__________, Gao Xiaosong, a famous musician, was sentenced to 6-month imprisonment–the most severe punishment about drunk driving–on June.1.
A public figure though is he B. A public figure though he is
C. Public figure he is though D. Public figure though he is
It doesn’t matter _______ you wear, _______ you attend the ceremony on time.
A.whatever; unless | B.whatever; so long as |
C.no matter what; so long as | D.no matter what; unless |
What moved me most was not the Father’s Day gift from my daughter, but_______ she presented it.
A.in the way | B.the way which | C.in the way that | D.the way |
Pip disliked _______ Joe came to see him in London, _______ Pip thought was not a gentleman.
A.it when; who | B.that; where | C.it when; whom | D.that; which |
According to the management rules of our hotel, all the bills _______ be paid in cash.
A.would | B.may | C.shall | D.could |
The new movie, Pirates of the Caribbean 4 is well _______ and lives up to the _______ which is established by the first 3 series.
A.received; expectation | B.received; reputation |
C.accepted; contribution | D.accepted; civilization |
----The government claims to exercise control over housing prices. But the fact is_______ ideal.
---- It’s _______ wonder that there are constant complaints on the Internet.
A.free from; not a | B.free of; not a |
C.far from; no | D.far away; no |
In _______ gesture to help preserve history, the locals are repairing _______ large percentage of the historic sites steadily.
A.the; the | B.a; a | C.the; a | D./; the |
Some people believe that greed and selfishness has become the basis of modern society, and we should return to the old traditions of family and community then we will have a better life. To what extent do you agree or disagree with the above opinion?
In this fast-paced world, many values are undergoing major changes. While people traditionally prioritize caring, sharing and generosity in life and work, modern people seem to be more self-absorbed and self-concerned.
Modern people act selfishly to survive the harsh competition of life. They say that it is a jungle out there. To survive, you have to fight with whatever means that come handy. Obviously greedy and selfishness go perfectly well with such ideas. In a company, employees do everything they can to get better pay and higher position, even at the cost of colleagues. We are in any way advocating any selfish conduct. It is just that people are pressured to act in a certain way due to outside influences.
In spite of common practice, it is hard to conclude that modern society is built on greed and selfishness, both of which are not newly invented vocabulary. In ancient times people also did greedy and selfish things though such behaviors were more condemned then. But we can not ignore the fact that people in the past lived a relatively more isolated life and faced less pressure compared with their modern counterparts.
Are we happier to share with others and be generous to them? There is no fixed answer either. Some people take great pleasure helping and giving to others while others feel happy doing the opposite. But I personally think that people should not be too selfish. Caring for others can actually encourage the development of a mutually beneficial relationship.
In conclusion, modern people appear to be more self-centered than those in the past due to strong outside pressure. However, we should encourage people to know the importance of being caring and generous and to build a mutually beneficial relationship with others.
Are Modern People Becoming More Selfish?
Main comparisons |
Contexts |
____ are changing |
In the past people put caring, sharing and generosity in the first _______. |
Nowadays, people seem to be more ________about themselves. |
|
______are changing too. |
People in the past appeared to be modest and self-effacing(谦让的). |
People may strive to achieve their own _____ at the price of their coworkers. |
|
The author’s understanding |
|
_______ for the changes in author’s eyes |
Fierce ____ and great _____on modern people may be responsible for the changes. |
The author’s _______towards topic |
A relationship which can _____ two sides should be established. |
From now on, never spend your precious time thinking of reasons for your failures and shortcomings. Instead, realize that the seeds of success were planted within you when you were born. Only you have the power to make those seeds grow.
The seeds, and the power to grow them, are contained in the most awesome machine ever created:the human mind. Success is a choice and not a chance. You were born a winner. You were born rich. You can be a success if only you make the right choice.
You cannot be successful without first developing your self-esteem. Your level of self-esteem is always based on the degree of control that you are able to exercise over yourself, and thus over your life. People with low self-esteem are people who do not believe that they have any power, or responsibility for their lives. They are the perennial(长期的) victims and martyrs. They are leaves tossed(摇摆) by the winds of chance blown about with any sudden change in the weather.
You can exercise control over your life only to the degree that you believe that you are responsible for everything that happens in your life. Failures think that everything happens by accident and chance. Successful people realize that they are responsible.
Everything happens as a result of something. If we can identify the cause, we can control the effect. We are responsible for what we choose to think and believe. One generally rises to the level that one expects. We are responsible for setting our expectations. Our success is dependent upon our level of confidence.
If you associate with positive-thinking people, you are definitely going to achieve success. On the contrary, the opposite happens. We are responsible for finding, planting, and nurturing the seeds that contain future victory, born from setbacks.
In short, in all areas of your life, whether they be financial, physical, emotional, or spiritual, you are responsible. Once you recognize this, accept it, and firmly believe it, you are on the road to success.
People with low self-esteem are compared to leaves because they ______________ .
A.are ready to change their minds |
B.are easily affected by windy weather |
C.don’t have the power to face their fate |
D.can’t exercise control over themselves |
Losers would think that .
A.success is the result of hard work |
B.working hard will lead to success |
C.their failure is only because of bad luck |
D.they don’t make efforts to succeed |
It can be inferred from paragraph 5 that .
A.whether we will succeed depends on our attitudes |
B.developing confidence is the key to future success |
C.thoughts and beliefs are the result of creative mind |
D.setting our expectations is essential before taking action |
The last paragraph serves as .
A.the proof of the author’s points | B.the conclusion of the argument |
C.an introduction to another topic | D.a comparison between two views |
Which is the best title for the text?
A.Success is a choice. | B.The secrets of success. |
C.Develop our confidence. | D.How to achieve success. |
Heather Mills McCartney lives an admirable life, attending celebrity parties, meeting regularly with the rich and famous and doing meaningful work for charity. All who work with her admire and respect her. But Heather’s life hasn’t always been so easy. When Heather was only 9 years old, her mother abandoned her and her two brothers. At the age of 13, she ran away from home and ended up living on the streets in London. Eventually, however, her exceptional beauty led to a career in modeling. At that time, Heather also began helping with the war relief efforts in former Yugoslavia. Through her modeling and relief work, she soon became famous.
But in August 1993, at age 25 her life changed once again. She was crossing the street in London when a motorcycle crashed into her. She was so badly injured that the doctors had to cut off her left leg. After that, she discovered she frequently needed to change her artificial limbs. It was expensive and she felt it was a waste to just throw away the old one. It occurred to her to set up an organization that could deliver used artificial limbs to Yugoslavia and other war-torn countries. It was through her charity work that she met her husband Paul McCartney.
Throughout her life, Heather has risen above problems and focused on helping others. Her work with artificial limbs even earned her a nomination(提名) for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1996. Heather’s persistence and determination are what impresses anyone who knows her. Heather believes anyone can make a positive difference in the world.
This passage is mainly about _________.
A.Heather’s miserable life | B.Heather’s contribution to the world |
C.Heather’s success in her work | D.Heather’s belief in life |
Heather began her modeling career _________.
A.due to her mother’s encouragement |
B.after her brothers abandoned her |
C.because of her excellent intelligence and performances |
D.because she was especially beautiful |
Which of the following is Not true according to the passage?
A.Heather won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1996. |
B.Heather began her charity work while working as a model. |
C.Her artificial limbs had to be replaced continuously. |
D.Heather has never been defeated by her problems. |
From the passage we can infer that people admire and respect Heather because
_________.
A.she had a lot of misfortunes during her childhood. |
B.she was a world-famous model |
C.she is determined and never gives in |
D.she made a great difference in the world |
If you happen to be the 200th customer to buy Cholesterolblock, you will .
A.be able to buy it at a low price | B.be the luckiest one online |
C.try it free of charge | D.change your diet |
Liptor®, Zocor®, Crestor® are .
A.diseases | B.side effects | C.medicines | D.cholesterol |
CholestrolblockTM has the following advantages EXCEPT that _____________________.
A.it helps take cholesterol out of whatever food you eat. |
B.it has been proved useful in hospital testing. |
C.it helps people absorb at least 42% cholesterol. |
D.it sells best on Internet every month. |
Where can you most probably read this passage?
A.In a travel guide book. | B.On a university bulletin board. |
C.In a health magazine. | D.In a doctor's prescription. |
You know Australia is a big country, but you may not know how easy it is to get around. The untouched beaches that go for miles and deserts that touch the horizon are just there, waiting to be reached and explored. Following are the different ways you can explore our vast country.
Getting around Australia
Air
Flying is the best way to cover large distances in a short time. You can spend more time on the Australia’s can’t - miss landscapes and relaxing lifestyle. Moreover, competition among airlines makes great flying fees available for you.
Drive
Australia has a vast network of well - maintained roads and some of the most beautiful touring routes in the world. You have no difficulty finding car rental companies at major airports, central city locations, suburbs and attractions.
Bus
Bus travel in Australia is comfortable, easy and economical. Buses generally have air conditioning, reading lights, adjustable seats and videos. Services are frequent, affordable and efficient.
Rail
Train travel is the cheapest and gives you an insight into Australia’s size and variety, all from the comfort of your carriage. Scheduled services are a great way to get quickly between our cities and regional centers.
Ferry(轮渡)
The Spirit of Tasmania runs a passenger and vehicle ferry service between Melbourne and Tasmania nightly. Extra services are running during summer rush hours. Sea - link ferries connect South Australia and Kangaroo Island several times a day. Ferries connect suburbs in our capital cities
Walk
With easy - on - the - feel pedestrian streets, walking is a great way to get around our cities.
Besides all of above, you can also experience some of the longest tracks and trails in the world in central Australia - impressive journeys of a thousand kilometers or more that can take several weeks to complete.
The underlined word "untouched" (in the 1st paragraph) means______.
A.secure | B.special | C.natural | D.artificial |
Which of the following is TRUE about traveling in Australia? ______.
A.More travelers make the flying fees among airlines higher than before |
B.You can easily rent a car to explore its most beautiful touring routes |
C.Taking a bus tour is the most comfortable, economical and efficient way |
D.Train services can offer you more comfort than any other means of transport |
Ferry service between Melbourne and Tasmania usually runs ______.
A.only at night hours | B.only during rush hours |
C.several times a day | D.between different cities |
From the passage, we know that ______.
A.pedestrian walking is a great way to travel between cities |
B.traveling in Central Australia is time - consuming |
C.Central Australia has the world’s longest railway line |
D.you have to walk over a thousand kilometers in Australia |
How Much to Tip
You’re out to dinner. The food is delicious and the service is fine. You decide to leave a big fat tip. Why? The answer may not be as simple as you think.
Tipping, psychologists have found, is not just about service. Instead, studies have shown that tipping can be affected by psychological reactions to a series of different factors from the waiter’s choice of words, to how they carry themselves while taking orders, to the bill’s total. Even how much waiters remind customers of themselves can determine how much change they pocket by the end of the night.
“Studies before have shown that mimicry (模仿) brings into positive feelings for the mimicker,” wrote Rick van Baaren, a social psychology professor. “These studies show that people who are being mimicked become more generous toward the person who mimics them.”
So Rick van Baaren divided 59 waiters into two groups. He requested that half serve with a phrase such as, “Coming up!” Those in the other half were instructed to repeat the orders and preferences back to the customers. Rick van Baaren then compared their take-home. The results were clear — it pays to mimic your customer. The copycat(模仿者) waiters earned almost double the amount of tips to the other group.
Leonard Green and Joel Myerson, psychologists at Washington University in St. Louis, found the generosity of a tipper may be limited by his bill. After research on the 1,000 tips left for waiters, cabdrivers, hair stylists, they found tip percentages in these three areas dropped as customers’ bills went up. In fact, tip percentages appear to plateau (达到稳定水平) when bills topped $100 and a bill for $200 made the worker gain no bigger percentage tip than a bill for $100.
“That’s also a point of tipping,” Green says. “You have to give a little extra to the cab driver for being there to pick you up and something to the waiter for being there to serve you. If they weren’t there, you’d never get any service. So part of the idea of a tip is for just being there.”
Apart from service, how many other factors affecting the customers’ tipping are mentioned in the passage?
A.1. | B.2. | C.3. | D.4. |
These studies show that _________.
A.tipping can be affected by physical reactions to many different waiter’s factors |
B.people who are being mimicked usually tip less to the person who mimics them |
C.the mimic waiters can get almost twice as much money as the other group |
D.mimicry makes the mimicker feel bad |
According to the passage, which of the following will be likely to show the right change of the tip percentages?
A B C D
We know from the passage that the writer seems to __________.
A.object to Mr. Green’s idea about tipping |
B.think part of Mr. Green’s explanation is reasonable |
C.give his generous tip to waiters very often |
D.support the opinions of Mr. Green and Rick van Baaren about tipping |
My father was a foreman of a sugar-cane plantation in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico. My first job was to drive the oxen that ploughed the cane fields. I would walk behind an ox, guiding him with a broomstick. For $ 1 a day, I worked eight hours straight, with no food breaks.
It was very tedious work, but it prepared me for life and taught me many lasting lessons. Because the plantation owners were always watching us, I had to be on time every day and work as hard as I could. I’ve never been late for any job since. I also learned about being respectful and faithful to the people you work for. More important, I earned my pay; it never entered my mind to say I was sick just because I didn’t want to work.
I was only six years old, but I was doing a man’s job. Our family needed every dollar we could make because my father never earned more than $ 18 a week. Our home was a three-room wood shack with a dirty floor and no toilet. Nothing made me prouder than bringing home money to help my mother, father, two brothers and three sisters. This gave me self-esteem(自尊心), one of the most important things a person can have.
When I was seven, I got work at a golf course near our house. My job was to stand down the fairway and spot the balls as they landed, so the golfers could find them. Losing a ball meant you were fired, so I never missed one. Some nights I would lie in bed and dreamt of making thousands of dollars by playing golf and being able to buy a bicycle.
The more I dreamed, the more I thought. Why not? I made my first golf club out of guava limb(番石榴树枝) and a piece of pipe. Then I hammered an empty tin can into the shape of a ball. And finally I dug two small holes in the ground and hit the ball back and forth. I practiced with the same devotion and intensity. I learned working in the field — except now I was driving golf balls with club, not oxen with a broomstick.
The writer’s first job was _______.
A.to stand down the fairway at a golf course |
B.to watch over the sugar-cane plantation |
C.to drive the oxen that ploughed the cane fields |
D.to spot the balls as they landed so the golfers could find them |
The writer learned that_______ from his first job.
A.he should work for those who he liked most |
B.he should work longer than what he was expected |
C.he should never fail to say hello to his owner |
D.he should be respectful and faithful to the people he worked for |
_______ gave the writer self-esteem.
A.Having a family of eight people |
B.Owning his own golf course |
C.Bringing money back home to help the family |
D.Helping his father with the work on the plantation |
Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
A.He wanted to be a successful golfer. |
B.He wanted to run a golf course near his house. |
C.He was satisfied with the job he got on a plantation. |
D.He wanted to make money by guiding oxen with a broomstick. |