After inventing dynamites(炸药), Swedish-born Alfred Nobel became a very rich man. However, he foresaw its universally destructive powers too late. Nobel preferred not to be remembered as the inventor of dynamite, so in 1895, just two weeks before his death, he created a fund to be used for awarding prizes to people who had made worthwhile contributions to mankind. Originally there were five awards: literature, physics, chemistry, medicine, and peace. Economics was added in 1968, just sixty-seven years after the first awards ceremony.
Nobel’s original legacy of nine million dollars was invested, and the interest on this sum is used for the awards which vary from $ 30,000 to $125,000.
Every year on December 10, the anniversary of Nobel’s death, the awards (gold medal, illuminated diploma, and money) are presented to the winners. Sometimes politics plays an important role in the judges’ decision. Americans have won numerous science awards, but relatively few literature prizes.
No awards were presented from 1940 to 1942 at the beginning of World War II. Some people have won two prizes, but this is rare; others have shared their prizes.
1. What did the first award ceremony take place?
A. 1895. B. 1901. C. 1962. D. 1968.
2. The Nobel prize was established to ________.
A. honor the inventor of dynamite B. recognize worthwhile contributions to humanity
C. resolve political differences D. spend money
3. In which area have Americans received the most awards?
A. Literature. B. Economics. C. Peace. D. Science.
4. Which of the following statement is NOT true?
A. Awards vary in money value.
B. Ceremonies are held on December 10 to commemorate Nobel’s invention.
C. Politics can be of importance in selecting the winners.
D. A few individuals have won two awards.
As you grow older，you’ll be faced with some challenging decisions--like whether to cut class or try cigarettes．Making decisions on your own is hard enough，but when other people get involved and try to pressure you one way or another it can be even harder．People who are your age，like your classmates，are called peers．When they try to influence how you act，to get you to do something，it’s called peer pressure．
Peers can have a positive influence on each other．Maybe another student in your science class taught you an easy way to remember the planets in the solar system．Maybe you got others excited about your new favorite book，and now everyone’s reading it．These are examples of how peers positively influence each other．
Sometimes peers influence each other in negative ways．For example，a few kids in school might try to get you to cut class with them; your soccer friend might try to convince you to be mean to another player and never pass him the ball．
It is tough to be the only one who says “no” to peer pressure，but you can do it．Paying attention to your own feelings and beliefs about what is right and wrong can help you know the right thing to do．
You’ve probably had a parent or teacher advising you to “choose your friends wisely．” Peer pressure is a big reason why they say this．If you choose friends who don’t cut class，smoke cigarettes，or lie to their parents，then you probably won’t do these things either，even if other kids do．
If you continue to face peer pressure and you’re finding it difficult to handle，talk to someone you trust．Don’t feel guilty if you’ve made a mistake or two．For whom is the passage most probably written?
| A．Students |
| B．Parents |
| C．Teachers |
| D．Doctors |
In the last three paragraphs，the author mainly_____．
| A．explains why friendship is so important |
| B．gives advice on how to deal with peer pressure |
| C．discusses how peers influence us |
| D．shows how to make more good friends |
Which of following may help handle peer pressure?
| A．Spending more time with classmates． |
| B．Taking up more relaxing hobbies． |
| C．Choosing friends with no bad habits． |
| D．Helping others who are in trouble． |
What is the topic of the passage?
| A．Friendship |
| B．Making decisions |
| C．Self-confidence |
| D．Peer pressure |
No one likes to make mistakes．But a new study says organizations learn more from their failures than from their successes，and keep that knowledge longer．
One of the researchers was Vinit Desai，an assistant professor at the University of Colorado Denver Business School．He worked with Peter Madsen from the Marriott School of Management at Brigham Young University in Utah．
They did not find much long-term "organizational learning" from success．It is possible，they say．But Professor Desai says they found that knowledge gained from failure lasts for years．He says organizations should treat failures as a learning opportunity and not try to ignore them．
The study looked at companies and organizations that launch satellites--and other space vehicles．Professor Desai compared two shuttle flights．
In two thousand two，a piece of insulating(隔热的) material broke off during launch and damaged a rocket on the Atlantis．Still，the flight was considered a success．
Then，in early two thousand three，a piece of insulation struck the Columbia during launch．This time，the shuttle broke apart on re-entry and the seven crew members died．NASA officials suspended all flights and an investigation led to suggested changes．
Professor Desai says the search for solutions after a failure can make leaders more open-minded．He points to airlines as an example of an industry that has learned from failures in the past．
He advises organizations to look for useful information in small failures and failures they avoided．He also urges leaders to encourage the open sharing of information．The study appeared in the Academy of Management Journal．
The mistakes we learn from do not have to be our own．We recently asked people on our Facebook page to tell us a time they had done something really silly．
Fabricio Cmino wrote: Not long ago I wanted to watch TV，but it wouldn't turn on，so I did everything I could to start it．Thirty minutes later my mum showed up and，passing by，said to me "Did you try plugging it'? I’m just dusting，Mum!”So she wouldn't notice how dumb I am sometimes!
Bruno Kanieski da Silva told about a time he looked everywhere for his key．It was in his pocket．He wrote: I always promise I will never do it again，but after-a few weeks,where is my wallet? For sure it will be in a very logical place．What we get from failure differs from that from success in that_______．
| A．what we learn from failure is more powerful |
| B．what we learn from success does no good to us |
| C．the knowledge gained from failure is important for a company |
| D．the knowledge gained from failure lasts longer |
From the passage，we can infer that________．
| A．The insulating material problem in 2002 didn't arouse enough attention |
| B．There were no astronauts on Columbia |
| C．In spite of the problem，Atlantis was considered a success |
| D．Columbia exploded during its launch time |
The writer gives the last two paragraphs to show that________．
| A．many people make mistakes in the world |
| B．mistakes were a very embarrassing thing when found by others |
| C．we can also draw a lesson from others' mistakes |
| D．making mistakes was a necessity |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Only organizations can learn from mistakes |
| B．We can also learn from failures that have been avoided． |
| C．Lessons from the shuttle flights are more important． |
| D．Leaders often lack an open mind and seldom share information． |
Children have their own rules in playing games．They seldom need a referee (裁判) and rarely take trouble to keep scores．They don’t care much about who wins or loses，and it doesn’t seem to worry them if the game is not finished．Yet，they like games that depend a lot on luck，so that their personal abilities cannot be directly compared．They also enjoy games that move in stages，in which each stage，the choosing of leaders，the picking-up of sides，or the determining of which side shall start，is almost a game in itself．
Grown-ups can hardly find children’s game exciting，and they often feel puzzled at why their kids play such simple game again and again．However，it is found that a child plays games for very important reasons．He can be a good player without having to think whether he is a popular person，and he can find himself being a useful partner to someone of whom he is ordinary afraid．He becomes a leader when it comes to his turn．He can be confident，too，in particular games，that it is his place to give orders，to pretend to be dead，to throw a ball actually at someone，or to kiss someone he has caught．
It appears to us that when children play a game they imagine a situation under their control．Everyone knows the rules，and more importantly，everyone plays according to the rules．Those rules may be childish，but they make sure that every child has a chance to win．What is true about children when they play games?
| A．They can stop playing any time they like． |
| B．They can test their personal abilities． |
| C．They want to pick a better team． |
| D．They don’t need rules． |
To become a leader in a game，the child has to _________．
| A．be a useful partner |
| B．wait for his turn |
| C．be confident in himself |
| D．be popular among his playmates |
Why does a child like playing games?
| A．Because he can be someone other than himself． |
| B．Because he can become popular among friends． |
| C．Because he finds he is always lucky in games． |
| D．Because he likes the place where he plays a game． |
Which is the best title for this passage?
| A．Rules in Children’s Games |
| B．Advantages of Playing Games for Children |
| C．Reasons for Children’s Games |
| D．How to Be a Popular Game Player |
“In only six days I lost seven pounds of weight.”
“Two full inches in the first three days!”
These are the kinds of statements used in magazine, newspaper radio and television ads, promising good shapes and new looks to those who buy the medicine or the device. The promoters of products say they can shape the legs, slim the face, smooth wrinkles, or in some other way add to beauty or desirability.
Often such products are nothing more than money-making things for their promoters. The results they produce are questionable, and some are dangerous to health.
To understand how these products can be legally promoted to the public, it is necessary to understand something of the laws covering their regulation. If the product is a drug, FDA (Food Drug Administration) can require proof under the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act that it is safe and effective before it is put on the market. But if the product is a device, FDA has no authority to require premarketing proof of safety or effectiveness. If a product already on the market is a danger to health, FDA can request the producer or distributor to remove it from the market voluntarily, or it can take legal action, including seizure (查封) of the product.
One notable case a few years ago involved an electrical device called the Relaxacisor, which had been sold for reducing the waistline. The Relaxacisor produced electrical shocks to the body through contact pads. FDA took legal action against the distributor to stop the sale of the device on the grounds that was dangerous to health and life.
Obviously, most of the devices on the market have never been the subject of court proceedings (法律诉讼), and new devices appear continually, Before buying, it is up to the consumer to judge the safety or effectiveness of such items.It can be inferred that ads mentioned in the text are_____.
| A．objective | B．costly |
| C．unbelievable | D．illegal |
The Relaxacisor is mentioned as______.
| A．a product which was designed to produce electricity |
| B．a successful advertisement of a beauty product |
| C．an example of a quality beauty product |
| D．a product whose distributor was involved in a legal case |
The author intends to______.
| A．make consumers aware of the promoters’ false promise |
| B．show the weakness of the law on product safety |
| C．give advice on how to keep young and beautiful |
| D．introduce the organization of FDA |
Which of the following is true according to the text?
A. The court is in charge of removing dangerous products.
B. The promoters usually just care about profits.
C. New products are more likely to be questionable.
D. The production of a device must be approved by FDA.
More college graduates in China are seeking for work experience instead of advanced degrees, a survey shows. The practical approach, coupled with a record number of students graduating from college, is expected to strengthen competition in the job market, analysts said.
More than 76 percent of university students said they wanted to work after earning their degrees this summer, up from 68.5 percent in 2012 and 73.6 percent last year, according to poll results from Zhaopin.com, a major online agency, Zhu Bo.
The annual survey also shows that about 20 percent university graduates chose to further education after graduation, while about 3 percent wanted to start their own businesses.
Zeng Hao ,a 25-year-old media major, managed to land a job in a publishing company in Zhongshan, Guangdong province, before he received his master's degree from the University of Macau in June. " Work experience really matters in the publishing industry" he said.
Wei Guihong , a program administrator at Nanjing University, said about 60 percent of the school's graduates entered the labor market every year. “More and more students majoring in a foreign language choose to go abroad to continue their studies to improve their language skills," she said continuously, "That's perhaps a bright future.”
Liu Junsheng , a researcher at the Labor and Wage Institute of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, believes that economic conditions play a vital role in shaping college graduates' choices .“There were fewer job opportunities in the market. ” he said. "Although academic degrees still matter, more and more employers value job seekers' work experience." he said.
The Zhaopin.com survey shows that each of the graduates sent resumes(履历) on average to about 28 potential employers and received five interview opportunities.We can infer from the first three paragraphs that____
| A．the number of graduates from college is likely to decline gradually |
| B．the employment situation is still relatively optimistic |
| C．the majority of university graduates are ready for further education |
| D．those who want to start their own businesses are fewest |
From the text, we know that the real expert on employment is____
| A．Zhu Bo | B．Zeng Hao |
| C．Liu Junsheng | D．Wei Guihong |
What is Wei Guihong's attitudes towards her students' going abroad for their studies? ____ .
| A．Pessimistic. | B．Supportive | C．Critical | D．Negative |
What would be the best title for the text?
| A．Graduates pick work instead of taking advanced degrees. |
| B．Graduates take advanced degrees instead of picking work |
| C．Few graduates can get their jobs they seek for |
| D．Few Graduates receive the interview opportunities |