The literal meaning of philosophy is “love of wisdom”. But this meaning does not tell us very much. Unlike the other disciplines, philosophy cannot be defined by what you study, because it si actually unlimited. Anything can be the subject matter of philosophy: are, history, law, language, literature, mathematics, and in fact, the other academic disciplines are directly related to philosophy. For this reason you get a Doctorate（博士学位）of Philosophy (Ph. D. ) in biochemistry, or computer science, or psychology
Two broad sub-fields of philosophy are logic and the history of philosophy. Logic is the science of argument and critical thinking. It provides sound methods for distinguishing good from bad reasonign. The history of philosophy involves the study of major philosophers and periods in the development of philosophy.
Of what use is philosophy? First it is useful in educational advancement. It is necessary for understanding other disciplines. Only philosophy questions the nature of the concepts used in a discipline, and its relation to other disciplines. And through the study of philosophy, one develops sound methods of research and analysis that can be applied to any field.
There are a number of general uses of philosophy. It strengthens one’s ability to solve problems, to communicate, to organize ideas and issues, to persuade, and to take what is the most important from a large quantity of data. These general uses are of great benefit in the career field, not necessarily for obtaining one’s first job after graduation, but for preparing for positions of responsibility, management and leadership later on. It is very short-sighted after all, to take a course of studies only for the purpose of getting one’s first job. The useful skills developed through the study of philosophy have significant long-term benefits in career advancement. No other discipline systematically follows the ideals of wisdom, leadership, and capacity to resolve human conflict
According to paragraph 1, philosophy can best be described as the study of .
A. social sciences B. natural sciences
C. both social and natural sciences D. the subject matter of politics
What does “discipline” mean in the first paragraph?
A. subject B. science C. literature D. occupation
With the study of philosophy, you can .
A. become a great leader
B. succeed in everything
C. find a good job soon after graduation
D. make progress in your career development
According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?
A. Philosophy is an independent discipline.
B. Logic helps you to become a better thinker.
C. The study of philosophy brings you immediate benefits.
D. The meaning of philosophy is too limited to define.
From the passage, we can conclude .
A. not all the subjects have to do with philosophy
B. a person will get a Ph. D. if he/she studies philosophy
C. philosophy can be helpful for the study of any other subjects
D. philosophy is the only solution to all the problems in the world
Social networking isn't only for the under 40s. More than 25 percent of Americans 50 years and older stay connected using sites such as Facebook, MySpace and Twitter, according to new research.
"The latest data tells us that more and more social networking is becoming a part of everyday life for Americans 50 plus," said Kevin Donnellan, the chief communications officer at AARP, which released the report.
Nearly a quarter of older Americans are on Facebook and 73 percent said they use it to stay in
touch with relatives, but not just their children and grandchildren. "They are using the Internet to keep up with the world and the people who are important to them," said Jean Koppen, the author of the report. She added that older adults are also on Facebook to stay connected, not only with their family, but with their friends and peers. Almost 50 percent of older adults were introdu
ced to the social networking sites by a family member, mainly a child or grandchild. "Just under one-fifth of adults aged 50 and older say they do not use the Internet," according to the report.
The findings are based on a telephone survey of 1,863 adults. In addition to keeping up on Facebook and Twitter older adults are also aware of the latest technology. Eighty-three percent had heard about the Apple iPad and 11 percent intended to buy one.What’s the main idea of the passage?
A.Social networking isn’t for the under 40s in the U.S.A.
B.American old people’s way of life is quite fashionable.
C.The Internet is also popular among the American over 50s.
D.Facebook, MySpace and Twitter are hot websites in America.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Nearly 2000 adults took part in the survey on line. |
| B．The over 50s were introduced to the Internet by the young. |
| C．About 20% of adults aged 50 and older don’t like the Internet. |
| D．Many Americans 50 plus stay connected using the Internet. |
What’s the underlined s
entence used for?
E.It’s used as a reason for the popularity of the Apple iPad in America.
F.It’s used as an example of the older adults’ awareness of the latest technology.
G.It’s 
used as a suggestion to the readers who are interested in the IT products.
H.It’s used as a choice for the Americans intending to use Social networking.Where can we most probably read this passage?
I.In an experiment introduction.
J.In a computer magazine.
K.In a product advertisement.
In a news report
In 1963,former Senator Gaylord Nelson began to worry about our planet (A senator is a person that the people of the United States have chosen to help make the laws.). Senator Nelson knew that our world was getting dirty and that many of our plants and animals were dying .He wondered why most people weren’t trying to solve these problems. He talked to other lawmakers and t
o the President. They decided that the President would go around the country and tell people about these concerns（关系重大之事）. He did, but still not enough people were working on the problem.
Then, in 1969, Senator Nelson had another idea. He decided to have a special day to teach everyone about the things that needed changing in our environment .He wrote letters to all of the colleges and put a special article in Scholastic Magazine to tell them about the special day he had planned
(Most of the schools got this magazine) and he knew that kids would help him.
On April 22,1970, the first Earth Day was held .People all over the country made promises to help the environment. Everyone got involved and since then, Earth Day has spread all over the planet. People all over the world know that
there are problems we need to work on and this is our special day to look at the planet and see what needs changing. Isn’t it great? One person had an idea and kept working until everyone began working together to solve it. See what happens when people care about our world?The passage mainly talks about _________.
| A．the importance of Earth Day |
| B．the person who planned the Earth Day |
| C．the history of Earth Day |
| D．the first Earth Day |
Why did Senator Gaylord Nelson worry about our planet?_________
| A．The world was getting dirty. |
| B．Many plants and animals were dying. |
| C．Few people cared about the earth. |
| D．All of the above. |
From the text, we know that _________ helped him most .
| A．the president | B．the other lawmakers |
| C．the colleges | D．the students |
It took Nelson ______ years to get the peop
le pay much attention to the earth.
| A．10 | B．7 | C．6 | D．1 |
Anchors（新闻节目主持人）on China Central Television(CCTV) will need to do some fast talking to replace the popular English acronyms（首字母缩略词）they are now banned from using. Shanghai Daily reports that “anchors at China Central Television have been banned from saying the English acronyms NBA, CBA, GDP, and the like in their programs.”
The replacement for those handy acronyms? Chinese presenters must use the full Chinese name, standardized by the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television.
Although CCTV(oops, we mean China Central Television) presenters must already have a score of at least 94 in their government-rated oral mandarin proficiency（普通话水平）exam, saying the full name of organizations like the CBA and WTO---10 and 6 characters’ long respectively---is sure to challenge even the most skillful anchors. CCTV sports anchor Sun Zhengping tells Shanghai Daily, “A full Chinese explanation o
f the English initials must be followed if my tongue slips. It is a little troublesome but a necessary one because not every member of the audience can understand the initials.”
Although the government isn’t giving any official explanation for the shift, it is believed to have something to do with a proposal by Huang Youyi, director of the China International Publishing Group, at March’s NPC meeting. In his speech, Huang said, “With more and more publications mixing Chinese with English, measures and regulations should be adopted to avoid English invading Chinese. If we don’t pay attention and don’t take measures to stop the expansion of mixing Chinese with English, Chinese won’t be a pure language in a couple of years.”
Although China is far from the first country to take measures to protect local languages, acronyms are more about saving time than they are about corrupting（破坏）a language, we would think. Good luck to the CCTV anchors.CCTV anchors have to “do some fast talking” because they can no longer ____________________.
| A．speak as slowly as they like |
| B．mix English into Chinese |
| C．use shortened Chinese expressions |
| D．have much time for their programs |
According to the writer, “CBA” is supposed to be replaced with “________________”by CCTV anchors.
| A．中国男子篮球职业联赛 |
| B．中国篮球协会全国男女篮球职业联赛 |
| C．中国篮球联赛 |
| D．男子篮球联赛 |
What’s Huang Youyi’s purpose?
E.Using full English names instead of short forms.
F.Translating Chinese terms into proper English.
G.Avoiding Chinese words being mixed into English.
H.Keeping our mother tongue a pure language.What’s the main idea of the last paragraph?
I.China has fallen behind in the matter of protection of its language.
J.The ban is not necessary.
K.Chinese shouldn’t be corrupted.
CCTV anchors will have a hard time.
Two traveling angles stopped to spend the night in the home of a wealthy family. The family was rude and refused to let the angles stay in the mansion’s guestroom. Instead the angles were given a small space in the cold basement. As they made their bed in the hard floor, the older angel saw a hole in the wall and repaired it. When the younger angle asked why, the older angle replied, “Things aren’t always what they seem.”
The next night the pair came to rest at the house of a very poor, but very hospitable farmer and his wife. After sharing the little food they had the couple let the angles sleep in their bed where they could have a good
night’s rest. When the sun came up the next morning the angles found the farmer and his wife in tears. Their only cow, whose milk had been their sole income, lay dead in the field. The younger angle was infuriated and asked the older angle how he could have let this happen. “The first man had everything, yet you helped him,” he accused. “The second family had little but was willing to share everything, and you let the cow die”.
“Things aren’t always what they seem,” the older angle
replied. “when we stayed in the basement of the mansion, I noticed there was gold stored in that hole in the wall. Since the owner was so obsessed with greed and unwilling to share his good fortune, I sealed the wall so he wouldn’t find it.”
“Then last night as we slept in the farmer’s bed, the angle of death came for his wife. I gave him the cow instead. Things aren’t always what they seem.”What's the best title of the passage?
| A．Two Angles Spread Love |
| B．Things Aren’t Always What They Seem |
| C．The Rich And The Poor |
| D．Tales of Angles |
In paragraph 2, the underlined word “infuriated” most probably means ___________.
| A．amused | B．angry | C．puzzled | D．disappointed |
According to the article, which of the following is TRUE?
| A．In the home of the wealthy family, the older angle put some gold into a hole in the wall. |
B．In the home of  the poor family, the older angle killed their cow. |
| C．The younger angle agreed with what the older angle did at first. |
| D．The angle of death is in charge of humans’ death. |
Every object tells a story. Even the most ordinary objects can present to us powerful images. Sometimes it is the ordinary nature of these objects that actually makes them so extraordinary. Such is the case with an old leather shoe in a museum in Alaska. At first glance it does not look like much. It is a woman’s shoe of a style popular in the 1890s. But what is unique(独特的) about this shoe is where it was found. It was discovered on the Checkout Pass, the famous trail used by the people seeking gold in Alaska. Who it belonged to or why it was left there is not known. Was it perhaps dropped by accident as the woman climbed up the 1500 stairs carved outfa
ce? Or did she throw away goods that she didn’t need in order to travel lighter?
Over 100, 000 people with “gold fever” made this trip hoping to become millionaires. Few of them understood that on their way they would have to cross a harsh wildnes
s. Unprepared for such a dangerous journey, many died of starvation and exposure to the cold weather.
The Canadian government finally started requiring the gold seekers to bring one ton of supplies with them. This was thought to be enough for a person to survive for one year. They would carry their supplies in backpacks(背包) each weighing up to fifty pounds; it usually took at least 40 trips to get everything to the top and over the pass. Whoever dropped the shoe must have been a brave and determined woman. Perhaps she was successful and made it to Alaska. Perhaps she had to turn back in defeat. No one will ever know for sure, but what we do know is that she took part in one of the greatest adventures in the 19th century. 
The ordinary woman’s leather shoe is considered unusual because ______.
| A．it was an important clue to life in the past |
| B．it was found on a famous trail |
| C．it at one time belonged to a VIP |
| D．it was a fashionable shoe at that time |
According to this passage, many people who went to Alaska ______.
| A．eventually became millionaires | B．brought with them many shoes |
| C．had conflicts with the Eskimos | D．were not properly equipped |
The Canadian government made gold seekers bring one year’s supplies with them so that ______.
| A．they would not die of hunger and cold |
| B．the army would have enough food for fighting a war |
| C．they would change these goods with the Eskimos |
| D．the supplies would make Alaska rich |
No matter what happened to the woman who owned the shoe, ______.
| A．she must have lived a happy life |
| B．she certainly dropped the shoe on purpose |
| C．her adventurous spirit is definitely admired |
| D．her other shoes were equally fashionable |