Our spiritual intelligence quotient（精神智商）,or SQ, helps us understand ourselves, and live fuller, happier lives.
Though we're all born with SQ, most of us don't even realize that we have it. Fortunately, you don't have to sign up for classes to learn how to improve your SQ. Here are some simple steps that can lead you to this new level of understanding.
Sit Quietly. The process of developing spiritual intelligence begins with solitude（独处）and silence. To tune in to your spirit, you have to turn down the volume（强度）in your busy, noisy, complicated life and force yourself to do nothing at all. Start small by creating islands for silence in your day. In the car, instead of listening to the music, use the time to think. At work, shut the door to your office between meetings, take a few breaths and let them out very, very slowly. Enjoy the stillness in your home after the kids are finally in bed.
Step Outside. For many people, nature sets their spirit free. Go outside to watch a beautiful sunset. If you are walking with the dog, take the time to admire flowers in bloom; follow the flight of a bird and watch clouds float overhead.
Ask Questions of Yourself. Ask open-ended questions, such as "What am I Feeling? What are my choices? Where am I heading?"
But don't expect an answer to arrive through some supernatural forms of e-mail. “Rarely do I get an immediate answer to my question,” says Reverend Joan Carter, a Presbyterian minister in Sausalito, California. “But later that day I suddenly find myself thinking about a problem in a perspective（角度） I never considered before.”
Trust Your Spirit. While most of us rely on gut（本能的）feeling to realize danger, spiritual intelligence pushes us, not away from, but towards some action that will lead to a greater good. The passage is mainly about______.
| A．what your SQ is and in what way it can benefit our life |
| B．what your SQ is and in what way it can be improved |
| C．the relationship between your SQ and your life |
| D．advantages and disadvantages of SQ |
The underlined phrase "to tune in to your spirit" in the third paragraph probably
means to_________
| A．get your spirit relaxed | B．keep up your spirit |
| C．keep seated quietly | D．change your spirit |
From the passage, we can know that the most important thing to improve your SQ is______
| A．a peaceful mind | B．deep thought |
| C．spare time and hobbies | D．good spirits |
According to the passage, which of the following is True?
| A．Not everyone has SQ. |
| B．You have to go to classes to learn how to improve your SQ. |
| C．SQ leads us to take wrong actions. |
| D．SQ can benefit our life. |
“Tomorrow is another day”---- this line has impressed various people at various times. It's now 70 years after it appeared in the film, but it still seems to hold its power especially during an economic downturn.
The phrase comes from a film adaptation of Margaret Mitchell's successful 1936 novel Gone With the Wind. It's set in the American South and tells the story of a strong heroine, Scarlett O' Hara, who struggles to find love during the Civil War and, afterwards, of her strength in surviving the war and its hardships.
Love story
In a moment of despair, Scarlett finally realizes that her love belongs to Rhett Butler. For many audiences, it is the theme of love and struggle that has kept the movie alive. While the burning of Atlanta might seem irrelevant to today's viewers, the timeless theme of love keeps its ability to touch people.
With a promise to her lover still in her mind, Scarlett chooses to stay in the midst of war and take care of Melanie. But her heart is broken when Rhett just walks away, leaving the woman that he once loved with cruel words, "Frankly, dear, I don' t give a damn."
Great epic
The film shows the love-hate relationship of these characters, but also American history, the fall of the Confederacy and the following period of Reconstruction in the South. The background made this film a true classic in the epic genre.
When the film opened after World War II, French viewers loved it, and it reminded them of their fight against the Nazis. In 1940 Shanghai, during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, people stood in line for hours to watch this film, and saw the same suffering they were having as well as the hope and possibility of building a new homeland from the ruins.
Each nationality could identify with the story and see it as a victory. In fact, Gone With the Wind never lost its charm and ability to inspire and amaze.
Biggest of all time
The film had five directors, 15-plus screenwriters, and an unexpected $3.9 million budget. The film brought in $ 200 million, which makes it the biggest selling film of all times in North America. It also won 10 Academy awards in 1940.The underlined "it" in the first paragraph refers to _______.
| A．the novel Gone with the Wind | B．"tomorrow is another day" |
| C．the movie Gone with the Wind | D．the Academy Award |
The text is written mainly to _______.
| A．celebrate the anniversary of Margaret Mitchell |
| B．introduce how the film was directed and filmed |
| C．throw light on the charm of the movie "Gone with the Wind" |
| D．inspire people to struggle the economic downturn |
It can be concluded that Scarlett O' Hara is _______.
| A．optimistic and lucky | B．childish and realistic |
| C．caring and stubborn | D．strong-minded and persistent |
The passage mentions Shanghai in order to _______.
| A．prove that the background of the movie touched viewers |
| B．describe how popular the movie was at that time |
| C．point out that Shanghai was a center of entertainment |
| D．tell us that Chinese were suffering the War then. |
Expressions about water are almost as common as water itself.
The expression to be in hot water is a very old expression. Hot water was used five hundred years ago to mean being in trouble. One story says it got that meaning from the custom of throwing extremely hot water down on enemies attacking a castle.
That no longer happens. But we still get in hot water. When we are in hot water, we are in trouble. It can be any kind of trouble—serious or not so serious. A person who breaks a law can be in hot water with the police. A young boy can be in hot water with his mother, if he walks in the house with dirty shoes.
Beingin deep water is almost the same as being in hot water. When you are in deep water, you are in a difficult position.
To keep your head above water is a colorful expression that means staying out of debt. A company seeks to keep its head above water during economic hard times. A man who loses his job tries to keep his head above water until he finds a new job.
Water over the dam is another expression about a past event. It is something that is finished. It cannot be changed. The expression comes from the idea that water that has flowed over a dam cannot be brought back again.
Another common expression to hold water, is about the strength or weakness of an idea or opinion that you may be arguing about. It probably comes from a way of testing the condition of a container.; If it can hold water, it is strong and has no holes in it. If your argument can hold water, it is strong and does not have any holes.
Throwing cold water also is an expression that deals with ideas or suggestions. It means to not like an idea. For example, you want to buy a new car because the old one has some problems. But your wife throws cold water on the idea, because she says a new car costs too much.If Robert says he is in deep water, we may guess_________.
| A．he is swimming under the water |
| B．he is tired of changing shoes |
| C．he nearly breaks a law |
| D．he faces a difficult choice |
What can you say to your friend Jane, who is troubled by a mistake she has made?
| A．Keep your head above water. |
| B．Throw cold water. |
| C．It is water over the dam. |
| D．It can hold water. |
If your argument doesn’t hold water, then it is _________.
| A．weak | B．convincing | C．logical | D．disappointing |
The passage explains the origins of the following expressions EXCEPT_________.
| A．to be in hot water |
| B．to keep your head above water |
| C．water over the dam |
| D．to hold water |
Several years ago, I had a huge falling out with one of my best friends. So huge, in fact, that now I can’t even remember what happened.
In the past nine years, I’ve seen her twice, and each time we’ve been polite but distant. And that troubles me because we were once inseparable. I’d like nothing more than to go back nine years, and continue our friendship. But how? How do you reconnect with friends you’ve lost throughout the years?
Linking to your past
The desire to reconnect with lost friends isn’t unusual. Why? Because friends link us to the past. “Friends from years ago are custodians (监护人) of our past,” says Sandy Sheehy.
Although you can share information about your past with friends you’ve met recently, you don’t have a shared history with them. So you wind up only telling them about your past, rather than sharing it with them.
But many people never try to reconnect. Women especially have trouble taking the first step. Shyness or fear that the other person doesn’t want to reconnect often stops many women. And that shouldn’t be. Your friends probably want to be in touch with you as much as you want to be in touch with them.
Searching for friends
Fortunately, finding lost friends isn’t as difficult as it once was, thanks to tools like the Internet. Our experts offer these suggestions for locating contact information:
Search Internet sites designed to locate people like classmates.com and switchboard.com.
Contact your high school or college alumni (校友) office to request current address information.
Surf online yellow pages. Check current phone records from your friend’s hometown.
Network with other friends who might have known your friend.
Get in touch with any of her relatives, if you know where they live. If you know where she works, find the company’s website and search the directory of personnel.What is the subject discussed in the passage?
| A．How to make new friends. |
| B．How to rebuild friendship. |
| C．How to develop healthy friendship. |
| D．How to keep in touch with friends. |
The underlined sentence “friends from years ago are custodians of our past” in Paragraph 3 means _____.
| A．years ago old friends kept something for us |
| B．in the past old friends took care of us |
| C．old friends are part of our life history |
| D．old friends know what wrongs we did |
What makes us unwilling to reconnect old friends?
| A．Lack of money. | B．Busy time. | C．Regret and shame. | D．Fear and shyness. |
How can we make contact with the lost friends?
| A．By asking other friends of the information on your lost friends. |
| B．By searching your friends’ telephone number on the Net. |
| C．By asking the local post office about your friends’ new address. |
| D．By putting an advertisement in your friends’ local town. |
When you are talking to somebody at a party, do you focus entirely on the person you are speaking with or does your attention keep jumping around the room to all the other people there? General1y, if the person is someone you really want to talk to, you will focus on him. Most other people will only get about half of your attention.
You may think that this is OK, because if you don’t really want to talk to him, then what does it matter if you don’t give him your full attention? Consider two things. First, you may just not realize the importance of that conversation. If you are at a networking meeting and you hope to meet the CEO of Company X, but you end up talking to someone who has a low-level job at a different company, then you may let your attention wander（走神）as you speak to him. But maybe you don’t realize that this person has already met the CEO and could introduce you. Do you think he will do that if he feels you don’t really care about speaking to him? This doesn’t mean you need to spend the whole time talking to him. Five or ten minutes of real attentive（专心的）conversation can be worth 30 minutes to an hour of partial attention.
Second, whether you want to speak to someone is based on the situation. You can love your wife, but if she tries to talk to you while you are watching something you like on TV, where is your attention going? Make your own decision, but if you want her to feel valued, give her your 100% attention. The nice thing is that in many cases you can give her your attention for a few minutes and then return to what you were doing. You miss very little, she feels valued, and all is good. The author’s opinion is made believable mainly by ________.
A using figures B. giving examples C. asking questions D. descriptionThe second paragraph mainly tells you that ________.
| A．you should be interested in everyone at a party |
| B．you can refuse to talk to someone you don’t like at a party |
| C．you should focus on whoever you are talking to |
| D．you should be patient with everyone at a party |
A person who has a low-level job probably ________.
| A．would like to talk to you |
| B．is well worth focusing on |
| C．wants to make friends with you |
| D．is the one you’re looking for |
If your wife wants to talk to you when you are busy, you should ________.
| A．decide what to do according to the situation |
| B．go on with what you are doing |
| C．stop doing anything immediately |
| D．finish what you are doing with her |
What is the main idea of this passage?
| A．Always be friendly to others at a party. |
| B．It is important for you to be active at a party. |
| C．You should respect your wife at any time. |
| D．Improve your communication skills by focusing on others |
Can you believe your eyes? A recent experiment suggests that the answer to that question may depend on your age.
Martin Doherty, a psychologist at the University of Stirling in Scotland, led the team of scientists. In this experiment, Doherty and his team tested the perception(观察力) of some people, using pictures of some orange circles. The researchers showed the same pictures to two groups of people. The first group included 151 children aged 4 to 10, and the second group included 24 adults aged 18 to 25.
The first group of pictures showed two circles alone on a white background. One of the circles was larger than the other, and these people were asked to identify the larger one. Four-year-olds identified the correct circle 79 percent of the time. Adults identified the correct circle 95 percent of the time.
Next, both groups were shown a picture where the orange circles, again of different sizes, were surrounded by gray circles. Here’s where the trick lies in. In some of the pictures, the smaller orange circle was surrounded by even smaller gray circles — making the orange circle appear larger than the other orange circle, which was the real larger one. And the larger orange circle was surrounded by even bigger gray circles — so it appeared to be smaller than the real smaller orange circle.
When young children aged 4 to 6 looked at these tricky pictures, they weren’t fooled — they were still able to find the bigger circle with roughly the same accuracy as before. Older children and adults, on the other hand, did not do as well. Older children often identified the smaller circle as the larger one, and adults got it wrong most of the time.
As children get older, Doherty said, their brains may develop the ability to identify visual context. In other words, they will begin to process the whole picture at once: the tricky gray circles, as well as the orange circle in the middle. As a result, they’re more likely to fall for this kind of visual trick.Doherty and his team of scientists did an experiment to evaluate .
| A．children’s and adults’ eye-sight |
| B．people’s ability to see accurately |
| C．children’s and adults’ brains |
| D．the influence of people’s age |
When asked to find the larger circle, .
| A．children at 6 got it wrong 79 % of the time with no gray ones around |
| B．only adults over 18 got it right 95% of the time with gray ones around |
| C．children at 4 got it right about 79 % of the time with gray ones around |
| D．adults got it right most of the time with gray ones around |
According to the passage, we can know that .
| A．a smaller orange circle appears bigger on a white background |
| B．an orange circle appears bigger than a gray one of the same size |
| C．a circle surrounded by other circles looks bigger than its real size |
| D．a circle surrounded by bigger ones looks smaller than its real size |
Visual context may work when children get older than .
| A．4 | B．6 | C．10 | D．18 |
Why are younger children not fooled?
| A．Because they are smarter than older children and adults. |
| B．Because older people are influenced by their experience. |
| C．Because people’s eyes become weaker as they grow older. |
| D．Because their brain can hardly notice related things together. |
Dogs and cats are not for students who live in the dormitory. Just think about the noise, the smell and all that wild behavior—chewing on whatever they can get their teeth on, or knocking over the trash can. But don’t feel sad. There are smaller and less destructive pets to make your dormitory life colorful.
Betta fish
They make great pets with their big personality and astonishing colors, ranging from bright red, dark blue to lemon yellow. Unlike many fish, most bettas react to their owner’s presence and become more active when they are nearby, which is unusual in the fish world.
Chinchillas
Without bad smell, about the size of a rabbit and with fur so dense that they can’t get pests such as fleas(跳蚤), the friendly creature originally from the Andes Mountains in South America makes an ideal indoor pet. Chinchillas are very social animals, so if you only have one, you will become its family. In cold winter days, in a glance at this fury pet in a dorm will bring you a lot of warmth.
Land hermit crabs
In a society where owners are often asked “Are they tasty?”, land hermit crabs are among the most unlucky animals commonly kept as pets. But they are easy to care for, inexpensive and fascinating to watch. And the fact that they don’t cause any allergic reactions makes them perfect for college dormitories.
Red-eared sliders
If you’re interested in a lifelong friend, a red-eared slider makes a wonderful pet. If well cared for, they can live for around 40 years. But there are a couple of things you should know. Red-eared can grow to an adult size of up to 30cm! So you may need a larger tank quickly. In addition, you will need to provide UV lighting, water heater, and a swimming area and a basking (晒太阳) area. Housing a red eared slider is not easy.All the dormitory pets mentioned in the text are _____.
| A．active and allergic | B．quiet and peaceful |
| C．colorful and tasty | D．small and smelly |
Which of the following is not true about these creatures?
| A．Bettas are active and rich in colors. |
| B．Chinchillas are originally mountain animals. |
| C．Land hermit crabs are allergic but tasty. |
| D．Red-eared sliders need more care from the owner. |
If you want to keep the pet as long as possible, you’d better choose _____.
| A．Betta fish | B．Chinchillas |
| C．Land hermit crabs | D．Red-eared sliders |
The text is mainly to _____.
| A．introduce the best way to keep pets |
| B．offer useful tips for choosing pets |
| C．inform students of lifestyle of pets |
| D．recommend some dormitory pets |
Apply for a Library Card
Any person who lives, works, attends school or pays property taxes in New York State is eligible to receive a New York Public Library card free of charge. Adult and teen users may either apply online or in person at any New York Public Library location. Applications for children ages 11 and under must be completed in person, and require the signature of a parent. When you apply for a card online, you will receive a 7-digit temporary barcode(条码). This allows you to set a secret code. After you receive your permanent barcode, which is required to borrow materials, search Library databases, or reserve a computer, you must renew your card.
Renew or Validate Your Card
All adult, teen and child library cards for cardholders must be renewed every three years. New library card applicants who applied for a card online must renew their card before full cardholder privileges can be extended. Cardholders can visit any New York Public Library location to present the required forms of identification in order to renew or validate their card. Cardholders may also email copies of the required forms of identification to patronaccounts@nypl.org. Alternatively, this information may be faxed to 212.621.0278.
Forget Your Secret Code?
If you forget your secret code, you can provide the library with a valid email address, and click on the link ---“Forgot Your secret code?” A link with instructions on changing your secret code will be sent to the email address on your account, giving you a brief period of time to update your information. You must select a 4 digit numeric secret code, with no repeating or obvious numbers (e.g. 1234 or 2222). If you have not provided us with a valid email address, you may visit a library location to reset your secret code.
Replace a Lost or Stolen Card
Cardholders are responsible for all items on a card, all use made of the card and all charges made against it until it is reported lost or stolen. If your card is lost or stolen, inform the library immediately. Call 917.ASK.NYPL (917.275.6975), email Ask NYPL, or visit to your nearest library to report the card lost.Who can’t apply for a New York Public Library card for free?
| A．Those who work in New York. |
| B．Those who travel in New York. |
| C．Those who live in New York. |
| D．Those who go there for further study. |
Children ages 11 and under________.
| A．are required to apply for a free library card online |
| B．must apply for a library card in person with a parent |
| C．should change their library cards every three years |
| D．can enjoy extended privileges before renewing the card |
Library cards may NOT be renewed _______.
| A．by email | B．by fax | C．by phone | D．in person |
Which of the following can be a secret code?
| A．1368 | B．5188 | C．5678 | D．8888 |
Imagine a world in which there were suddenly no emotion — a world in which human beings could feel no love or happiness, no terror or hate. Try to imagine the consequences of such a transformation. People might not be able to stay alive: knowing neither joy nor pleasure, anxiety nor fear, they would be as likely to repeat acts that hurt them as acts that were beneficial. They could not learn: they could not benefit from experience because this emotionless world would lack rewards and punishments. Society would soon disappear: people would be as likely to harm one another as to provide help and support. Human relationships would not exist: in a world without friends or enemies, there could be no marriage, affection among companions, or bonds among members of groups. Society's economic underpinnings (支柱) would be destroyed: since earning $10 million would be no more pleasant than earning $10, there would be no incentive (动力) to work. In fact, there would be no incentives of any kind, for as we will see, incentives mean a capacity to enjoy them.
In such a world, the chances that the human species would survive are next to zero, because emotions are the basic instruments of our survival and adaptation. Emotions structure the world for us in important ways. As individuals, we categorize objects on the basis of our emotions. True, we consider the length, shape, size or texture, but an object's physical aspects are less important than what it has done or can do to us — hurt us, surprise us, anger us or make us joyful. We also use categorizations colored by emotions in our families, communities, and overall society. Out of our emotional experience with objects and events comes a social feeling of agreement that certain things and actions are "good" and others are "bad", and we apply these categories to every aspect of our social life — from what foods we eat and what clothes we wear to how we keep promises and which people our group will accept. In fact, society uses our emotional reactions and attitudes, such as loyalty, morality, pride, shame, guilt, fear and greed, in order to maintain itself. It gives high rewards to individuals who perform important tasks such as surgery, makes heroes out of individuals for unusual or dangerous achievements such as flying fighter planes in a war, and uses the legal penal (刑法的) system to make people afraid to engage in antisocial acts. Which of the following is TRUE according to the first paragraph?
| A．people would not be able to tell the physical aspects of objects. |
| B．People would not know what was beneficial and what was harmful to them. |
| C．$ 10 million is equal to $ 10 in a world without emotions. |
| D．There would be full of lies, arguments and violence. |
In can be inferred from the passage that the economic foundation of society is dependent on ________.
| A．the ability to make money |
| B．the capacity to work |
| C．the motivation to work |
| D．our emotional experiences |
Why are the emotional aspects of an object more important than its physical aspects?
| A．They help society use its members for more profit. |
| B．They encourage us to perform important tasks in the war. |
| C．They help to perfect the legal and penal system to make people afraid. |
| D．They help us adapt our behaviors to the world surrounding us. |
What is the text mainly about?
| A．People could only live in a world with emotions. |
| B．People would always do bad things in the emotionless world. |
| C．Emotions are very important in the world. |
| D．Emotions structure the world for us in important ways. |
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项
Summer is slipping away from me．Some days, it makes me want to cry．Other days, I feel a sense of expectation within me just thinking about fall that makes me want to burst．Tonight, all five of us were in the family room doing our own things.
At this moment, my littlest kid is my number one trouble and my number one joy．He has a tooth on the way and although it’s such a tiny thing, it’s causing so much grief．I’m holding him a lot and I’m not going to lie．I live for his afternoon nap(小睡) so I’m able to actually get dressed and use the restroom.
The big E is starting school soon．The other day, I found myself a bit depressed about the end of summer and the beginning of another school year．I looked out of our front window with eyes that were heavy and a bit teary．Then, I suddenly realized just how silly this end of summer depression of mine is．I can’t change time．But, I can change my emotions and my thoughts．I decided not to spend my final days of summer vacation walking around with a sad face．I decided to hug the last few days of summer and remind myself that before I know it, we will be back in our school routine and all will go well.
This week we plan on meeting teachers．I’m taking my girl to have her nails done before her first day of kindergarten．We want to bake a few dozen cookies．We’ll take our evening walks as usual and stay up late．And last but not least, I’ll get school clothes ready, I’ll pack lunches and write lunch notes, we’ll read “The Kissing Hand,” like we normally do, and I’ll tuck(掖好被子) my third grader and kindergartener in their little beds before the big first day.
Thank you summer, you’ve been warm and wonderful, you’ve been sweet and sticky, you’ve been refreshing and exactly what we need．And your sunsets have been amazing, so thank you．According to Paragraph 1, the author ______.
| A．feels excited |
| B．has mixed feelings |
| C．feels worried |
| D．has bad feelings |
How will the author spend the final days of the summer vacation?
| A．Live a simple life. |
| B．Stay at home and relax herself. |
| C．Treasure the vacation. |
| D．Walk around with a depressed face. |
From the passage, we can learn that the author ______.
| A．is fond of reading novels |
| B．has two annoying children |
| C．often takes evening walks |
| D．has no time to get dressed |
As I drive about the Sois in rural Thailand I catch little glimpses of things that barely register on the mind as the scenery flies by; strange things, beautiful things, sad things, interesting things. I wish I could hold on to these scenes; explore them in detail. I wish that I had the time to stop and investigate further as I’m driving by, but time is a commodity(商品)worth more than all the moneys in the world. I wish I had more.
I once had a guy wave to me as I passed him. He yelled out something, almost in greeting, as if he knew me. I wonder if we knew each other once, in another place, another time, and he recognized my soul as I drove by in the truck, and just had to yell a hello. I wish I had stopped and said hello too.
I saw two young girls, dressed in school uniforms. White blouses, blue skirts, books in hand. They were holding hands, talking, walking down the road, jostling(推，搡)each other with their shoulders and teasing each other as they strolled along. As I passed the one closest to the truck looked up. She was close enough to touch almost. Her smiling face, her clear eyes and golden smooth skin are there in my mind’s eye now. I can see her as if she were standing next to me. Once in a while her face just pops into my head. Why? Why is she still there? Sometimes I think maybe I’m a bit mad.
I stopped at a road stop on a corner one time. An old lady standing by the roadside walked over to the truck and put her hand on my arm and smiled at me. Her palm was so cool. It must have been a hundred degrees out that day. She said something in Thai and giggled(咯咯地笑) and walked away. Who was she? Why did she touch me? Why was her hand so cool? Why did I just sit there and let her touch me? I didn’t flinch(退缩)away. It was almost as if I knew her, and we were just saying a quick hello. Her cool touch almost seemed familiar; like my long dead grandmother’s soothing cool touch remembered from when I was just a little boy.
I need more time. I need to stop the truck more often, and just say hello. Things glimpsed along the road are often far more interesting and wonderful than that which seems to consume our daily lives. Slow down. Stop the truck. Get out, and say hello.What kind of life does the writer normally lead?
| A．Busy. | B．Tiring. | C．Meaningless. | D．Boring. |
The man in paragraph two yelled out because he ______.
| A．had met the writer before |
| B．recognized the writer’s soul |
| C．wanted to show friendliness |
| D．mistook me as one of his friends |
The writer describes the two school girls in great details to show ______.
| A．his liking for them |
| B．that he was kind of crazy |
| C．his interest in observing people |
| D．the deep impression they left on him |
Why does the author compare the old lady with his grandmother?
| A．The old lady behaved like his grandmother. |
| B．He suggests the old lady had very cold hands. |
| C．He suggests the old lady’s touch was comforting. |
| D．The old lady reminded the writer of his entire childhood. |
C
For high school leavers starting out in the working world, it is very important to learn particular skills and practice how to behave in an interview or how to find an internship (实习). In some countries, schools have programs to help students onto the path to work. In the United States, however, such programs are still few and far behind.
Research shows that if high schools provide career-related courses, students are likely to get higherearnings in later years. The students are more likely to stay in school, graduate and go on to higher education.
In Germany, students as young as 13 and 14 are expected to do internships. German companies work with schools to make sure that young people get the education they need for future employment. But in America, education reform programs focus on how well students do in exams instead of bringing them into contact with the working world. Harvard Education school professor Robert Schwartz has criticized education reformers for trying to place all graduates directly on the four-year college track. Schwartz argued that this approach leaves the country’s most vulnerable(易受影响的)kids with no jobs and no skills.
Schwartz believed that the best career programs encourage kids to go for higher education while also teach them valuable practical skills at high school. James Madison High School in New York, for example ,encourages students to choose classes on career-based courses. The school then helps them gain on-the-job experience in those fields while they’re still at high school.
However, even for teens whose schools encourage them to connect with work, the job market is daunting. In the US, unemployment rates for 16-to-19-year-olds are above 20 percent for the third summer in a row.
“The risk is that if teenagers miss out on the summer job experience, they will become part of this generation of teens who had trouble in landing a job,” said Michael, a researcher in the US.
In the author’s opinion, German high school leavers ______.
| A．enjoy more career-related courses than that of US |
| B．need more career advice from their schools |
| C．perform better in exams than American students |
| D．are less brought into contact with the working world |
According to Robert Schwartz, high school students should _________.
| A．directly carry on higher education |
| B．get contact with the working world |
| C．focus on their performance in exams |
| D．not miss out on the summer job experience |
The underlined word “daunting” in Paragraph 6 most probably mean “______”.
| A．incredible | B．motivating |
| C．impressive | D．discouraging |
What’s the main idea of the text?
| A．Remarks on recent US high school education reform |
| B．Tips on finding jobs for high school leavers in US. |
| C．The lack of career-based education in US high schools. |
| D．The severe situation of unemployment in US. |
One of my fondest memories as a child is going by the river and sitting idly on the bank. There I would enjoy the peace and quiet, watch the water rush downstream and listen to the singing of birds and the rustling of leaves in the trees. I would also watch the bamboo trees bend under pressure from the wind and watch them return gracefully to their original position after the wind had died down.
When I think about the bamboo trees’ ability to bounce back or return to its original position, the word “resilience” comes to my mind. When used in reference to a person, this word means the ability to readily recover from shock, depression or any other negative situation that stretches the limits of a person’s emotions.
Have you ever felt like you are about to lose control of your emotions? Have you ever felt like you are at your breaking point? Thankfully, you have survived the experience to live to talk about it.
During the experience you probably felt a mix of emotions that threatened your health. You felt emotionally tired, mentally exhausted and you most likely bored unpleasant physical symptoms.
Life is a mixture of good times and bad times, happy moments and unhappy moments. The next time you are experiencing one of those bad times or unhappy moments that take you close to your breaking point, bend, but don’t break. Try your best not to let the situation get the best of you.
A measure of hope will take you through the unpleasant moments. Will hope for a better tomorrow or a better situation, things may not be as bad as they seem to be. The unpleasant moment may be easier to deal with if the end result is worth having.
If the situation gets tough and you are at your breaking point, show resilience. Like the bamboo trees, bend, but don’t break!What does the underlined word “resilience” mean in Paragraph 2?
| A．The ability to overcome any difficulty. |
| B．The quality of hoping for a better tomorrow. |
| C．The quality of being brave at the breaking point. |
| D．The ability to recover easily and quickly from unpleasant or damaging events. |
Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?
| A．Life is like a bamboo tree that never breaks. |
| B．Whatever difficulties we may meet with in our life, we can bend, but can never break. |
| C．Life is a mixture of good times and bad times, happy moments and unhappy moments. |
| D．If you get over your breaking point, you can survive to live longer and more happily than others. |
According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?
| A．The author was an idle child when he was living near the river. |
| B．We should try our best not to let our bad times get the best of us. |
| C．Our being likely to lose control of our emotions is common in our life. |
| D．We should always believe things may not be as bad as they seem to be. |
Which of the following would be the best title of the passage?
| A．Bend, but don’t break. |
| B．My wonderful childhood. |
| C．The bamboo trees. |
| D．Love the bamboo trees and your life. |
On Sunday, August 24th, comic book lovers across the world held their breath to watch how much crazy collectors would pay for a rare Superman comic book. Though bids (出价) above the initial asking price of 1 million dollars had been coming in gradually since the copy was placed on the auction site (拍卖网站) eBay on July 14th, things really started to heat up during the final minutes when the price jumped from $2.5 to $2.6 and then $2.7 million, before shooting up to unbelievable 3,207,852 dollars!
This of course was no ordinary Superman comic book, but an edition of the extremely sought-after (很吃香地) No. 1 of Action Comics series — the first publication of the superhero that was born from the creative minds of teenagers Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel. Though Action Comics No. 1, which depicted a diaper-clad baby Superman lifting furniture, had a print run of 200,000 copies, only about 100 are known to exist today.
While the rarity is certainly a reason for the high price, Stephen Fisher, CEO of ComicConnect.com, thinks it also has a lot to do with the fact that Superman was the world’s first superhero! Even so, none of the copies have been able to fetch (售得) as much as the most recent one, simply because they have not been as well-preserved. Graded a rare 9 out of 10 by CGC, a third party grading service for comic books, the book is the highest rated copy of Action Comics No. 1 so far. According to CGC officials, the 76-year-old comic book looks and feels as though it has just come off the newsstand (报摊).
That is not surprising given that the original owner, a Virginian man who bought the book for only 10 cents in 1938, had carefully tucked it away (藏起来) in a wooden box for four decades. Fortunately, when he passed away, the book was bought by a string of collectors who all realized it was a rare treasure that needed to be looked after.
Before this, the highest price paid for an Action Comics No. 1 had been $2 million for a copy sold by Hollywood actor Nicholas Cage in 2011. Ironically, the two teenagers responsible for creating Superman received just 130 dollars when they sold the rights to the superhero to comic book publisher Detective Comics in 1938.
the Superman comic book was placed on eBay on July 14th, .
| A．it attracted no attention at all |
| B．things started to heat up immediately |
| C．the bid price didn’t go up very quickly at first |
| D．people thought it was worth millions of dollars |
What is Paragraph 3 mainly about?
| A．Why the comic book is well-preserved. |
| B．Why the comic book is well worth reading. |
| C．Why the comic book is worth so much money. |
| D．Why the comic book has drawn so much attention. |
When the other collectors got the comic book after the Virginian man, they .
| A．all took very good care of it |
| B．all liked reading it very much |
| C．didn’t believe it was worth a fortune |
| D．all kept it in the same way as that man |
What do we know about the creators of Superman?
| A．They didn’t want to sell the rights to a comic book publisher. |
| B．They knew all along Superman would be the most successful comic book. |
| C．They were professional comic book writers when they created Superman. |
| D．They didn’t make much money from creating Superman. |
Using too much water or throwing rubbish into our rivers are clear ways that humans can put our water supply in danger, but we also affect our water supply in less obvious ways. You may wonder how paving (铺砌) a road can lead to less useable fresh water. A major part of the water we use every day is groundwater. Groundwater does not come from lakes or rivers. It comes from underground. The more roads and parking lots we pave, the less water can flow into the ground to become groundwater.
Human activity is not responsible for all water shortages (短缺)．Drier climates are of course more likely to have droughts (干旱) than areas with more rainfall, but in any case, good management can help to make sure there is enough water to meet our basic needs.
Thinking about the way we use water every day can make a big difference, too. In the United States, a family of four can use 1.5 tons of water a day! This shows how much we depend on water to live, but there's a lot we can do to lower the number.
You can take steps to save water in your home. To start with, use the same glass for your drinking water all day. Wash it only once a day. Run your dishwasher (洗碗机) only when it is full. Help your parents fix any leaks in your home. You can even help to keep our water supply clean by recycling batteries instead of throwing them away.
Which of the following is most likely to lead to less groundwater?
| A．Using river water. |
| B．Paving parking lots. |
| C．Throwing batteries away. |
| D．Throwing rubbish into lakes. |
What can be inferred from the text?
| A．It takes a lot of effort to meet our water needs. |
| B．All water shortages are due to human behavior. |
| C．There is much we can do to reduce family size. |
| D．The average family in America makes proper use of water. |
The last paragraph is intended to ________.
| A．show us how to fix leaks at home |
| B．tell us how to run a dishwasher |
| C．suggest what we do to save water at home |
| D．prove what drinking glass is best for us |
The text is mainly about ________.
| A．why paving roads reduces our water |
| B．how human activity affects our water supply |
| C．why droughts occur more in dry climates |
| D．how much we depend on water to live |
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