We often see hitchhikers(搭便车的人), standing by the side of the road, thumb sticking out, waiting for a lift. But it is getting nowadays. What killed hitchhiking? is often mentioned as a reason. Movies about murderous hitchhikers and real-life crime many drivers off picking up hitchhikers. no single women picked me up on my journey to Manchester reflects the safety fear: , strangely dressed man is seen as dangerous.
But the reason may be complex: hitchhiking happens where people don’t have cars and transport services are . Plenty of people hitchhike in Poland and Romania. Perhaps the rising level of car ownership in the UK means the few people lift hitchhiking are usually considered strange. Why can’t they cars? Why can’t they take the coach or the train?
Three-quarters of the UK population have a car; many of the will be quite old. The potential hitchhiking population is therefore small. my trip proves it’s still possible to hitchhike. The people who picked me up were very interesting lawyer, retired surgeon, tank commander, carpenter, man who live in an isolated farmhouse and a couple in the mountains. My conclusion is that only really interesting people are mad enough to pick up fat blokes(家伙) in red, spotted scarves. Most just wanted to do someone a good turn; a few said they were so surprised to see a hitchhiker that they couldn’t help .
The future of hitchhiking most lies with car-sharing organized over the Internet, via sites such as hitchhikers. org. But for now, you can still stick your thumb out (actually, I didn’t do much of that, just to hold up my destination sign) and people—wonderful, caring, sharing, unafraid people—will stop.
In the UK, with its cheap and reasonable rail service, I don’t think I’ll make a habit of it. But having enjoyed it so much, I’m ready now to do a big trip Europe and beyond. In the 1970s a female friend of my wife’s hitchhiked to India. How wonderful it would be to have another go, Afghanistan might be a challenge. I wish I’d got that tank commander’s mobile number.
A.valuable B.hardly C.rare D.little
A.Fear B.Safety C.Allowance D.Expense
A.has put B.had been put C.has been put D.have put
A.What B.Which C.Whether D.That
A.no more B.no need C.no reason D.no doubt
A.a short B.a clumsy C.a small D.a large
A.most B.more C.very D.much
A.poor B.heavy C.busy D.convenient
A.seldom B.always C.still D.never
A.afford B.offer C.affect D.offend
A.effect to B.effect on C.access in D.access to
A.remain B.rest C.pedestrians D.citizens
A.While B.When C.Yet D.Though
A.living up B.lived down C.was living up D.was living down
A.stopping B.but stop C.stop D.stopped
A.likely B.certainly C.positively D.actively
A.pretending B.preparing C.preferring D.defending
A.vehicles B.coaches C.cars D.helicopters
A.across B.through C.for D.over
A.as B.though C.because D.when
There is a Web site called the “World Database of Happiness”. It combines and ____ the results of hundreds of surveys from around the world that have been conducted on life ____. Most of the findings are predictable, but a few are ____.
The database(数据库) makes it ____ that there is not a strong connection between material wealth and general contentment. It is a cliche(陈词滥调) to say that money ____ buy happiness, but the old saying seems to be ____ by research. Many people still stick to the belief that gaining riches will be the answer to all their problems, yet they are probably ____.
Studies have been ____ on people who acquired sudden wealth, such as lottery winners. In most cases, after the initial joy had ____, people were not left with a sense of lasting happiness. In fact, they ____ to return to the way they felt before they became rich.____ contented people continue to be contented,____ those who were miserable in the past sink back into misery.
If material wealth does not bring happiness, then ____ does? Perhaps happiness has something to do with ____ you live. The authorities at the World Database of Happiness have surveyed levels of happiness in different ____. Apparently, people in America, Canada, and Singapore are very happy; people living in India and Russia, not surprisingly, are not happy.
Other surveys consistently point to the importance of relationships. Family relationships,____, seem to be the key to long-term contentment. The Web site suggests that ____ in love and having children are two of the situations that bring the greatest happiness.
Nowadays people look to ____ as an alternative source of satisfaction. People increasingly spend more time alone watching TV or surfing the Internet ____ spending time with family. Can technology truly make people happy? It is too difficult to tell, but one thing is sure: If the Web site's research is ____, time spent with your family is a better investment than time spent making money.
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完形填空
阅读下面短文,掌握其大意,从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中,选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
If you want to learn a new language, the very first thing to think about is why. Do you need it for a ________reason, such as your job or your studies? ________ perhaps you’re interested in the ________, films or music of a different country and you know it will help a lot to have a ________ of the language.
Most people learn best using a variety of ________, but traditional classes are an ideal (理想的) start for many people. They ________ an environment where you can practice under the ________ of someone who’s good at the language. We all lead ________ lives and learning a language takes ________ . You will have more success if you study regularly, so try to develop a ________ . It doesn’t matter if you haven’t got long. Becoming fluent in a language will take years, but knowing about it takes ________ .
Many people start learning a language and soon give up. “I’m too ________, ” they say. Yes, children do learn languages more ________ than adults,but research has shown that you can learn a language at any ________ . And learning is good for the health of your brain too. I’ve also heard people ________ about the mistakes they make when ________ . Well, relax and laugh about your mistakes ________ you’re much less likely to make them again.
Learning a new language is never ________ . But with some work and devotion, you’ll make progress. And you’ll be ________ by the positive reaction of some people when you say just a few words in ________ own language. Good luck!
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B
The eyes are one of the most expressive of body language.Keith,seventeen,from Montclair, New Jersey,learned the hard way about one the eyes can make.“I had a teacher who heavily on classroom discussion,”Keith says.“He seemed to have a strong to know just when I didn’t have the answer.I couldn’t how he could be so .Then it dawned on(逐渐被人明白)me. I didn’t know the answer,I would looking at him.When I did know what to say,I always stared straight back him. From that moment on,I myself to look him in the eye, I knew the aniswe or not.That trick has me a lot of trouble.”
Many people, some policemen,believe eye contact is a good of testing honesty.If someone can’t look at you directly in the eye,then he or she is not playing ,they insist. After many experiments, ,a number of exports have found out that good liars can make false eye contact.
Eye contact,though not a sure of dishonesty, is a clear way to show interest in another person. When a person looks at you and continues to do so,you know his attention is on you.When he turns his head away, his mind is probably .But there is .A shy person may have trouble making and keeping eye contact, no matter how interested he is in the other person.And certain nationalities,such as the British and Germans,are much oriented(适应)to eyeball-to-eyeball contact than,say,the French and the Arabs.
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阅读下面的短文,从短文后各题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中,选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。
The eyes are one of the most expressive instruments of body language. Keith, seventeen, from Montclair New Jersey, learned the hard way about one____the eyes can make. “I had a____who graded(打分)heavily on classroom discussion,”Keith says. “He seemed to have a strong ability to know just when I didn't have the____. I couldn't figure out how he could be so____. Then it dawned on(明白过来)me. ____I didn't know the answer, I would avoid looking at him. When I__46__know what to say, I always____straight back at him. From that moment on, I____myself to look at him in the eye,____I knew the work or not. That trick has saved me a lot of trouble.”
Many people including some policemen, believe eye contact(接触)is a good____of honesty. If someone can't look at you directly in the eye, then he or she is not playing____, they insist. After many experiments,____, a number of experts have found out that good liars(骗子)can make false eye contact.
Eye contact, though not a____sign of honesty, is a clear way to show interest in another person. When a person looks at you and____to do so, you know his____is placed on you. When he turns his head away, his mind is probably____. ____there are exceptions. A____person may have trouble making and keeping eye contact, no matter how interested he is in the other person. And certain____, such as the British and Germans, are much____oriented(适应)to eyeballtoeyeball contact than the French and Arabs.
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完形填空
When most people travel, they pick up all sorts of things: souvenirs, T-shirts, postcards and so on. However, Harry Loomer is .When he travels, he leaves something behind, something of lasting value — his .
Harry began donating blood at a college blood drive four decades ago. Since then, he has donated his blood .Not once or twice a year, but every 56 days — as often as the law .Even though he is now retired and .extensively, it has not slowed him down at all.
For people who need blood,Harry is a/an .Since up to four people can _ from a single pint of blood, Harry Loomer, with a donation of 480 pints of blood, has played a big role in helping save hundreds of lives.
Connie Smith also gives blood regularly. She knows that donating blood requires little work and almost no while helping to save a life.“People need to know how vital it is to have blood on hand,” she says.“There is absolutely no for it.”
Connie is participating in a Red Cross programme designed to pair closely _ donors with people who need blood regularly because of long-term .She is paired with a child who needs a pint of blood every two weeks.To ensure an adequate _ for this young patient,Connie and another donor donate their blood every 56 days.
“It’s not always ,” Connie admits,“but it’s more than worth it to know that I’m helping that precious child. I’m sure if other people know how vital blood donations are,they would be to sacrifice too.”
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The eyes are one of the most expressive of body language.Keith,seventeen,from Montclair, New Jersey,learned the hard way about one the eyes can make.“I had a teacher who heavily on classroom discussion,”Keith says.“He seemed to have a strong to know just when I didn’t have the answer.I couldn’t how he could be so .Then it dawned on(逐渐被人明白)me. I didn’t know the answer,I would looking at him.When I did know what to say,I always stared straight back him.From that moment on,I myself to look him in the eye, I knew the answer or not.That trick has me a lot of trouble.”
Many people, some policemen,believe eye contact is a good of testing honesty.If someone can’t look at you directly in the eye,then he or she is not playing ,they insist.After many experiments, ,a number of exports have found out that good liars can make false eye contact.
Eye contact,though not a sure of dishonesty, is a clear way to show interest in another person.When a person looks at you and continues to do so,you know his attention is on you.When he turns his head away, his mind is probably .But there is .A shy person may have trouble making and keeping eye contact,no matter how interested he is in the other person.And certain nationalities,such as the British and Germans,are much oriented(适应)to eyeball-to-eyeball contact than,say,the French and the Arabs.
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I arrived in the classroom, ready to share my knowledge and experience with 75 students who would be my English Literature class. Having taught in for 17 years, I had no about my ability to hold their attention and to on them my admiration for the literature of my mother tongue.
I was shocked when the monitor shouted, “ !” and the entire class rose as I entered the room, and I was somewhat about how to get them to sit down again, but once that awkwardness (尴尬) was over, I quickly my calmness and began what I thought was a fact-packed lecture, sure to gain their respect --- perhaps their admiration. I went back to my office with the rosy glow which comes from a sense of achievements.
My students diaries. However, as I read them, the rosy glow was gradually by a strong sense of sadness. The first diary said, “Our literature teacher didn’t teach us anything today. her next lecture will be better.” Greatly surprised , I read diary after diary , each expressing a theme (主题). “Didn’t I teach them anything? I described the entire philosophical (哲学的) framework of Western thought and laid the historical for all the works we’ll study in class,” I complained. “How they say I didn’t teach them anything?”
It was a long term, and it became clear that my ideas about education were not the same as of my students. I thought a teacher’s job was to raise questions and provide enough background so that students could their own conclusions. My students thought a teacher’s job was to provide information as directly and clearly as possible. What a difference!
, I also learned a lot, and my experience with my Chinese students has made me a American teacher, knowing how to teach in a different culture.
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I was born and raised in Minnesota, the USA, but as an adult I have mostly lived in Europe and Africa. I teach cross-cultural management at the International Business School near Paris. For the last 15 years, I’ve studied people in different parts of the world build trust, communicate and make decisions in the workplace.
While travelling in Tokyo recently with a Japanese , I gave a shorttalk to a group of 20 managers. , I asked whether there were any questions or comments. No went up, so I went to sit down. Mycolleague whispered to me, “I think there were some comments, Erin.Do you mind if I try?” I agreed, but I guessed it a waste of . He askedthe group again, “ Any comments or questions”.
Still, no one raised a hand, this time he looked very carefully at each person in the silent audience. Gesturing to one of them, he said, “ Do you have to add?” To my amazement, she “ Yes, thank you.” and asked me a very interesting question. My colleague repeated this several times the audience and asking for more questions or comments.
After the session, I asked my colleague, “ How did you that those people had questions?” He , not sure how to explain it, and then said, “ It has to do with how their eyes are.”
He continued, “In Japan, we don’t as much direct eye contact as you do in the west. So when you asked if there are any , most people were not looking directly at you. But a few people in the were looking right at you and their eyes were bright. That that they would be to have you call on them.
I thought to myself I would ever have learned from upbringing in Minnesota. Since then, I try to understanding behavior in other cultures I encounter, and keep finding the bright eyes in the room.
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A. let B. make C. take D get
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A land free from destruction,plus wealth,natural resources,and labor supply--all these were important______in helping England to become the center for the Industrial Revolution.______they were not enough.Something______was needed to start the industrial process.That“something special”was men--______individuals who could invent machines,find new______of power,and establish business organizations to reshape society.
The men who______the machines of the Industrial Revolution______from many backgrounds and many occupations.Many of them were______inventors than scientists.A man who is a______scientist is primarily interested in doing his research______.He is not necessarily working______that his findings can be used.
An inventor or one interested in applied science is______trying to make something that has a concrete use.He may try to solve a problem by______the theories ______science or by experimenting through trial and error.______of his method,he is working to obtain a______result:the construction of a harvesting machine,the burning of a light bulb,or one of many other objectives.
Most of the people who______the machines of the Industrial Revolution were inventors,not trained scientists.A few were both scientists and inventors.Even those who had_____or no training in science might not have made their inventions_____a groundwork had not been laid by scientists years_____.
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William Wordsworth wrote that “the human mind is capable of excitement without the application of violent stimulants(刺激)”. And it appears that simply reading those words proves his .
Researchers at the University of Liverpool found the works of Shakespeare and Wordsworth and had a beneficial effect on the mind. It can the reader’s attention and trigger moments of self-reflection.
Using scanners, they the brain activity of volunteers as they read pieces of classical English literature both in their form and in a modern translation.
And, according to the Sunday Telegraph, the experiment showed the more prose and poetry far more electrical activity in the brain than the easier versions.
The research also found poetry, , increased activity in the right part of the brain, an area with “autobiographical(自传式的) memory”, which helped the reader to 45 on their own experiences. The academics said this meant the were more useful than self-help books.
The brain of 30 volunteers were watched in the first part of the research as they read Shakespeare in different .
In one example, volunteers read a line from King Lear, “A father and a gracious aged man: him have you madded”, before reading the : “A father and a gracious aged man: him you have enraged”. Shakespeare’s use of “mad” as a(n) caused a higher level of brain activity than the straightforward prose.
The next stage of the research was looking at the to which poetry could affect and provide therapeutic(治疗的) benefit. Volunteers’ brains were scanned while reading four lines by Wordsworth, and four “translated” lines were also provided.
The first version caused more brain activity, not only the left part of the brain connected with language, but also the right part that relates to autobiographical memory and emotion.
“Poetry is not just a of style. It is also about deep versions of experience that the emotional to the cognitive(认知的),” said Prof Davis, who will present the findings at the North of England education conference in Sheffield this week.
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There are about fifteen hundred languages in the world.
But ______ a few of them are very ______. English is one of these. Many, many people use it, not only in England and the U. S. A, but in other parts of the world. About 200, 000, 000 speak it as their own language. It is difficult to say how many people are learning it as a ______ language. Many millions are _____ to do so.
Is it easy or difficult to learn English? Different people may have different ______. Have you ever _____ the ads of this kind in the newspapers or magazines?
“Learn English in six month, or your _____ back ...” “Easy and funny? Our records and tapes _____ you master your English in a month. _____ the first day your _____ will be excellent. Just send ...” Of course, it never ______ quite like this.
The only language that seems easy to learn is the mother tongue. We should ______ that we all learned our own language well when we were ______. If we could learn English in the same way, it would not seem so difficult. ______ what a small child does. He listens to what people say. He tries what he hears. When he is using the language, talking in it, and ______ in it all the time, just imagine how much ______ that gets!
So it is ______ to say that learning English is easy, because a good command of English ______upon a lot of practice. And practice needs great effort and ______ much time. Good teachers, records, tapes, books, and dictionaries will ______. But they cannot do the student’s work for him.
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阅读下列短文,从每题所给的四个选项中(A、B、C和D),选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Eventually all suns will their fuel, explode and then become cold and dark.Matter itself will disappear and the universe will become for the rest of time.
This was the general drift of my thoughts as my wife and I my eldest son as a freshman at college.That moment at the dorm is at the kindergarten door, at the gates of summer camp, at every occasion of parting and .But it comes surprising, taking what you most.
Our ancestors thought this parting should take place .In many societies adolescents were sent away to live with friends or relatives right after adolescence.This was supposed to the conflicts that come from teenagers and their parents very near.
Eighteen years is not enough.The days pass uncounted, until they .The adjustment is upsetting.My son is on the side --- observant, thoughtful, a practitioner of companionable silence.I know this is hard on him as well.He will be homesick.Among the greatest of college students is they won’t have a room at home to return to.
But with due respect to my son’s feelings, I have the of parting.I know something he doesn’t --- incomprehensible to the young.He is experiencing the that come with beginnings.His life is starting for real.I have begun the long letting go.Put another way: He has a wonderful future in which my part decreases.
I’m sure my father realized it at a(n) moment.And I certainly didn’t notice or understand.At first, he was a giant who held my hand and my sky.Then a middle-aged man who paid my bills.Now, decades after his passing, a much-loved .But I can remember the last time I hugged him in his home, where I always had a room.I can only hope to leave my son the same.
My son, those days have been the greatest wonder and of my life.And there will always be a for you.
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阅读下面短文,从短文后各题所给的四个选项(A、B、C、D)中,选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Personally I think trains are exciting and romantic. I must that trains are not important means of transportation in the US, but I do have some with them.
When I was a child, growing up in a small town with very little , we used to go to the station to watch the passenger trains coming in. There was something about the steaming, roaring string of cars coming into view around the mountains, slowly growing larger and and finally crowds of strangers onto the platform.
I took my train trip when I was ten years old. I went with my elder sister to visit our cousins six hundred miles away. The train—so loud and violent on the outside—was and rocking inside. We were very excited, and as that was also our first time away from our parents, we felt somewhat frightened too. However, because I had so much, I was a little disappointed when I was finally one of the passengers I had for so long.
As a college student, I ride overnight train to my roommate’s hometown. We could never afford a , so we played cards, sang, ate, read and talked we finally fell uncomfortably asleep in the straight-backed seats.
My idea that trains are may come from the fact that my husband and I took the train on our honeymoon, spending extra money to eat in the dining car, and the window as the desert scenery slid past.
Now, when I make a trip, I always fly or drive, and are not a very important part of my life. , every time I hear the train whistle faraway on a quiet night, I can always feel the in my heart to pack my bags and jump on board, entering a world of motions, sounds, sights, and experience which just aren’t in the dull environment of an airplane.
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阅读下面短文,掌握其大意,从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中,选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Joy to the World
Lights, decorations and Christmas trees filled the stores. Many people were there because Christmas was only two days away.
Thirteen-year-old Joy had just her Christmas shopping. She knew her parents, grandparents so well that finding them was a piece of cake.
Joy went out of the store and came across her classmate, Nick, the least student in school because he wore strange clothing and he had a face only a mother could love.
“What are you doing for Christmas?” said Nick with a smile that showed all his yellow teeth.
“I’m opening presents and having dinner with my ,” said Joy, trying to be polite. “What about you?”
“My parents are away,” he said. “I live with my uncle, who doesn’t like me very much.”
Joy wasn’t sure how to , so she said goodbye with an awkward smile. She felt sorry for Nick since he must feel . But that wasn’t really her problem.
On Christmas Eve, Joy’s family were busy around for the holiday. Joy’s parents were cooking in the kitchen. Joy was a child for holiday cheer, dancing the house.
After dinner, the family into their car and headed to church for the Christmas Eve service. When they walked into the old building, they were by the flow of beautiful songs. A man stood up with Bible and the story Joy had learned on her mother’s knee. It was about a baby named Jesus who came to live on Earth to help people who him.
Joy’s thoughts kept turning back to Nick. It must be to be lonely on Christmas, a day that celebrated God’s Son coming to Earth. Tears started to run down her , but she brushed them away.
Joy lay awake that night everyone else was sleeping like a baby. She was thinking ways to help Nick. As soon as she heard parents get up, she out of bed. She found them in the kitchen and told them about Nick. Then she asked, “Can we him over today?” “Sure,” said her mother, who was always happy when came. Her father smiled.
When Joy called Nick later that day, he was excited. After getting his uncle’s , he joined them for dinner. To her surprise, Joy enjoyed spending time with him.
Joy came to understand Christmas cheer is a joy to Nick, even to the whole world.
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