Here is an astonishing and significant fact: Mental work alone cant make us tired. It sounds absurd. But a years ago, scientists tried to find out how long the human brain could labor without reaching a stage of fatigue (疲劳). To the amazement of these scientists, they discovered that blood passing through the brain, when it is active, shows no fatigue at all! If we took a drop of blood from a day laborer, we would find it full of fatigue toxins(毒素) and fatigue products. But if we took blood from the brain of an Albert Einstein, it would show no fatigue toxins at the end of the day.
So far as the brain is concerned, it can work as well and swiftly at the end of eight or even twelve hours of effort as at the beginning. The brain is totally tireless. So what makes us tired?
Some scientists declare that most of our fatigue comes from our mental and emotional attitudes. One of England’s most outstanding scientists, J.A. Hadfield, says, “The greater part of the fatigue from which we suffer is of mental origin. In fact, fatigue of purely physical origin is rare.” Dr. Brill, a famous American scientist, goes even further. He declares, “One hundred percent of the fatigue of sitting worker in good health is due to emotional problems.”
What kinds of emotions make sitting workers tired? Joy? Satisfaction? No! A feeling of being bored, anger, anxiety, tenseness, worry, a feeling of not being appreciated---those are the emotions that tire sitting workers. Hard work by itself seldom causes fatigue. We get tired because our emotions produce nervousness in the body.What surprised the scientis
ts a few years ago?
| A．Fatigue toxins could hardly be found in a laborer’s blood. |
| B．Albert Einstein didn’t feel worn out after a day’s work. |
| C．The brain could work for many hours without fatigue. |
| D．A mental worker’s blood was filled with fatigue toxins. |
According to the author, which of the following can make sitting workers tired?
| A．Challenging mental work. | B．Unpleasant emotions. |
| C．Endless tasks. | D．Physical labor. |
What’s the author’s attitude towards the scientists’ idea?
| A．He agrees with them. | B．He doubts them. |
| C．He argues against them. | D．He hesitates to accept them. |
We can infer from the passage that in order to stay energetic, sitting workers need to __
_________.
| A．have some good food | B．enjoy their work |
| C．exercise regularly | D．discover fatigue toxins |
D
Thousands of people began pouring into Pennsylvania from other states.
They wanted to buy lottery tickets (彩票). The tickets cost only $ 0.9
each. But that small spending could bring them a reward of $ 90 million
.That was the second largest lottery jackpot (积累奖金) in history .
More than 87 million tickets were bought for the Pennsylvania lottery
drawing. Those who bought tickets had to choose seven numbers from 1 to
80．The chance of winning was one in 9.6 million, but that little
chance certainly didn’t affect ticket sales. In the last few days
before the drawing , tickets were selling at the unbelievable rate of
500 per second .
Experts say many people buy lottery tickets because they just want to
have a piece of the action . Others say the lottery is a stock market
for poor people. It allows them to dream about wealth they’ll probably
never have.
But many people believe lotteries are no better than legalized (合法化
的) gambling . Some critics note that most people who play are poor and
may not be able to afford the tickets. There are also many addicts who
take the game seriously. They may pour their life savings into lottery
tickets. Some clubs have been formed to help them kick the habit.
Politicians like lotteries because they provide money that would
otherwise have to come from new taxes. The profits from lotteries are
usually used to pay for education or programs for senior citizens. But
critics say this arrangement just allows states to legalize vice (恶
习), under the name of social progress . No matter whether you regard
state lotteries right or not, you cannot refuse to accept their extreme
popularity with many Americans. They main idea of the passage is that __________.
| A．lotteries are of great benefit to everyone who buys them |
| B．playing a lottery is just like investing in the stock market |
| C．many people buy lottery tickets , but lotteries cause disagreement |
| D．lotteries are nothing but legalized vice |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Politicians like lotteries because they don’t have to pay extra taxes. |
| B．The popularity of lotteries in America actually is social progress. |
| C．Some critics don’t like lotteries because many poor people waste money on them. |
| D．People love the lottery because it is a stock market. |
In just one hour in the last few days, the Pennsylvania lottery
sold tickets totaling_______.
| A．$ 1.62 million |
| B．$ 1.82 million |
| C．$ 9.6 million |
| D．$ 87million |
C
It was a village in India. The people were poor. However, they were not unhappy. After all, their forefathers had lived in the same way for centuries.
Then one day. Some visitors from the city arrived. The told the villagers there were some people elsewhere who liked to eat frog’s legs. However, they did not have enough frogs of their own, and so they wanted to buy frogs from other place.
This seemed like money for nothing. There were millions of frogs in the fields around, and they were no use to the villagers. All they had to do was catch them. Agreement was reached, and the children were sent into the fields to catch frogs. Every week a truck arrived to collect the catch and hand over the money. For the first time, the people were able to dream of a batter future. But the dream didn’t last long.
The change was hardly noticed at first, but it seemed as if the crops were not doing so well. More worrying was that the children fell ill more often, and, there seemed to be more insects around lately.
The villagers decided that they couldn’t just wait to see the crops failing and the children getting weak. They would have to use the money earned to buy pesticides(杀虫剂) and medicines. Soon there was no money left.
Then the people realized what was happening. It was the frog. They hadn’t been useless. They had been doing an important job---eating insects. Now with so many frogs killed, the insects were increasing more rapidly. They were damaging the crops and spreading diseases.
Now, the people are still poor. But in the evenings they sit in the village square and listen to sounds of insects and frogs. These sounds of the night now have a much deeper meaning. From paragraph I we learn that the villagers __________.
| A．worked very hard for centuries |
| B．dreamed of having a better life |
| C．were poor but somewhat content |
| D．lived a different life from their forefathers |
Why did the villagers agree to sell frogs?
| A．the frogs were easy money |
| B．They needs money to buy medicine |
| C．they wanted to please the visitors |
| D．the frogs made too much noise |
What might be the cause of the children’s sickness?
| A．the crops didn’t do well |
| B．there were too many insects |
| C．the visits brought in diseases |
| D．the pesticides were overused |
What can we infer from the last sentence of the text?
| A．Happiness comes from peaceful life in the country |
| B．Health is more important than money |
| C．The harmony between man and nature is important |
| D．good old day will never be forgotten |
Skinner Creek ESL Guest Ranch offers a unique outdoor adventure camp for international students.
Students who come to Skinner Creek have the opportunity to learn English in an environment entirely different from a regular school setting. English classes are designed to meet the academic and spoken levels of each student. All English classes will be taught by instructors qualified in teaching English as a second language. All levels of English are available.
After class, students can enjoy many outdoor activities in a controlled and safe environment. Experienced managers and camp teachers will prepare each activity to the level appropriate for each student.
Students’ safety is a priority for the staff of Skinner Creek ESL Guest Ranch. Students are monitored at all times and supervisors are in the cabins with the students at night. Staff members have St. John’s First Aid and Transportation and Wilderness First Aid. An emergency clinic is nearby and accessible 24 hours.
English Classes:
Class hours are from Monday to Friday, 9:00 am—2:00 pm with a one-hour break for lunch.
Students are challenged in reading, writing, grammar, vocabulary building and conversational English.
Fun After-class Activities:
Great after-class activities include: horseback riding lessons, hiking, baseball, volleyball, badminton, mountain hiking, bonfires and much more.
Time to watch videos and TV and play games.
Experience Canadian family life.
Weekends:
Special all-day and overnight weekend activities include: camping, days at the lake (fishing, swimming and boating) and more.
Travel Information:
Students will be picked up at Vancouver airport and dropped off again for their individual flights. Transportation to and from the ranch will be provided as well as overnight stays in Vancouver.
Please contact the ranch directly for prices: skinnercreek@telus. net.If you attend Skinner Creek Summer Camp, you will___.
| A．sometimes have English Classes outdoors. |
| B．learn how to deal with dangers in the wild. |
| C．enjoy different sports activities after class |
| D．experience the traditional farmer lifestyle. |
How many hours of English classes do students have every week in Skinner Creek?
| A．35 hours |
| B．28 hours |
| C．25 hours |
| D．20 hours |
Skinner Creek ESL Guest Ranch is in___.
| A．Canada |
| B．America |
| C．England |
| D．Australia |
How will most students travel to Skinner Creek if they want to attend the camp?
| A．By air |
| B．By car |
| C．By boat |
| D．By train |
The interview has been going on for about 20 minutes and everything seems to be going well. Then, suddenly, the interviewer asks an unexpected question, “Which is more important, law or love?”
Job applicants in the West increasingly find themselves asked strange questions like this. And the signs are that this is beginning to happen in China.
Employers want people who are skilled, enthusiastic and devoted. So these are the qualities that any reasonably intelligent job applicant will try to show no matter what his or her actual feelings are. In response, employers are increasingly using the questions which try and show the applicant’s true personality.
The question in the first paragraph comes from a test called the Kersey Temperament Sorter. It is an attempt to discover how people solve problems, rather than what they know. This is often called aptitude（天资）test.
According to Mark Baldwin of Alliance, many job applicants in China are finding this type of questions difficult. “When a Chinese fills out an aptitude test, he or she will think there is a right answer but they may fail because they try to guess what the examiner wants to see.”
This is sometimes called the prisoner’s dilemma. Applicants are trying to act cleverly in their own interest, but they fail because they don’t understand what the interviewer is looking for. Remember that in an aptitude test, the correct answer is the honest answer. What is the purpose of the passage?
| A．To give a piece of advice for job interviewees. |
| B．To tell you how to deal with job interviews. |
| C．To advise you how to find a good job. |
| D．To describe an aptitude test. |
Now employers want to hire workers_______.
| A．who know much more than others |
| B．who will work harder than others |
| C．who are able to solve the problems |
| D．who are better educated than others |
According to the writer, in an aptitude test, Chinese
job applicants should_______.
A. not tell the truth
B. offer a complete answer
C. learn to tell what they really think
find out what the examiner wants to know From the passage we know that_______.
| A．job applicants are always asked such questions |
| B．applicants should not act as cleverly as possible |
| C．more Chinese applicants fail to find a job |
| D．aptitude test is becoming worldwide popular |
Host family accommodation, or living with host families, remains popular among language travel students for its advantages. These days, host families are trying to offer more in terms of quality, for they still have something to worry about.
Host family accommodation is often seen as the number-one choice for its advantages in language study, cultural communication and cost of living. Staying alongside host families enables students to get enough practice for the short time of their studying so that their language acquisition is likely to become faster. Living in host families also has the advantage for students of being able to spend a lot of time communicating with their “host parents”, and get to know the local way of life, people and culture. Another advantage is that host family accommodation can sometimes be the least expensive. It attracts students for it ensures them a family type of living at a low cost.
The advantages, however, have not prevented host families form worrying. On one hand, some host families are losing their unique selling point. The problem is that the majority of hosts in big cites, now generally single and young, have less times available for students but the selling point for host family accommodation is communication practice. One the other hand, students’ expectations have risen. They are becoming more demanding and asking for more than ever from their accommodation, as they come mainly from high socio-economic groups in their own countries.
To get out of the difficult situation, host families are now making efforts to improve the quality of service. They are trying to making living conditions better, including broadband Internet service, private bathroom, and access to plenty of hot water for long showers. They are also providing students with structured family activities.
It is believed that host family accommodation will keep the popularity vote with language travel students.
Host family accommodation
| Theme |
Host families are improving the accommodation |
|
| 【小2题】 __________ |
Language study |
Possibly becoming |
| Cultural communication |
Communicating with Knowing the local way of life, people and culture |
|
| Cost of |
Being least expensive sometimes |
|
| Loss of selling point |
Hosts’ having less time for students |
|
| Rise in |
Students’becoming more demanding |
|
| Service quality improvement |
||
| Organizing structured family activities |
||
| Host family accommodation will keep the popularity vote with students. |
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