.
Greta gave me two of the greatest gifts I‘ve ever received. First, she taught me how to read. She also taught me that when I forgave Sister for our quarrels, it meant I wouldn‘t keep feeling like a victim(受害者). Instead, I would feel sunny.
Mr. Dinking, the local banker, tried to foreclose on Greta‘s house and land after her husband passed away. Thanks to Pa and Uncle Johan, Greta got to keep everything. Pa said that it was the least he could do for someone talented enough to teach me to read!
Soon folks were coming from miles around to buy Greta‘s homemade cakes, pies, breads, cookies, cider, and ice cream. Greta even had me take a big apple pie to Mr. Dinking who became one of her best customers and friends. That‘s just what Greta was. She could turn anyone into a friend!
Greta always said, "Dear, keep walking in sunshine!" No matter how terrible my day started, I always felt sunny walking home from Greta‘s house---even beneath the winter starlight.
I arrived at Greta‘s house today just after sunset. An ambulance had stopped a few feet from her door, its red lights flashing. When I ran into the old house, Greta recognized me right away.
She smiled at me with her unforgettable twinkling blue eyes. She was almost out of breath when she reached out and softly touched my arm. Her last words to me were "Dear, keep walking in sunshine!"
56. Which would be the best title for the passage?
A. What Greta taught me B. Greta would never die
C. The past sunny days D. Keep walking in sunshine
57. What can we know about Greta from the passage?
A. She was kind and forgiving B. She was rich and generous
C. She was energetic and confidence D. She was practical and helpful
58. The author used to go to see Greta every day mainly because _____.
A. Greta could treat the author with delicious food
B. Greta could give the author comfort
C. the author could learn how to read from Greta
D. the author could learn something valuable from Greta
59. What can we learn from the passage?
A. Greta lived a hard and lonely life.
B. Greta was loved and respected by all the people there.
C. Greta must be a relative of the author’s family.
D. The author had been out of touch with Greta for fifteen years.
D
Social rules or laws on marriage vary widely between countries．Some countries, still do not have a legal minimum age for marriage, which makes child macriages are very common, there．
In the Western Christian countries, a 13 -year -old is still considered a child．Even getting married in one* s late teens is not usually encouraged because married life is likely to interfere with a young woman' s education and consequently restrict opportunities in later life．And there are also physical dangers in giving birth so young．
In Muslim countries such as Saudi Arabia, Iran and Pakistan, the age of puberty（青春期）at around 13 or 14 is the legal age for marriage, but in Turkey it is 15, and in Egypt and Tunisia, 18 the same minimum age as in many Western countries．It is argued that by allowing, earlier marriages, Islamic law is promoting stable relationships, while Western laws are encouraging promiscuity among young people．
In many countries, the trends of urbanization and education for girls have seen a drop in the number of child brides．However, early marriages continue to occur in poor rural areas．In India, for example, the legal age of marriage for a girl is 18 and to a boy, 21．Yet, according to government statistics, 18 percent of ten to fourteen-year old girls in the poor, rural state of Rajasthan in the northwest of the country are married．It is clear, then, that child marriages are connected with poverty, lack of education, rural customs as well as religion．So there don't tend to be any child marriages in urban or rich areas．
57．The underlined word "promiscuity" in the third paragraph means ____．
A．permanent partnership B．firm partnership
C．diverse relationship D．single relationship
58．According to the text, which of these women are married lastest?
A．Women from less educated background．
B．Women from poor rural areas．
C．Women from Islamic countries．
D．Wonferi from cities．
59．Child marriages are NOT related to ____ according to the passage．
A．social communication B．rural customs
C．poverty and lack of education D．religious beliefs
60．According to the passage, getting married early leads to all of the following EXCEPT____．
A．reducing a young woman's education
B．limiting a young woman's chances
C．causing baby death
D．doing harm to a young woman's health
C
Do you want to make a forceful and impressive public speech and become an eloquent （有口才的） speaker? The newly-published books in our bookstore help you realize your dream．Time waits for nobody．Take action! 20% discount on all the orders above $ 100．Here are introductions of these books．
| 10 Days to More Confldent Public Speaking． By The Princeton Language Institute, Lenny Laskowski Paperback： 224 page ISBN: 0446676683 Price: $20 per copy THIS book is a course on giving publics talks．It was written by an expert in the field and has the tools to make you a relaxed effective and commanding public speaker．You can find clear, brief, step - by - step tips to help you． ●Overcome nervousness and discover your own natural style． ●Set up an immediate connection with your audience． ●Mix together humour and anecdotes （奇闻） into your talk． |
| In the Spotlight: Overcome Your Fear of Public Speaking and Performing; By Janet E．Espostio Paperback: 176 page Publisher:Strong Books ISBN: 1928782078 Price: $15 per copy "IN the spotlight'' is a gift for people experiencing any degree of fear or discomfort in speaking and performingin front of others, either in formal or informal settings．The book has many different methods to help you get beyond stage rright and learn to speak or perform with ease and confidence． |
| The Lost Art of the Great Speech: How to Write One and How to Deliver it． By Richard Dowis．Paperback : 288 pages．ISBN: 0814470548 Publisher: American Management Association．Price: $30 per copy Here's expert guidance on how to write a forceful speech．Attractive slides, confident body language, and a lot of eye contact are fine．Now everyone can learn to give powerful, direct speeches that catch audience' s attention．The key is not just in the delivery, but in using the power of language．It' s a speech - writing guide made by an award winning writer．It has everything from researching and writing the speech to preparing the next to delivering the speech to handling questions from audience． |
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53．Suppose you want to buy each of the four books in the bookstore, you will at least have to pay______.
A．$115 P．$23 C．$92 D．$85
54．Which of the four books mainly deals with the use of the language in a speech?
A．Lend Me Your Ears: Great Speech in History．
B．The Lost Art of the Great Speech; How to Write One and How to Deliver it．
C．In the Spotnight: Overcome Your Fear of Public Speaking and Performing．
D．10 Days to More Confident Public Speaking.
55．Which of the authors of the books used to write speeches for presidents?
A．Richard Dowis B．Janet, E．Esposito
C．Lenny Laskowski D．William Safire
56．The common purpose of the above books is to____．
A．give encouragement in making a speech
B．tell readers how to make a forcefuLand impresive speech
C．show readers the skills of writing a good speech
D．tell readers how to get over stage fright and to speak easily and confidently
B
According to the report by Baekeland and Hartmann, two American authoritative psychotogical research centres, the "short sleepers" had been more or less average in their sleep needs until the men were in their teens．But at about age 15 or so, the men voluntarily began cutting down their nightly sleep time because of pressures from school, work and other activities. These men tended to view their nightly per
iods of unconsciousness as bothersome interruptions, in their daily routines.
In general, these "short sleeps" appeared ambitious, active, energetic, cheerful,, conformist （循规蹈矩的） in their opinions, and very sure about their career choices．They often held several jobs at once, or workers full - or part - time while going to school．And many of them had a strong urge to appear "normal" or "acceptable" to their friends and associates．When asked to recall their dreams, the "short sleepers" did poorly．More than this, they seemed to prefer not remembering．In similar fashion, their usual way of dealing with psychological problems was to deny that the problem existed, and then to keep busy m the hope that the trouble would go away．The sleep patterns of the “short sleepers" were similar to, but less extreme than, sleep patterns shown by many mental patients categorized as manic （疯人）.
The "long sleepers" were quite different indeed．Baekeland and Hartmann report that these young men had been lengthy sleeps since childhood．They seemed to enjoy their sleep, protected it, and were quite concerned when they were occasionally deprived （剥夺） of their desired 9 hours of nightly bed rest．They tended to recall their dreams much better than the "short sleepers．" did．Many of the "long sleepers" were shy, anxious, introverted （内向）, inhibited （压抑） , passive, mildly depressed, and unsure of themselves （particularly in social situations）．Several openly states that sleep was an escape from their daily problems．
50．According to the text, which is probably the writer' s real attitude towards these two living habits ____．
A．both of them are healthy habits
B．not both of them are unhealthy habits
C．either of them is not unhealthy habits
D．neither of them is healthy habits
51．When sometimes they cannot enjoy adequate sleep, the long sleepers might ____．
A．feel extremely depressed B．become energetic
C．appeared disturbed D．feel disappointed
52．The writer implies （暗示） that short sleepers _____ in the text．
A．are ideally vigorous even under the pressures of life
B．often neglect the consequences of inadequate（不足的）sleep
C．do not know how to relax properly
D．are more unlikely to run into mental problems
第二部分：阅读理解（共两节，满分40分）
第一节：（共15小题，每小题2分，满分30分）
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。
A
After finishing my shopping, I headed for the checkout counter but was blocked in the narrow passage by a young man that appeared to be about sixteen years old. I wasn’t in a hurry, so I patiently waited for the boy to realize that I was there.
After a little while, he waved his hands excitedly, in the air and shouted in a loud voice, "Mommy, I'm here．Mommy, I'm here．" It was obvious now, he was mentally challenged．Suddenly, he turned and saw me standing so close to him．His eyes widened and watched me surprisingly．He turned and saw me standing so close to him. His eyes widened and watched me surprisingly. I stepped back and asked, " Hey, buddy, what’s your name? " " My name is Denny and I'm shopping with my mother," he responded proudly．"Wow," I said, "that's a cool name．I wish my name was Denny, but my name is Hal．" "Hal like Halloween?" he asked．"Yes," I answered．"How old are you, Denny?" "How old am I now．Mommy?" he asked his mother as she came over from the next passage．"You' re fifteen years old, Denny; now be a good boy and let the lady pass by．" I continued to talk to Denny for several more minutes about summer vacation, bicycles and school．I watched his brown eyes dance with excitement．
As we were talking, he suddenly ran toward the toy section．
Denny's mom thanked me for taking the time to talk with her son．She told me that most people wouldn' t even look at him, much less talk to him…I told her that it was my pleasure and then I said, " Denny is a blue rose and if I didn' t stop and smell that rose with my heart, I would miss a blessing from God．"
She looked more puzzled．I told her that there are plenty of red, yellow and pink roses in God's garden, however, blue roses are very rare and should be appreciated for their beauty and distinctiveness （特殊之处）．Denny is such a "blue rose" in God's garden．
46．Th
e story may happen______．
A．in a school B．during the summer vacation
C．in a super market D．in the toy section
47．The boy's brown eyes dance with excitement because______．
A．he was the center of someone's attention
B．Denny is a cool name
C．he is shopping with his mother
D．he likes summer vacation
48．We can infer from the passage that Danny ______.
A．was mentally challenged B．is 15 years old
C．was often very lonely and neglected D．is a ‘blue rose1’ in God's garden
49．From the passage we can learn that _______.
A．there are plenty of red, yellow and pink roses in God’s garden
B．blue roses'are very rare and should be appreciated
C．most people wouldn’t even look at Denny
D．every person should be appreciated in our life
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