Life is difficult.
It is a great truth because once we truly understand and accept it, then life is no longer difficult.
Most do not fully see this truth. Instead they complain about their problems and difficulties as if life should be easy. It seems to them that difficulties represent(代表) a special kind of suffering especially forced upon them or else upon their families, their class, or even their nation.
What makes life difficult is that the process of facing and solving problems is a painful one. Problems, depending on their nature, cause in us sadness or loneliness or regret or anger or fear. These are uncomfortable feelings, often as painful as any kind of physical pain. And since life causes an endless series of problems, life is always difficult and is full of pain as well as joy.
Yet, it is in this whole process of solving problems that life has its meaning.
Problems are the serious test that tells us success from failure. When we desire to encourage the growth of the human spirit, we encourage the human ability(能力) to solve problems, just as in school we set problems for our children to solve. It is through the pain of meeting and working out problems that we learn. As Benjamin Franklin said, “Those things that hurt, instruct.” It is for this reason that wise people learn not to fear but to welcome the pain of problems.
56. From the passage, it can be inferred that ______.
A. everybody has problems
B. we become stronger by facing and solving the problems of life
C. life is difficult because our problems bring us pain
D. people like to complain about their problems
57.The writer probably used just one short sentence in the first paragraph to ______.
A. save space B. persuade readers
C. make readers laugh D. get reader's attention
58. The main idea of paragraph 3 is that ______.
A. most people feel life is easy
B. the writer feels life is easy
C. the writer likes to complain about his problems
D. most people complain about how hard their lives are
59. According to the passage, we give school children difficult problems to solve in order to ______.
A. encourage them to learn
B. teach them to fear the pain of solving problems
C. help them learn to deal with pain
D. teach them how to respect for problems
Each new school year brings fresh reminders of what educators call the summer learning gap. Some call it the summer learning setback. Simply speaking, it means the longer kids are out of school, the more they forget. The only thing they might gain is weight.
Most American schools follow a traditional nine-month calendar with winter and spring breaks and about ten weeks of summer vacation. Some schools follow a year-round calendar. They hold classes for about eight weeks at a time, with a few weeks off in between. The National Association for Year-Round Education says there were fewer than 3,000 such schools at last count. They were spread among forty-six of the fifty states.
But many experts point out that the number of class days in a year-round school is generally the same as in a traditional school. Lead researcher Paul von Hippel said, “Year-round schools don’t really solve the problem of the summer learning setback. They simply spread it out across the year.”
Across the country, research shows that students from poor families fall farther behind over the summer than other students. Experts say this can be prevented. They note that many schools and local governments offer programs that can help.
But calling them “summer school” could be a problem. The director of the summer learning center at Johns Hopkins, Ron Fairchild, said research with groups of different parents in Chicago and Baltimore found that almost all strongly disliked the term “summer school”. In American culture, the idea of summer vacation is connected to beliefs about freedom and the joys of childhood. The parents welcomed other terms like “summer camp”, “extra time” and “hands-on learning”. According to the first paragraph, the summer learning gap _____.
| A．helps children to gain weight |
| B．leads children to work harder |
| C．improves children’s memories |
| D．affects children’s regular studies |
Compared to traditional schools, students in the year-round ones _____.
| A．perform better and have more learning gains |
| B．have much less time for relaxation every year |
| C．have generally the same number of class days |
| D．hold more classes with more free weeks off |
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A．Students from poor families often fall behind after the vocation. |
| B．Year-round schools can solve the problem of the learning gap. |
| C．There are schools in each state following a year-round calendar. |
| D．Nothing can help the students who fall behind after the vocation. |
Why did almost all parents dislike the term “summer school”?
| A．Because they cherish the children’s rights of freedom very much. |
| B．Because they are worried about the quality of the “summer school”. |
| C．Because they want their children to be forced to make up the gap. |
| D．Because they couldn’t afford to the further study during the vacation. |
Bus crash kills four Taiwanese, injures 15
(People’s Daily Online)
14:38, August 16, 2011
A tourist bus crashed on the highway in Jilin province leaving four Taiwanese tourists dead at the scene and 15 injured.
According to the Jilin Publicity Department, the bus overturned after colliding with a car on the Hunchun-Ulanhot expressway in Jilin province around 440 kilometers away from Changchun. Four Taiwanese tourists were killed instantly, including one man and three women, and of the 15 injured, 14 were Taiwanese tourists.
The tour leader provided a list of the dead: The three women killed were Lv Huiyu, 42; Zhao Zhuo, 62; Liao Xiuyun, 42, and the man was Wang Mingwei, 24. Moreover, the injured tourists were mostly elderly. The oldest injured tourist is around 80 years old and the youngest victim was about 50 years old. Five of them were hurt seriously, but their injuries are not life threatening.
According to the local public security bureau, the bus had a capacity(载客量) of 39 people and carried a real load of 21 people. It belongs to the Heilongjiang Juntai Transport Co., Ltd.
The departments of public security, fire control, the Taiwan Affairs Office have actively operated scene rescue, accident investigation and follow-up care for victims after the tragedy(悲剧). The Jilin provincial party committee secretary Sun Zhengcai issued instructions immediately requiring proper handling of the aftermath and genuine care in helping the victims. The vice-governor Chen Weigen visited the injured in the First Hospital of Jilin University.
The responsible person of the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office is heading for Changchun. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．All the people injured on the bus were Taiwanese tourists. |
| B．The accident happened on the expressway near Changchun. |
| C．Most of the injured were elderly. |
| D．Most of the injured were seriously hurt and several of them were dying. |
Which of the following has the similar meaning to the underlined word “colliding” in the passage?
| A．碰撞；相撞 | B．拐弯 |
| C．翻转 | D．坠毁 |
What is the writer’s attitude in writing this passage?
| A．Sad. | B．Objective. |
| C．Disappointed | D．Doubtful. |
2012 TEEN TRIP TO THE LELAND HIGH SNOW PLAY
For Teens Currently in 6th to 12th Grades
LELAND HIGH SNOW PLAY —Class # 8389
Saturday, November 12, 2012
8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Meet at THE UNDERGROUND
(Veteran’s Building—2203 Central Avenue)
Cost per person: $50 ($60 after October 22, 2012)— Includes Lunch, Admission and Transportation With a 4,000sq. Ft. day-use lodge, the Leland High Snow Play has a huge supply of tubes to choose from, along with awesome tows(拖车) that will tow you up to the top of the hill! Our varied terrains(地形) have something for everyone, while the lodge provides a snack bar, video games, pool tables, five indoor rest rooms, a warm fire, and a sun deck with plenty of tables and chairs overlooking the play area outside.
ADDITIONAL LIABILITY FORM REQUIRED FOR THIS TRIP.
Be sure to bring warm clothing and prepare for the cold, but dress in layers in case it warms up. Wear dry boots, socks, and sunscreen. If possible, bring a mobile phone in case of emergency, as well as money for snacks and a light dinner; or bring your own food and drinks. Meet at The Underground (Veteran’s Building—2203 Central Avenue)—don’t be late!
Do not bring electronic or fragile items during the trip. The ARPD is not responsible for your personal belongings or money. REFUNDS ARE ISSUED ONLY IF THE ARPD CANCELS THIS TRIP DUE TO WEATHER CONDITIONS.
Click here to download “2011 Leland High Snow Play” flyers and the registration form(PDF, 261KB)
Click here to download “Leland High Snow Play Liability Form”(PDF, 14KB)
1. You may register in person, or mail the completed form to Leland High Snow Play, Inc. Send the liability form and payment to the ARPD Office, 2226 Santa Clara Avenue, Alameda, 94501.
2. Faxed registration and liability forms accepted with MasterCard/VISA, (510) 747-7566.
3. Online registrations available at www.arpdeplay.com. Make sure you bring your completed liability form on the trip. The purpose of the text is to _____.
| A．explain the details of a school activity |
| B．introduce a famous tour agency |
| C．urge teenagers to climb a snowy mountain |
| D．advertise a trip to the Leland High Snow Play |
People who want to take part in the activity need to _____.
| A．pay for dinner themselves |
| B．climb the hill themselves |
| C．wear hats to protect themselves from the sun |
| D．pay for tows individually |
From the text we can infer that _____.
| A．the weather at the hill is changeable |
| B．the activity is very dangerous |
| C．12-year-old children are not allowed on the trip |
| D．the trip will involve outdoor activities only. |
Among other items, what do the participants need to take?
| A．Their filled-in liability forms. |
| B．ID cards and a small amount of cash. |
| C．Their agreements with the tour agency. |
| D．Their registration forms downloaded from the Internet. |
Perhaps you have heard a lot about the Internet, but what is it, do you know? The Internet is a network. It uses the telephone to join millions of computers together around the world.
Maybe that doesn’t sound very interesting. But when you’re joined to the Internet, there are lots and lots of things you can do. You can send e-mails to your friends, and they can get them in a few seconds. You can also do with all kinds of information on the World Wide Web (WWW).
There are many different kinds of computers now. They can all be joined to the Internet. Most of them are small machines sitting on people’s desks at home, but there are still many others in schools, offices or large companies(公司). These computers are owned by people and companies, but no one really owns the Internet itself.
There are lots of places for you to go into the Internet. For example, your school may have the Internet. You can use it during lessons or free time. Libraries often have computers joined to the Internet. You are welcome to use it at any time.
Thanks to the Internet, the world is becoming smaller and smaller. It is possible for you to work at home with a computer in front, getting and sending the information you need. You can buy or sell whatever you want by the Internet. But do you know 98% of the information on the Internet is in English? So what will English be like tomorrow? What is the passage mainly about?
| A．Internet. | B．Information. |
| C．Computers. | D．E-mails. |
Which is the quickest and cheapest way to send messages to your friends?
| A．By post. | B．By e-mail. |
| C．By telephone. | D．By satellite. |
Which may be the most possible place for people to work in tomorrow?
| A．In the office. | B．At school. |
| C．At home. | D．In the company. |
Who is the owner of the Internet?
| A．The headmaster. | B．The officer. |
| C．The user. | D．No one. |
Local businessmen are increasingly facing competition from online retailers. Larry Pollock, owner of Camera Co/Op on South Congress, said he has been dealing with this kind of problem for years, even before the Internet. The struggle began with mail-order catalogues(目录), which are similar to online retailers in that they have few employees to pay, no sales tax fees and no business venue to lease and manage.
“Their overhead is lower, but they don’t offer a service like we do,” Pollock said.
Pollock, however, said providing a valuable service to customers does not always guarantee continued sales.
“We spend 30 minutes to an hour with somebody and they go home and buy it on line,” he said.
According to the state comptroller’s office, online shopping is developing at a more rapid rate than traditional businesses.
In spite of how fair or unfair online shopping may be to the local businessmen, consumers will continue to turn to the Internet for its variety and accessibility, said Mitch Wilson, an online shopper. “You have a larger selection and it's easier to compare prices.”
Wilson said he built his personal computer and paid a third of the price by shopping on line.
“Before the Internet, I would have had to go and buy an assembled computer from somebody like Dell,” he said. “Before I started shopping on line I could never find all the pieces I wanted. No single store had everything needed, so shopping on line saved me from having to buy from Dell.”
Janny Brazeal, a psychology freshman, said online shopping is too impersonal.
“’d rather see it in person, touch it, know that I’m getting it,” she said.
Brazeal also said she would not give out her credit card number or other personal information on line no matter how safe the site claims it is.Larry Pollock has been facing the problem _____.
| A．before long |
| B．after the Internet |
| C．since there were mail-order catalogues |
| D．since he worked as a businessman |
According to the passage, which of the following is WRONG?
| A．Traditional business can provide valuable ser- vices to customers. |
| B．People can get cheaper goods from traditional business. |
| C．More and more people will turn to the Internet for their needs. |
| D．There are still many people who don’t like on- line shopping. |
Mitch Wilson prefers to build his personal compu- ter by shopping on line because _____.
| A．he can easily get what he needs at a lower price |
| B．he can not get the price at traditional businessman |
| C．he is not satisfied with the service of local busi- nessman |
| D．the quality of Dell is not satisfying |