A lot of us lose life’s tough battles by starting a frontal(正面的) attack—when a touch of humor might well enable us to win. Consider the case of a young friend of mine, who hit a traffic jam on his way to work shortly after receiving an ultimatum(最后通牒) about being late on the job. Although there was a good reason for Sam’s a being late—serious illness at home—he decided that this by-now-familiar excuse wouldn’t work any longer. His supervisor was probably already pacing up and down preparing a dismissal speech.
Yes, the boss was, Sam entered the office at 9:35. The place was as quiet as a locker room(更衣室); everyone was hard at work. Sam’s supervisor came up to him. Suddenly, Sam forced a grin and stretched out his hand. “How do you do!” he said. “I’m Sam Maynard. I’m applying for a job. Which, I understand, became available just 35 minutes ago. Does the early bird get the worm?”
The room exploded in laughter. The supervisor clamped off a smile and walked back to his office. Sam Maynard had saved his job—with the only tool that could win, a laugh.
Humor is a most effective, yet frequently neglected(忽略), means of handling the difficult situations in our lives. It can be used for patching up differences, apologizing, saying “no”, criticizing, getting the other fellow to do what you want without his losing face. For some jobs, it’s the only tool that can succeed. It is a way to discuss subjects so sensitive that serious dialog may start a quarrel. For example, many believe that comedians(喜剧演员) on television are doing more today for racial and religious tolerance(忍受力) than people in any other forum.Why was Sam late for his job?
| A．Because he was ill. |
| B．Because he got up late. |
| C．Because he was caught in a traffic jam. |
| D．He was busy applying for a new job. |
The main idea of this passage is ________.
| A．Sam Maynard saved his job with humor |
| B．humor is important in our lives |
| C．early bird gets the worm |
| D．humor can solve racial discriminations |
The phrase “clamped off” in Paragraph 3 means ________.
| A．tried to hold back | B．tried to set | C．charged | D．gave out |
Which of the following statements can we infer from the passage?
| A．Many lose life’s battles for they are lacking in a sense of humor. |
| B．It wasn’t the first time that Sam came late for his work. |
| C．Sam was supposed to come to his office at 8:30. |
| D．Humor is the most effective way of solving problems. |
A month went by in this manner , but a month was all I could bear .
The memory of Marguerite accompanied me wherever I went . I had loved that woman --- still loved her --- too much for her suddenly to mean nothing to me . Whatever feelings I might have for her now , I had to see her again . At once .
…
I knew Marguerite . Meeting me so unexpectedly must have thrown her into a state of great confusion . Probably , she had heard of my departure which had set her mind at rest as to the consequences of our sudden parting . But , seeing me back and coming face to face with me , pale as I was , she had sensed that my return had a purpose , and must have wondered what was going to happen .
If , when I saw her again , Marguerite had been unhappy ; if , in taking my revenge （复仇）, there had also been some way of helping her , then I might well have forgiven her , and would certainly never have dreamed of doing her any harm . But when I saw her again , she was happy , at least on the surface . Another man had ensured her the luxury （奢侈）in which I had been unable to keep her . She brought shame both to my pride and my love ; she was going to have to pay for what I had suffered .
I could not remain indifferent （冷漠）to what she did now . It followed that the thing that would hurt her most would be exactly for me to show indifference . Indifference , therefore , was the feeling which I now needed to pretend , not only in her presence but in the eyes of others .
I tried to put a smile on my face , and I went to call on Prudence with whom Marguerite was staying .
Prudence saw me to the door , and I returned to my apartment with tears of anger in my eyes and thirst for revenge in my heart and thought only of finding a way to make the poor creature suffer .This passage is most probably _______________ of a love story .
| A．the beginning | B．the introduction | C．a summary | D．a chapter |
According to the passage , the hero（男主角）wanted to _____________ .
| A．forgive Marguerite because he found her unhappy |
| B．stop the relationship with Marguerite because he couldn’t keep her in the luxury |
| C．make up the relationship with Marguerite because he still loved her |
| D．give Marguerite sufferings because his pride and his love were hurt |
What kind of feelings did the hero most probably have ?
| A．Indifference and love . |
| B．Indifference and hate . |
| C．Love and hate . |
| D．Hate and sadness . |
What would the author most probably write about next ?
| A．Why he changed his mind suddenly . |
| B．How he made up his relationship with Marguerite . |
| C．How he made Marguerite suffer. |
| D．Why he wanted Marguerite to pay for what he had suffered . |
Not long ago, few little girls imagined they could grow up to become astronauts. For years in the United States, on1y men had that opportunity . In 1983, that changed. Sally Ride made history by becoming the first American woman to travel to space.
On Monday, Ride died at the age of 61, ‘‘Sally was a national hero and a powerful role model,”President Barack Obama said in a statement. “She inspired generations of young girls to reach for the stars.”
Ride became interested in space when she was a kid. “If you asked me when I was 12 whether I wanted to be an astronaut ,I’m sure I wou1d have said yes,” she said in a 2010 interview . “ But I didn’t even think about that as a possible career.”
After studying physics in college and graduate school, Ride got her chance. She was accepted into NASA’s astronaut training program in 1978, and then chosen to be the first American female in space. In 1983, she blasted into space aboard the Challenger shuttle.“There is no amusement park ride on the Earth that even comes so close,” she said.
Ride returned to space on the Challenger a second time in1984 . Between the two missions, she spent a total of 343 hours in orbit. After that, she remained involved with the space program and also worked to share her passion for science with kids. She co-authored six science books for children , and started her own science education company.
Ride knew that she he1d a unique place in history . “ I realized how important it was for a woman to break that barrier and open the door for other women to be able to do the same exciting things that the men had been doing,” she said.
Since Ride’s historic trip, more than 40 other American women have traveled to space. They all had Ride to thank for opening the door to the final frontier.Sally Ride was regarded as a national hero because she___________ .
| A．was the first American to travel to space |
| B．opened a door for women to find jobs suitable for them |
| C．became the first American female in space |
| D．was the first to travel on the Challenger |
By saying ‘‘There is no amusement park ride on the Earth that even comes so close”, Ride really meant____________ .
| A．she preferred a ride in an amusement park on the Earth |
| B．the trip to space was like that in an amusement park |
| C．she came close to an amusement park on the Earth |
| D．the trip to space was far more interesting than any ride on the Earth |
The correct order of the following events that happened to Sally Ride is_____________
a. accepted into an astronaut training program
b. spent a total of 343 hours in orbit
c. co-authored six science books for children
d. traveled to space aboard the Challenger
e. studied physics in co11ege and graduate school
| A．e-a-b-c-d | B．a-d-b-c-e | C．e-a-d-b-c | D．e-a-b-d-c |
The passage is most probably taken out of _________________ .
| A．a novel | B．a report | C．a diary | D．an essay |
Dickens & London Exhibition
Date: 9 December, 2011---10 June, 2012
Location: Museum of London
Celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Dickens in the first major UK exhibition for his Over 40 years.
By recreating the atmosphere of Victorian London through sound and projections. You’ll be taken on an unforgettable journe y to discover the city that inspired his writings.
Paintings, photograghs, costumes and objects will illustrate different themes that Dickens wrote into his works, while rarely seen manuscripts(手稿) including Bleak House and David Copperfield ---written
in the author’s own hand ---will offer clues to his creative genius.
During your visit you’ll discover how Dickens’ childhood experiences of London were introduced into the stories he wrote. The great social questions of the19th century will also be examined, all of which set the scene for Dickens’ greatest works.
Highlights of the exhibition will inc1ude an exciting audio-visual experience bringing to life the desk and chair where Dickens worked on his nove1s, and a special film shot by one of the UK’s leading documentary filmmakers.
Packages include afternoon entry (1:00 pm ---4:00 pm) to the exhibition plus overnight accommodation at a nearby hotel. If you wish to visit the exhibition the day after your hotel stay, p1ease call our reservation department. Call: 08712212717.
Book a trip online with us, with tickets to Dickens & London Exhibition ---afternoon entry and hotel accommodation included in the price. All taxes included. No credit card fees. No booking fees. No discount.
Price Information: a package costs an adult ￡180 and a child ￡90 ( 4---15 ) ; an afternoon entry costs an adult ￡28 and a child ￡14 ( 4---15 ).During the visit, visitors can ___________________
| A．read three Dickens’manuscripts, |
| B．experience a vivid picture of Victorian London |
| C．find the great social problems in London at present |
| D．sit at the desk where Dickens worked hard on his novels |
What do we know about Dickens in this passage?
| A．He used to be a filmmaker . |
| B．He lived a hard life in his childhood. |
| C．He wrote different themes into his works. |
| D．He wrote social violence into his books. |
If we book a trip online, we have the following benefits EXCEPT that ___________ .
| A．we can book it free of charge |
| B．we will pay none of the taxes |
| C．we will pay none of credit card fees |
| D．we will be given a discount |
How much should a couple with one child at 10 and another at 18 pay if they have a package ?
| A．￡360 | B．￡540 | C．￡630 | D．￡720 |
A quarter of US adults say they read no books at all in the past year, according to an Associated Press-Ipsos survey. The typical person said that he / she read four books in the last year and, excluding those who had not read any books at all, the usual number of books read was seven.
Of those who did read, women and pensioners (领养老金者) were the most eager readers, and religious works and popular fiction were the top choices. The number of books read was nine books for women and five for men. The number also showed that those with college degrees read the most, and people aged 50 and over read more than those who are younger.
People from the West and Midwest are more likely to have read at least one book in the past year. Southerners who do read tend to read more books — mostly religious books and romance novels — than people from other regions.
Those who said they never attend religious services read nearly twice as many books as those who attend frequently, but the Bible and religious works were read by two thirds of the people in the survey, more than all the other categories. Popular fiction, histories, biographies and mysteries took up about half, while one in five read romance novels. Politics, poetry and classical literature were named by fewer than 5% of readers. More women than men read every major category of books except for history and biography books. Men tend to prefer non-fiction.
Book sales in the US have been flat in recent years and are expected to stay that way, which, experts think, results from competition from the Internet and other media, and the unsteady economy.The passage mainly tells us ______.
| A．the number of Americans who read books last year dropped |
| B．the book sales in the US have been dropping in recent years |
| C．the reasons why one in four Americans read no books last year |
| D．about region differences in the number and kind of books read last year |
Which kind of Americans read the most last year according to the survey?
| A．Older men with college degrees from the South. |
| B．Older women with college degrees from the South. |
| C．Younger educated men from the Midwest. |
| D．Younger educated women from the West. |
What kind of books was read most according to the passage?
| A．Religious works. | B．Popular fiction. |
| C．Poetry. | D．History. |
Which of the following reasons why people read fewer books is true?
①. Competition from the Internet.
②. Competition from other media.
③. The unsteady economy.
④. People attend religious services
⑤. No time for reading.
| A．①②③ | B．②③⑤ | C．①③⑤ | D．②③④ |
One Monday morning, Paul and his classmates were in science laboratory for their practical chemistry lesson. The students were going to work in pairs to do an experiment. Before they began, the teacher gave them this description of the different stages of the experiment.
Stage 1: Prepare the equipment: a test tube, a crucible, a Bunsen burner and tongs.
Stage 2: Weigh 5 grams of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) and put it in a crucible.
Stage 3: Heat 10 ml of hydrochloric acid (盐酸) in a test tube.
Stage 4: Pour the warm acid onto the baking soda and continue to heat the mixture.
Result: The acid reacts with the bicarbonate（碳酸氢盐）to form water, carbon dioxide gas and salt. The hotter the mixture, the quicker the reaction. Continue to heat the mixture until the water evaporates, leaving the salt in the crucible.
Paul and his partner followed the instructions and set up their equipment. Paul went to the cupboard to get a bottle of hydrochloric acid. He found that there was only one bottle in the cupboard so he took that. There was no label on the bottle and Paul didn’t check with the teacher if it was the right solution.
He measured the liquid and poured it into a test tube. Using tongs to hold the test tube, he heated it over the Bunsen burner. That’s when things started to go wrong. The liquid in the test tube was not hydrochloric acid. When it was heated, it formed a thick cloud of white gas. Soon the room was full of this strong smelling white gas.
All the students started coughing and their eyes hurt. The teacher immediately opened the windows and ordered the students to leave the laboratory at once. She realized that the liquid was a crylamide (丙烯酰胺) and that it is poisonous.
Fortunately, nobody was injured in the incident. However, it taught the students and the teacher a good lesson.What lesson did the incident teach the students and the teacher?
| A．Never have a bottle without a label in the chemistry lab! |
| B．Obey your teacher’s instructions in the Chemistry lab. |
| C．A crylamide can’t take the place of hydrochloric acid. |
| D．Finding something unusual happened, you have to leave the laboratory at once. |
What substance were the students making in the experiment?
| A．Water | B．Carbon dioxide gas | C．Salt | D．Poisonous gas |
Why did Paul make the mistake?
| A．He went to the cupboard to get the bottle by himself. |
| B．He found that there was only one bottle in the cupboard so he took that. |
| C．There was no label on the bottle. |
| D．Paul didn’t check with the teacher that it was the right solution. |
Why did the teacher send the students out of the classroom?
| A．Becausethe room was full of this strong smelling white gas. |
| B．Because all the students started coughing and their eyes hurt. |
| C．Becausethe liquid was a crylamide and that it is poisonous. |
| D．Because someone was injured in the incident. |