B
It happened to me recently. I was telling someone how much I had enjoyed reading Barack Obama’s Dreams From My Father and how it had changed my views of our President. A friend I was talking to agreed with me that it was, in his words, “a brilliantly written book”. However, he then went on to talk about Mr. Obama in a way which suggested he had no idea of his background at all. I sensed that I was talking to a book liar.
And it seems that my friend is not the only one. Approximately two thirds of people have lied about reading a book which they haven’t. In the World Book Day’s “Report on Guilty Secrets”, Dreams From My Father is at number 9. The report lists ten books, and various authors, which people have lied about reading, and as I’m not one to lie too often (I’d hate to be caught out), I’ll admit here and now that I haven’t read the entire top ten. But I am pleased to say that, unlike 42 percent of people, I have read the book at number one, George Orwell’s 1984. I think it’s really brilliant.
The World Book Day report also has some other interesting information in it. It says that many people lie about having read Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, Fyodor Dostoevsky (I haven’t read him, but haven’t lied about it either) and Herman Melville.
Asked why they lied, the most common reason was to “impress” someone they were speaking to. This could be tricky if the conversation became more in–depth!
But when asked which authors they actually enjoy, people named J. K. Rowling, John Grisham, Sophie Kinsella (ah, the big sellers, in other words). Forty-two percent of people asked admitted they turned to the back of the book to read the end before finishing the story (I’ll come clean: I do this and am astonished that 58 percent said they had never done so).What is the meaning of the underlined word “liar”?
| A．A person who hates books. |
| B．A person who tells lies. |
| C．A person who loves reading. |
| D．A person who is honest with everything. |
From the second paragraph we can know _____.
| A．only 42 percent of people have read George Orwell’s 1984 |
| B．two thirds of people haven’t read a book. |
| C．“Dreams From My Father” is listed the first of the top ten books |
| D．the writer haven’t read all of the top ten books |
Why does a person lie about books?
| A．Because they want to appear learned. |
| B．Because they want to attract others’ attention. |
| C．Because they do so out of habit. |
| D．Because they want to play tricks on others. |
Which of the following statement is right?
| A．The writer often leaves a book unfinished. |
| B．The writer was once caught out for telling lies. |
| C．The writer often reads the end of a book first before finishing the story. |
| D．The writer likes Barack Obama from the very beginning. |
What do you think of the author?
| A．Thoughtful and talkative. |
| B．Smart and helpful. |
| C．knowledgeable and experienced. |
| D．Wise and honest. |
When Andrea Peterson landed her first teaching job, she faced the daunting task of creating a music program with almost no money for equipment or supplies in a climate where standards-based learning was the focus and music just provided a break for students and teachers. For her drive and creativity in overcoming those challenges, she’s been named national teacher of the year.
Principal Waynes Kettler said he’s worked with many outstanding teachers in his 22 years as an educator, but Peterson is “just one step above anybody I’ve ever worked with before”.
Kettler and others at Monte Cristo Elementary School talk about the ways she has introduced the learning from other classrooms into her music program and her creativity in working around things such as the lack of money for new music.
When students were reading S. E. Hinton’ s novel The Outsiders in their regular classroom, Peterson helped them write a 30-minute play with scenes from the book. Then they chose three Broadway tunes that focused on race, equality and social justice, the themes of the book. Peterson composed two other songs herself after discussions about the play and the book.
As a national teacher of the year, Peterson will spend more years outside the classroom, as a national and international spokeswoman for education. She said it’ s essential for schools to offer classes such as art, music and physical education because for some kids one of those subjects is the only thing that attracts them to come back to school day after day.
46. The underlined word “daunting” in Paragraph 1 most probably means ______.
A. discouraging B. interesting C. creative D. unbearable
47. When Peterson began her teaching career, ______.
A. music was a focus of learning in most schools
B. the environment was favorable to music teaching
C. the school lacked teaching facilities for music
D. support for music programs was unavailable
48. What is the most important reason that Peterson won the award?
A. She concerned herself with current social problems.
B. She motivated students to learn music with her creativity.
C. She has taught music at the elementary school for 22 years.
D. She made great efforts to amuse students’ interest in literature.
49. Which of the following is an example of Peterson’s way of teaching music?
A. She wrote plays on themes of race, equality and social justice.
B. She made use of the contents of other classes in her teaching.
C. She organized discussions about Broadway tunes.
D. She helped students compose songs by themselves.
50. In Peterson’s opinion, _______.
A. art, music and PE classes are all important
B. more subjects should be offered to students
C. students should be motivated to attend art classes
D. art education is more important than other subjects
Self-esteem is all about how much we are valued, loved, accepted, and thought well of by others and how much we value, love and accept ourselves. People with healthy self-esteem are able to do better in school and find it easier to make friends. They tend to have better relationships with others, feel happier, find it easier to deal with mistakes and failures, and are more likely to stick to something until they succeed. People with low self-esteem may feel as if no one will like them or accept them or that they can’t do well in anything.
The following ways may help you improve your self-esteem.
Try to stop thinking negative thoughts about yourself. If you’re used to focusing on your shortcomings, start thinking about positive aspects of yourself that outweigh them. It is good to aim high, but your goals for yourself should be within reach. That’s why you should set practical goals and never expect the impossible. Mistakes are part of learning, so view mistakes as learning opportunities. Accept that you make mistakes because everyone does.
Also, you should recognize what you can change and what you can’t. If you realize that you’re unhappy with something about yourself, you can change and start from today. If it’s something you can’t change (like your height), start to work toward loving yourself the way you are.
Feeling like you’re making a difference or that your help is valued can do wonders to improve your self-esteem. So don’t hesitate to make a contribution. You can lend a hand to a classmate who’ s having trouble, help your neighborhood clean up, or volunteer to do some other things.
Self-esteem plays a role in almost everything you do. It’s never too late to build healthy self-esteem. It takes some work, and it’s a necessary skill you’ll have for life.
1. The underlined word “them” in Paragraph 3 refers to “______”.
A. your classmates B. your shortcomings
C. your strong points D. your goals
2. According to the passage, which of the following can help improve your self-esteem?
A. Setting high goals similar to others’.
B. Never forgiving yourself for your mistakes.
C. Lending a hand to a classmate in trouble.
D. Changing all the things that make you unhappy.
3. We can infer from the passage that ______.
A. the old tend to have healthier self-esteem than the young
B. we should build healthy self-esteem when young
C. there are more people with low self-esteem
D. it is not easy to build healthy self-esteem
4. The passage is mainly about ______.
A. how people improve their self-esteem
B. what self-esteem means
C. what people with low self-esteem are like
D. what people with healthy self-esteem are like
5. How many ways of improving your self-esteem are mentioned in the passage?
A. Five B. Six C. Seven D. Eight.
第二部分：阅读理解(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。
The ability to do several things at once has become one of the great measures of self-worth for 21-century Americans. It is called multitasking, and it takes many forms. As one example, why go out to lunch when you can eat at your desk, talk to a client on the phone, scroll through your e-mail, and scan a memo simultaneously? And why simply work out on treadmill (单调的工作) when you could be watching television and talking on a portable phone at the same time? What a feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment --- three activities for the time commitment of one! Ah, such efficiency. No wonder those who turn “to do” lists into a time-management art form tend to boast (自夸): “Look, me, how many things I can accomplish at once. If I’m this busy, I must be important.”
Yet last week the New York Assembly struck a blow against multitasking, at least behind the wheel, when it approved a bill banning drivers in the state from using handheld cellular phones. Too dangerous, the assembly said, citing research showing that drivers are four times more likely to have a collision when they are talking on a cellphone.
No one can argue against using time effectively. But accompanying the supposed gains are losses. Consider the woman out for an early-morning walk in a suburban neighborhood. She strides briskly, head down, cellphone clamped to her ear, chattering (喋喋不休) away, oblivious of the birds and flowers and glorious sunshine. Did the walk have any value?
More than a decade ago, long before multi-tasking became a word in everyday use, a retired professor of theology(神学) in Indiana with whom I corresponded (通信) made a case for what might be called uni-tasking — the old-fashioned practice of doing one thing at a time.
Offering the simplest example, he said, “When you wash the dishes, wash the dishes.” Good advice, I’ve found, whatever the task.
Perhaps, too, the ban on phoning-on-the-road will even spark a move away from other forms of dual activity. Who can tell? It could mark the first step in a welcome reconsideration of what really constitutes productivity and accomplishment.
1. The author thinks that multitasking has become one of the great measures of self-worth because ________.
A. it helps people to use time effectively
B. it makes people feel they are important
C. it means the ability to do several things at once
D. people worship speed and desire
2. The bill approved by the New York Assembly is mentioned in the second paragraph in order to ________.
A. demonstrate the danger of multitasking
B. show the high efficiency of multitasking
C. introduce the legislation system in America
D. argue against using time effectively
3. Which of the following is closest in meaning to the word “oblivious” in the third paragraph?
A. serious B. absorbed deeply
C. not noticing D. forgetting
4. We learn from the passage that uni-tasking is ________.
A. the new fashion for 21-century Americans
B. accepted by most residents in Indiana
C. created by a retired professor of theology
D. the traditional act of doing one thing at once
5. In the eyes of the author, multi-tasking ________.
A. could not be avoided in this fast-changing age
B. should be taken the place of by uni-tasking
C. robs people of time to focus and reflect
D. should not become a word in everyday use
When newspapers and radio describe the damage caused by a hurricane named Hazel,girls named Hazel are probably teased by their friends.To keep out of trouble,the Weather Bureau says,“Any resemblance between hurricane names and the names of particular girls is purely accidental.”
Some women became angry because hurricanes are given their names,but many other women are proud to see their names make headlines.They don’t even care that they are the names of destructive storms.Because more women seem to like it than dislike it,the Weather Bureau has decided to continue using girl’s names for hurricanes.
In some ways a hurricane is like a person.After it is born,it grows and develops,then becomes old and dies.Each hurricane has a character of its own.Each follows its own path through the world,and people remember it long after it gone.So it is natural to give hurricanes’ names,and to talk about them almost if they were alive.
1.What happens to girls named Hazel according to the passage?
A.They suffer from hurricanes.
B.The Weather Bureau look for them.
C.Others often make fun of them.
D.They can’t find boyfriend.
2.The underlined word“resemblance”probably means ______.
A.trouble B.difference C.sameness D.success
3.According to the passage,which is more reasonable?
A.Some women feel unhappy because hurricanes are given their names.
B.A lot of women complain of the Weather Bureau.
C.Many women want to be known.
D.All the hurricanes are caused by women.
4Public opinions make the Weather Bureau ______.
A.consider the disagreement of some women
B.go on naming hurricanes after women
C.name hurricanes after men
D.look for a new method to name hurricanes
5.It is natural to give hurricane names because ______.
A.they become old and die
B.all of them should be remembered
C.each hurricane has its own day to come
D.each hurricane has its own character
It was Mother's Day. John was so busy with his work that he couldn't go back home. When he passed by a flower shop in the evening, an idea came to his mind, “I'll send Mum some roses(玫瑰).”While John was picking his flowers, a young man went inside. “How many roses can I get for only five dollars, madam?” he asked. The assistant(店员) was trying to tell him roses were as expensive as forty dollars a dozen(一打). Maybe he would be happy with carnations(康乃馨).
“No, I have to have red roses,” he said. “My mum was badly ill last year and I didn't get to spend much time with her. Now I want to get something special, it has to be roses as rose is her favourite.”
After hearing it, John said he would pay the rest of the money for the young man. Moved b
y both of them, the assistant said, “Well, lovely young men, thirty dollars a dozen, only for you.” Taking the roses, the young man almost jumped into the air and ran out of the shop. It was well worth twenty－five dollars that John paid to see the exciting moment. Then John paid for his dozen of roses and told the assistant to send them to his mother.
As he walked out, he felt nice. Suddenly he saw the young man crossing the street and going into a park. But soon John realized it was not a park but a cemetery(墓地). Cryi
ng, the young man carefully put down the roses, “Mum, oh, Mum, why didn't I tell you how much I loved you? God, please help me find my mum and tell her I love her.”
Seeing this, John turned and quickly walked to the shop. He would take the flowers home himself.
46. The assistant tried to ask the young man to buy carnations instead of roses because_________ .
A. carnations were nicer than roses
B. roses were saved for John
C. roses were more expensive than carnations
D. carnations were special flowers for Mother's Day
47. John spent _________ altogether(总共) in the flower shop that day.
A.$5 B.$25 C.$30 D.$55
48. The young man cried at the cemetery because he
A. had spent all his money on the roses
B. wasn't able to tell his mother he loved her himself
C. felt sorry to ask John to pay for his flowers
D. hadn't got enough money for his sick mother
49. At last John changed his mind and went home because he wanted to
A. tell his mother he loved her himself
B. ask his mother for more money
C. tell his mother the young man's story
D. ask his mother if she liked roses
50. The writer writes the passage in order to tell us
A. Buy roses for your mother when she is ill
B. Let your mother know how much you love her
C. Work hard to get more money for your mother
D. Send your mother flowers on Mother's Day
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