Three years ago when I was still in the University, I also worked at a restaurant.
An old man named Mr. Candido Filio was one of our regular customer at the restaurant. He was one of the most intelligent people I've ever known.
Every Sunday the Philippine Star Newspaper had a special page for word puzzles and among his peers (同龄人), Mr.Filio held the record for solving all the puzzles in less than five minutes. He encouraged me to solve them too, and for months and months, I did my best to beat him but failed.
Then one Sunday, I did it! I was able to complete them before anyone else. Everyone cheered for me. He came up to me with a smile and said, " No one has ever beaten me before. You are the first. I'll have a prize for you tomorrow."
The next day, he gave me a special Scrabble（拼字游戏）set. I would have never been able to afford one like that by myself. Then he said to me, " Kate, what do you think is man's final goal in life? Happiness, isn't it? You are happy and that should be considered as a success. Many people spend a lifetime searching for that. Be thankful that you have found it." I looked at him and knew that my life had changed, probably forever. He must have known that I always felt sad about not having much money.
He encouraged me to learn the game and love words. And true to his words, I was never able to beat him again.
We can learn from the text that Mr.Filio _
| A．was generous to young people |
| B．was good at word puzzles |
| C．lived quite near the restaurant |
| D．won a prize from the Philippine Star Newspaper |
The author was given a gift because________.
| A．Mr.Filio was thankful for her help. |
| B．Mr. Filio was satisfied with her service |
| C．she was the first person to beat Mr.Filio |
| D．she was the new record keeper in the restaurant |
After she heard what Mr. Filio said, the author probably felt ．
| A．amazed | B．excited |
| C．touched | D．inspired |
It was Thanksgiving morning. I was busy preparing the traditional Thanksgiving turkey when the doorbell rang. I opened the front door and saw two small children in rags huddling together on the top step.
“Any old papers, lady？” asked one of them.
I was busy. I wanted to say “no” until I looked down at their feet. They were wearing thin little sandals(凉鞋), wet with heavy snow.
“Come in and I'll make you a cup of hot cocoa.”
They walked over and sat down at the table. Their wet sandals left marks upon the floor. I served them cocoa and bread to fight against the cold outside. Then I went back to the kitchen and started cooking.
The silence in the front room struck me. I looked in. The girl held the empty cup in her hands, looking at it. The boy asked in a flat voice, “Lady, are you rich？”
“Am I rich? Pity, no！”
I looked at my wornout slipcovers(椅套). The girl put her cup back in its saucer(茶碟)carefully and said, “Your cups match your saucers.” They left after that, holding their papers against the wind. They had reminded me that I had so much for which to be grateful.
Plain blue china cups and saucers were only worth five pence. But they matched.
I tasted the potatoes and stirred(搅动)the meat soup. Potatoes and brown meat soup, a roof over our heads, my man with a regular job, these matched, too.
I moved the chairs back from the fire and cleaned the living room. The muddy marks of little sandals were still wet upon my floor. Let them be for a while, I thought, just in case I should begin to forget how rich I am.
Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
| A．A story of Thanksgiving Day． |
| B． Lady, are you rich? |
| C．Don't forget how rich you are |
| D．Does cups and saucers match well? |
Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．The writer had thought she wasn't rich because her supplies were not expensive. |
| B．The girl thought the writer was rich just because she wanted to make the writer happy. |
| C．If cups and saucers match well, they are a best pair even though cheap. |
| D．After hearing what they said, the writer seemed to understand what a rich life was. |
The writer left the muddy marks of little sandals on the floor for a while to________.
| A．remind her that she shouldn't forget how rich she was |
| B．show that she was a kindhearted lady |
| C．leave room for readers to think about what being rich is |
| D．prove that she had understood what meant being rich |
It can be inferred from the text that whether you are rich depends on________.
| A．what attitude you have had towards life |
| B．how much money you have made |
| C．the way you help others |
| D．your social relationship |
The world is changing so fast that English, perhaps the most worldly of languages, is struggling to keep up.
Learners in the future are likely to be much younger. Young children are often said to be better at language learning than older learners but they also have special challenges. Young children don’t usually have the kind of instrumental motivation and determination for learning English that older learners often have. English lessons must therefore be fun and rewarding.
The reasons why people learn English are also changing. Globalization is bringing together more people than ever who speak different languages and who are turning to English as the means of communication. The English learners of the future may be less worried about sounding exactly like a native speaker and more concerned about how to use English effectively in cross-cultural communication. We may be hearing more non-native speakers in dialogues and a wider range of the “New Englishes” now used around the world.
Technology will allow English to come to you, rather than you having to go to a special place to learn English.
Learning English has always involved both pain and pleasure, private effort and social activity. Traditional learning provided take-it or leave-it mixes of these as well as of content but in future learners will be able to choose a plan which suits their cultural and psychological dispositions(性情), or their particular needs at that moment. They, rather than their teachers, will decide how, what and when they will learn.
Above all, learning English is about communication and an important benefit of learning English is being able to exchange views and make friends with people all over the world. Despite the growing independence of learners, trusted institutions and brand names will remain important.
Compared to older learners, young English learners .
| A．are more active in learning |
| B．are more hard-working in learning |
| C．have more difficulties in learning |
| D．have less lasting determination in learning |
What can we learn about the future English language?
| A．British English will be more popular. |
| B．American English will be more popular. |
| C．Most people will speak standard English. |
| D．Many different kinds of Englishes will appear. |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．Future English lessons will be more interesting. |
| B．Old people won’t have to learn English in the future. |
| C．People will pay more attention to English pronunciation. |
| D．Teachers will play a more important role in one’s English learning. |
What can be inferred from the passage?
| A．Learning English means no pain in the future. |
| B．English training schools will not be popular with young people in the future. |
| C．English learners will become less independent in the future. |
| D．More attention will be paid to personal needs in English learning in the future. |
In Los Angeles, drivers spend sixty-one hours every year stuck in traffic. These drivers know all too well how bad the traffic can be. “There're too many cars, and you can't move around a lot.”
Professor Cyrus Shahabi also knows about traffic jams. He lives more than 65 kilometers from his office at the University of Southern California, in Los Angeles. He is always late even with the help of a navigation (导航) system.
He decided to develop a program called ClearPath for that. He says his program uses historical data to predict traffic conditions even before the driver leaves the house. “What’s unique is that we use a lot of data that’s currently become available including traffic data, weather data, and we analyze that so that we can predict what's going to happen in front of you when you leave home.”
Professor Shahabi says his system does more than just respond to current traffic conditions. With ClearPath, he says, a driver can decide what time he wants to leave, and ClearPath will give the fastest route. It looks at the entire road network, including surface streets as well as highways, before the driver hits the road. Professor Shahabi hopes to have ClearPath available nationwide and overseas once they can collect traffic data from other cities.
“I always thought that Los Angeles had the worst traffic, but now I know that Shanghai, Beijing, Seoul, Tokyo, believe it or not, Singapore, Hong Kong certainly are examples that can immediately use this. ”
Professor Shahabi hopes to share this new technology with companies that already have navigation systems, such as Google and Apple.Drivers in Los Angeles were mentioned in order to__________.
| A．show care for them |
| B．introduce their life |
| C．solve traffic problems |
| D．raise the topic |
What is unique about Clear Path?
| A．It can use a lot of information all over the world. |
| B．It can ensure that you will never be late for work. |
| C．It helps drivers see clearly what happens on the road. |
| D．It helps drivers know the road conditions ahead of time. |
The underlined word “hits” in the fifth paragraph probably means __________.
| A．have an accident | B．get to |
| C．turn left or right | D．collect traffic data |
What's Professor Shahabi’s attitude toward his invention?
| A．Disappointed. | B．Proud. |
| C．Optimistic. | D．Worried. |
As a good mother to three children, I have tried never to let my passion stand in the way of being a good parent.
I no longer consider myself the center of the universe. I show up. I listen. I try to laugh. I am a good friend to my husband. I have tried to make marriage vows （誓言）mean what they say. I am a good friend to my friends, and they to me. Without them, there would be nothing to say to you today.
So here’s what I want to tell you today: Get a life. A real life, not a desire of the next promotion, the bigger paycheck, the larger house.
Get a life in which you are not alone. Find people you love, and who love you. And remember that love is not leisure; it is work. Pick up the phone. Send an e-mail. Write a letter. And realize that life is the best thing and that you have no business taking it for granted.
It’s so easy to waste our lives, our days, our hours and our minutes. It’s so easy to exist instead of to live. I learned to live many years ago. Something really, really bad happened to me, something that changed my life in ways that, if I had my choice, it would never have been changed at all. And what I learned from it is what, today, seems to be the hardest lesson of all.
I learned to love the journey, not the destination. I learned to look at all the good in the world and try to give some of it back because I believed in it, completely and totally. And I tried to do that, in part, by telling others what I had learned.
By telling them this: Read in the backyard with the sun on your face. Learn to be happy. If you do, you will live it with joy and passion as it ought to be lived.It can be inferred from the passage that______．
| A．the author didn't try her best to work well |
| B．the author spent all her time caring for her children |
| C．the author is a success in personal life |
| D．the author likes traveling very much |
How did the author form her view of life?
| A．Through social experience． |
| B．By learning from her friends． |
| C．From her children and husband． |
| D．Through an unfortunate experience． |
By the underlined sentence “It’s so easy to exist instead of to live” in the fifth paragraph, the author really means that people tend to.
| A．work rather than enjoy life |
| B．make a living rather than live a real life |
| C．waste a lot in life |
| D．forget the most important lessons in life |
What’s the author’s attitude toward work?
| A．Don’t let it affect your real life． |
| B．Earn enough money to make life better． |
| C．Do it well to serve others． |
| D．Try your best to get a higher position and a pay raise. |
Some people are lucky enough to be born with a good sense of direction and even if they have only visited a place once, they will be able to find it again years later.
I am one of those unfortunate people who have poor sense of direction and I may have visited a place time after time but I still get lost on my way there. When I was young I was so shy that I never dared ask complete strangers the way and so I used to wander round in circles and hope that by some chance I would get to the spot I was heading for.
I am no longer too shy to ask people for direction, but I often receive replies that puzzle me. Often people do not like to admit that they didn’t know their hometown and will insist on telling you the way, even if they do not know it; others, who are anxious to prove that they know their hometown very well, will give you a long list of directions which you can not possibly hope to remember, and still others do not seem to be able to tell between their left and their right and you find in the end that you are going in the opposite direction to that in which you should be going.
If anyone ever asks me the way to somewhere, I always tell them I am a stranger to the town in order to avoid giving them wrong direction but even this can have embarrassing results.
Once I was on my way to work when I was stopped by a man who asked me if I would direct him the way to the Sunlight Building. I gave my usual reply, but I had not walked on a few steps when I realized that he had asked for directions to my office building. However, at this point, I decide it was too late to turn back and search for him out of the crowd behind me as I was going to meet with someone at the office and I did not want to keep him waiting.
Imagine my embarrassment when my secretary showed in the very man who had asked for directions of my office and his astonishment when he recognized me as the person he had asked.Who showed the right way to the interviewee according to the passage?
| A．A warm-hearted old lady did such a thing |
| B．The writer did it for himself. |
| C．The secretary did so. |
| D．Someone we don’t know. |
Why did the writer consider himself to be an unlucky dog?
| A．Because he always forget the way to home |
| B．Because of his poor sense of direction |
| C．Because he did not have any friend. |
| D．Because he used to be shy and dared not ask others the way. |
How did the visitor feel when he was showed into the very room?
| A．He felt astonished | B．He felt embarrassed. |
| C．He felt very sad. | D．He felt strange |
What is the writer going to do when someone asks him for direction?
| A．He will direct the right way to the person willingly. |
| B．He will give the very person long list of direction |
| C．He will reply to it by the means of being a stranger to the town |
| D．He is going to show the man an opposite direction. |
Last year I ruined my summer vacation－a two-week vacation at my wife’s family cabin on a lake in northern Ontario, located at the boundary of the US and Canada－by bringing along a modern convenience that was too convenient for my own good: the iPad.
Instead of admiring the beauty of nature, I checked e-mail. Instead of paddling an old canoe, I followed my Twitter feed. Instead of devouring great (or merely amusing) novels, I stuck to my workday diet of four newspapers each morning.
And that was the problem: I was behaving as if I were still in the office, sticking to the unending news cycle. My body was on vacation but my head wasn’t.
So this year I made up my mind to try something different, a social media experiment in reverse: withdrawal from the Internet. Could I manage to unplug?
I knew it wouldn’t be easy, since I’m not good at self-denial. But I was determined. I started with a physical restraint: handing the iPad to my wife, who helpfully announced that she was going to use it to read a 630-page novel for her book club and would not be inclined to relinquish the tablet for even a moment.
Then, a stroke of luck: The cell phone signal at the Canadian cabin was spottier than in the past, making my attempts at cheating an experience in frustration.
I was trapped, forced to comply with my own good intentions. Largely cut off from e-mail, Twitter and my favorite newspaper websites, I had little way to connect to the world except for radio－and how much radio can one listen to, really?
I had no choice but to do what I had planned to do all along: read books. I experienced criminal plots on the streets of Los Angeles, cutthroat battles between cancer labs and the psyche of a London social butterfly in 1922. And there were old magazines to read.
I’m not claiming that I cut myself off from the Internet completely. Every few days, we biked into the nearest town and, as a reward, sat on a park bench in front of the public library to use its Wi-Fi. And back at the cabin, we suffered through a slow dial-up connection once a day to check e-mail.
This tale of self-denial has a happy ending－for now, at least. With determination and deep breathing, plus the strong support of my wife, I succeeded in my vacation struggle against the Internet, realizing finally that it was me, of course, not the iPad, that was the problem.
I knew I had won when we passed a Starbucks and my wife asked if I wanted to stop to use the Wi-Fi. “Don’t need it,” I said, trying not to sound too pleased.
However, as we return to post-vacation situation, a test begins: Can I stay on the wagon now that I’m back at work? There are times when the compulsion to know what’s being said right now is overwhelming (and for me, sometimes it’s crucial to my livelihood). And I have no intention of giving up my membership in the cult of immediacy. But I hope to resist the temptation to reflexively check my e-mail every five minutes, which often leads, as long as I’m looking, to checking my Twitter feed and a website or two.
A vacation is supposed to help you reset your brain to become more productive. Here’s hoping this one worked.What ruined the writer’s trip last year?
| A．That he was worn out because of the schedule. |
| B．That he forgot to bring amusing novels with him. |
| C．That he read too much newspaper last year. |
| D．That he was distracted by too many things unrelated to the trip. |
What does the underlined word ‘restraint’ mean?
| A．A calm and controlled behavior. |
| B．A relaxing move. |
| C．A strong determination. |
| D．An unshakable faith. |
What did the writer do to get in touch with the outside world during the trip?
| A．Reading online newspapers. |
| B．Following his friends’ Twitter. |
| C．Checking email every now and then. |
| D．Listening to the radio. |
Why did the writer claim that his self-denial process have a happy ending?
| A．He has completely turned down the Internet. |
| B．He gave up his habit of checking the latest news online. |
| C．He realized that his body was on vacation but his head wasn’t. |
| D．It dawned on him that it was people that are in control of their behavior. |
What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．Say no to electronic devices. |
| B．Relationships harmed by distractions. |
| C．Abandoned distractions ease break. |
| D．Things that can take your mind off. |
It was time for Mr. Rocco to shut up shop when I hurried into the florist’s. “Now, what is it that you want?” Mr. Rocco turned to me. “I want the most beautiful flower you have.” I replied, “And just how much do you have to pay for this most beautiful flower?” I held out a wet hand showing a quarter and dime. He nodded, and then showed me a plant on the counter “I can give you this one for 35 cents.” he said，“ Aw, gee,” I protested, “it looks like a weed!” About l 8 inches high, the plant was in a small pot covered with faded red paper.“ Now trust me, boy---I promise that tomorrow morning when you get up, you will find your most beautiful flower. ”said Mr. Rocco. I knew him to be a good honest man, so I agreed to take it.
It was almost midnight when I arrived home. Mom was seriously sick and using the front bedroom. I looked in to see if she was asleep, and then quietly tiptoed in and set the plant on the table beside her bed. I wanted her to be surprised when she woke on Mother’s Day. The next morning, I dressed and hurried downstairs. The sun was shining through kitchen window as I looked into Mom’s room. She motioned for me to come in, then glanced over at the table where the plant was. Holy mackerel! There were three big yellow trumpet-shaped blooms. It was just like Mr. Rocco said---the most beautiful flower I ever saw! When I looked at Mom, she was smiling as tears streamed down her cheeks. She held out her hand for me to come near, then pulled me close and hugged till it hurt. Then, remembering her contagious condition and that she wasn’t supposed to touch me, she quickly let me go.
My dear Mom died the next night. The moment she hugged me turned out to be the most wonderful moment of my life. Not only had that beautiful plant helped show just how much I loved her, but I'd always know how much she loved me.
The author didn’t like the plant recommended by Mr. Rocco at first because ________.
| A．the packing of the plant was shabby |
| B．the plant was actually a weed |
| C．the plant appeared too ordinary to be the most beautiful |
| D．he thought Mr. Rocco was reluctant to do the deal with him |
Mother’s condition was contagious (Line 6, Para 3) for .
| A．she was at the death’s door |
| B．she suffered from the illness |
| C．others were sick of her appearance |
| D．virus might spread from her to others |
When mother hugged the author tightly, she was showing that ____ .
| A．she liked being given gifts |
| B．she valued what the author had done for her |
| C．she was aware of the approaching death |
| D．she was touched by the beauty of the flower |
Which may be the best title of the passage?
| A．Flowers of Love | B．A Son’s Love for Mother |
| C．Low Price, High Value | D．A Special Mother’s Day |
While Bill was getting ready for work one Monday morning, he announced to his wife that he had finally decided to ask his boss for a salary raise. All day Bill felt nervous as he thought about the upcoming showdown. What if Mr. Smith refused his request? Bill had worked so hard in the last 12 months and managed to win a contract that was hard to get for Procter& Gamble. Of course, he should get a salary raise.
The thought of walking into Mr. Smith’s office left Bill weak in the knees. Late in the afternoon he was finally brave enough to approach his superior. To his delight and surprise, the mean boss agreed to give Bill a raise!
Bill arrived home that evening---despite breaking all city and state speed limits---to a beautiful table. His wife, Alice, had prepared a fabulous meal including his favorite dishes. Immediately he figured someone from the office had told her the news.
Next to his plate Bill found a beautiful lettered note. It was from his wife. It read: “Congratulations, my love! I knew you’d get the raise! I prepared this dinner to show just how much I love you. I am so proud of your accomplishments!” He read it and stopped to reflect on how sensitive and caring Alice was.
After dinner, Bill was on his way to the kitchen to get dessert when he noticed that a second card had slipped out of Alice’s pocket onto the floor. He bent forward to pick up. It read: “Don’t worry about not getting the raise! You do deserve one! You are a wonderful provider and I prepared this dinner to show you how much I love you though you did not get the increase.”
Suddenly tears welled in Bill’s eyes. Total acceptance! Alice’s support for him was not conditional upon his success at work.
The fear of rejection is often softened and we can face almost any difficulty when we know someone loves us regardless of our success or failure.
What was Bill’s plan that Monday?
| A．To request a wage increase from his boss． |
| B．To get a promotion． |
| C．To celebrate his success． |
| D．To ask his boss to come for dinner. |
On his way home, Bill was .
| A．excited | B．relaxed | C．nervous | D．puzzled |
We can conclude from the passage that .
| A．unconditional love brings courage and strength |
| B．work hard and you will be rewarded. |
| C．many fears turn out to be unfounded |
| D．we should never be afraid to demand what is due to |
Which of the following statements about the passage is FALSE?
| A．Bill was afraid that his request would be refused. |
| B．Bill had worked hard and done his part for the company. |
| C．Bill’s boss agreed to his request. |
| D．One of Bill’s colleagues had told his wife the good news. |
C
For pet owners, the hundreds of pet food recalls taking place each year has raised a lot of alarm. “Most people are caring pet owners, and they want to do what helps protect their pet,” explains Will Post, founder and CEO, Hound & Gatos Pet Foods Corporation. “Yet the problem is that most are not sure what that means and how to go about it. The more they learn about pet food, the better able they will be to make an informed decision that will keep their pet healthier and safer.”
Here are several tips that consumers may want to keep in mind when it comes to choosing a pet food that will help reduce the risks.
Get to know the company. Most people may know a company name simply because they spend millions on advertising. But that doesn’t mean they know much about the company or their morals. Research companies to find one that offers high standards, quality products, and great customer service.
Ask questions. Don’t be afraid to get in touch with a pet food company and ask them where something was made, where ingredients(原料) came from, or any other questions. They should have no problem answering questions about their products, or with being able to provide proof of their quality standards.
Read reviews. Do some searches to read some reviews about various brands of pet food. Keep in mind that some reviews can be one-sided and even planted by the company itself, so look for fair third-party sources giving the review.
Investigate(调查) ingredients. The source of ingredients is of major concern when it comes to reducing the risks of pet food recalls and keeping pets healthy. Read the labels and ask questions to determine where the ingredients are coming from.
Understand pet foods. Cat and dog food should contain 100 percent protein, which will supply them with the nutrients their bodies require. The problem with many commercial pet foods is that it is full of numerous fillers, such as cheap fillers and grains.How can people provide a safer and healthier environment for their pet?
| A．By giving more food to their pet. |
| B．By getting a better understanding about pet food. |
| C．By accompanying their pet more. |
| D．By knowing more about their pet. |
How many pieces of advice on choosing a pet food are given by the author?
| A．Three. | B．Four. |
| C．Five. | D．Six. |
As for reducing the risks of pet food recalls, what should be mainly taken into consideration?
| A．Where the ingredients come from. |
| B．Whether the company has good reputation. |
| C．Whether the food supply enough nutrients. |
| D．Whether most people choose the food. |
The passage is mainly about __________.
| A．the increasingly serious problem about food safety |
| B．the ways to choose a safer pet food |
| C．the opinion about food safety |
| D．the advice on caring pets |
Who are the intended readers of the passage?
| A．People in general. |
| B．Food companies. |
| C．Pet shop owners. |
| D．Pet owners. |
All you have is what you bring with you
I've always felt a need to be prepared for whatever situation I've found myself in．
My mother once took me to a store when I was seven years old．She and I got to the checkout counter, and she realized she had forgotten a couple of things on her shopping list．She left me with the cart and ran off to get what she needed．
"I'll be right back．" she said．
She was gone just a few minutes, but in that time, I had loaded all the things on the belt and everything was rung up．I was left staring at the cashier, who was staling at me．"Do you have money for me, son?" she said．"I'll need to be paid．" -
I didn't realize she was just trying to amuse herself．So I stood there, ashamed and embarrassed．
By the time my mom returned, I was angry．"You left me here with no money! This lady asked me for the money, and I had nothing to give her I"
Now that I'm an adult, you'll never catch me with less than $200 in my wallet．I want to be prepared in case I need it．
I've always admired people who are over-prepared．In college, I had a classmate named Norman．One day he was giving a presentation on an overhead projector and in the middle of his talk, the light bulb （灯泡） on the projector blew out．We would have to wait ten minutes until someone found a new' projector．
"It's Okay．" he announced．"There's nothing to worry about．"
We watched him walk over to his bag and pull something out．He had brought along a spare bulb for the Overhead projector．Who could even think of that?
I often told my students, " When you go into the wilderness, the only thing you can depend on is what you take with you．" And essentially, the wilderness is anywhere but your home or office．So take money．Pack a light bulb．Be prepared．
Why did the cashier ask a seven-year-old boy to pay for the purchases'?
| A．The boy was shopping by himself． |
| B．The boy's mother asked her to do so． |
| C．The cashier was playing a joke on him． |
| D．The boy's mother was away for something else． |
Why was the boy angry with his mother?
| A．His mother left him alone． |
| B．He lost face in front of the cashier． |
| C．His mother forgot to buy something． |
| D．He had just quarreled with the cashier． |
Why did Norman bring a spare bulb with him?
| A．He was always well-prepared． |
| B．His presentation was about bulbs． |
| C．He knew the classroom equipment was of poor quality． |
| D．He predicted the bulb on the projector would blow out． |
What do the two stories tell us?
| A．Accidents happen almost every day． |
| B．Money is the key that opens all doors. |
| C．In fair weather, prepare for a rainy day． |
| D．Chances favor those who are well-prepared． |
Summer Rain
The worst days of any summer are the rainy ones. We spend all year looking forward to nice weather and long, hot days. All of winter, with its cloudy days and bitter cold, we dream of those endless days at the beach, lying on the sand and enjoying the bright and burning sun. And then, summer comes, and it rains.
As a child, I would wake up to rainy summer days and come close to crying. It wasn’t fair. We suffered through months of school and experienced bad weather for those short ten weeks of freedom and pleasant weather.
On those rainy summer days, I had nothing fun to do and could only sit inside, staring out at the rain like a bird in a cage. I was an only child, so there was no one else to play with. My father worked from home, so I was not truly alone, but he could not actively play with me since he was at work. It was those days that I would watch whatever was on television or read any books that I could find lying around. I’d drag through the day and pray each night that the rain would not be there the next day.
As an adult, though, my opinion of summer rain has changed. When you have to work every day, summer is not as exciting. Everything seems dull. Such a mindset makes you cheer for anything new or different. I spend the winter dreaming of summer and the summer dreaming of winter. When summer comes, I hate how hot it is. And then I look forward to the rain, because the rain brings with it a cold front, which makes me comfortable. Rainy days are still the worst days of the summer, but summer rain today means positively beautiful—and considerably cooler—weather tomorrow.When the author was a child, he ______.
| A．hated rainy days |
| B．liked staying indoors |
| C．preferred cooler weather |
| D．dreamed on summer days |
We can learn from the passage that the author ______.
| A．had no brothers or sisters |
| B．was often left alone at home |
| C．could enjoy the brilliant sun in winter |
| D．preferred reading to playing outside |
As an adult, the author views summer rain differently because ______.
| A．heknowsit won’t last long |
| B．rain makes the weather cooler |
| C．his summer holiday is very short |
| D．he can better deal with his downtime |
What’s on Your Pet’s Mind?
In 1977, Irene Pepperberg of Harvard University began studying what was on another creature’s mind by talking to it. Her first experiments began with Alex. Alex was a one-year-old African grey parrot and Irene taught him to produce the sounds of the English language. “I thought if he learned to communicate, I could ask him questions about how he sees the world.”
At the time, most scientists didn’t believe animals had any thoughts. They thought animals were more like robots but didn’t have the ability to think or feel. Of course, if you own a pet you probably disagree. But it is the job of a scientist to prove this and nowadays more scientists accept that animals can think for themselves.
“That’s why I started my studies with Alex,” Irene said, “Some people actually called me crazy for trying this.”
Nowadays, we have more and more evidence that animals have all sorts of mental abilities. Sheep can recognize faces. Chimpanzees (黑猩猩) use a variety of tools and even use weapons to hunt. And Alex the parrot became a very good talker.
Thirty years after the Alex studies began. Irene was still giving him English lessons up until his recent death. For example, if Alex was hungry he could say “want grape”. Alex could count to six and was learning the sounds for seven and eight. “He has to hear the words over and over before he can correctly say them.” Irene said, after pronouncing “seven” for Alex a few times in a row. Alex could also tell the difference between colors, shapes, sizes, and materials (e.g. wood and metal). Before he finally died, Alex managed to say “seven”.
Another famous pet that proved some animals have greater mental skills was a dog called Rico. He appeared on a German TV game show in 2011. Rico knew the names of 200 different toys and easily learned the names of new ones. When Rico became famous, many other dog owners wanted to show how clever their pets were. Another dog called Betsy could understand 300 words.
One theory for dogs’ ability to learn a language is that they have been close companions to humans for many centuries and so their ability to understand us is constantly evolving (进化). While animals can’t do what humans do yet, some scientists believe that examples like Alex and Rico prove that evolution develops intelligence, as well as physical appearance.Irene wanted to find out __________.
| A．what a parrot thinks |
| B．why a parrot can speak |
| C．how parrots make sounds |
| D．if parrots speak English |
Alex learnt new words by __________.
| A．singing them |
| B．reading them |
| C．writing them |
| D．rehearing them |
The two dogs mentioned in the article could _______.
| A．understand some words |
| B．recognize strange voices |
| C．copy human gestures |
| D．tell different colors |
The article concludes that ___________.
| A．our pets understand what we say |
| B．dogs may speak to humans one day |
| C．humans are related to chimpanzees |
| D．mental ability can evolve in animals |
Everyone procrastinates．We put things off because we don’t want to do them, or because we have too many other things on our plates．Putting things off—big or small—is part of being human.
But procrastination does have consequences．When your procrastination leaves you feeling discouraged, it is time to take action, and one of the best ways to get rid of it is to make an un-schedule.
An un-schedule is a weekly calendar of all the ways in which your time is already accounted for．You consider not only your timed commitments such as classes and meetings, but also your untimed activities such as meals, exercise, time with friends, and the like．Once you have made your un-schedule, you may be able to see your time is often filled with more activities than you realize, for instance, that you really don’t have five hours to spend writing on the night before your paper is due．Procrastinators’ views of time tend to be unrealistic, and the un-schedule can help you outline a realistic plan．By planning accordingly, you will not only get a better night’s sleep, you may also end up with a better paper．
The un-schedule might also be a good way to get started on a larger project, such as a term paper or an honors paper．You may think that you have “all semester” to get the writing done, but if you really map out how much time you have available to write on a daily and weekly basis, you will see that you need to get started sooner, rather than later．In addition, the un-schedule may reveal especially busy weeks or months, which will help you budget time for long-term projects.
Perhaps most importantly, the un-schedule can help you examine how you spend your time．You may be surprised at how much time you spend watching television, and decide to make a change．It’s especially important that you build time for fun activities into your un-schedule．Otherwise, you will procrastinate in order to steal time for relaxation.
You can also use the un-schedule to record your progress towards your goal．Reward yourself for your small successes．Seeing what you’ve achieved will help reinforce（强化）the productive behavior, and you will feel more motivated in the following process.
As you explore ways to conquer procrastination, don’t expect overnight transformation．You developed the habit over a long time; you aren’t going to stop magically．But you can change the behavior, bit by bit．If you start to make an un-schedule now, you will eventually develop new habits．
From Paragraph 2, we can know that procrastinators __________.
| A．usually have sleeping problems |
| B．tend to be unrealistic in daily life |
| C．spend more time in doing exercise |
| D．often fail to notice untimed activities |
Which of the following statements best reflects an un-schedule?
| A．“Now I have more time for fun.” |
| B．“I can start my big project later.” |
| C．“I’ll treat myself to a movie for my progress.” |
| D．“I’m going to have more time to finish my paper.” |
According to the writer, people need to make an un-schedule because of their __________．
| A．interests in doing things differently |
| B．determination to try out new things |
| C．inability to manage time properly |
| D．lack of concentration on a project |
The author writes the passage to __________.
| A．show concerns |
| B．offer suggestions |
| C．express dissatisfaction |
| D．make comments |
Ever walked to the shops only to find, once there, you’ve completely forgotten what you went for? Or struggled to remember the name of an old friend? For years we’ve accepted that a forgetful brain is as much a part of ageing as wrinkles and grey hair．But now a new book suggests that we’ve got it all wrong.
According to The Secret Life of the Grown-up Brain, by science writer Barbara Strauch, when it comes to the important things, our brains actually get better with age．In fact, she argues that some studies have found that our brain hits its peak between our 40s and 60s—much later than previously thought.
Furthermore, rather than losing many brain cells as we age, we retain them, and even produce new ones well into middle age．For years it’s been assumed that brain, much like the body, declines with age．But the longest, largest study into what happens to people as they age suggests otherwise.
This continuing research has followed 6,000 people since 1956, testing them every seven years．It has found that on average, participants performed better on cognitive(认知的) tests in their 40s and 50s than they had done in their 20s．Specifically, older people did better on tests of vocabulary, verbal memory (how many words you can remember) and problem solving.
Where they performed less well was number ability and perceptual speed—how fast you can push a button when ordered．However, with more complex tasks such as problem-solving and language, we are at our best at middle age and beyond．In short, researchers are now coming up with scientific proof that we do get wiser with age.
Neuroscientists are also finding that we are happier with ageing．A recent US study found older people were much better at controlling and balancing their emotions．It is thought that when we’re younger we need to focus more on the negative aspects of life in order to learn about the possible dangers in the world, but as we get older we’ve learned our lessons and are sub-consciously aware that we have less time left in life: therefore, it becomes more important for us to be happy．Barbara Strauch probably agrees that ______．
| A．the young are better at handling important things |
| B．people’s brains work best between their 40s and 60s |
| C．ageing leads to the decline of the function of the brain |
| D．wrinkles and grey hair are the only symbols of ageing |
The continuing research has found older people perform better on _____ .
| A．vocabulary tests |
| B．number ability |
| C．perceptual speed |
| D．body balance |
People are happier with age because ______.
| A．they learn to value the time left |
| B．they know how to share feelings |
| C．they cannot focus on negative aspects |
| D．they do not realize the possible dangers |
What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．People get wiser with age． |
| B．People get more forgetful with age． |
| C．People get happier with age． |
| D．People get more self-aware with age． |
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