The meaning of the word “volunteer” may be a little different in different countries, but it usually means “one who offers his or her services.” There are many different ways in which people can volunteer, such as taking care of sick people, working in homes for homeless children, and picking up garbage from beaches and parks.Volunteers may work within their own countries or in other countries.They are often people with a strong wish to help those who are less fortunate than themselves.Volunteers don’t expect any kind of pay.
At the root of volunteering is the idea that one person may have the ability to offer services that can help other people.Tracy, a good friend of mine, however, recently came back from India with a new idea of what being a volunteer means.She worked for two and a half weeks in one of Mother Teresa’s homes in Calcutta.The following is her story.
“I first heard about Mother Teresa in my high school.We watched a video about her work in India and all over the world.I was so moved by her spirit to help others and her endless love for every human being that after I graduated from high school, I too wanted to try her kind of work.So with two friends I flew to Calcutta for a few weeks.”
“I was asked to work in a home for sick people.I helped wash clothes and sheets, and pass out lunch.I also fed the people who were too weak to feed themselves and tried to cheer them up.I felt it was better to share with them than to think that I have helped them.To be honest, I don’t think I was helping very much.It was then that I realized that I had not really come to help, but to learn about and experience another culture that helped improve my own understanding of life and the world.”
66.According to the text, a volunteer refers to a person who ______.
A.is willing to help those in need without pay
B.can afford to travel to different places
C.has a strong wish to be successful
D.has made a big fortune in life
67.Tracy started her work as a volunteer _______.
A.after she met Mother Teresa
B.after she finished high school
C.when she was touring Calcutta
D.when she was working in a hospital
68.Why did Tracy choose to be a volunteer?
A.She liked to work with Mother Teresa.
B.She had already had some experience.
C.She was asked by Mother Teresa’s example.
D.She wanted to follow Mother Teresa’s example.
69.What is Tracy’s “new idea”(Paragraph 2) of being a volunteer?
A.Going abroad to help the sick.
B.Working in Mother Teresa’s home.
C.Doing simple things to help the poor.
D.Improving oneself through helping others.
70.What is the best title for the passage?
A.How To Be A Volunteer. B.Voluntary Life In India.
C.A Different Meaning Of Volunteer. D.Inspiration From Mother Teresa.
Five years ago, David Smith wore an expensive suit to work every day. “I was a clothes addict,” jokes. “I used to carry a fresh suit to work with me so I could change if my clothes got wrinkled.” Today David wears casual clothes---khaki pants and sports shirt---to the office. He hardly ever wears necktie. “I’m working harder than ever,” David says, “and I need to feel comfortable.”
More and more companies are allowing their office workers to wear casual clothes to work in the United States. The change from formal to casual office wear has been gradual. In the early 1990s, many companies allowed their employees to wear casual clothes on Friday (but only on Friday). This became known as “dress-down Friday” or “casual Friday.” “What started out as an extra one-day-a-week benefit for employees has really become an everyday thing,” said business consultant Maisly Jones.
Why have so many companies started allowing their employees to wear casual clothes? One reason is that it’s easier for a company to attract new employees if it has a casual dress code. “A lot of young people don’t want to dress up for work,” says the owner of a software company, “so it’s hard to hire people if you have a conservative dress code.” Another reason is that people seem happier and more productive when they are wearing comfortable clothes. In a study conducted by Levi Strauss and Company, 85 percent of employers said that they believe that casual dress improves employee morale. Only 4 percent of employers said that casual dress has a negative impact on productive. Supporters of casual office wear also argue that a casual dress code helps them save money. “Suits are expensive, if you have to wear one every day,” one person said. “For the same amount of money, you can buy a lot more casual clothes.”
72. David Smith refers to himself as having been “a clothes addict” because_______.
A. he often wore khaki pants and a sports shirt
B. he couldn’t stand a clean appearance
C. he wanted his clothes to look neat all the time
D. he didn’t want to spend much money on clothes
73. David Smith wears casual clothes now, because________.
A. they make him feel at ease when working
B. he cannot afford to buy expensive clothes
C. he looks handsome in casual clothes
D. he no longer works for any company
74. According to this passage, which of the following statements is FALSE?
A. Many employees don’t like a conservative dress code..
B. Comfortable clothes make employees more productive.
C. A casual clothes code is welcomed by young employees.
D. All the employers in the U.S are for casual office wear.
75. In this passage, the following advantages of casual office wear are mentioned except ______.
A. saving employees’ money B. making employees more attractive
C. improving employees’ motivation D. making employees happier
Music has often been used in movies to create mood and add dimension to the images which the audience sees on the screen. One man who is famous for his ability to write powerful and highly effective music for movies is John Williams. Mr. Williams has been writing music for movies since 1960, but he is perhaps best known for his award-winning scores for movies such as Jaws, Star Wars, and Schindler's List. Before he began writing music for the movies, Mr. Williams dreamed of being a concert pianist. He studied at both the University of California, Los Angeles and Juilliard School. During the 1950s, Mr. Williams was into jazz and he worked in New York City with many jazz artists. Later, he moved back to Los Angeles where he continued to play the piano for jazz musicians. He also got a job writing music for television shows. It was this television job that led him into movies.
Throughout the 1960s, Mr. Williams wrote the music that can be heard in more than 20 movies. Most of these movies were light comedies. Then, in 1975, the director of the movie Jaws, Steven Spielberg, hired Mr. Williams. The director thought that Mr. William's music added so much to the scary (引起恐慌的)scenes of the movie that he insisted on working with Mr. Williams in all of his future movies. Other directors and Hollywood film studios also demanded to work with Mr. Williams, and his career as a composer of movie soundtracks took off. Many of these movies have soundtracks that are still available in music stores today. They include The Deer Hunter, Raiders of the Lost Ark, ET, and Jurassic Park.
In 1980, Mr. Williams had another chance to expand his musical experience. He was chosen to be the new conductor for the Boston Pops Orchestra when Arthur Fiedler retired. Mr. Williams gladly accepted the position because it only required that he conduct the orchestra during the summer. This left him free to continue writing music for the movies during the rest of the year. Mr. Williams conducted the Boston Pops for more than 12 years before he decided to retire and write music full-time. Along with the many movie music scores he has written, Mr. Williams has also written two symphonies, a flute concerto, and a violin concerto. Up to now, Mr. Williams has written music for more than 60 movies. It is no wonder that he is today's most famous Hollywood composer.
69. What is John Williams most famous for?
A. Conducting. B. Making movies.
C. Playing jazz. D. Writing music for movies.
70. What happened to Mr. Williams in 1975?
A. He began writing music for movies. B. He moved to Hollywood.
C. He worked with Steven Spielberg. D. He worked for the Boston Pops.
71. Which of the following things has Mr. Williams not done?
A. Conducted an orchestra. B. Directed a movie.
C. Played jazz piano. D. Writing classical music.
If your boss asks you to work in Moscow this year,he'd better offer you more money to do so--or even double that depending on where you live now.That's because Moscow has just been found to be the world's most expensive city for the second year in a row by Mercer Human Resources Consulting.
Using the cost of living in New York as a base,Mercer determined Moscow is 34.4 percent more expensive including the cost of housing,transportation,food,clothing,household goods and entertainment(娱乐).
A two-bedroom flat in Moscow now costs$4,000 a month;a CD$24.83, and an international newspaper $6.30,according to Mercer.By comparison,a fast food meal with a hamburger (汉堡包)is a steal at$480.
London takes the No.2 place,up from No.5 a year ago,thanks to higher cost of housing and a stronger British pound relative to the dollar. Mercer estimates(估算)London is 26 percent more expensive than New York these days.Following London closely are Seoul and Tokyo,both of which are 22 percent more expensive than New York,while No.5 Hong Kong is l9 percent more costly.
Among North American cities,New York and Los Angeles are the most expensive and are the only two listed in the top 50 of the world's most expensive cities.But both have mien since last year's study--New York came in15th,down from 10th place,while Los Angeles fell to 42nd from 29th place a year ago.San Francisco came in a distant third at No.54,down 20 places from a year earlier.
Toronto, meanwhile,is Canada's most expensive city but fell 35 places to take 82nd place worldwide.In Australia.Sydney is the priciest place to live in and No.21 worldwide.
65. What do the underlined words "a steal" in Paragraph 3 mean?
A. an act of stealingB. something delicious
C. something very cheap D. an act of buying
66. London has become the second most expensive city because of ______.
A. the high cost of clothing B. the stronger pound against the dollar
C. its expensive transportation D. the high prices of fast food meals
67. Which city is the third most expensive on the list?
A. TokyoB. Hong Kong C. MoscowD. Los Angeles
68. Which city has dropped most on the list in North America?
A. New York. B. Los Angeles. C. San Francisco D. Tokyo
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NANJING, June 13,2009 (Xinhua) – China will see the longest total solar eclipse (日食) in 500 years on July 22, a scientist said Saturday.
The most important time of the total eclipse was expected toNeatness and personal cleanness have been around for ages and have become an important part of everyone’s daily routine. You might think that all modern societies would have the same neatness and personal cleanness practices. After all, doesn’t everybody take baths? Most people do recognize the need for cleanness, which is the basis for health. Neatness practices include all the little things people do to make themselves look their best, such as combing their hair and putting on makeup. However, while most modern people agree that these things are important, people in different cultures take care of themselves in different ways.
There used to be an old joke in America that people should take a bath once a week, whether they need one or not. In fact, though, Americans generally take a bath or more commonly, a shower every day. But in contrast to some cultures, most Americans get their shower in the morning so that they can start the day fresh. Americans are known for having very sensitive noses. In America, body smell is socially unacceptable. For that reason, Americans consider it a must to use special lotion (浴液) to prevent the smell. Ladies often add a touch of perfume. Men may spray on after – shave cream or manly – smelling perfume.
Some of the cultural varieties in neatness practices result from physical differences between races. Whereas many Asian men have little facial hair, Westerners have a lot. As a result, most American men spend some time each day shaving or tidying their facial hair to keep it nice. American women, on the other hand, generally prefer not to be hairy at all.
Americans put great value on both neatness and personal cleanness. For some people, taking care of themselves has become almost a religion. As the old saying goes, “Cleanness is next to godliness.” Whether or not being clean and neat – looking brings one closer to God, it certainly at least brings one closer to others. Americans look down on people who don’t take care of themselves, or who “let themselves go.”
68.We can infer from the first paragraph that .
A.everyone takes baths daily to get a nice look.
B.people have the same neatness practices today.
C.neatness practices may be affected by cultures.
D.neatness means combing hair and doing makeup.
69.Americans have a bath in the morning to .
A.begin an energetic day B.refresh their sensitive noses
C.prevent their body smell D.style their hair at home
70.According to the author, physical differences between races can cause differences in .
A.cultures B.locations C.religions D.neatness practice
71.The underlined phrase in the last paragraph means “”.
A.care much about themselves B.give loose to themselves
C.stay away from other people D.stay closer to other people