English is the most widely used language in the history of our planet. One in every seven human beings can speak it. More than half of the world's books and three quarters of international mails are in English. Of all languages, English has the largest vocabulary - perhaps as many as two million words.
However, let's face it: English is a crazy language. There is no egg in an eggplant, neither pine nor apple in a pineapple and no ham in a hamburger . Sweet-meats are candy, while sweetbreads, which aren't sweet, are meat.
We take English for granted. But when we explore its paradoxes (矛盾) , we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square, public bathrooms have no baths in them. And why is it that a writer writes, but fingers don't fing , grocers don't groce , and hammers don't ham? If the plural (复数形式) of tooth is teeth, shouldn't the plural of booth be beeth ? One goose, two geese - so one moose , two meese? How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites? How can overlook and oversee be opposites, while quite a lot and quite a few are alike? How can the weather be hot as hell one day and cold as hell the next?
English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects the creativity of human beings. That's why, when stars are out, they are visible; but when the lights are out, they are invisible. And why, when I wind up my watch, I start it; but when I wind up this essay, I end it.According to the passage________.
| A．there should be eggs in an eggplant |
| B．sweet-meats and sweetbreads are different |
| C．pineapples are the apples on the pine tree |
| D．boxing rings should be round |
What does the author use most to prove his idea?
| A．Plurals. | B．Paradoxes. |
| C．Comparisons. | D．Synonyms. |
The underlined words "a wise guy" in paragraph 3 probably mean "______ ".
| A．somebody wise | B．a valuable chance |
| C．an opposite word | D．a stupid person |
The last paragraph is written to show .
| A．English is important |
| B．a word may have several definitions |
| C．human beings are creative |
| D．why people invented English |
I have been teaching animal behavior at the Boulder County Prison in Colorado for 10 years. The course is one of the most popular in the prison. Prisoners have to earn the right to attend the course and they work hard to get in.
One reason why the course is so popular is that many prisoners find it easier to connect with animals than with people, because animals don’t judge them. They trust animals in ways they don’t with humans.
Yet, they hold a misunderstanding of how animals treat one another. Many admit that their own “animal behavior” is what got them into trouble in the first place. I teach that though there is competition and aggression in the animal kingdom, there is also a lot of cooperation（合作）and sympathy.
Many of the students want to build healthy relationships, and they find that the class helps them. I use examples of the social behavior of group-living animals such as wolves as a model for developing and maintaining（维持）friendships among people who must work together for their own good and also for the good of the group.
It’s clear that science inspires the students here and it also gives them hope. I know some students have gone back into education after their being set free while others have gone to work for humane（人道）societies or contributed time and money to conservation organizations. One went on to receive a master’s degree in nature writing.
Science and humane education help the prisoners connect with values that they otherwise would not have done. It opens the door to understanding, trust, cooperation and hope. There’s a large population of people to whom science could mean a lot, if only they could have access to it. The class helps me, too. I get as much out of it as the students and it has made me a better teacher.The author’s course is welcomed by the prisoners because ______.
| A．they consider animals their best friends |
| B．they are curious about animal kingdom |
| C．they feel it easier to get along with animals |
| D．they are more familiar with animal behavior |
The author used wolves as an example to ______.
| A．provide the prisoners with more knowledge |
| B．explain the cruel side of group-living animals |
| C．help the prisoners realize the importance of teamwork |
| D．inform the prisoners that animals get people into trouble |
We can infer from the text that some prisoners ______.
| A．have turned over a new leaf |
| B．are required to attend the course |
| C．are willing to learn working skills |
| D．prefer humane education to science |
There was a time when, if a lady got onto a crowded bus or train, a gentleman would immediately stand up and offer her his seat. No more, though. Today, a gentleman will probably look out of the window, or, if he feels a bit guilty(内疚), hides behind his newspaper. Either way, the lady will have to stand until someone else gets off.
You can't entirely blame(完全责备)men for this change in manners. The days are gone when women could be referred to as the weaker sex. A whole generation(代)of women has grown up demanding equality with men; not just equality in jobs or education, but in social attitudes(态度). Hold a door open for some women and you're likely to get an angry lecture on treating women as inferiors(能力低下的人), unable to open doors for themselves. Take a girl out for a meal and she'll probably insist on paying her share of the bill; though on second thoughts perhaps that's not such a bad idea.
It's no wonder, then, that men have given up some of the gestures of politeness and consideration which they used to show towards women. On the other hand, automatic male (men) politeness is perhaps slowly being replaced by true consideration for the needs of women, so that men can see women as equal human beings.
Maybe that's worth standing in the bus or train.The new generation of women wants to be ________.
| A．treated not as the weaker sex |
| B．treated as the weaker sex |
| C．cared for on buses and trains |
| D．better treated than before |
According to the passage, which of the following is not correct?
| A．Some women may get angry if you open the doors for them. |
| B．Girls don't want you to pay for meal at all. |
| C．Some women may criticized (批评) you if you show too much politeness to them. |
| D．A girl may be unhappy if you insist on paying her share of the bill. |
From this passage, we know that ________.
| A．women need true consideration of their needs and feelings |
| B．men have given up some politeness they used to show to women |
| C．women often get angry if you are polite to them |
| D．women should stand in the bus or train |
The passage mainly tells us ________.
| A．gentlemen and ladies have equal rights on a bus or train |
| B．ladies wonder why gentlemen offer their seats to them |
| C．gentlemen consider politeness to be more important than ladies do |
| D．the change in manners has taken place between men and women |
Melissa Poe was 9 years old when she began a campaign for a cleaner environment by writing a letter to the then President Bush. Through her own efforts, her letter was reproduced on over 250 donated billboards across the country.
The response to her request for help was so huge that Poe established Kids For A Cleaner Environment (Kids F.A.C.E.) in 1989. There are now 300,000 members of Kids FACE worldwide and is the world's largest youth environmental organization.
Poe has also asked the National Park Service to carry out a "Children's Forest" project in every national park. In 1992, she was invited as one of only six children in the world to speak at the Earth Summit in Brazil as part of the Voices of the Future Program. In 1993, she was given a Caring Award for her efforts by the Caring Institute.
Since the organization started, Kids F.A.C.E. members have distributed and planted over 1 million trees! Ongoing tree-planting projects include Kid's Yards – the creation of backyard wildlife habitats (栖息地) and now Kids F.A.C.E. is involved in the exciting Earth Odyssey, which is a great way to start helping.
"Starting the club turned out to be a way to help people get involved with the environment. Club members started doing things like recycling, picking up litter and planting trees as well as inviting other kids to join their club."
"We try to tell kids that it's not OK to be lazy," she explains. "You need to start being a responsible, environmentally friendly person now, right away, before you become a resource-sucking adult."Kids F.A.C.E is _____.
A. a program to help students with writing
B. a project of litter recycling
C. a campaign launched by President Bush
D. a club of environmental protectionWhat can we learn about Poe?
| A．She was awarded a prize in Brazil. |
| B．She donated billboard across the country. |
| C．She got positive responses for her efforts |
| D．She joined the National Park Service. |
Kid’s Yards is _____.
| A．established in a national park. |
| B．started to protect wildlife |
| C．a wildlife- raising project |
| D．an entertainment park for kids. |
Which of the following can be inferred from the text?
A. Adults are resource-sucking people
B. Poe sought help from a youth organization
C. Kids F.A.C.E members are from the U.S.
D. Kids are urged to save natural resources.
University Room Regulations
Approved and Prohibited Items
The following items are approved for use in residential (住宿的) rooms: electric blankets, hair dryers, personal computers, radios, televisions and DVD players. Items that are not allowed in student rooms include: candles, ceiling fans, fireworks, waterbeds, sun lamps and wireless routers. Please note that any prohibited items will be taken away by the Office of Residence Life.
Access to Residential Rooms
Students are provided with a combination (组合密码) for their room door locks upon check-in. Do not share your room door lock combination with anyone. The Office of Residence Life may change the door lock combination at any time at the expense of the resident if it is found that the student has shared the combination with others. The fee is $25 to change a room combination.
Cooking Policy
Students living in buildings that have kitchens are only permitted to cook in the kitchen. Students must clean up after cooking. This is not the responsibility of housekeeping staff. Kitchens that are not kept clean may be closed for use. With the exception of using a small microwave oven (微波炉) to heat food, students are not permitted to cook in their rooms.
Pet Policy
No pets except fish are permitted in student rooms. Students who are found with pets, whether visiting or owned by the student, are subject to an initial fine of $100 and a continuing fine of $50 a day per pet. Students receive written notice when the fine goes into effect. If, one week from the date of written notice, the pet is not removed, the student is referred to the Student Court.
Quiet Hours
Residential buildings must maintain an atmosphere that supports the academic mission of the University. Minimum quiet hours in all campus residences are 11:00 pm to 8:00 am Sunday through Thursday. Quiet hours on Friday and Saturday nights are 1:00 am to 8:00 am. Students who violate quiet hours are subject to a fine of $25.Which of the following items are allowed in student rooms?
| A．Ceiling fans and waterbeds. |
| B．Wireless routers and radios. |
| C．Hair dryers and candles. |
| D．TVs and electric blankets. |
What if a student is found to have told his combination to others?
| A．The combination should be changed. |
| B．The Office should be charged. |
| C．He should replace the door lock. |
| D．He should check out of the room. |
What do we know about the cooking policy?
| A．A microwave oven can be used. |
| B．Cooking in student rooms is permitted. |
| C．A housekeeper is to clean up the kitchen. |
| D．Students are to close kitchen doors after cooking. |
If a student has kept a cat in his room for a week since the warning, he will face _____.
| A．parent visits | B．a fine of $100 |
| C．the Student Court | D．a written notice |
My mother got divorced when I was 5 and was left to raise me and my two younger brothers. She didn’t have a formal education, so she had to work two full-time jobs to make ends meet.
One day several years later, I was determined to help. I told the manager of the Don Carlos Motel in Nana Point that I was 15, so I could get a work permit to work as a maid.
Since then, I’ve started to work alongside some of America’s top leaders, written books, and achieved financial independence. It took a lot of hard work and sacrifices.
But what if I was 15 years old today? Would I be able to accomplish the same things in this new, highly competitive world with so many global challenges? It seems hard work and sacrifices aren’t enough anymore.
Today, you need to be extremely adaptable. To progress in your career, it’s not enough to know one thing well. As my friend Sean Harvey, product manager at Google put it when we were speaking to students, “Today, companies aren’t hiring people for a specific position but rather people who are smart and flexible. The way you prove that is by showing you can do multiple things well.”
People need to take more risks to succeed now than ever. The combination of unemployment and slow wage growth means that we are not only at greater financial risk, but we have to take more risks to succeed.
Luckily, the new Internet world of all-the-time connectedness means that anyone with a hot idea, product or service can create a business out of almost nothing. And success can be quick and big. But that success demands more “out of the box” thinking.
And what about our kids? It makes me think a lot about the future that my 3-years-old daughter faces. But no matter what the future brings, I think the best message I’ll give her is to believe in herself. Life won’t get any easier, but the opportunities will come — as they always have — to those who work hard, adapt as they need to, and trust their abilities.We can infer that the author had _________.
| A．a difficult childhood | B．a lonely childhood |
| C．a normal childhood | D．a happy childhood |
The author achieved financial independence when she was 15 largely due to ______.
| A．her strong leadership |
| B．her boss’s help |
| C．her hard work |
| D．her competitive spirit |
Compared to the past, people who want to succeed now need __________.
| A．more time | B．more money |
| C．to work harder | D．to be more creative |
The author writes the text mainly to __________.
| A．describe her childhood |
| B．give some suggestions about success |
| C．tell a story about her mother |
| D．share some useful parenting skills |
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