One of my neighbors used to have a beautiful tree in her front yard. Her dad had planted it for her when it was nothing more than a twig and several years later it started to shoot towards the sky with amazing speed. Soon it blessed her with cooling shade in the summer and glorious, golden leaves in the fall.
When the two-day snowstorm struck our town, heavy snow fell on the tree’s branches that were still full of leaves. The weight split that lovely tree down the middle. It was so sad seeing half of it laying on the ground after the storm. When I talked to my neighbor later, she said that the damage had been too much and that the entire tree would have to be cut down. Thankfully she had saved a few saplings(树苗) from it that she hoped to replant in the future.
Still, it was a shock to drive by her house the other day and see nothing but a stump in her front yard. I missed that tree. I missed its beauty, its leaves shinning in the afternoon sun. I missed seeing its limbs reach towards the heavens. I thought that the stump would be a sad reminder of its loss for a long time to come. My wonderful neighbor, though, had another plan. When I drove by her home today I saw a tiny bird feeder sitting on that stump and a colorful songbird having its dinner. It was such an affirmation of life. It was such a joy to see. I could feel my heart smile.
Life by its very nature is a mixed bag. It hands us both beauty and tragedy, love and loss, pleasure and pain. What we do with it, however, is up to us. We can let it split us in two, or we can use even its hardest times to make our souls stronger and our hearts more loving. We can spend it complaining or we can use it to help others.We know from the first paragraph that _____．
| A．the tree grew very slowly. |
| B．the tree showed its beauty and benefits. |
| C．the author’s neighbor was good at planting trees. |
| D．the tree was so strong that it could bear any weight. |
The author’s neighbor left a stump in her front yard to use it as_____.
| A．a good reminder. |
| B．a seat after dinner. |
| C．a place to feed birds. |
| D．a beautiful sculpture. |
What does the author mainly want to show in the passage?
| A．Life has beauty and tragedy. |
| B．Life consists of pain and suffering. |
| C．Life should be pleasant rather than painful. |
| D．Life is determined by our attitude towards it. |
It was a cold December and Mrs. Bell wanted to do a lot of shopping. She waited until it was Saturday, when her husband was free, and she took him to the shops with her to pay for everything and to carry for her what she had bought. They went to a lot of shops, and Mrs. Bell bought everything she could think of.
She often stopped and said, “Look, Peter! Isn’t that beautiful?”
“All right, my dear. How much is it?” answered Mr. Bell, and then he took money out to buy it for her.
It was almost dark when they came out of the last shop, and Mr. Bell was tired. He was thinking about a nice drink by the side of a warm fire home. Suddenly his wife looked up at the sky and said, “Look at that beautiful moon, Peter!”
Without stopping, Mr. Bell answered at once. “All right, dear. How much is it?” Then he took his wallet out of his pocket.
| A．he liked beautiful things |
| B．he liked to do shopping too. |
| C．she wanted him to pay money |
| D．he was always free |
| A．nothing |
| B．a drink |
| C．the most beautiful thing |
| D．a number of things |
| A．was addicted to |
| B．was thinking about |
| C．was tired of |
| D．was very interested in |
| A．wanted to buy the moon |
| B．did not really know what his wife was saying |
| C．was a millionair |
| D．did not like the idea of buying the moon |
As we have seen, the focus of medical care in our society has been shifting from curing disease to preventing disease—especially in terms of changing our many unhealthy behaviors, such as poor eating habits, smoking, and failure to exercise. The line of thought involved in this shift can be pursued further. Imagine a person who is about the right weight, but does not eat very nutritious foods, who feels OK but exercises only occasionally, who goes to work every day, but is not an outstanding worker, who drinks a few beers at home most nights but does not drive while drunk, and who has no chest pains or abnormal blood counts, but sleeps a lot and often feels tired. This person is not ill. He may not even be at risk for any particular disease. But we can imagine that this person could be a lot healthier.
The field of medicine has not traditionally distinguished between someone who is merely “not ill” and someone who is in excellent health and pays attention to the body’s special needs. Both types have simply been called “well.” In recent years, however, some health specialists have begun to apply the terms “well” and “wellness” only to those who are actively striving to maintain and improve their health. People who are well are concerned with nutrition and exercise, and they make a point of monitoring their body’s condition. Most important, perhaps, people who are well take active responsibility for all matters related to their health. Even people who have a physical disease or handicap (缺陷) may be “well,” in this new sense, if they make an effort to maintain the best possible health they can in the face of their physical limitations. “Wellness” may perhaps best be viewed not as a state that people can achieve, but as an ideal that people can strive for. People who are well are likely to be better able to resist disease and to fight disease when it strikes. And by focusing attention on healthy ways of living, the concept of wellness can have a beneficial impact on the ways in which people face the challenges of daily life.In the first paragraph, people are reminded that ________.
| A．good health is more than not being ill |
| B．drinking, even if not to excess, could be harmful |
| C．regular health checks are essential to keeping fit |
| D．prevention is more difficult than cure |
Traditionally, a person is considered “well” if he ________.
| A．does not have any unhealthy living habits |
| B．does not have any physical handicaps |
| C．is able to handle his daily routines |
| D．is free from any kind of disease |
According to the author, the true meaning of “wellness” is for people ________.
| A．to best satisfy their body’s special needs |
| B．to strive to maintain the best possible health |
| C．to meet the strictest standards of bodily health |
| D．to keep a proper balance between work and leisure |
According to what the author advocates, which of the following groups of people would be considered healthy?
| A．People who have strong muscles as well as slim figures. |
| B．People who are not presently experiencing any symptoms of disease. |
| C．People who try to be as healthy as possible, regardless of their limitations. |
| D．People who can recover from illness even without seeking medical care. |
When I was a child, our dining room had two kinds of chairs—two large ones with arm rests and four small ones without. The larger ones stood at the ends of the table, the smaller ones on the sides. Mom and Dad sat in the big chairs, except when one of us was away; then Mom would sit in one of the smaller chairs. Dad always sat at the end, at the “head” of the table. Sitting where he did, Dad was framed by the window through which the yard could be seen with its trees and grass. His chair was not just a place for him at the table; it was a place in which he was situated against the yard and trees. It was the holy (神圣的) and protected place that was his, and ours through him.
After Dad retired, he and Mom moved out into a small flat. When they came to visit me at their old house. Dad still sat at the end of the table though the table was no longer his but mine. Only with my marriage to Barbara, did I hear a voice questioning the arrangement. She requested, gently but firmly, that I sit at the head of the table in our home. I realized then that I was head of the family, but I also felt unwilling to introduce such a change. How would I feel sitting in that “head” place in my Dad’s presence? And how would he handle it? I was to find out on the occasion of our youngest child’s first birthday.
Mom and Dad arrived for lunch, and went into the dining room. Dad moved toward his usual seat in front of the window. Before he could get around the side of the table, I took a deep breath and said, “Dad, this is going to be your place, next to Mom, on the side.” He stopped, looked at me and then sat down. I felt sad, and angry at Barbara for pushing me to do this. It would have been easy to say, “My mistake, Dad. Sit where you always sit.” But I didn’t.
When he and Mom were seated, Barbara and I took our places. I don’t know how Dad felt. I do know that, though removed from his usual place, he continued to share his best self with us, telling stories of his childhood and youth to the delight of his grandchildren. As I served the food, our lives experienced a change, which we continue to live with.
It wasn’t easy, but I sense that there is also something good in the change which has occurred. I am beginning to learn that “honoring one’s father” is more than the question of which place to occupy at the dining table. It also means listening, wherever we sit and whatever positions we own, to the stories Dad longs to tell. We may then, during these magical moments, even be able to forget about whose chair is whose.Where did the writer’s mother sit when one of the children was away?
| A．She didn’t change her chair. |
| B．She moved her own chair next Dad’s. |
| C．She moved to an empty chair on the side. |
| D．She sat opposite to Dad. |
How did the writer feel when he told his father to sit on the side?
| A．He didn’t feel bad because his father was going to sit there anyway. |
| B．He felt happy at having carried out the difficult task. |
| C．He was thoroughly satisfied with the new seating arrangement. |
| D．He regretted what he had done and wanted to blame his wife. |
What happened during the meal after the family had all taken their new seats?
| A．The writer’s children removed their grandfather from his usual place. |
| B．The writer’s father didn’t appear to mind where he sat. |
| C．The writer’s father shared his favorite dishes with the grandchildren. |
| D．They became tense and nervous about their future as a family. |
What did the writer learn about “honoring one’s father”?
| A．Fathers always long to tell stories about their early years. |
| B．Providing the fight chair is the only way to honor one’s father. |
| C．Respect for one’s father doesn’t depend only on where he sits. |
| D．The family should dine together at the same table as often as possible. |
1. Showcase your grades. Grades are still important to potential employers.
2. Get out into the real world. An internship or part-time co-op job tells employers that you have already experienced a real–world work environment and know what to expect.
3. Communicate well with others. No matter what career path you choose to follow—from nurse to computer programmer—you have to have solid written and oral communication skills to get a job.
4. Network, network, network. Most graduates land jobs through people they know—not by answering newspaper ads. So, make a list of your own contacts, such as professors, family and friends, and add to it by attending career fairs and other professional associations and activities.
5. Be computer literate. It is the information age—you need to be able to show solid computer literacy that is related to your field.
6. Put your best resume (简历) forward. A resume should be a short and clear, error-free, reader-friendly, one-page document that can be easily looked through.
7. Research. Take the time to learn about the company you are targeting by visiting its Website or researching the company at the library.
8. Use examples. Using detailed examples from school and internships to answer questions about your experiences and paint a clearer picture of your strengths and skills for the employer.
9. Smile! It is hard to smile when you are on the hot seat—but a smile during an interview shows enthusiasm for the position and the company. Potential (潜在的) employers might interpret a non-smiling face as a lack of interest.
10. Show your thanks. A thank-you note following a phone or a face-to-face interview reinforces your interest in the position and the company.If you_________, you cannot give the potential employers a good impression.
| A．make a list of your contacts |
| B．prepare a fine resume |
| C．show enthusiasm |
| D．write a thank-you note |
What does “you are on the hot seat” probably mean?
| A．The seat is very hot. |
| B．You are in a difficult situation. |
| C．Nobody else is helping you. |
| D．Everybody else is laughing at you. |
We can infer from the passage that_________.
| A．It is hard to find a job if you can not write well and communicate well. |
| B．You have to be an expert on computer to get a job. |
| C．It is not necessary to visit the Web site of the company you are interested in. |
| D．A resume can be a several-page document if you have a lot to show to the company. |
What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．You can get a good job if you have good network. |
| B．The ability to get a good job. |
| C．Tips for landing a job. |
| D．How to communicate with potential employers. |
An old man decided to write a letter to God:
Dear God,
I am nearing the end of my life. The doctors tell me I am dying of cancer and have a few months to live. In fact, as You know, throughout my entire life I’ve had nothing but bad luck. But no matter what You have inflicted (施加) on me, I have never lost my faith in You.
In return for this loyalty (忠诚), I ask just one thing of you. Please prove Your existence to me by sending me $100 in cash, and I will die a happy man.
Yours insignificantly,
An Old Man
The letter arrived at the local post office where the employees noticed it was addressed To God: Heaven. They all knew the old man and, after reading the letter with tears in their eyes, took pity on him, ninety dollars was raised and posted to him. The old man was overjoyed and immediately wrote a “thank you” letter to God. The post office received the letter and all gathered around to read it.
Dear God,
I thank You with all my heart for taking time from Your busy schedule and answering my request…I am now a happy man.
Yours (in the very near future),
An Old Man
P.S. I only received $90 of the $100 I asked for. I bet those thieving bastards down at the post office pinched (偷取) the rest.The old man believed that ______.
| A．God sent him $100 in cash. |
| B．the post office employees sent him $100 in cash |
| C．he would not die with getting $100 |
| D．the post office employees kept $90 |
What’s the meaning of the underlined word?
| A．joyless | B．extremely pleased |
| C．sad | D．uneasy |
Which of the following statements is NOT true?
| A．The old man believed in God piously (虔诚地). |
| B．The post office employees were moved by the first letter of the old man. |
| C．The post office employees didn’t feel joyful after reading the “thank you” letter. |
| D．The old man needed $100 very much. |
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