A child who has once been pleased with a tale likes, as a rule, to have it retold in almost the same words, but this should not lead parents to treat printed fairy stories as formal texts. It is always much better to tell a story than read it out of a book, and, if a parent can produce what, in the actual situation of the time and the child, is an improvement on the printed text, so much the better.
A charge made against fairy tales is that they harm the child by frightening him or making him sad thinking. To prove the latter, one would have to show in a controlled experiment that children who have read fairy stories were more often sorry for cruelty than those who had not. As to fears, there are, I think, some cases of children being dangerously terrified by some fairy story. Often, however, this arises(出现) from the child having heard the story once. Familiarity with the story by repetition turns the pain of fear into the pleasure of a fear faced and mastered.
There are also people who object to fairy stories on the grounds that they are not objectively true, that giants, witches, two-headed dragons, magic carpets, etc. do not exist; and that, instead of being fond of the strange side in fairy tales, the child should be taught to learn the reality by studying history. I find such people, I must say so peculiar(奇怪的) that I do not know how to argue with them. If their case were sound, the world should be full of mad men attempting to fly from New York to Philadelphia on a stick or covering a telephone with kisses in the belief that it was their beloved girl-friend.
No fairy story ever declared to be a description of the real world and no clever child has ever believed that it was. The author considers that a fairy story is more effective when it is _______.
| A．repeated without any change | B．treated as a joke |
| C．made some changes by the parent | D．set in the present |
According to the passage, great fear can take place in a child when the story is _______.
| A．in a realistic setting | B．heard for the first time |
| C．repeated too often | D．told in a different way |
The advantage claimed(提出) for repeating fairy stories to young children is that it _______.
| A．makes them less fearful |
| B．develops their power of memory |
| C．makes them believe there is nothing to be afraid of |
| D．encourages them not to have strange beliefs |
The author’s mention of sticks and telephones is meant to suggest that _______.
| A．fairy stories are still being made up |
| B．there is some misunderstanding about fairy tales |
| C．people try to modernize old fairy stories |
| D．there is more concern for children's fears nowadays |
One of the reasons why some people are not in favor of fairy tales is that _______.
| A．they are full of imagination |
| B．they just make up the stories which are far from the truth |
| C．they are not interesting |
| D．they make teachers of history difficult to teach |
The UK has a well-respected higher education system and some of the top universities and research institutions in the world．But to those who are new to it all, sometimes it can be confusing．
October is usually the busiest month in the college calendar．Universities have something called Freshers' Week for their newcomers．It's a great opportunity to make new friends, join lots of clubs and settle into university life．
However, having just left the comfort of home and all your friends behind, the outlook of meeting lots of strangers in big halls can be nerve-wracking （令人头痛的）．Where do you start? Who should you make friends with? Which clubs should you join?
Luckily, there will be thousands of others in the same boat as you worrying about starting their university social life on the right foot．So just take it all in slowly．Don't rush into anything that you'll regret for the next three years．
Here are some top advice from past students on how to survive Freshers' Week:
·Learn rules．Make sure you know British social manners．Have a few wine glasses and snacks handy for your housemates and friends．
·Be kind．Sometimes cups of tea or even slices of toast can give you a head start in making friends．
·Be sociable．The more active you are, the more likely you'll be to meet new people than if you're someone who never leaves their room．
·Bring a doorstop．Keep your door open when you're in and that sends positive messages to your neighbors that you're friendly．
So with a bit of clever planning and effort, Frsshers' Week can give you a great start to your university life and soon you'll be passing on your experience to next year's new recruits． Which of the following statements is FALSE according to the passage?
| A．October is generally the busiest month for universities. |
| B．It's a good idea to put a doorstop in your door. |
| C．A bit of planning can make Freshers' Week easier. |
| D．The first week of your every year at university is called Freshers'Week. |
The underlined word "recruits．" in the last paragraph refers to____．
| A．courses |
| B．freshers |
| C．neighbors |
| D．challenges |
We can infer from the 4th paragraph that ______.
| A．the newcomers usually miss the days living at home |
| B．most of the students in the UK spend three years in universities |
| C．many freshers are worried about how to fit university life |
| D．all the new students will make new friends and join certain clubs |
Why does the author suggest having wine glasses and snacks handy?
| A．To pass the busy university life. |
| B．To help make friends with other freshers. |
| C．To show yourself a drinker as others. |
| D．To pass the time in a happy way. |
The main purpose of writing this passage is to ______.
| A．tell the newcomers how to make a new start in universities |
| B．introduce something about higher education system of the UK |
| C．discuss something about the Freshers' Week in the UK |
| D．advise the freshmen how to behave well in the beginning |
The Harrington School is an old one-room schoolhouse in Georgia. The building has not been used in years. Community leaders and even the local historical society thought it wasn’t worth saving. “Just look at it and you could tell it was going to fall any minute, so let’s tear it down, ” they said.
The Harrington School was built in nineteen twenty-five for black children on St. Simons Island. Amy Roberts well remembers she attended first grade there in nineteen fifty-three. That was a year before the United States Supreme Court ruled that schools had to be racially integrated. A number of states kept blacks from attending school with whites. After the ruling, the children joined white students at St. Simons' other elementary school.
The old schoolhouse continued to be used for social activities and a day care center. By 1970, however, it was empty. Amy Roberts worried that developers might tear it down. So she started the African-American Heritage Coalition to try to save it.
“If it's not saved, then eventually you would not know that we existed here on St. Simons. Everything of African-American heritage has been torn down，” she said.
In 2009 the Harrington School was weeks away from destruction. Then a local historian named Patty Deveau took a closer look. She remembered a movement called the Rosenwald Fund.Georgia historian Jeanne Cyriaque explains, “At the very core of that movement was the involvement of the community, sympathetic whites and philanthropy, merging together to do what today we'd call partnerships.”
Julius Rosenwald was a businessman. In 1915 he donated money to black communities to build their own schools. By the late 20s, the Rosenwald Fund had donated to more than 5,000 educational buildings in 15 states across the South. One-third of rural black children were attending a Rosenwald school.
“This particular school kind of embodies to me what was going on with the communities at the time, because in many African-American communities, it was African-American families that gave land for these schools to be built.” Jeanne Cyriaque said.
Now, preservation architects are developing plans to restore the Harrington School. Amy Roberts and others were surprised by what the experts found about the structure. “They went through it and they talked about how sound it was and how, you know, I mean, they'd never seen anything like this. I mean, it was, like, in great shape!”
What do you learn about the Harrington School?
It only has one room and is going to fall down.
It was built in 1925 and is poor condition now.
It has not been used since 1954.
Though it was built over 85 years ago, it is still in good condition.According to the second paragraph, we learn that _______.
| A．the Harrington School was ruled by the United States Supreme Court |
| B．the Harrington School used to be a white school mixed with blacks |
| C．black children went to separate school before the ruling |
| D．the Harrington School was forbidden to be used for racial reasons |
The meaning of the underlined word “integrated” is similar to _______.
| A．mixed |
| B．completed |
| C．seperated |
| D．destroyed |
Amy Roberts is anything but _______.
| A．a black woman |
| B．an African-American |
| C．a clerk who used to work in the African-American Heritage Coalition |
| D．a woman in her sixties |
Which of the following titles do you think would attract the readers most?
| A．A school with a Long History |
| B．Saving a School, and Its History |
| C．Saving the African-American Heritage |
| D．The Harrington School, an African-American Heritage |
WASHINGTON——Chinese Vice-President XiJinping arrived at Andrews Air Force Base in Washington，February 13，2012．Vice-President XiJinping said he would explore important problems in an active and practical manner with his America hosts on Monday during his five-day official trip here after arriving at Andrews Air Force Base in the afternoon．
In a written statement given upon his arrival，Xi said as the international situation experiences complex and complete changes，China and the United States have more extensive common interests and shoulder more important common responsibilities on the present world stage.
The purpose of the current visit is to “carry out the important consensus reached by President Hu with President Obama during his visit to the United States in January last year and to advance the building of the China—US cooperative partnership based onmutual respect and mutual benefit,” said Xi.
According to Xi，bilateral(双边的)relations have moved forward in spite of some twists and turns during the past several decades.
“This has brought enormous benefits to our two countries and two peoples，and has had a positive，farreaching impact on peace，stability and the prosperity of the AsiaPacific region and the world at large.”
Xi said that “whether we can seize opportunities，tackle challenges and build a cooperative partnership at the new historical starting point matters to the future of our two countries and the world as a whole.”
Xi said he looks forward to engaging in extensive dialogue and exchanges with Americans from various sectors to enhance cooperation and strengthen friendship.
Xi is scheduled to meet US senior government officials，including Henry Kissinger，Brent Scowcroft，Zbigniew Brzezinski，Madeleine Albright and Henry Paulson this evening to listen to their advice on ChinaUS ties. Meetings between Xi and US VicePresident Biden and President Obama are scheduled on Tuesday.The passage mainly tells us ______.
| A．Xi's fiveday official trip |
| B．ChinaUS cooperative partnership |
| C．Xi is set to discuss important bilateral problems |
| D．China and the US have more common interests |
It can be inferred from the second paragraph that ______.
| A．the current world stage remains peaceful |
| B．China and US should build the cooperative partnership |
| C．Xi himself wrote a statement about his arrival |
| D．China and the US have the equal rights |
The underlined word “consensus” in Paragraph 3 means ______.
| A．agreement |
| B．opinion |
| C．partnership |
| D．benefit |
According to the passage，bilateral relations between China and US have experienced ______.
| A．enormous dialogues |
| B．extensive exchanges |
| C．many challenges |
| D．various hardships |
What is Xi's attitude towards the visit?
| A．Respectful. |
| B．Optimistic. |
| C．Approving. |
| D．Expectant. |
Life is difficult.
It is a great truth because once we truly understand and accept it, then life is no longer difficult.
Most people do not fully see this truth. Instead they complain(抱怨) about their problems and difficulties as if life should be easy. It seems to them that difficulties stand for a special kind of suffering especially forced on them or else on their families, their class, or even their nation.
What makes life difficult is that the process of facing and solving problems is a painful one. Problems, depending on their nature, cause sadness, or loneliness(孤独) or regret or anger or fear. These are uncomfortable feelings, often as painful as any kind of physical pain. And since life causes a lot of problems, life is always difficult and is full of pain as well as joy.
Yet, it is in this whole process of solving problems that life has its meaning. Problems are the serious test that tells us success from failure. When we want to encourage the growth of human spirit, we encourage the human ability to solve problems, just as in school we set problems for our children to solve. It is through the pain of meeting and working out problems that we learn. As Benjamin Franklin said, "Those things that hurt, instruct(指导)." It is for this reason that wise people learn not to fear but to welcome the pain of problems. From the passage, it can be inferred that_______.
| A．everybody has problems |
| B．we become stronger by facing and solving the problems of life |
| C．life is difficult because our problems bring us pain |
| D．people like to complain about their problems |
The writer probably used just one short sentence in the first paragraph to ___.
| A．save space |
| B．persuade readers |
| C．make readers laugh |
| D．get readers' attention |
The main idea of paragraph 3 is that _________.
| A．most people feel life is easy |
| B．the writer feel life is easy |
| C．the writer likes to complain about his problems |
| D．most people complain about how hard their lives are |
According to the passage, we give school children difficult problems to solve in order to ______.
| A．encourage them to learn |
| B．teach them to fear the pain of solving the problems |
| C．help them learn to deal with pain |
| D．teach them how to respect problems |
The saying from Benjamin Franklin "Those things that hurt, instruct" suggests that ______.
| A．we do not learn from experience |
| B．we do not learn when we are in pain |
| C．pain teaches us important lessons |
| D．pain cannot be avoided |
As civilization proceeds in the direction of technology, it passes the point of supplying all the basic essentials of life-food, shelter, clothes and warmth. Then we are faced with a choice between using technology to provide and fulfill needs which have now been regarded as unnecessary or, on the other hand, using technology to reduce the number of hours of work which a man must do in order to earn a given standard of living. In other words, we either raise our standard of living above that necessary for comfort and happiness or we leave it at this level and work shorter hours.
I shall take it for granted that mankind has, by that time, chosen the latter alternative. Men will be working shorter and shorter hours in their paid employment. It follows that the housewife will also expect to be able to have more leisure in her life without lowering her standard of living. It also follows that human domestic servants will have completely ceased to exist. Yet the great majority of the housewives will wish to be relieved completely from the routine operations of the home such as scrubbing the floors or the bath of the cooker, or washing the clothes or washing up, or dusting or sweeping, or making beds.
By far the most logical step to relieve the housewife of routine is to provide a robot which can be trained to the requirements of a particular home and can be programmed to carry out half a dozen or more standard operations, when switched by the housewife. As civilization develops in the direction of technology, ________.
| A．the basic essentials of life must be supplied |
| B．it is important to supply the basic essentials of life |
| C．it is no longer so important as it was in the past to supply all the basic essentials of life |
| D．it is not necessary to supply the basic essentials of life |
According to the author, we are faced with________.
| A．the choice of providing and fulfilling our needs |
| B．the choice of using technology |
| C．the choice of earning a standard of living |
| D．a choice between using technology to provide and fulfill needs to reduce the number of working hours |
What alternative will mankind have chosen in future?
| A．To leave our standard of living at this level and work shorter hours. |
| B．To raise our standard of living. |
| C．To fulfill needs which have been regarded as unnecessary. |
| D．To lower our standard of living and work shorter hours. |
Now most housewives wish to________.
| A．stop doing their housework |
| B．do more housework to improve their life |
| C．get rid of the heavy burden of their housework |
| D．do only simple and light housework |
It can be inferred that robots will be invented ______.
| A．to take the place of housewives |
| B．to help manage a family |
| C．to do the routine of housework instead of human |
| D．to provide the daily necessities for man |