London has more than nine million visitors every year. They come and visit some of the most famous places in England: Big Ben, the Tower of London and the River Thames.
You can see some of the most interesting places in London by getting on the tour buses. Or you can take a ride on the London Eye. This large wheel slowly takes you 135m above the River Thames.
The River Thames is London’s main waterway. It has shaped the capital’s landscape, history and geography. So one of the best ways of knowing more about the city is to take a trip along the river.
The clock tower of the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, has become one of the main symbols of London. The sound of the bell, which you can hear at the beginning of many television and radio programmes, has become well-known throughout the nation.
No visit to London is complete without a look at the Tower of London, in the eastern part of the city. After Big Ben, the Tower may be London’s most visited tourist spot. Directly south is Tower Bridge, which is more than100 years old.
Along all the palaces in London, Buckingham Palace is the most famous. It has been the main London home of the royal family since Queen Victoria moved there in 1873. You can visit some of the rooms in August and September. And most mornings of the year you can watch the soldiers
outside changing the guard.
About one hour by train out of London is the Tower of Windsor. Here you can visit another of the Queen’s homes-Windsor Castle. There was a fire in 1992 and many of the rooms were badly burned. But now they are full of beautiful pictures, tables and chairs again.
Sightseeing in London is great, but it can get very tiring. So, the best way to start the day is to fill up with an English breakfast.
You can buy an English breakfast in nearly every hotel, and at many restaurants and cafes. An English pub is a good place to stop for lunch and a drink. You can get hot or cold food and try one of England’s many ales(浓啤酒). Fish and chips are also a traditional English meal. So look out for fish and chip shops in cities as well as by the sea.
Or you can sit outside one of the many roadside pubs and cafes in London, and simply watch the busy world go by.We can learn from the text that ____________.
| A．Windsor Castle has been rebuilt |
| B．the Big Ben can be heard everywhere in London |
| C．only some of the hotels in England serve breakfast. |
| D．the London Eye can carry you where you like to go |
Which place may be London’s most visited tourist spot?
| A．Buckingham Palace | B．The Tower of London |
| C．Big Ben | D．The River Thames |
If you go to London in December, you will not be able to ___________
| A．visit Windsor Castle |
| B．tour the Buckingham Palace |
| C．tour the city along the River Thames |
| D．watch the soldiers outside the Buckingham Palace changing guards. |
The underlined word “landscape” (paragraph 3) is closest in meaning to _________.
| A．sights | B．interests | C．characteristics | D．culture |
The whole passage mainly introduces the ________________.
A. tourism in London B. tourists in London
B. history in London D. sightseeing in London
If there is one thing I am sure about, it is that in a hundred years from now we will still be reading newspapers. It is not that newspapers are a necessity. Even now some people get most of their news from television or radio. Many buy a paper only on Saturday or Sunday. But for most people reading a newspaper has become a habit passed down from generation to generation.
The nature of what is news may change. What basically makes news is what affects our lives- the big political stories, the coverage of the wars, earthquakes and other disasters, will continue much the same. I think there will be more coverage of scientific research, though. It’s already happening in areas that may directly affect our lives, like genetic(基因) engineering. In the future, I think there will be more coverage of scientific explanations of why we feel as we do --- as we develop a better understanding of how the brain operates and what our feelings really are.
It’s quite possible that in the next century newspapers will be transmitted(传送) electronically from Fleet Street and printed out in our own home. In fact, I am pretty sure that it will happen in the future. You will probably be able to choose from a menu, making up your own newspaper by picking out the things you want to read- sports and international news, etc.
I think people have got it wrong when they talk about competition between the different media(煤体). They actually feed off each other. Some people once foresaw that television would kill off newspapers, but that hasn’t happened. What is read on the printed page lasts longer than pictures on a screen or sound lost in the air. And as for the Internet, it is never really pleasant to read something just on a screen. What is the best title for the text?
| A．The Best Way to Get News | B．The Changes of Media |
| C．Make Your Own Newspaper | D．The Future of Newspapers |
In the writer’s opinion, in the future, ___________.
| A．more big political affairs, wars and disasters will make news |
| B．newspapers will not be printed in publishing houses any longer. |
| C．newspapers will cover more scientific research |
| D．more and more people will watch TV. |
What will probably be on in the newspaper made by yourself?
| A．Sports and international news. | B．A menu of important news |
| C．The most important news. | D．What you are interested in |
From the text, we can infer that _____________.
| A．newspapers will win the competition among the different media |
| B．newspapers will stay with us together with other media |
| C．television will take the place of newspapers. |
| D．some media will die out |
The underlined phrase “feed off” in the last paragraph means ___________.
| A．depend on | B．compete with | C．fight with | D．kill of |
My father was Chief engineer of merchant ship, which was sunk in Word War II. The book Night of the U-boats told the story.
Memories
In September, 1940, my mother, sister and I went to Swansea, where my father's ship was getting ready to sail. We brought him a family photograph to be kept with him at all times and keep him safe.
Then I remember my mother lying face down, sobbing. She had heard from a friend that the ship had been sunk by a torpedo (鱼雷).
I can remember the arrival of the telegram (电报), which in those days always brought had news. My grandmother opened it. It read, "Safe, Love Ted."
My most vivid memory is being woken and brought down to sit on my father's knee, his arm in a bandage.
He was judged unfit to return to sea and took a shore job in Glasgow for the rest of the war. For as long as I can remember, he had a weak heart. Mother said it was caused by the torpedoes. He said it was because of the cigarettes. Whichever, he died suddenly in his early 50s.
Ten years later I read Night of the U-boats and was able to complete the story.
Torpedo
One torpedo struck the ship. Father was in the engine room, where the third engineer was killed. He shut down the engines to slow the ship making it easier for it to be abandoned.
By the time he got on deck (甲板) he was alone. Every lifeboat was gone except one which had stuck fast. When he tried to cut it free, it swung against the ship, injuring his hand and arm. He had no choice but to jump — still with the photograph in his pocket.
Three days later, he and other survivors were safe in Glasgow. All 23 with him signed the back of the photograph.
A Toast
In my room is the book and the photograph. Often, glass in hand, I have wondered how I would have dealt with an explosion, a sinking ship, a jump into a vast ocean and a wait for rescue? Lest（以免）we forget, I have some more whisky and toast the heroes of the war.We can infer that the mother and children went to Swansea ________.
| A．to meet a friend |
| B．to see the father off |
| C．to take a family photo |
| D．to enjoy the sailing of the ship |
What did the author learn about the father from the telegram?
| A．he was still alive. |
| B．His knee was broken. |
| C．His ship had been sunk. |
| D．He had arrived in Glasgow. |
The underlined word "it" in Paragraph 6 refers to the father's ________.
| A．weak heart |
| B．taking a shore job |
| C．failure to return to sea |
| D．injury caused by a torpedo |
What can we know about the author's father after his ship was attacked?
| A．He lost his arm |
| B．He repaired the engines. |
| C．He managed to take a lifeboat. |
| D．He was the last to leave the ship. |
What is the massage mainly about?
| A．A group of forgotten heroes |
| B．A book describing a terrifying battle. |
| C．A ship engineer's wartime experience. |
| D．A merchant's memories of a sea rescue. |
According to a report by the China News Weekly, Chinese white collars are becoming fully occupied in the office．They pursue many of their activities in the office building, eating, doing exercise, resting, playing games or even dating．
In large cities such as Shenzhen, Shanghai and Beijing, where economy is developing at a fast speed, office workers face an increasing work pressure day by day and many of them have begun to make office their home．
As the young generation in society, most of them are aged between 25 and 45．In the eyes of outsiders, they enjoy a comfortable life: they lead the fashion trend in the city and earn a high salary; they enjoy a flexible working schedule and a very good working environment; having a good education background, they don’t have to worry that one day they will lose their jobs．
However, only the white collars themselves know what others see as a good life is in fact a boring life．They often work for extra hours, suffer from loss of creative ability and have little time to make friends．When they go off from work late at night, sometimes they might think of asking for a leave the next day and having a holiday somewhere．However, when a new day begins, they find everything back to normal and themselves pushed by new tasks．
In fact, even if they don’t work for extra hours in the office, they have no place to go．Many of the young people are fresh from college, or have come to work in large cities from their hometowns．As newcomers, they haven’t established（建立）a social network．They have few friends to go dating．Meanwhile, many of them face a great pressure for earning money to buy a house or a car．If they cannot afford to buy these, they still have to work to pay for high apartment rents and communication fares．The underlined sentence（in paragraph 1）probably means _____．
| A．Chinese white collars are not allowed to get out of the office． |
| B．The office is crowded with Chinese white collars． |
| C．Chinese white collars make the office filled with odds and ends． |
| D．Chinese white collars spend most of their time in the office． |
The following are all reasons why white collars want to have a rest Except that_____．
| A．they have to continue to stay at office after work |
| B．they feel more and more difficult to think up a good idea |
| C．they have no interest in anything |
| D．they have little time to make friends |
The main idea of the third paragraph is that _____．
| A．white collars are admired by other people |
| B．white collars needn’t worry about losing jobs |
| C．white collars can earn high salary and work freely |
| D．white collars are in the lead in the way of behaving |
From the passage, we can infer that _____．
| A．white collars are all workaholics who regard the office as home |
| B．white collars suffer from material and mental pressure in life |
| C．white collars are the models of young people in society |
| D．people have a good understanding of what white collars’ life is |
One morning, a blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign which said, “I am blind. Please help me.” There were only a few coins in the hat.
A man was walking by. He took out a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote something on it. He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by could see the new words. Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy. That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to see how things were. The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, “Are you the one who changed my sign this morning? May I know what you wrote?” The man said, “I only wrote the truth, I said what you said but in a different way.” What he had written was, “Today is a beautiful day but I cannot see it.”
Of course both signs told people the boy was blind. But the first sign simply said the boy was a blind. The second sign told people they were so lucky that they were not blind. It reminded you to be thankful for what you have. When life gives you a 100 reasons to cry, show life that you have 1,000 reasons to smile. Face your past without regret. Handle your present with confidence. Prepare for the future without fear. Keep the faith and drop the fear. The most beautiful thing is to see a person smiling.We can learn from the text that the man helped the blind boy by __________.
| A．sitting together with him | B．rewriting the sign |
| C．teaching him some principles | D．raising money for him |
Why did the man come back that afternoon?
| A．To bring some food to the boy. |
| B．To explain to the boy why he had left. |
| C．To make sure the boy was still there. |
| D．To check if there were some changes. |
It can be inferred that the boy was ________ after he found out what the man had written.
| A．moved | B．amazed | C．excited | D．worried |
What is the main idea of the text?
| A．We should help those who are in trouble. |
| B．We should value what we have in life. |
| C．We should respect people with disabilities. |
| D．We should use a wise way when helping others |
| Dear Expert: I was asked to retrieve my 14-year-old daughter from a five-day camping trip.She was suffering from such severe separation anxiety,her teacher thought she should go home.She hadn’t eaten anything and had refused to participate in any activities.The thing is my daughter is extremely bright and has many friends;she organized a few friends into a band,and it belongs to several school clubs.She’s just always had an extreme fear of being away from home.I don’t want her to miss out on other trips. Yours truly, Jonathan |
| Dear Jonathan: Sometimes kids can push through homesickness,but in other instances they become hurt mentally and develop greater anxiety around outings,which can worsen and prolong(延长) the problem.Separation anxiety can be the result of many complex interactions some genetic(遗传的) and some learned. People with high anxiety tend to be fearful and worried, ever when the sense of threat is minimum（最低程度）.Lots of talented,creative and successful people are exceedingly anxious. I believe your daughter is bright,active and popular,but simply can’t do well outside her home base.My suggestion is to take things in small steps,so your daughter can experience success,and always have a fallback(退却) plan if she needs it.For instance,she can plan an overnight with a friend,but assure her it’s no big deal to pick her up at midnight if she changes her mind. What’s important is to recognize the fear,and make plans to deal with whatever may cause distress.In other words,don’t try to talk your daughter out of her fears,equip her to master them.This way she’ll eventually gain the confidence to go on further trips. Expert |
What does the underlined word“retrieve”mean?
| A．Go with someone. | B．Take someone back. |
| C．Separate from someone. | D．Miss someone. |
Which of the following statements is TURE?
| A．Separation anxiety is the result of different reasons. |
| B．Separation anxiety is genetic. |
| C．Only creative people suffer from separation anxiety. |
| D．Separation anxiety is of the same level. |
When can’t the 14-year-old daughter function well?
| A．When organizing a band at school. |
| B．When she is not far away from her home. |
| C．When she is in a club. |
| D．When she is camping far away from home. |
There are several ways you can find out about the countries and places you wish to visit. You can talk to friends who have travelled to the places. Or you can go and see a color film. Or you can read travel books.
It would seem that there are three kinds of travel books. The first are those that give a personal, subjective(主观的)account of travels which the author has actually made himself. If they are informative and have a good index(索引), then they can be useful to you when you are planning your travels. The second kind are those books whose purpose is to give a purely objective(客观的)description of things to be done and seen. If a well-read, cultured person has written such a book, then it is even more useful. It can be sorted as a selected guide book. The third kind are those books which are called “a guide” to some place or other. If they are good, they will, in addition to their factual information, give an analysis or an explanation. Like the first kind they can be inspiring and interesting. But their basic purpose is to help the reader who wishes to plan in the most practical way.
Whatever kind of travel book you choose you must make sure that it does not describe everything as “wonderful”, “excellent” or “magical”. You must also note its date of publication because travel is a very practical affair and many things change quickly in the twenty-first century. Finally, you should make sure that the contents are well presented and easy to find.This passage is about .
| A．how to travel | B．how to buy travel books |
| C．how to read a travel book | D．travel books |
The following travel books may be of use when you plan your travels except .
| A．the book written by some people who have had the same travel experience themselves |
| B．the book which tells you what is worth doing and seeing based on the facts |
| C．the book in which a lot of big adjectives are used to draw your attention |
| D．the book which offers you a lot of useful information like a tour guide |
The date of the publication must be noticed because .
| A．the world is changing and so are the places you are going to visit |
| B．the price of the book is always changing |
| C．the author of the book may be different |
| D．the contents of the book are always the same |
When 19－year－old Sophia Giorgi said she was thinking of volunteering to help the Make－A－Wish Foundation (基金会)，nobody understood what she was talking about.But Sophia knew just how important Make－A－Wish could be because this special organization had helped to make a dream come true for one of her best friends .We were interested in finding out more，so we went along to meet Sophia and listen to what she had to say.
Sophia told us that Make－A －Wish is a worldwide organization that started in the United States in 1980.“It's a charity(慈善机构)that helps children who have got very serious illnesses.Make－A－Wish helps children feel happy even though they are sick, by making their wishes and dreams come true ，” Sophia explained .
We asked Sophia how Make－A－Wish had first started.She said it had all begun with a very sick young boy called Chris ，who had been dreaming for a long time of becoming a policeman .Sophia said lots of people had wanted to find a way to make Chris's dream come true—so, with everybody's help, Chris, only seven years old at the time，had been a “policeman” for a day.” When people saw how delighted Chris was when his dream came true, they decided to try and help other sick children too，and that was the beginning of Make－A－Wish，” explained Sophia.
Sophia also told us the Foundation tries to give children and their families a special, happy time.A Make－A－Wish volunteer visits the families and asks the children what they would wish for if they could have anything in the world.Sophia said the volunteers were important because they were the ones who helped to make the wishes come true. They do this either by providing things that are necessary，or by raising money or helping out in whatever way they can.Sophia found out about Make－A－Wish because her best friend had________.
| A．benefited from it | B．volunteered to help it |
| C．dreamed about it | D．told the author about it |
According to Sophia，Make－A－Wish________.
| A．is an international charity |
| B．was understood by nobody at first |
| C．raises money for very poor families |
| D．started by drawing the interest of the public |
What is said about Chris in Paragraph 3?
| A．He has been a policeman since he was seven. |
| B．He gave people the idea of starting Make－A－Wish |
| C．He wanted people to help make his dream come true. |
| D．He was the first child Make－A－Wish helped after it had been set up. |
Which of the following is true about Make－A－Wish volunteers?
| A．They are important for making wishes come true. |
| B．They try to help children get over their illnesses. |
| C．They visit sick children to make them feel special. |
| D．They provide what is necessary to make Make－A－Wish popular. |
BUKHANNON, West Virginia—Two rescue teams slowly moved along a two-mile path on Monday night to the site of a coal mine explosion that trapped 13 miners, who had not been heard from since the early morning accident．
Meanwhile, at a nearby church, more than 250 family members and friends gathered, waiting for updates（最新报道）on the rescuers’ progress．
The miners were trapped at about 6:30 and many families weren’t informed of the accident until about 10 a．m-more than three hours after it happened．“It’s very upsetting, but you’ve got to be patient, I guess,” said John Helms, whose brother, Terry, was trapped in the mine．
The trapped miners were about 260 feet underground and about 10,000 feet from the Sago Mine’s entrance, said Roger Nicholson, general counsel from International Coal Group．
At a late night news conference, Nicholson said one team had advanced about 4, 800 feet in the four hours since entering the mine just before 6 p．m．Another team entered the mine about 30 minutes later．
He said the crew was very experienced, with some members having worked underground for
30 to 35 years．The miners were equipped with about one hour of breathable oxygen each．The company has not released the names of the miners．
The teams test the air about every 500 feet, and have to disconnect （remove） the power to the phones they use to communicate with the surface before doing that．“ We don’t want to be energizing anything if it’s in an atmosphere with burnable gases,” Kips said．
The cause of the explosion was not immediately known．High levels of carbon monoxide were discovered shortly after the explosion, which delayed rescue efforts, but those levels have since subsided（减退）, authorities said．According to the passage, we can infer that ________．
| A．all the miners who were trapped underground were still alive |
| B．communication with the trapped miners was cut off |
| C．the two rescue teams entered the mine at the same time |
| D．the rescue started as soon as the accident happened |
If the first team advanced at an average speed, they could dig about _______ per hour．
| A．1,000 feet | B．2,400 feet | C．1,200feet | D．4,800feet |
Where can the passage be seen?
| A．In a magazine． | B．In a newspaper． |
| C．In a science book．． | D．On an advertisement． |
Which of the following shows the position where the miners were trapped?
Scientists in the United States say plant life has increased on Earth in the past twenty years and that in every area of plant growth the increase is the result of weather conditions.
Eight scientists from across the Uni
ted States did the study. The space agency NASA and the Department of Energy paid for it. The findings were published in the magazine Science.
The researchers spent one and a half years examining weather satellite information. The information was recorded from 1982 to 1999. That period was one of the warmest on record. Researchers found that rainfall generally increased during that time.
The satellites measured the number of leaves on plants and the amount of sunlight taken in. The scientists used that information to estimate what is called net primary production. This is total amount of carbon stored in land plants.
The scientists report a 6% increase in stored carbon since 1982. They say gains were high in equatorial areas, especially around the Amazon River in South America. The area alone had a 1% increase in the net primary production.
Ramakrishna Nemani of the University of Montana in Missoula headed the study. He says reduced cloud cover led to growth in Amazon area. He also says the lack of clouds allowed more sunlight to get through. More sunlight meant increases in photosynthesis(光合作用). That is the process by which plants use energy from sunlight to produce the chemicals they need to grow.
Northern Canada, the north-central United States and northern Europe were second in increased plant growth. Ramakrishna Nemani says a rise in temperature helped plants there.
All together, the report says 25% of areas of plant life on Earth experienced increases. But the scientists also note increase in the number of people on Earth and carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. Ranga Myneni of Boston University in Massachusetts, another study scientist says humans use about half the net primary production on Earth. And he notes that the world population grew by 36% during the period of time studied.Which of the following is in charge of the study?
A．The spa ce agency NASA of the US. |
| B．The Department of Energy of the US. |
| C．Ramakrishna Nemani in Missoula. |
| D．Ranga Myneni in Massachusetts. |
What’s the main cause of the plant growth put forward by the study?
| A．Growth in population. |
| B．Regional features. |
| C．Seasonal variation. |
| D．Weather conditions |
Why do scientists believe that reduced cloud cover has led to the plant growth in the Amazon area?
| A．Because plants could take in more sunlight. |
| B．Because plants could get more rainfall. |
| C．Because plants could enjoy cooler air. |
| D．Because plants suffer less from natural disasters. |
Which of the following descriptions about the years from 1982 to 1999 is TRUE?
| A．It was the warmest on record. |
| B．Rainfall decreased little by little. |
| C．World population grew by 25%. |
| D．Stored carbon increased by 6%. |
Some disabled people use a special card when they park their cars. These are called disabled placards, which are removable signs that can be hung from the rear-view(后视) mirror of a car. These placards are only supposed to be for disabled people.
These placards are meant to help disabled people in a number of ways. They allow the person to park in special parking spaces. They can also be used when disabled people are being dropped off or picked up. Disabled people can even use them to park without having to pay.
Parking officials think that some people are cheating. Not all people who have these placards are disabled. Today, one in sixteen drivers in California carries the sign. There are a lot more people who have disabled placards today than ten years ago. An official from the DMV(加州车辆管理局) says that there are many reasons for the increase. As people get older, they may develop health problems and need to have one. There are also other reasons why more drivers have them today. Finally, there are a number of people who have them that should not.
Last year the DMV cancelled more than 25,000 permits. They found that lots of people who had the disabled placards had died. These permits are no longer valid.
Some people are worried that the system is being abused. They are worried that access to the program could be limited because of the misuse. More rules could make it harder for people with real disabilities to get these placards.What do we know about placards?
| A．They are all used by disabled people. |
| B．They are cards designed by disabled people. |
| C．They can help disabled people park their cars. |
| D．They allow disabled people to drive anywhere. |
The DMV canceled many permits because_________.
| A．the number of old people is growing |
| B．the number of disabled people is on the rise |
| C．they want to make it harder for people to get them |
| D．some people who have the placards have died |
What can people do with the placards?
| A．Drivers can use them when picking up disabled people |
| B．Disabled people can pay for parking with them. |
| C．Drivers can use them to drive their cars. |
| D．People can have access to DMV with them. |
What does the third paragraph mainly talk about?
| A．The reasons why disabled placards are also popular among drivers. |
| B．Some healthy people also use the disabled placards. |
| C．The number of disabled placard users had increased. |
| D．More reasons for drivers to use disabled placards. |
We learn from the passage that_________.
| A．disabled placards will be stopped by the government |
| B．some people will be punished for breaking the law |
| C．some disabled people will be forbidden to use disabled placards |
| D．some rules will be made related to disabled placards |
Sometimes, the simplest ideas are the best. For example, to absorb heat from the sun to heat water, you need large, flat, back surfaces. One way to do that is to build those surfaces specially, on the roofs of buildings. But why go to all that trouble when cities are full of black surfaces already, in the form of asphalt(柏油) roads ?
Ten years ago, this thought came into the mind of Arian de Bondt, a Dutch engineer. He finally persuaded his boss to follow it up. The result is that their building is now heated in winter and cooled in summer by a system that relies on the surface of the road outside.
The heat-collector is a system of connected water pipes. Most of them run from one side of the street to the other, just under the asphalt road. Some, however, dive deep into the ground.
When the street surface gets hot in summer, water pumped through the pipes picks up this heat and takes it underground through one of the diving pipes. At a depth of 100 metres lies a natural aquifer(蓄水层) into which several heat exchangers（交换器）have been built. The hot water from the street runs through these exchangers, warming the groundwater, before returning to the surface through another pipe. The aquifer is thus used as a heat store.
In winter, the working system is changed slightly. Water is pumped through the heat exchangers to pick up the heat stored during summer. This water goes into the building and is used to warm the place up. After performing that task, it is pumped under the asphalt and its remaining heat keeps the road free of snow and ice.Which of the following is true according to the first two paragraphs ?
Arian de Bondt got his idea from his boss.
Large, flat, black surfaces need to be built in cities.
The Dutch engineer’s system has been widely used.
Heat can also be collected from asphalt roads.For what purpose are the diving pipes used ?
| A．To absorb heat from the sun. | B．To store heat for future use. |
| C．To turn solar energy into heat energy. | D．To carry heat down below the surface. |
From the last paragraph we can learn that __________.
| A．some pipes have to be re-arranged in winter |
| B．the system can do more than warming up the building |
| C．the exchangers will pick up heat |
| D．less heat may be collected in winter than in summer |
What is most likely to be discussed in the paragraph that follows ?
| A．What we shall do if the system goes wrong. |
| B．What we shall do if there are no asphalt roads. |
| C．How the system cools the building in summer. |
| D．How the system collects heat in spring and autumn. |
Every year in America, high-school students who want to go to college take a national examination called the Scholastic Aptitude Test, or SAT in a shortened way. Their score is an important factor in determining which colleges will admit them or whether any will be admitted at all. The Scholastic Aptitude Test measures one’s mathematical ability and use of the English language. Traditionally, the English portion（部分）involved grammatical questions and paragraphs that test reading comprehension.
But the SAT folks have added a single question, to be answered in an essay, hand-written on the spot. That’s an interesting way to test writing ability, put content aside, have you ever seen young people’s handwriting lately? Or anyone’s for that matter, in this age of computer keyboards? Students write numbers and sign their names on bank checks. They scribble class notes in what can generously be described as the written word. And they hand-write, or more often print, a word or two of identification on luggage and lunch bags. Otherwise penmanship (书法) — once taught so morally and easefully by second-grade teachers, has gone the way of the dodo bird which has died out.
Yet today’s kids are asked to write, thoughtfully and legibly (字迹清楚地), for several minutes on this SAT Test. Good luck to the text scorers who must work out difficultly the scrawl of young people who’ve been typing on computers since the age of three! Teachers insist that good handwriting can not only help one’s score on the SAT, but also, later on in life, impress potential employers and earn bigger tax refunds (退税) because the tax inspectors can actually read the computations (计算结果). And don’t forget, we all have to turn to handwriting from time to time, as computers go down when power goes out. The subjects to be tested in the SAT include ______.
| A．math, English, reading and handwriting |
| B．math, grammar, reading and writing |
| C．math, foreign language and writing |
| D．math, English and handwriting |
The author writes this passage to introduce the fact that ______.
| A．writing seems to be very important in the SAT |
| B．those who will go to colleges have to take the SAT |
| C．students should practice handwriting more often |
| D．in the computer age kids know how to write legibly |
What does the underlined word “scribble” probably mean?
| A．Write quickly and roughly. | B．Take notes difficultly. |
| C．Print penmanship carefully. | D．Describe written word generously. |
According to the passage good handwriting can ______.
| A．help students get high scores in tests | B．make a student more popular |
| C．measure students’ ability | D．assist one to get a job |
It’s good to make mistakes, and here is why.
First of all, mistakes are a clear sign that you are trying new things. It’s always good to try new things because when you are trying new things you are growing. If you never try anything new, how can you improve? How can you expand? The simple answer is “You can’t”. Look around you. With very few exceptions (例外), either everything you see in your physical world or every single detail of every single thing is the result of someone trying something new.
Another good thing about mistakes is this: When you are making mistakes, you are learning. Consider this: Edison failed 10,000 times before he perfected the light bulb. When asked how it felt to fail that many times, he said that he hadn’t failed 10,000 times, but rather had learned 10,000 things that didn’t work.
Finally, when you make a mistake you are much closer to success. Why?
Because when all is said and done, you will have tried some number of things before you succeeded. Every time you make a mistake you eliminate one of those things and are one step closer.
But this all doesn’t mean that you should go ahead without considering the consequences of a mistake. Quite the contrary, when you try something new you have to be willing to set some reasonable limits so that in the event that it doesn’t work out the way you want it to, you will be in a position to try again.
We all have limited resources in the form of time and money so don’t blow them all on one approach to a problem. Realize that it probably won’t be perfect the first time and allocate (分配) these resources appropriately so you can learn, make corrections, and try it again. Only by accepting and using your mistakes in this way can you make significant advances in your business and your career.
There is an old saying that goes, “If you’re not making mistakes, you’re not trying hard enough.”
So go forth and make mistakes. And learn. And grow. And prosper(成功).From the second paragraph, we can conclude that _______.
| A．mistakes are unnecessary for development |
| B．we are afraid of trying new things |
| C．it’s common for people to make mistakes |
| D．mistakes are better than not trying |
The underlined word “eliminate” means _______.
| A．avoid | B．dismiss | C．accept | D．solve |
According to the article, one thing you should pay attention to about making mistakes is _______.
| A．avoiding making the same mistakes | B．accepting the punishment willingly |
| C．taking consequences into account | D．trying things out one by one |
The article is mainly about _______.
| A．how to deal with mistakes | B．what benefits mistakes bring |
| C．how to achieve success | D．how to make use of your mistakes |
What would the writer probably suggest we say to ourselves when we make a mistake?
| A．Never mind, I can always try again. | B．I’d better stay out of trouble. |
| C．Great! Now I can learn something. | D．Look at this mess. Anyone would be upset. |
If you feel at present that you don’t have enough friends in your life, one reason may be that you have let yourself become too busy to make time for the relationships you already have. Starting and keeping friendship requires effort and commitment.
Many of us let our lives become so busy with work and other commitments that we don’t get around to scheduling time for pleasure and renewal（叙旧）with the friends, relatives and acquaintances we already have.
Making the effort to call your friends more regularly and to accept more of the invitations you receive from others can improve your social life in a hurry!
Are there any people you could call right now and be assured of a pleasant welcome? Are there people that you could count on to help you in time of difficulty? Can you have close talks with them? Do you have fun when you are together? Are you happy to have them in your life?
If you haven’t seen much of them lately, is it because you have become too busy? Have you grown apart? Was there an argument?
If the main reason you haven’t been getting together with the people you already know is that you have got too busy, take a good look at how you spend your time. Compare it with your real values and priorities（优先考虑的事）in life. Is your busy lifestyle really bringing you the quality of life that you want?
If you have become too busy for friends, why has this happened? Are you seeking material toys in your life at the expense of relationships with other human beings? Have you allowed your time to be over-committed because you never say “No” to anyone? Do you insist on doing things yourself that could be appointed to others? If so, why? Do you believe that everything depends on you?
Examine whether the way you are now spending your time accurately reflects your deepest values and priorities. Make sure that you schedule adequate time for the things that are truly most important to you.
If you really want to keep friends in your life, make a space in your schedule, and a space in your heart for them.In this passage the author mainly discusses ____.
| A．how to balance friendship and work |
| B．how to spend our spare time |
| C．whether we should keep friendship |
| D．whether we should invite friends to dinner |
Which of the following doesn’t indicate a good relationship?
A．You have someone to count on when you  are in trouble. |
| B．You have someone to have close talks with. |
| C．You have fun when you are with someone. |
| D．You feel depressed with others in life. |
The reason why you have become too busy for friends may be the following EXCEPT that ____.
| A．you spend too much time seeking material toys in your life |
| B．you feel it difficult to keep friendship |
| C．you stick to doing everything all by yourself |
| D．you never refuse whatever other people ask you to do |
Which would be the best title for the text?
| A．Too Busy for Friendship? | B．Too Busy with Work? |
| C．How to Spend Your Time | D．How to Make New Friends |
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