“No, no, no, dear, I want that wrapped in red paper.” A middle-aged woman came through my line and talked to me as if my IQ were that of a grade school kid. When I first started working, it was simply a way to decrease (减少) the time I spent at home and make my parents happy. I never thought that a year and a half later, I would still be at Marshalls, waiting for this woman to get through my line.
I smiled and said, “Oh, that’s no problem.” She bent over the counter to look at the computer and made sure I was doing my job correctly. Her sweater grazed my hand and she smiled like she meant well. I wanted to roll my eyes but instead I just smiled. Ever since I started working here, I’ve tried not to let people like her get to me. And forget judging a book by its cover, because I have been proved wrong time and time again. The wealthy middle-aged women were far ruder than the teenage boys. At first, I was constantly surprised. Now, I tried not to even guess how the person coming near my line was going to act, because it was never the way I imagine.
I never expected people to be so rude and at the same time nice. But for every rude person I saw, at least five pleasant customers came through my line.
“Here you go,” I handed the woman her receipt and hoped her $5 wine glass was wrapped to her liking. “Have a nice day!” I said. And just as I thought I was fed up, the next customer came through. “She had about one more minute and I was going to tell her to get out of line,” she whispered (小声说) to me with a smile.Why did the writer work at Marshalls?
| A．To have more time to go out. |
| B．To make money for the family. |
| C．To find a way to be happy. |
| D．To improve her IQ on doing business. |
What surprised the writer in her work at first?
| A．The rich customers behaved themselves well. |
| B．The young boys could be both rude and nice. |
| C．Some rich women customers were more impolite. |
| D．Wealthy women are pleasant customers. |
It can be inferred that the middle-aged woman .
| A．admired the writer for the good service |
| B．was a customer easy to deal with |
| C．had patience to do the shopping |
| D．cared much about the wrapping of goods |
What the next customer said implied that .
| A．she was angry with the middle-aged woman |
| B．she couldn’t wait one more minute in line |
| C．she would drive the middle-aged woman away |
| D．she might get out of the line for a while |
The Beijing International Marathon has acquired a new name among some disappointed participants: Smogathon.
About 30,000 runners, many from other parts of China or abroad, awoke in the Chinese capital on Sunday to an orange sun glowing weakly through a dirty haze(雾霾). Some ran anyway. Some ran away. But no one cancelled on the advice of the organizers, the Chinese Athletic Association and the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Sports, because those organizations did not call it off. That has made participants call the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), which has approved the 26-mile, or 42-kilometer race, to set air quality standards in the future to avoid damaging the runners’ health. The association could not be reached by telephone on Sunday.
“Does the IAAF have guidelines?” asked Chas Pope, a British engineer who took part in the marathon on Sunday. “If they don’t, they should consider it,” said Mr. Pope, who has lived in Beijing for 11 years and runs several long-distance races each year. “It’s meant to be fun and good for your health,” Mr. Pope said of the marathon. “But in such air, it’s just ridiculous to be running,” he said. He abandoned the course. “Most of my overseas friends pulled out,” he said. “And quite a few of my Chinese friends too, but a lot didn’t. I think they don’t know as much about the health impact.”
Images on Twitter and Chinese social media showed Chinese runners wearing a variety of face protections, from light cloth masks to World War I-style gas masks. Still many completed the race without masks. “Today’s race should definitely have been called off or rescheduled,” said Zhang Kai, Beijing-based campaigner with Greenpeace East Asia. “What happened today to this sports even is just another reminder to the government that much remains to be done to China’s energy and industrial structure to solve pollution,” said Mr. Zhang. “If the battle against pollution is a marathon, it is now time to catch up on speed.”
In the end, the race was won by two Ethiopians: Girmay Birhanu Gebru won the men’s race in 2 hours, 10 minutes and 42 seconds while Fatuma Sado Dergo won the women’s in 2 hours, 30 minutes and 3 seconds, breaking Chinese women’s advantage of the race for the last 22 years.
The favored Chinese woman runner, Gong Lihua, told China News Net that the smog didn’t affect her too much but it interfered with many people’s ability to sweat, affecting their performance.The underlined sentences “Some ran anyway. Some ran away.” mean _____________.
| A．Some runners who dropped out returned to run. |
| B．Some runners gave up after running a short distance. |
| C．Not all runners continued to run. |
| D．Most runners quit the race. |
Why did participants call the IAAF?
| A．To tell it the Beijing International Marathon was also named Smogathon. |
| B．To appeal to it to set air quality standards in the future. |
| C．To tell it the 42-kilometer race should be cancelled. |
| D．To appeal to it to make some laws to prevent pollution. |
Which of the following states does Chas Pope agree to?
| A．A dirty haze is harmful to health. |
| B．Running in any air is good. |
| C．The marathon in China should be cancelled. |
| D．Friends should learn from each other. |
Zhang Kai thinks the battle against pollution _______.
| A．will be the most urgent thing in China. |
| B．should be got rid of immediately. |
| C．is connected with China’s unreasonable energy and industrial structure. |
| D．will remind all the Chinese to reduce pollution. |
Director of Overseas Finance
Financial Services
Edinburgh
Permanent
Updated October 30, 2014
Reporting into the Administration and Finance Partner, this is a new role with responsibility for oversight and leadership in international financial matters, overseas tax issues and overseas operational management.
Key responsibilities include:
•Overseeing(监督) development and implementation(实施) of overseas tax strategy and managing relationships with relevant authorities and advisors.
•Managing international financial planning, forecasting and reporting requirements.
•Analysis and communication of impacts and responses to tax and other regulatory
(管理的) documents.
•Establishment and maintenance of appropriate systems, controls and records.
•Managing and leading senior accountants and managers.
Who we’re looking for
The successful candidate will be a qualified accountant with a strong academic record and will have:
•Experience of managing the finances of an international commercial organization.
•A track record of delivering improved efficiency and effectiveness in financial operations.
•Experience of leading and developing teams with proven change management experience.
About our customers
Baillie Gifford is one of the UK’s leading investment management firms and is a major player in the asset（资产）management business. As a market leader they have built their success around the stability of their partnership structure which provides guarantee for customers and motivation for employees. As by 31 December 2013 they managed more than ￡72 billion （US 113 billion）in active equity and bond portfolios(股票和债券组合) for customers in the UK and throughout the world.
What’s on offer
Attractive Salary + Benefits PackageWhere is the director of overseas finance supposed to work?
| A．In France | B．In the US |
| C．In London | D．In Edinburgh |
The primary responsibility of this position is to manage ______.
| A．international financial matters and national ones appropriately. |
| B．relationships between the relevant matters and tax strategy. |
| C．overseas tax strategy and relationships with authorities and advisors. |
| D．establishment and communication of systems, responses and other requirements. |
Which of the following people is qualified for the position?
| A．The one who has ever managed financial planning and reporting requirements. |
| B．The one who can analyze tax and other regulatory documents. |
| C．The one who is good at leading and developing teams without experience. |
| D．The one who is a good accountant with rich management experience. |
What is the purpose of this passage?
| A．To tell people how to invest their money. |
| B．To introduce a director of overseas finance. |
| C．To advertise for a director of overseas finance. |
| D．To introduce a UK’s leading investment management firm. |
As the population of the planet increases, so does the number of homes, businesses, parking lots, schools, airports and roadways. All these structures use electricity and need to be lighted. Humans demand these lights. They want their homes more comfortable and they want their streets safe. The problem is that researchers are finding that all the light is having a negative effect on humans and wildlife as well.
Less than 10 years ago I drove to a thinly populated section of my town, lay down in the middle of the road and watched an attractive meteor shower (流星雨). The area was short of homes, street lights and traffic. If I did that today, I wouldn't be able to see the meteor shower as well. Due to the increase in street lights, I would surely be run over by a car.
Nowadays scientists are finding light pollution can be almost as bad as carbon dioxide pollution. If you've ever taken a flight at night, the view is beautiful, but you must remember that all the light you see wastes electricity. The crew of the space shuttles see an even bigger picture of how extensive the wasted electricity is worldwide.
One of the saddest parts of light pollution is that most of it is unnecessary and most of the outdoor light that we use is wasted. One only needs to look at a row of street lights to see how much of the light shines upwards and lights the sky; a total waste of electricity.
Additionally, somewhere electricity needs to be produced, and the production of electricity creates pollution by releasing greenhouse gases. This affects the air we breathe and our quality of life.
Scientists are also studying the effects of light pollution on wildlife. Thousands of birds die each year when they crash into highly lighted buildings, as they become puzzled by the light. It has been long known that tiny baby sea turtles become lost and follow lights on the shore instead of heading towards the sea.
Fortunately, light pollution is one of the easiest sources of pollution that can be corrected without a negative effect. Following some guidelines and a little searching on Google can give you many ideas on how to reduce your contribution to light pollution.It is implied in Paragraph 3 that the best way to deal with light pollution is ________.
| A．reducing the output of the lights |
| B．avoiding the use of unnecessary lighting |
| C．educating people about light pollution |
| D．inventing environmentally- friendly lights |
Which of the following is the effect of light pollution?
| A．Many animals species have died out. |
| B．More traffic accidents happen every day. |
| C．The air we breathe may be polluted. |
| D．It is much easier for us to watch meteor showers. |
What can be inferred from the text?
| A．We are almost at a loss how to deal with light pollution. |
| B．Global warming results in light pollution in some way. |
| C．Astronauts can’t see clearly in space nowadays. |
| D．Some animals use natural light to direct their movements. |
What will probably be provided following the last paragraph?
| A．Helpful tips for surfing the Internet. |
| B．approaches to decreasing light pollution. |
| C．Benefits of searching on Google. |
| D．More bad effects of light pollution. |
Graham and his friends preferred to shoot up in their arms, necks and legs. A dealer once said Graham was the type who would never be able to turn back and that he expected him to die from the drug. Wendy feared the same, but didn’t know how to save her son. “ Once, after he’d disappeared for more than a month, I found him at a friend’s house with a bunch of other users,” she said, “I got down on my hands and knees, begging him to come home. He did, but the next morning he was gone. I don’t know what made him do it, but I drove 20 miles to the nearest train station. Graham was headed for Seattle, his pockets full of drugs. If I hadn’t gotten there in time, I would never have seen him alive again.”
The turning point came in 2007, after Graham was arrested yet again for possession. Wendy got a call from the Montana Drugs Project, which works with local law enforcement（强制执行） to keep track of youth-related crimes so it can help families in trouble. Following a counselor’s advice, Wendy hired two men to come to her home in the middle of the night, tie Graham and take him to a treatment program in Thompson Falls, Montana. “I was high when they came and really angry with my mom,” he said, “But if she hadn’t done that, drugs would have killed me.” After six months of treatment, Graham, now 19, came back to Kalispell, where he’s grown close to Wendy once again. “I still have the desires every day and attend support meetings every night,” he said, “But life is worth living again. My mom thinks that’s a miracle. I guess she is right.”The underlined phrase “shoot up” in paragraph 1 probably means_________.
| A．increase very quickly and suddenly |
| B．put illegal drugs into the body by using a needle |
| C．kill or injure someone by using a gun |
| D．try to achieve a particular aim |
When the two men came to their home in the middle of the night, Graham _______.
| A．had just taken drugs and was in the state of excitement. |
| B．was sleeping in a high bed above the ground. |
| C．had just taken drugs and was in the state of suffering. |
| D．was quarrelling with his mother. |
What conclusion can be drawn from the end of the passage?
| A．Graham is still using drugs now. |
| B．Graham hates his mother very much. |
| C．Graham thinks he can’t be saved. |
| D．Graham has come off drugs now. |
Want to live longer? Win an Oscar.
A new study says that actors who received the award earn more than larger paychecks.
So when 94-year-old Katharine Hepburn once remarked that she was respected internationally “like an old building”, she had no idea that her four Oscars directly influenced her longevity(长寿).
The study says winning actors will live 3.9 years longer than their losing counterparts (对手). Actors who have won more than once, like Hepburn, live up to six years longer than those who were nominated (提名) but never won.
“We found that they died from the same things we all die from—cancer, heart disease, but they fought them a bit longer and diseases came a bit later,” says Dr. Donald Redelmeier, the leading author of the study. Redelmeier says the sense of success and satisfaction makes one’s soul become more full of life.
“We are not saying that you will live longer if you win an Oscar,” explains Redelmeier, “or that people should go out and take acting courses. Our main conclusion is simply that social factors are important.” The study’s implied conclusion, he says, is that doctors should ask about their patients’ personal feelings because mental well-being is related to physical health.
Redelmeier says he got the idea for the study when he watched a glowing Gwyneth Paltrow win an Oscar in 1999 for her role in Shakespeare in Love. Redelmeier says, “She looked more full of life than anyone I had seen.”
“We found, too, those that had multi-nominations and no win had the same life expectancy as those with just a single nomination and no win,” Redelmeier adds. The longevity of Oscar winners mainly has something to do with___________.
| A．the big money that was awarded |
| B．mental factors |
| C．rich and colorful lives |
| D．respect from others and better treatment |
Tom had five Oscar nominations but win no Oscar and Peter had only one nomination and won no Oscar either. We can tell__________.
| A．Tom probably will have a longer life than Peter. |
| B．Peter probably will have a longer life than Tom |
| C．Both Tom and Peter probably will have the same life expectancy |
| D．Both Tom and Peter probably will have a long life. |
According to the passage, we know __________.
| A．When Katharine Hepburn was 94, she knew her long life had something to do with her 4 Oscar prizes |
| B．In general the number of Oscar prizes has nothing to do with a person’s life expectancy. |
| C．That Gwyneth Paltrow’s full of life made Redelmeier decide to do the study. |
| D．If you want to live a happy and long life, you should take acting courses and win Oscars. |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Most Oscar Winners Live Longer Lives |
| B．How to Get a Long Life |
| C．A New Study about Long Lives |
| D．An Amazing Finding |
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