Everybody in this world is different from one another．But do you know that understanding differences can help you better manage your money？
As we grow up，we gradually develop a set of our own values or beliefs．These are influenced by society，our family，the education we receive and so on．Once this value system is set up，it's not easy to change later in life．
Financial experts say that everyone also has their own belief of how to manage their finances．This is part of our value system and it has a great impact on the way we look after our money．
According to our different values，experts put us in three categories．They are：the ant，the cricket and the snail．
The ant works first
Just like ants who work heart and soul in summer in order to store food for winter，these people don't care about enjoying the moment．They work very hard and save money they earn so that they can enjoy life when they get old and retire．The ant loves to save but they could make more out of their money if they were willing to invest in some funds and stocks with low risk．
The cricket fun first
The cricket wants to enjoy everything now and doesn't think too much about the future．They even borrow money when they really want something．Many young people now belong to this group．These people have little savings．When they get old，they might have problems．They should learn to save and buy insurance．
The snail lives under pressure
The snail refers to people who make life difficult for themselves．They take big long term loans from the bank in order to buy things such as luxury houses．They are happy to take big loans even though they are not sure whether they can afford it．This can cause problems in the future．They should plan more carefully．
People with the character of the snail would like to __________．
| A．enjoy life at the moment without thinking much about the future |
| B．put work before everything else |
| C．live a luxury life at all costs |
| D．take the risk of investing a large sum of money |
Our beliefs and values are affected by the following except __________．
| A．society | B．our family |
| C．education | D．money |
This passage mainly talks about __________．
| A．the spending nature of people |
| B．the relation between man and insects |
| C．the insects in nature |
| D．the problems with dealing with money |
Which of the following has the character that the author prefers？
| A．The ant | B．The cricket |
| C．The snail | D．None of the above |
School is much more than a place where students gather to learn. For children, school is their first opportunity for social development and introduction to people outside of their family unit Lessons learned in school go beyond mathematics and language arts. Students learn to develop individual interests and find other people who share their interests.
Music is one of the ways like-minded children come together. When many people talk about the benefits of music education, they're quick to point out all of the numerous and measurable results 0f music education: many studies show the positive impact music programs can have on children in other areas of study.
Dr. Laurel Trainor, a professor of psychology, at McMaster University, has said young children who take music lessons show different brain development and improved memory compared to children who do not receive musical training. Stanford University researchers have found that musical training improves how the brain processes the spoken word, a finding that researchers say could lead to improving the reading ability of children who have dyslexia and other reading problems.
Furthermore, in an analysis of data on more than 25 ,000 secondary school students, researchers at the United States Department of Education found that students who report consistent involvement in instrumental music during middle school and high school perform significantly belter in mathematics.
There are many reasons why music education can help to make a child a better student, but there also being involved in music is also a social endeavor that can set the course for lifelong friends and help create social groups that last through school and beyond. Music education breeds familiarity during a school career ,when going from class to class or from school to school every year can be nerve wracking and unfamiliar.
What is the function of the first paragraph?
A. To show school is the place for students to learn.
B To stress the importance of learning knowledge
C To lead to the main topic of the passage
D To explain what the author really thinks of
According to the researchers, we can know that .
A. music lovers tend to use their brain in wise way
B music training can cure children of many diseases
C learning music is beneficial to students' performance in mathematics
D senior students disliked attending music lessons
What does the underlined word "dyslexia" mean?
| A．Having difficulty with reading |
| B．B Receiving training for music |
| C．Gaining knowledge from learning |
| D．D Losing the ability to read music |
It can be concluded from the passage that .
A. music can ensure you have lot of close friends
B changing schools is a bad experience for everyone
C music does offer social and understanding benefits
D few schools really focus on music education
I had worried myself sick over Simon's mother coming to see me. I was a new teacher, and I gave an honest account of the students' work. In Simon's case，the grades were awfully low. He couldn't read his own handwriting. But he was a bright student. He discussed adult subjects with nearly adult comprehension. His work in no way reflected his abilities.
So when Simon's mother entered the room, my palms (手掌心) were sweating. I was completely unprepared for her kisses on both my cheeks. “I came to thank you,” she said, surprising me beyond speech. Because of me, Simon had become a different person. He talked of how he loved me, he had begun to make friends, and for the first time in his twelve years, he had recently spent an afternoon at a friend's house. She wanted to tell me how grateful she was for the self-respect I had developed in her son. She kissed me again and left.
I sat, stunned, for about half an hour，wondering what had just happened. How did I make such a life changing difference to that boy without even knowing it？What I finally came to remember was one day, several months before，when some students were giving reports in the front of the class, Jeanne spoke quietly，and to encourage her to raise her voice, I had said, “Speak up. Simon's the expert on this. He is the only one you have to convince, and he can't hear you in the back of the room.” That was it. From that day on, Simon had sat up straighter, paid more attention, smiled more，and became happy. And it was all because he happened to be the last kid in the last row. The boy who most needed praise was the one who took the last seat that day.
It taught me the most valuable lesson over the years of my teaching career, and I'm thankful that it came early and positively. A small kindness can indeed make a difference.We can infer that when Simon’s mother entered the room, the writer felt _______.
| A．nervous | B．satisfied | C．happy | D．surprised |
Why did Simon’s mother come to visit the writer?
| A．Because she worried about her son’s poor work. |
| B．Because Simon asked her to do so. |
| C．Because she wanted to show her gratitude to the writer. |
| D．Because she wanted to know her son’s performance in the school. |
The following words can be used to describe Simon before he met the writer EXCEPT _____.
| A．unconfident | B．lonely | C．clever | D．outgoing |
The purpose of the passage is to ________.
| A．share a valuable lesson with readers |
| B．tell teachers how to be kind to students |
| C．advise the readers to be kind to others |
| D．tell the story of Simon |
Young women who take part in beauty contests (比赛) are helping to keep alive an outdated opinion of women that a woman’s most important value is how she looks.
Women have been working very hard through the years to change their image. They have been trying to prove that the value of a woman does not lie only in her beauty. The world is just beginning to recognize that women are as smart, wise and strong in personality as men are, and that there are qualities more important than looks when judging people. When women take part in beauty contests for top prizes, they encourage people to value them for their beauty alone. It is unfair to say that beauty alone determines one’s worth.
Beauty contests not only encourage spectators (观众) to judge women by their appearance, but they encourage this idea in the contestants as well. These young women spend months losing weight to be the “right” size and learning how to dress, wear makeup, and walk just right so that some judges will consider them beautiful. I think it’s great for a woman to feel good about her appearance, but looks shouldn’t be sought after in an extreme or unreasonable way. There are too many other, more important, things in a young woman’s life: learning, developing friendships and preparing for their future work and perhaps a family.
As long as there are beauty contests, women won’t be fully recognized as well-rounded human beings.
According to the text, women have tried to change their image by .
| A．proving they are as good as men |
| B．paying attention to their clothes |
| C．winning more beauty contests |
| D．encouraging people to value their beauty |
What do women usually do in preparation for beauty contests?
| A．Learn about their personality. |
| B．Do everything for their bodies. |
| C．Choose the right size dresses. |
| D．Develop friendship with spectators. |
What can we infer from the text?
| A．Looks determine everything. |
| B．Wisdom carries much weight. |
| C．Spectators should have their voices heard. |
| D．Qualities other than looks are more important. |
According to the author, beauty contests are .
| A．disrespectful to women |
| B．unpleasant to contestants |
| C．necessary for modern society |
| D．helpful in improving women’s image |
Knowing how much her own children loved presents at Christmas, Ann Sutton always tried to seek help for one or two poor families. With a social worker mother, the Sutton children had inherited（继承）her commitment to service, and knew never to take their good fortune at Christmas for granted. This year, Kinzie, her seven-year-old daughter was thrilled that Santa Claus would make a special visit to a 22-year-old mother named Ashley who worked in a factory raising her 12-month-old son by herself.
The phone rang on Sunday. A representative from a local organization was calling to say that the aid Ann had requested for Ashley had fallen through. No Santa Claus, no presents, nothing.
Ann saw the cheer fade away from her children's faces at the news. Without a word, Kinzie ran into her bedroom. She returned, her face set with determination. Opening up her piggy bank, she put all the coins onto the table: $3.30. Everything she had.
“Mom," she told Ann, “I know it's not much. But maybe this will buy a present for the baby.”
At a breakfast meeting the next day, Ann told her coworkers about her daughter story. To her surprise, staff members began to open their purses. and empty their pockets to help Kinzie .
On Christmas Eve, Ann drove through the pouring rain to the small trailer where the Ashley’s lived. Then she began to unload the gifts from the car, handing them to Ashley one by one.
Ashley was very moved. Reflecting on a little girl's generosity, Ashley says she'll one day be able to do something similar for someone else in need. "Kinzie could have used that money for herself, but she gave it away," Ashley says. "She's the type of kid I'd like my son to grow up to be."
According to the text, Ann Sutton .
| A．only cares about poor children |
| B．has possessed a good fortune |
| C．is warm-hearted and ready to help others |
| D．is a single mother with a 12-month-old boy |
When hearing the aid had fallen through, Kinzie .
| A．was not sad but cheerfu1 |
| B．put all her coins away immediately |
| C．told her mother to ask the coworkers for help |
| D．decided to buy a present for the baby with all her allowance |
From the text we can learn that _______. .
| A．Ann would act as Santa Claus to hand out the Christmas presents |
| B．the Sutton children always got lots of presents at Christmas |
| C．Kinzie's generosity influenced others and they did something similar |
| D．Ashley was moved and promised to return the money |
What does the text mainly talk about?
| A．How a warm-hearted mother shows her love to a poor family. |
| B．How a mother and her young daughter helped a poor family. |
| C．Many people make contributions to those in need. |
| D．What happened to a poor family on Christmas Eve. |
Speed-reading is a necessary skill in the Internet age．We skim over articles, e-mails and WeChat to try to grasp key words and the essential meaning of a certain text．Surrounded with information from our electronic devices, it would be impossible to cope if we read word by word, line by line．But a new trend calls on people to unplug and enjoy reading slowly, listing benefits beyond the intelligent stimulation．
A recent story from The Wall Street Journal reported on a book club in Wellington, New Zealand, where members meet in a cafe and turn off their smartphones．They sink into cozy chairs and read in silence for an hour． Unlike traditional book clubs, the point of the slow reading club isn't exchanging ideas about a certain book, but to get away from electronic devices and read in a quiet, relaxed environment． According to the Journal, the Wellington book club is just one example of a movement started by book lovers who miss the old-fashioned way of reading before the Internet and smartphones．
Slow readers, such as The Atlantic's Maura Kelly, say a regular reading habit sharpens the mind, improves concentration, reduces stress levels and deepens the ability to sympathize． Another study published last year in Science showed that reading novels helps people understand other's mental states and beliefs, a fundamental skill in building relationships．
Yet technology has made us less attentive readers． Screens have changed our reading patterns from the straight and information．left-to-right sequence to a wild skimming and skipping pattern as we hunt for important words and information. Reading text punctuated with links leads to weaker comprehension than reading plain text. The Internet may have made us stupider, says Patrick Kingsley from The Guardian． Because of the Internet, he says, we have become very good at collecting a wide range of interesting news, but we are also gradually forgetting how to sit back, reflect, and relate all these facts to each other．
Slow reading means a return to an uninterrupted, straight pattern, in a quiet environment free of distractions． Aim for 30 minutes a day, advises Kelly from The Atlantic． “You can squeeze in that half hour pretty easily if only during your free moments, you pick up a meaningful work of literature,” Kelly said． “Reach for your e-reader, if you like． Kindles make books like War and Peace less heavy, not less substantive, and also ensure you'll never lose your place．”The book club in Wellington mentioned in Paragraph 2 shows____________．
| A．the new trend of slow reading |
| B．the decline of electronic devices |
| C．the importance of exchanging ideas |
| D．the increasing number of club readers |
According to Patrick Kingsley, people are stupider partly because of_____________．
| A．a non-stop reading pattern |
| B．the straight, left-to-right screen |
| C．a wide range of interesting news |
| D．the lack of reflection |
According to the passage, slow reading___________．
| A．contributes to understanding among people |
| B．promotes the current technology advances |
| C．provides people with a quiet environment |
| D．cures the memory loss of elderly people |
What's the best title for the passage?
| A．Benefit of Reading Clubs． |
| B．Return of Slow Reading． |
| C．Reading of the Internet Age． |
| D．Influence of Speed Reading． |
Dogs Don't Tell Jokes - By Louis Sachar Twelve-year-old Gary Boone knows he was born to be a comedian. He never stops joking, regardless of the fact that nobody laughs much and his classmates think he is stupid. Therefore he had no real friends at school. Due to being laughed at by his classmates, Gary Boone thought winning the school talent show would be his dream of proving himself to be a real comedian, but on the big night his dream went wrong with funny results. |
Winners Never Quit - By Mia Hamm Mia Hamm, American soccer champion, tells a true-to-life inspiring story of learning that winning and losing aren't as important as being part of a team. More than anyone, soccer superstar Mia Hamm knows the value of teamwork. She shares this lesson, paired with energetic pictures by Carol Thompson, and this story is perfect for soccer kids and their soccer moms. |
Shack let on s Incredible Voyage - By Alfred Lansing The astonishing adventure of polar explorer Ernest Shackleton's survival for over a year on the ice-bound Antarctic seas, as Time t magazine put it, "defined heroism". To write the authoritative story, Lansing consulted with ten of the surviving members and gained access to diaries and personal accounts by eight others. The book has a first-hand account, expanded with maps and illustrations especially for this edition. |
The Alchemist - By Paulo Coelho The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho, continues to change the lives of its readers forever. It tells the magical story of Santiago, an Andulusian shepherd-boy (牧童) who desires to travel in search of treasure. The story of the treasures Santiago finds along the way teaches us about the essential wisdom of listening to our hearts and above all, following our dreams. |
From Shackletoris Incredible Voyage, we know the main character ______.
| A．is a writer for Time magazine |
| B．is a survival of one polar exploration |
| C．has left a lot of diaries and accounts |
| D．has formed a close friendship with Alfred Lansing |
If you want to know more about teamwork, you can read ______.
| A．Dogs Don't Tell Jokes | B．Shackletoris Incredible Voyage |
| C．Winners Never Quit | D．The Alchemist |
What do we know about The Alchemist?
| A．It has an everlasting influence on its readers. |
| B．It gives people magical power over their dreams. |
| C．It tells a story of how to find treasures. |
| D．It is mainly about the wisdom of listening to others. |
It was a Saturday morning, a day I believed would end in victory. For weeks, I had been preparing for the match at the county fairgrounds, sponsored(赞助) by our local riding club. My horse, Tonka, and I could run faster than any kid in the county, and I hoped to bring home a blue ribbon.
My mother usually drove me to the riding events, but on this day, my father planned to drop us off at the fairgrounds with the horse trailer(马车) .
Although we never discussed it, my father’s struggle with alcoholism had become the silent center of our family life. My mother was paralyzed (瘫痪的) with fear and indecision. Her salary as a part-time nurse couldn’t possibly support four children. No one talked about alcoholism in those days, and it was my family secret.
We climbed on the trailer and my father pulled out of our driveway and headed toward the fairgrounds, picking up speed once we hit the main road. It wasn’t until we felt a big bump that I realized the trailer was out of control. The dream of my riding winner disappeared. Tonka lay on the floor, completely still. No words were possible. I knew he was dead.
Suddenly a man appeared. “Are you all right?” he asked. “Yes.”I answered, although I knew that nothing was all right. “Sit here on the grass,” he said. He bent down to look into the trailer. Tonka remained still. He touched Tonka and then turned to face me. “He is going to be OK. He has just been knocked unconscious.” He rubbed Tonka’s cheeks and gently pulled his ears. Tonka rose to his feet.
Our father was talking to a police officer. He was upset and in pain and took little notice of me. I looked back; the man was gone.
I never forgot him. He gave me strength and a sense of hope in a dark and frightening moment.The writer went to the fairgrounds because he wanted to ________.
| A．take part in a horse racing |
| B．buy Mum a blue ribbon |
| C．join the local riding club |
| D．train his horse there |
We can learn from the third paragraph that ________.
| A．the family kept silent at home |
| B．the family lived a secret life |
| C．Father was addicted to alcohol |
| D．Mum was physically disabled |
What does “he” in the fourth paragraph refer to?
| A．Father | B．The stranger |
| C．The horse | D．The winner |
What does the author want to tell the readers through the story?
| A．Once formed, bad habits are difficult to break. |
| B．Unexpected kindness is a light that shines in the darkness. |
| C．However mean your life is, meet it and live it. |
| D．Family is a place of encouragement, a safe harbor in the storms. |
Hello everybody．You can use this website to learn English and other languages．Click the links below to explore our language learning resources．
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You can speak English online with another person or practice any other language on our Live English Conversation Linkup service through Skype，Google Talk，MSN，etc．You can use the service to get information about travel，language，food，customs，climate，travel，business，work，study etc．Or，you can speak any foreign language on our Live Language Linkup page．
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Learn English with our free World English Course．Listen，speak，read，write and understand English through our free weekly online activities and linkups．Join the English Classroom!
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●Be Aware：Use this free English course to brush up your grammar，vocabulary，and writing skills．
●Interactive Stories：Learn a new technique for learning languages by using stories with this free English training course．
●The Business Trip：Develop your business English with this unique free business English course．
●The Water Car：A full-length interactive story English course for intermediate(中等的)level leamers．
●The Children of Kenji Takeuchi：A full-length interactive story English course for upper- intermediate level learners．
●World English：A free English course designed for topic-based discussions．
English dialogues
Follow a story in English through free English dialogues．There are three levels：
●Lower Intermediate：Hiromi’s Trip to Thailand
●Intermediate：Miyako’s Education
●Upper Intermediate：A New Life in Mosquito City
Real conversations
We provide recordings of real conversations and interviews，with transcripts(文字记录)of the conversations so you can read and listen at the same time．It is a good way to learn real English．
This website mainly provides users with _____________．
| A．free courses on traveling abroad |
| B．plenty of language resources |
| C．interesting conversations |
| D．1ots of amazing stories |
If one wants to enrich his grammar and words，he should click _____________．
| A．Be Aware | B．The Water Car |
| C．The Business Trip | D．Interactive Stories |
Which of the following is designed for intermediate level learners?
| A．The Children of Kenji Takeuehi． |
| B．A New Life in Mosquito City |
| C．Hiromi’s Trip to Thailand． |
| D．Miyako’s Education． |
Real conversations is a good may to learn real English because ____________．
| A．you can read while listening |
| B．you can see a native speaker |
| C．you can record your own voice and listen to it |
| D．you can transcript every word of real speakers |
Bangkok Transportation Public buses
The Bangkok Mass Transit Authority(BMTA)is charged with providing bus service to people living and working in Bangkok and the nearby provinces．As of February,2005，the BMTA operated a total of 113 routes，served by 3,526 buses，of which 1,665 were regular buses and 1,861 air-conditioned buses．There were also privately-owned buses operated under the BMTA with a total of 3,535 regular and air-conditioned buses and1,067 minibuses including 2,325 small buses which provide services in lanes．An average of 3．4 million people use these services daily．
Fare Exemptions
The following passengers are eligible for bus fare exemptions：
1．BMTA bus inspectors
2．Mailmen in uniform while on duty
3．Holders of BMTA employee ID cards
Half-Price Concessions
The following passengers are eligible for half-price fares when using the service of regular buses．
1．The blind with a certificate from the Association of the Blind
2．Soldiers and policemen in uniform
3．Holders of official certificates or medals as specified by the Regulation on Bus Fare
Fare Concessions for Air-conditioned BUSes
Holders of the following official certificates and medals are eligible for air-conditioned bus fare reductions．
1．Victory Medal(Off-spring of this medal are also entitled)
2．Border Service Medal
3．Free-Mall Protection Medal
4．European Royal War Medal
5．Non-active War Veterans Classes 1 2 3 and 4
6．BTMA Employee ID cards
Search for bus route here
@Bangkok Tourism DivisionWhich of the following is true of the Bangkok Transportation?
| A．Buses in Bangkok are of the same size． |
| B．At least 3.4 million people take a bus every day． |
| C．Buses operated under the BMTA are owned by individuals． |
| D．BMTA provides city buses and inter-provincial bus service． |
Jonny sees a cream-blue bus coming．It must be_________．
| A．a regular bus |
| B．a night-service bus |
| C．an air-conditioned bus |
| D．all expressway bus |
Who needn’t pay fares on a regular bus?
| A．A grandson of a Victory Medal holder． |
| B．A postman，together with his family． |
| C．A blind person with a medical certificate． |
| D．A BMTA inspector with his employee card． |
How much should a soldier in uniform pay when he takes a white-blue bus?
| A．5．50 baht． | B．4 baht． | C．7 baht． | D．8 baht． |
PART THREE READING PREHENSION （共15小题；每小题 2分，满分30分）
Directions: Read the following three passages. Each passage is followed by several questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. Choose the one that fits best according to the information given in the passage.
A
With school out and hot weather in, it’s not unusual for youngsters to gather around the refrigerator or the television rather than take part in active play. Such habits may be relaxing but can wreck a healthy lifestyle, say specialists at Texas Children’s Hospital.
“For some kids, the state of feeling bored triggers（引发）eating,” says Jennifer Thomas, a doctor at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, Texas. “A child can pick up 5 to 10 pounds over the course of a summer, so it’s important to recognize the difference between boredom（无聊）and hunger.”
Because children may be adjusting（适应）to lack of routine, adding some structure to their daily schedules can help. “For example, instead of letting kids eat while they watch television, permit eating only in the kitchen with the television turned off,” says Thomas. “This way can help determine if they are really hungry or just bored.”
If hunger causes a snack attack, nutritious snacks should be available（可得到的）and easy to reach, says Thomas. She suggests two or more servings of fruit and three or more servings of vegetables as a reasonable（合情理的）daily goal. Thomas says, “Fresh or frozen fruit is better than fruit juice. Fresh or frozen vegetables are better because canned vegetables usually contain salt.”
In general, kids should avoid snacks with high sugar content, says Thomas. “More importantly, if a sugary snack takes the place of healthier food, the child is not getting the nutrition he or she needs. High-fat food tends to make a child feel worried, while eating foods that are naturally lower in fat will make it easier for kids to feel more energetic and stay on the go.”
What can help to stop children from eating because of boredom?
| A．Giving them a daily schedule. |
| B．Giving them a lot of snacks. |
| C．Preventing them from watching TV. |
| D．Making them eat a lot of fruits. |
What kind of snacks should we give children?
| A．Fruit juice. |
| B．Frozen fruit. |
| C．Canned vegetables. |
| D．Snacks rich in sugar. |
Foods that are naturally lower in fat are necessary for children because _______.
| A．they help children lose weight |
| B．they help children get necessary nutrition |
| C．they stop children from getting bored |
| D．they make children active and energetic |
We can infer from the text that _______.
| A．it’s hard to tell the difference between boredom and hunger |
| B．children may get bored for lack of routine in summer |
| C．we should limit children’s eating while they’re watching TV |
| D．nutritious snacks should be available at any time |
The underlined word “wreck” in Paragraph 1 probably means“_______”.
| A．improve | B．change | C．ruin | D．include |
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。
When people think of Hollywood, they think of the city where dreams come true．This did not apply to F．Scott Fitzgerald, a screenwriter who had his share of ups and downs in this land．Fitzgerald was not a successful Hollywood writer because he was not good at the career path he chose．He was an amazing novelist, but his efforts of turning them into screenplays ended in disappointment and confusion．It was because of a lack of potential for screenwriting as well as his addiction and desire to be famous．
Growing up as a boy, Fitzgerald went to movies a lot．He wanted to write stories that would eventually turn into movies．The problem was: just because Fitzgerald wanted to do something didn’t necessarily mean that he was good at it．He made his attempts, but most of these efforts ended in disappointment because he thought about the change from script（剧本）to screen too much．His plot was too detailed and complicated; his tone was too serious or his dialogue too sentimental（感伤的）．
Fitzgerald’s quick rise to fame also led to his fall．In life, things are not meant to happen all at once, all that the same time but it did for Fitzgerald．At his best time, three of his early stories were made into short films, including The Great Gatsby and Babylon Revisited．As the twenties approached, he was gradually forgotten by the reading public．He became drunk and constantly took pills both to sleep and wake up．His marriage was destroyed and his wife broke down mentally．He seemed unsure about his life．
Fitzgerald had another chance at success when many opportunities came his way, including revisions of Emlyn William’s play The Light of Heart and production of one of his own scripts, Cosmopolitan．However, these were all put aside and he was right back where he started, left behind and called a “ruined man”．Fitzgerald simply wanted too much in his life．He wanted “to be both a great novelist and a Hollywood success, to write songs like Cole Porter and poetry like John Keats”．His addiction to fame held him back and led to his failure as a Hollywood writer．Which is a reason that Fitzgerald failed in screenwriting?
| A．He was not talented in screenwriting． |
| B．He had a miserable family life． |
| C．He spent too much time watching movies． |
| D．He was greedy for money in his life． |
Fitzgerald’s screenwriting was _____．
| A．disappointing in ending |
| B．complex in plot |
| C．playful in tone |
| D．simple in dialogue |
Which of the following was NOT written by Fitzgerald?
| A．The Great Gatsby |
| B．Babylon Revisited |
| C．The Light of Heart |
| D．Cosmopolitan |
When Fitzgerald had another chance at success, he ______．
| A．took full advantage of it |
| B．went back home to start business |
| C．refused to make changes |
| D．started to write songs and poems |
What is the best title of the passage?
| A．Fallen for Fame Addiction: F．Scott Fitzgerald |
| B．An Inch into Fame: F．Scott Fitzgerald |
| C．F．Scott Fitzgerald: A Great Novelist |
| D．F．Scott Fitzgerald: A Great Screenwriter |
Welcome to your future life!
You get up in the morning and look into the mirror. Your face is firm and young-looking. In 2035, medical technology is better than ever. Many people your age could live to be 150, so at 40, you’re not old at all. And your parents just had an anti-aging(抗衰老的) treatment. Now, all three of you look the same age!
You say to your shirt, “Turn red.” It changes from blue to red. In 2035, “smart clothes” contain particles(粒子) much smaller than the cells in your body. The particles can be programmed to change clothes’ color or pattern.
You walk into the kitchen. You pick up the milk, but a voice says, “You shouldn't drink that!” Your fridge has read the chip (芯片) that contains information about the milk , and it knows the milk is old . In 2035, every article of food in the grocery store has such a chip.
It’s time to go to work. In 2035, cars drive themselves. Just tell your “smart car” where to go. On the way, you can call a friend using your jacket sleeve. Such “smart technology” is all around you.
So will all these things come true? “For new technology to succeed,” says scientist Andrew Zolli, “it has to be so much better that it replaces what we have already.” The Internet is one example --- what will be the next?
We can learn from the text that in the future__________.
| A．people will never get old |
| B．everyone will look the same |
| C．red will be the most popular color |
| D．clothes will be able to change their pattern |
What can be inferred from Paragraph 4?
| A．Milk will be harmful to health. |
| B．More drinks will be available for sale. |
| C．Milk in the grocery store will stay fresh much longer. |
| D．Food in the grocery store will carry electronic information. |
Which of the following is mentioned in the text?
| A．Fridges will know what people need. |
| B．Jacket sleeves can be used as a guide. |
| C．Cars will be able to drive automatically. |
| D．Nothing can replace the Internet. |
What is the text mainly about?
| A．Future technology in everyday life. |
| B．Food and clothing in 2035. |
| C．Medical treatments of the future. |
| D．The reason for the success of new technology. |
My father had returned from his business visit to London when I came in, rather late, to supper. I could tell at once that he and my mother had been discussing something. In that half-playful, half-serious way I knew so well, he said," How would you like to go to Eton?"
"You bet, "I cried quickly catching the joke. Everyone knew it was the most expensive, the most famous of schools. You had to be entered at birth, if not before. Besides, even at 12 or 13, I understood my father. He disliked any form of showing off. He always knew his proper station in life, which was in the middle of the middle class, our house was medium-sized; he had avoided joining Royal Liverpool Golf Club and went to a smaller one instead; though once he had got a second-hand Rolls-Royce at a remarkably low price, he felt embarrassed driving it, and quickly changed it for an Austin 1100.
This could only be his delightful way of telling me that the whole boarding school idea was to be dropped. Alas! I should also have remembered that he had a liking for being different from everyone else, if it did not conflict（冲突）with his fear of drawing attention to himself.
It seemed that he had happened to be talking to Graham Brown of the London office, a very nice fellow, and Graham had a friend who had just entered his boy at the school, and while he was in that part of the world he thought he might just as well phone them. I remember my eyes stinging（刺痛）and my hands shaking with the puzzlement of my feelings. There was excitement, at the heart of great sadness.
"Oh, he doesn't want to go away," said my mother, "You shouldn't go on like this.” "It's up to him," said my father. "He can make up his own mind.”The house the writer's family lived in was _______ .
| A．the best they could afford |
| B．right for their social position |
| C．for showing off |
| D．rather small |
His father sold his Roils-Royce because _______ .
| A．it made him feel uneasy |
| B．it was too old to work well |
| C．it was too expensive to possess |
| D．it was too cheap |
What was the writer's reaction to the idea of going to Eton?
| A．He was very unhappy. | B．He didn't believe it. |
| C．He was delighted. | D．He had mixed feelings. |
We can know from the passage that _______ .
| A．Children who can go to Eton are very famous |
| B．Children can go to Eton if they will |
| C．It is very difficult for a child to get admitted by Eton |
| D．Children don't have the right to decide whether they will go to Eton |
The famous American gorilla(大猩猩) expert Diane Fossey had a completely new way to study gorillas — she pretended to be one of them. She copied their actions and way of life — eating plants and getting down on her hands and knees to walk the way a gorilla does. It was a new relationship.
Diane Fossey was murdered in Rwanda in 1985 and her story was made into the popular film Gorillas in the Mist. It was a long way from King Kong, which is about a gorilla as a monster (a frightening animal), and helped to show a new idea: the real monster is man, while the gorilla is to be admired.
Today there are thought to be around 48,000 lowland gorillas and maybe 400—450 mountain gorillas in the wild. From the Congo in West Africa, to Rwanda and Uganda further east, they are endangered by hunting and by the cutting down of their forest homes.
Some time ago, I found in my letterbox a little magazine from the World Wide Fund for Nature. It had two photos side by side. One was of a young gorilla. “This is a species of mammal(哺乳类动物),”said the words below it. “It is being destroyed by man. We must save it for our own good.” The other photo showed a human baby. The words also read, “This is a species of mammal,” but then went on: “It is the most destructive(破坏性的) on earth. We must retrain it for its own good.”The text mainly talks about _____.
| A．Diane Fossey |
| B．the gorillas in Rwanda |
| C．the protection of the gorillas |
| D．the film Gorillas in the Mist |
We can learn from the text that _____.
| A．Gorillas in the mist was based Fossey’s experiences |
| B．Lowland gorillas live longer than mountain gorillas |
| C．King Kong showed us that a gorilla is admirable |
| D．Diane Fossey was murdered by a gorilla |
What message can we get from the two photos in the magazine?
| A．Gorillas are man’s close friends. |
| B．Both man and the gorilla need to be saved. |
| C．Young gorillas are as lovely as human babies. |
| D．Man should live peacefully with the gorilla. |
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