Narcissus was a beautiful looking boy. He had long, flowing, blond hair, beautiful, bright, blue eyes and even, white teeth. Many young ladies fell in love with him including the nymph（女神）: Echo.
Nymphs were lively spirits who lived near streams and lakes and protected trees in the forest. Echo had upset the Queen of the Gods; Hera. As a punishment Hera made Echo unable to speak except to repeat the last three words of the person she was talking to.
Poor Echo fell in love with Narcissus but could never tell him how she felt. Narcissus teased her and she ran away with tears pouring down her face. Aphrodite, the goddess of love saw what happened and decided to punish Narcissus. As he came to a pool of water Narcissus saw his reflection (影子)and fell in love with the vision he saw. It was of course his own reflection.
Poor Narcissus watched his own reflection, every time he tried to touch the face of the vision he loved it broke up on the shimmering surface of the water. Narcissus stopped eating, lost his beautiful looks and desired to get his love. In the end he anguished gradually and died.
Aphrodite took pity on him and made a flower grow in his place on the bank of the lake. Narcissus flowers (水仙花) can be found to this day growing wherever you can find water and trees. Echo fell in love with Narcissus because_________.
| A．Narcissus was good-looking. |
| B．Echo was a lively spirit |
| C．Narcissus loved her, too. |
| D．Echo took pity on Narcissus |
Why did Aphrodite, the goddess of love, punish Narcissus?
| A．Aphrodite envied Echo because she loved Narcissus |
| B．She thought Narcissus didn’t respect and made Echo sad. |
| C．Narcissus fell in love with the vision, not Echo. |
| D．Echo was trapped in love and didn’t protect trees in the forest any longer. |
What does the underlined word “anguished” in the fourth paragraph mean?
| A．become increasingly thin and weak |
| B．become very hungry |
| C．become very fat |
| D．become out of mind |
What is the main purpose of writing the passage?
| A．To tell people a sad love story |
| B．To tell people how Narcissus flowers came |
| C．To tell the true meaning of beauty and ugliness |
| D．To tell people not affect others’ love |
Most employers say that they wish to employ the right person for the right job. A recent report by Britain’s Independent Institute of Manpower Studies, however, disagrees with this. The report states that most employers wish to avoid employing the wrong person. Rather than looking for the right person, they are looking for applicants to turn down.
The report also suggests that in Britain and in many other parts of the world the selection methods used to pick out the right person for the job certainly do not match up to those used to judge a piece of new equipment. Employers used three main selection methods: interviewing, checking resume or application forms and examining references. Most of the employers asked in this survey stated that these selection methods were used more for weeding out unsuitable applicants rather than for finding suitable ones.
Interviews were considered to be more reliable than either resume checks or references from past employers. Research, however, proves otherwise. Interviewers’ decisions are often strongly influenced by their earlier judgment of the written application. Also different employers view facts differently. One may consider applicants who have frequently changed jobs as people with broad and useful experience. Another will see such applicants as unreliable and unlikely to stay for long in the new job.
Some employers place great importance on academic qualifications whereas the link between this and success in management is not necessarily strong. Some employers use handwriting as a standard. The report states that there is little evidence to support the value of the letter for judging working ability. References, also, are sometimes unreliable as they are not very important while checks on credit and security records and applicants’ political opinions are often the opposite.
The report is more favorable towards trainability tests and those which test personality and personal and mental skills. The report concludes by suggesting that interviewing could become more reliable if the questions were arranged in a careful, organized system and focused on the needs of the employing organization.According to the passage, when most employers want to hire workers,.
| A．they will try to find suitable people |
| B．they will look for the right applicants |
| C．the wrong applicants are to be turned down |
| D．to turn down the wrong people is what they say they aim to do |
It is implied that .
| A．to evaluate a right person is more difficult than to evaluate equipment |
| B．employers are more successful in selecting the right equipment than the right persons |
| C．criteria will be set up according to the real situation of the applicants |
| D．resumes means application forms |
Most of the recruiters (招聘人员).
| A．consult the applicants |
| B．can find suitable people |
| C．prefer resumes or references |
| D．use different ways to sort out the unsuitable applicants |
Which of the following is TRUE?
| A．Employers get different conclusions from the facts. |
| B．Changing jobs frequently will reduce the chance to be recruited. |
| C．Academic qualifications will guarantee the applicant managing ability. |
| D．Handwriting is a valid way to evaluate an applicant. |
It can be inferred from the passage that successful employees will be those who.
| A．have outstanding references |
| B．are strong in emotional quotient |
| C．take interviewing seriously |
| D．have strong political leanings |
People aren’t walking any more---if they can figure out a way to avoid it.
I felt superior about this matter until the other day I took my car to mail a small parcel. The journey is a matter of 281 steps. But I used the car. And I wasn’t in any hurry, either. I had merely become one more victim of a national sickness: motorosis.
It is an illness to which I had thought myself immune, for I was bred in the tradition of going to places on my own two legs. At that time, we regarded 25 miles as good day’s walk and the ability to cover such a distance in ten hours as sign of strength and skill. It did not occur to us that walking was a hardship. And the effect was lasting. When I was 45 years old I raced –and beat—a teenage football player the 168 steps up the Stature of Liberty.
Such enterprises today are regarded by many middle-aged persons as bad for the heart. But a well-known British physician, Sir Adolphe Abrahams, pointed out recently that hearts and bodies need proper exercise. A person who avoids exercise is more likely to have illnesses than one who exercises regularly. And walking is an ideal form of exercise--- the most familiar and natural of all.
It was Henry Thoreau who showed mankind the richness of going on foot. The man walking can learn the trees, flower, insects, birds and animals, the significance of seasons, the very feel of himself as a living creature in a living world. He cannot learn in a car.
The car is a convenient means of transport, but we have made it our way of life. Many people don’t dare to approach nature any more; to them the world they were born to enjoy is all threat. To them security is a steel river thundering on a concrete road. And much of their thinking takes place while waiting for the traffic light to turn green.
I say that the green of forests is the mind’s best light. And none but the man on foot can evaluate what is basic and everlasting.What is the national sickness?
| A．Walking too much |
| B．Traveling too much |
| C．Driving cars too much |
| D．Climbing stairs too much. |
What was life like when the author was young?
| A．People usually went around on foot. |
| B．people often walked 25 miles a day. |
| C．People used to climb the Statue of Liberty. |
| D．people considered a ten-hour walk as a hardship. |
The author mentions Henry Thoreau to prove that________.
| A．middle-aged people like getting back to nature |
| B．walking in nature helps enrich one’s mind |
| C．people need regular exercise to keep fit |
| D．going on foot prevents heart disease |
What is compared to “a steel river” in Paragraph 6?
| A．A queue of cars | B．A ray of traffic light |
| C．A flash of lightning | D．A stream of people |
What is the author’s intention of writing this passage?
| A．To tell people to reflect more on life. |
| B．To recommend people to give up driving |
| C．To advise people to do outdoor activities |
| D．To encourage people to return to walking |
So the little girl now walked on, her bare feet quite red and blue with the cold. She carried a small bundle of matches in her hand, and a good many more in her tattered dress. No one had bought any of them the live long day； no one had given her a single penny. Trembling with cold and hunger crept she on, the picture of sorrow: poor little child!
The snow-flakes fell on her long, fair hair, which curled in such pretty ringlets over her shoulders; but she thought not of her own beauty, or of the cold. Lights were glimmering through every window, and the savor of roast goose reached her from several houses；it was New Year's eve, and it was of this that she thought.
In a corner formed by two houses, one of which projected beyond the other. She sat down, drawing her little feet close under her, but in vain, she could not warm them. She dared not go home, she had sold no matches, earned not a single penny, and perhaps her father would beat her，besides her home was almost as cold as the street，it was an attic; and although the larger of the many chinks in the roof were stopped up with straw and rags. The wind and snow often penetrated through. Her hands were nearly dead with cold; one little match from her bundle would warm them. Perhaps, if she dared light it, she drew one out, and struck it against the wall, bravo! It was a bright, warm flame, and she held her hands over it. It was quite an illumination for that poor little girl; no, I call it rather a magic taper, for it seemed to her as though she was sitting before a large iron-stove with brass ornaments, so beautifully blazed the fire within! The child stretched out her feet to warm them also; alas, in an instant the flame had died away, the stove disappeared, the little girl sat cold and comfortless, with the burnt match in her hand. The author emphasized that the story happened on New Year’s Eve in order to _________.
| A．highlight the cold weather |
| B．contrast with the girl’s sadness. |
| C．present the time |
| D．describe the situation |
Which below is not the reason why the little girl dared not go home?
| A．She earned not a single penny. |
| B．Her father would beat her. |
| C．Her home was almost as cold as the street. |
| D．She didn’t finished selling her matches. |
The underlined sentence in the last paragraph told us ___________.
| A．the girl was so cold that she formed an illusion that she sat beside a stove |
| B．a stove did give her some warmth on such a cold night |
| C．the thought she had could give her warmth |
| D．the light the match gave out did warm the little girl |
The little girl gave us an impression of being __________.
| A．beautiful and kind | B．poor but imaginable |
| C．poor and pitiful | D．poor but lively |
You may have heard the term “the American Dream”. In 1848, James W. Marshall found gold in California and people began having golden dreams. That 19th century “American Dream" motivated(激发) the Gold Rush and gave California its nickname of the "Golden State".
The American Dream drove not only 1800s gold-rush prospectors(采矿者) but also waves of immigrants throughout that century and the next. People from Europe, and a large number of Chinese, arrived in the US in the 19th century hoping that in America they would find gold there. But most, instead, worked as railroad laborers. They created the oldest Chinatown, in San Francisco, and gave the city a Chinese name "the old gold hill".
In the 20th century, some critics said that it was no longer possible to become prosperous through determination and hard work. Unfair education for students from poor families and racial discrimination almost made the American Dream a nightmare(噩梦).
Then, in the 1990s, California saw a new wave of dreamers in Silicon Valley. People poured their energy into the Internet. This new chapter of the American Dream attracted many business people and young talents from China and India to form start-ups and seek fortune in America.
Better pay, a nice house, and a rising standard of living will always be attractive. However, the new American Dream is no longer just about money. It encourages Americans to consume wisely to protect the environment, improve the quality of life, and promote social justice（正义）.
The Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger has become the model of the new American Dream. After
years of hard work, he grew from a poor young man from Austria into a super movie star and then a governor.
Many people hope his story can save the American Dream and give California a brighter future.It can be inferred that_________.
| A．America’s golden dream could never be realized |
| B．America’s golden dream had bought great fortune to Chinese immigrants |
| C．different times have different themes of the American dream |
| D．determination and hard work are the best way to realize the American dream |
Why did most of the early immigrants work as railroad laborers?
| A．Because they could earn more money as railroad laborers. |
| B．Because they had to make a living by working as railroad laborers． |
| C．Because they thought railroad was the first step to find gold. |
| D．Because railroad laborers were greatly honored at that time. |
The underlined sentence “his story can save the American Dream” (in the last paragraph) indicates that________．
| A．the dream of seeking fortunate in America is easy to realize |
| B．most of the immigrants to America don’t reach their previous goals |
| C．the success of Arnold Schwarzenegger is among the common examples of the immigrants |
| D．the immigrants have made great contributions to California |
What’s the best title of the passage?
| A．Wave of Immigrants to America |
| B．Make Fortunes Abroad |
| C．Hard Work Leads to Success |
| D．Changes of America’s Golden Dream |
Once we got home, there was barely time to enjoy our presents. We had to go off to our grandparents' house for our annual Christmas dinner. As we drove down the highway through town, I noticed that the family was there, standing outside the closed gas station.
My father was driving very slowly down the highway. The closer we got to the turnoff for my grandparents' house, the slower the car went. Suddenly, my father U-turned in the middle of the road and said, "I can't stand it!"
"What?" asked my mother.
"It's those people back there at the gas station, standing in the rain. They've got children. It's Christmas. "
When my father pulled into the service station, I saw that there were five of them: the parents and three children- two girls and a small boy.
My father rolled down his window. "Merry Christmas," he said.
"Howdy," the man replied.
"You’re waiting on the bus?" my father asked.
The man said that they were.
"Well, that bus isn't going to come along for several hours, and you're getting wet standing here. Winborn's just a couple miles up the road. They've got a shed with a cover there, and some benches," my father said. "Why don't y'all get in the car and I'll run you up there."
The man thought about it for a moment, and then he beckoned to his family. They climbed into the car. They had no luggage, only the clothes they were wearing.
Once they settled in, my father looked back over his shoulder and asked the children if Santa had found them yet. Three glum faces mutely gave him his answer.
"Well, I didn't think so," my father said, winking at my mother, "because when I saw Santa this morning, he told me that he was having trouble finding all, and he asked me if he could leave your toys at my house. We'll just go get them before I take you to the bus stop."
All at once, the three children's faces lit up, and they began to bounce around in the back seat, laughing and chattering.
When we got out of the car at our house, the three children ran through the front door and straight to the toys that were spread out under our Christmas tree. That was the Christmas when my sisters and I learned the joy of making others happy.
When they left, my father reached into his pocket and pulled out two dollars, which was all he had left. He pressed the money into the man's hand. The man tried to give it back, but my father insisted. “Take it. I've been broke before, and I know what it's like when you can't feed your family." We left them there at the bus stop in Winborn. As we drove away, I watched out the window as long as I could, looking back at the little girl hugging her new doll.For the majority, what the story impresses most on us is __________.
| A．father’s kind offer to the family in the rain |
| B．mother’s generosity to give all our Christmas presents away |
| C．that my sister and I had no alternative as to my parents’ decision |
| D．that the family who got help seemed to be indifferent |
The writer didn’t get the Christmas presents, but he/she was happy. The reason was_________.
| A．his/her parents taught his/her a good lesson |
| B．they learned the joy of making others happy |
| C．they would get another presents somewhere else |
| D．they were likely to get more presents from others |
We can draw a conclusion from the story that _________.
| A．only you help others heart and soul can you feel more happy |
| B．God helps those who help themselves |
| C．Present rose to others with fragrance lingering at hand. |
| D．Happiness takes no account of time |
After reading the story, you will have the feeling of _________.
| A．great happiness | B．light sadness |
| C．little sorrow | D．some warmth |