A punctual person is in the habit of doing a thing at the proper time and is never late in keeping an appointment.
The unpunctual man, on one hand, never does what he has to do at the proper time. He is always in a hurry and in the end loses both time and his good name. A lost thing may be found again, but lost time can never be regained. Time is more valuable than material things. In fact, time is life itself. The unpunctual man is for ever wasting and mismanaging his most valuable asset (财产) as well as other’s. The unpunctual person is always complaining that he finds no time to answer letters, or return calls or keep appointments promptly. But the man who really has a great deal to do is very careful of his time and seldom complains of want of it. He knows that he can not get through his huge amount of work unless he faithfully keeps every piece of work when it has to be attended to.
Failure to be punctual in keeping one’s appointments is the sign of disrespect towards others. If a person is invited to dinner and arrives later than the appointed time, he keeps all the other guests waiting for him. Usually this will be regarded as a great disrespect to the host and all other guests present.
Unpunctuality, moreover, is very harmful when it comes to do one’s duty, whether public or private. Imagine how it would be if those who are put in charge of important tasks failed to be at their proper place at the appointed time. A man who is known to be habitually unpunctual is never trusted by his friends or fellow men. What does the author think is the main difference between a punctual person and an unpunctual person?
| A．A punctual person does everything ahead of time while an unpunctual person does everything behind schedule. |
| B．A punctual person does everything at the right time while an unpunctual person seldom does anything at the correct time. |
| C．A punctual person has a lot of appointments while an unpunctual person has few appointments. |
| D．A punctual person has much time to do everything while an unpunctual person has little time to do anything. |
According to the passage, the main reason that a person is always unpunctual is that _______.
| A．he has more work to do than other people |
| B．he is always in a hurry when he works |
| C．he doesn’t care much about time |
| D．he always mismanages and wastes his time |
According to the third paragraph, when you are invited to dinner, you should arrive there _______.
| A．after other guests have arrived |
| B．before all other guests |
| C．at the appointed time |
| D．after the host has got things ready |
Which of the following statements best describes the harm of unpunctuality?
| A．If you are an unpunctual person, you cannot be in charge of any important task. |
| B．If your friends know that you are unpunctual, they may not see you again. |
| C．Unpunctuality may bring about heavy losses for both public and private affairs. |
| D．Unpunctuality may make you miss a lot of appointments and lose friends. |
Pollution is reducing the fragrance（芬芳） of plants and thus preventing bees from pollinating(授粉) them—endangering one of the most essential cycles of nature, a new study suggests.
The potentially hugely significant research, funded by US National Science Foundation, has found that gases mainly formed from the emissions（排放） of cars prevent flowers from attracting bees and other insects to pollinate them. And the scientists who have conducted the study fear that insects’ abilities to drive away enemies and attract mates may also be disturbed.
Professor Jose Fuentes, who led the study, said, “Scent molecules(香味分子) produced by flowers in a less polluted environment could travel for roughly 1,000 to 1,200 meters. But today they may travel only 200 to 300 meters. This makes it increasingly difficult for bees and other insects to locate the flowers.”
The researchers, who worked on the molecules of snapdragons(金鱼草),found that the molecules are volatile(易挥发的) and quickly bond with pollutants, mainly formed from vehicle(车辆)emissions. This chemically changes the molecules so that they no longer smell like flowers. A harmful cycle is therefore set up where insects struggle to get enough food and the plants do not get pollinated enough to multiply.
Already bees, which pollinate most of the world’s crops, are in such a great decline that has never been known before in Britain and across much of the globe. At least a quarter of America’s 2.5 million honey bee colonies have been mysteriously wiped out by colony collapse disorder(CCD),where hives are found suddenly deserted.
The crisis(危机) has now spread to Europe. Politicians insist that CCD has not yet been found in Britain, but considering the present number of bees, the agriculture minister Lord Rooker has sent the warning, “The honey bee population could be wiped out in 10 years.”
Although the researchers are not certain whether this is the real cause of CCD, they say that pollution is making life more difficult for bees and other insects in many ways. In what way does pollution prevent flowers from attracting bees?
| A．By shortening the distance traveled by the scent molecules of flowers. |
| B．By disturbing the bees’ ability to attract mates. |
| C．By weakening the bees’ ability to fight against enemies. |
| D．By stopping flowers from giving off fragrance. |
From the passage we can know that.
| A．Europe is affected greatly by CCD |
| B．CCD has destroyed most of the honey bee colonies in Europe |
| C．no honey bees will be found all over the world in the near future |
| D．European officials have paid much attention to CCD |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Traffic Pollution Puts Bees in Danger |
| B．Traffic Pollution is to Blame for CCD |
| C．Pollution Makes Flowers Lose Their Scent |
| D．Pollution Causes the Decrease in Flowers |
Imagine landing in a foreign country where you cannot speak the language, understand the culture and don’t know anybody. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a friend who could help you out?
John Smith, an English explorer who landed in America in 1607, found the best friend ever. She was a Native American named Pocahontas (1595-1617). And she did more than teach Smith the language: she saved his life, twice.
Smith was captured(捕捉) by members of Pocahontas’s tribe(部落) and was going to be killed. But for some reason, the Chief’s daughter, Pocahontas, felt sorry for Smith (who was probably the first white man she had ever seen) and threw her body over his to protect him. Smith returned safely to the small village he was living in. During the winter the English settlers did not know how to get food from nature. Pocahontas often brought food for Smith and his friends.
A year later Pocahontas’s father tried to kill Smith again because the Native Americans were very scared the English would try to take over their land. Pocahontas warned him and he was able to escape. Later she became a Christian and eventually married an Englishman named John Rolfe. She spent the last year of her life in London. Pocahontas has become an American legend. Her life story has been re-created in many books and films, including Disney’s 1995 film, Pocahontas.
One of the reasons she is so popular is that many Europeans look at Pocahontas as an excellent example of how a minority can adjust into the majority. Pocahontas is also respected because of her selfless love. She proved that people can be kind and loving even to people of a different race or culture. John Smith was very different from Pocahontas but she could see he was a good man and that was all that mattered. No race or country owns goodness, love and loyalty. What difficulties might early European settlers meet in America EXCEPT ___________?
| A．the fierce conflict with Native Americans |
| B．lack of food in winter |
| C．bad-tempered natives who enjoyed killing |
| D．unfamiliarity with a foreign land |
Pocahontas saved John Smith twice because ___________.
| A．she believed in general kindness even to people of a different race |
| B．she wanted to become a Christian and marry an English |
| C．he was the first white man she had ever seen in her life |
| D．she was on the settlers’ side and against her cruel father |
Which is Not an element to make Pocahontas a legend?
| A．Her tribal background and her marriage to a white settler. |
| B．The recreation of her life story in the 1995 Disney film. |
| C．Her complicated life story different from common people’s |
| D．Her selfless help to people regarded as enemy of her tribe. |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．People from different cultures can never really get along well with each other. |
| B．The Europeans think the early settlers should have learned to adjust to the local cultures. |
| C．The creation of America is based on the settlers’ victory over the Native Americans. |
| D．The battles between early settlers and Native Americans resulted from their fighting for land. |
Have you ever picked a job based on the fact that you were good at it but later found it made you feel very uncomfortable over time? When you select your career, there's a whole lot more to it than assessing(评定) your skills and matching them with a particular position．If you ignore your personality, it will hurt you long-term regardless of your skills or the job's pay．There are several areas of your personality that you need to consider to help you find a good job．Here are a few of those main areas;
1） Do you prefer working alone or with other people?
There are isolating（使孤立）jobs that will drive an outgoing person crazy and also interactive jobs that will make a shy person uneasy．Most people are not extremes in either direction but do have a tendency that they prefer．There are also positions that are sometimes a combination of the two, which may be best for someone in the middle who adapts easily to either situation．
2） How do you handle change?
Most jobs these days have some elements of change to them, but some are more than others．If you need to be stable in your life, you may need a job where the changes don't happen so often．Other people would be bored of the same daily routine．
3） Do you enjoy working with computers？
I do see this as a kind of personality characteristic．There are people who are happy to spend more than 40 hours a week on a computer, while there are others who need a lot of human interaction throughout the day．Again, these are extremes and you'll likely find a lot of positions somewhere in the middle as well．
4） What type of work environment do you enjoy？
This can range from being in a large building with a lot of people you won't know immediately to a smaller setting where you'll get to know almost all the people there fairly quickly．
5） How do you like to get paid?
Some people are motivated by the pay they get, while others feel too stressed to be like that．The variety of payment designs in the sales industry is a typical example for this．
Anyway, these are a great starting point for you．I've seen it over and over again with people that they make more money over time when they do something they love．It may take you a little longer, but making a move to do what you have a passion for it can change the course of your life for the better．What is unnecessary in your job hunting?
| A．Assessing your skills |
| B．Going to different areas |
| C．Matching your skills with a position |
| D．Taking your personality into consideration |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Isolating jobs usually drive people mad． |
| B．Interactive jobs make people shy easily． |
| C．Extreme people tend to work with others． |
| D．Almost everyone has a tendency in jobs． |
The underlined word in the passage means ________.
| A．not likely to move or change |
| B．calm, reasonable and not easy to upset |
| C．being in the same chemical state |
| D．a group of people working for the same company |
What is the best title for this passage?
| A．Lifestyles and Job Pay | B．Jobs and Environment |
| C．Job Skills and Abilities | D．Personalities and Jobs |
In elementary school, Guadalupe Quintanilla was often referred to as a “slow learner” by her teachers. But she really wasn’t slow at all. She just didn’t understand the language used in the classroom. Her problem was that she didn’t speak English. So she left school after the fourth grade.
When Guadalupe grew up, married, and had children of her own, she knew that her children were clever. But some of their teachers didn’t think so. The children were having trouble in school because they didn’t speak English. Mrs Quintanilla was angry. She didn’t want people to think that her children were slow learners. So she decided to learn English herself as a way of helping them. She practiced English. She looked up words in the dictionary. She asked the school headmaster to let her sit in on classes. It wasn’t easy, but she passed all her exams. She said that many of the other students helped her.
Mrs Quintanilla has helped her children with their lessons. Her two sons have won success. One is a teacher, and the other is a doctor. Her youngest child, a daughter, is studying in a university. Guadalupe was called as low learner .
| A．to make her study harder | B．because she wasn’t clever |
| C．because she stayed at home | D．because she didn’t speak English |
According to the story, children who don’t speak English .
| A．may have more trouble in school | B．have trouble playing football |
| C．often write a diary | D．grow up to be teachers |
Which happened first?
| A．Guadalupe passed all her exams. |
| B．Guadalupe left school after the fourth grade. |
| C．Guadalupe had three children. |
| D．Her two sons won success. |
The story is mainly about .
| A．learning to sing and dance | B．the problem of slow learning |
| C．going to a university | D．Mrs Quintanilla’s success |
Death Valley is a land of beautiful yet dangerous extremes. Death Valley can be dangerously cold during the winter months. Storms in the mountains can produce sudden flooding on the floor of the Valley.
The air temperature during the summer has been as high as fifty- seven degrees Celsius. The sun can heat the ground so that the temperature of the rocks and soil can be as high as seventy -four degrees Celsius.
Death Valley contains evidence of several ancient volcanoes that caused huge explosions. Evidence of one of these explosions is called Ubehebe Crater. The explosion left a huge hole in the ground almost a kilometer and a half wide. In many areas of Death Valley it is easy to see where the ground has been pushed up violently by movement deep in the Earth. This movement has created unusual and beautiful rock formations. Some are red. Others are dark brown, gray, yellow or black.
The area was named by a woman in 1849. Thousands of people from other parts of the ountry traveled to the gold mining areas in California. They were in a hurry to get there before other people did. One group trying to reach California decided to take a path called the Old Spanish Trail. By December they had reached Death Valley. They did not have to survive the terrible heat of summer, but there was still an extreme lack of water. There were few plants for their work animals to eat.
The people could not find a pass through the tall mountains to the west of the Valley, Slowly, they began co suffer from a lack of food. To survive, they killed their work animals for food and began to walk out of the Valley. As they left, one woman looked back and said, "Good -bye, death valley. ” The name has never been changed.
Almost everyone who visits Death Valley visits a huge house called Scotty' s Castle. The building design is Spanish, with high thick walls to provide protection from the fierce heat.
The castle is named for Walter Scott , called Scotty. by his friends. He was a gold miner. He told everyone that he built the house with money he made from his gold mine. Many people believed him. But it was not really the truth. The first two paragraphs discuss Death Valley' s ________.
| A．geography | B．climate | C．location | D．size |
The volcanoes mentioned in the third paragraph proved ________.
| A．a valley that is formed by explosions | B．a place where volcanoes are still active |
| C．a good example of the violence of nature | D．a symbol of rock formations in history |
The woman who named Death Valley intended to ________.
| A．explore the mystery of the valley | B．find an area with plants for animals |
| C．experience the terrible heat of summer | D．look for gold in California |
If the passage continues, it will be about ________.
| A．the truth about Scotty's Castle | B．why Spanish built the castle |
| C．when the castle was built | D．where the castle lies in |
The main idea of the passage is about ________.
| A．the interesting place in Death Valley | B．the facts about Death Valley |
| C．the origin of Death Valley | D．the route to visit Death Valley |