Zoe Chambers was a successful PR (Public Relations) consultant and life was going well—she had a great job, a beautiful flat and a busy social life in London. Then one evening in June last year, she received a text message telling her she was out of work. The first two weeks were the most difficult to live through." she said. "After everything I'd done for the company, they dismissed me by text! I was so angry and I just didn't feel like looking for another job. I hated everything about the city and my life."
Then, Zoe received an invitation from an old school friend, Kathy, to come and stay. Kathy and her husband, Huw, had just bought a farm in north-west Wales. Zoe jumped at the chance to spend a weekend away from London, and now, ten months later, she is still on the farm.
"The moment I arrived at Kathy's farm, I loved it and I knew I wanted to stay." said Zoe. "Everything about my past life suddenly seemed meaningless."
Zoe has been working on the farm since October of last year and says she has no regrets. "It's a hard life, physically very tiring." she says. "In London 1 was stressed and often mentally exhausted. But this is a good, healthy tiredness. Here, all 1 need to put me in a good mood is a hot bath and one of Kathy's wonderful dinners."
Zoe says she has never felt bored on the farm. Every day brings a new experience. Kathy has been leaching her how to ride a horse and she has learnt to drive a tractor. Since Christmas, she has been helping with the lambing—watching a lamb being born is unbelievable, she says, "It's one of the most moving experiences I've ever had. I could never go back to city life now." （08上海卷）When working as a PR consultant in London, Zoe thought she lived a______life.
| A．satisfying | B．tough | C．meaningless | D．boring |
The most important reason why Zoe went to visit Kathy's farm is that______.
| A．Zoe lost her job as a PR consultant | |
| B．Kathy persuaded her to do so | |
| C．Zoe got tired of the city life | D．Zoe loved Wales more than London |
How docs Zoe feel about the country life according to the passage?
| A．Tiresome and troublesome. |
| B．Romantic and peaceful |
| C．Mentally exhausting but healthy |
| D．Physically tiring but rewarding. |
Which of the following is closest to the main idea of the passage?
| A．A friend in need is a friend indeed. |
| B．Where there is a will, there is a way. |
| C．A misfortune may turn out a blessing. |
| D．Kill two birds with one stone. |
Three years ago I listened to a lecture on cognition (认知) that changed the way I think about intelligence. There are two types of cognition. The first is normal cognition: the ability to regain knowledge from memory. The second type of cognition is metacognition: the ability to know whether or not you know.
Does this affect intelligence? In traditional education, intelligence is measured by cognitive ability. Some people can easily produce everything they know on a test. But others are awarded with poor grades and considered inferior. But does this inability make them any less intelligent? If the question came up on a task, they could refer to a book or a quick Google search. In reality they’re just as effective as the people that ace a test. They just can’t prove it as easily.
Metacognition is more important to success than cognition. A person with poor cognitive ability, but great metacognitive ability might do poorly in school, but when faced with a challenge, they understand their abilities and take the best course of action. For example, when faced with a question, a person with strong metacognitive
ability will deal with it like this. If he knows the answer, but can’t come up with it, he can always do a bit of research. If he knows for sure that he doesn’t know, then he can start educating himself. Because he’s aware of his ignorance, he doesn’t act with foolish confidence. These people might not seem intelligent at first glance, but because they know what they know, they make better decisions and learn the most important things.
However, people with great cognitive ability but poor metacognitive ability may be considered excellent at a young age for acing every test and getting great SAT scores. Unfortunately, they’ve been ruined by poor metacognition: they think they know everything but they really don’t. They are overconfident, fail to learn from mistakes, and don’t understand the slight differences of personal relationships, showing disregard for persons with lower cognitive ability. They may make the worst decisions.
The most important mental power is the ability to know what you don’t know. The recognition of a fault is the first step to improvement. Don’t try to hide a lack of knowledge. For intelligent people this is the toughest lesson to learn.People with great cognitive ability tend to _________.
| A．do well in tests | B．be considered inferior |
| C．be more effective than others | D．do research when faced with a task |
The underlined phrase “take the best course of action” probably means _________.
| A．starting educating himself | B．taking action during the course |
| C．making the right decision | D．coming up with many ideas |
People with poor metacognition may not succeed because they_________.
| A．lack basic moral values | B．have improper self-evaluation |
| C．fail to communicate with others | D．show little respect for others |
The author probably supports the idea that _________.
| A．intelligence is measured by cognitive ability |
| B．cognition is the most important mental power |
| C．the toughest lesson is to distinguish the two types of cognition |
| D．the awareness of one’s ignorance contributes to one’s improvement |
The word “conservation” has a thrifty meaning. To conserve is to save and protect, to leave what we ourselves enjoy in such a good condition that others may also share the enjoyment. Our forefathers had no idea that human population would increase faster than the supplies of raw materials: most of them, even until very recently, had the foolish idea that the treasures were “limitless” and could “last forever”. Most of the citizens of earlier generations knew little or nothing about the complicated and delicate system that runs all through nature, and which means that, as in a living body, an unhealthy condition of one part will sooner or later be harmful to all the others.
Fifty years ago, nature study was not part of the school work; scientific forestry was a new idea; wood was still cheap because it could be brought in any quantity from distant woodlands; soil destruction and river floods were not national problems; nobody had yet studied long-term climatic cycles in relation to proper land use; even the word “conservation” had nothing of the meaning that it has for us today.
For the sake of ourselves and those who will come after us, we must now set about correcting the mistakes of our forefathers. Conservation should be made part of everybody’s daily life. To know about the water table in ground is just as important to us as a knowledge of the basic math formulas. We need to know why all watersheds (上游集水区) need the protection of plant life and why the running current of streams and rivers must be made to give their full benefit to the soi
l before they finally escape to the sea. We need to be taught the duty of planting trees as well as of cutting them. We need to know the importance of big, grown trees, because living space for most of man’s fellow creatures on this planet is figured not only in square measure of surface but also in cubic (立方体的) volume above the earth. In a word, it should be our goal to restore as much of the original beauty of nature as we can.The author’s attitude towards the use of natural resources is _________.
| A．positive | B．uninterested | C．optimistic | D．critical |
According to the author, the greatest mistake of our forefathers was that _________.
| A．they had no idea about scientific forestry |
| B．they had little or no sense of environmental protection |
| C．they were not aware of the importance of nature study |
| D．they had no idea of how to make good use of raw materials |
To avoid repeating the mistakes of our forefathers, the author suggests that _________.
| A．we plant more trees |
| B．natural sciences be taught to everybody |
| C．environmental education be directed toward everyone |
| D．we return to nature |
How can you understand the underlined sentence in the last paragraph?
| A．Our living space on the earth is getting smaller and smaller. |
| B．Our living space should be measured in cubic volume. |
| C．We need to take some measures to protect space. |
| D．We must preserve good living conditions for both birds and animals. |
According to the United States government, people are classified as homeless if they have no place to stay and no expectation of finding a place for the next thirty days. Although technically accurate, that is an impersonal assessment of an enormous and very human problem.
The homeless population represents all of us Americans. It includes men and women, the elderly, children, and infants. Its members are from all ethnic groups. What they have in common is poverty.
Currently in the U.S., thirty-nine million people live in poverty. When money is really tight, paying the rent or buying food often becomes a choice. Government assistance in the form of food stamps does help but, as one homeless man explains, you can’t pay the rent with food stamps.
With no money for rent, the streets and homeless shelters become the alternative.
Although men make up the largest group within the homeless population, homeless women with children are rapidly joining them. In fact, one quarter of the homeless people in the U.S. are teenagers and young children.
People may become homeless for numerous reasons. However, there are certain factors that many of these individuals have in common. They include a lack of adequate education and job skills. A majority of the teenagers and adults have n
ot completed high school.
The abuse of alcohol and drugs is also a common factor. One third of the adult homeless population abuses alcohol, while one quarter of the same group uses drugs.
Some members of this population suffer mental health problems. Within the past several years many institutions for the mentally ill have been closed and their patients sent “home”. Unfortunately, a number of those people have no home to go to and they are unable to adequately look after themselves.
Job loss in today’s economy has also become a real factor in the loss of people’s homes. The breakup of families through abandonment and divorce is also contributing factors, particularly when there are children involved. The parent who is left to care for the kids with inadequate income may be forced to depend on the homeless shelters to put a roof over their heads.The writer thinks that the U.S. government’s d
efinition for the homeless shows _________.
| A．an insincere attitude toward the homeless |
| B．an unbearable attitude toward the homeless |
| C．an uncivilized attitude toward the homeless |
| D．an unsympathetic attitude toward the homeless |
The U.S. government helps the homeless by _________.
| A．giving them homeless allowance | B．giving them food stamps |
| C．finding jobs for them | D．finding residence (a place to live) for them |
People become homeless for all the following reasons EXCEPT _________.
| A．the lack of adequate education |
| B．the abuse of alcohol and drugs |
| C．the closure of institutions for the mentally ill |
| D．the poor performance of economy |
The breakup of families is likely to lead to homelessness because a parent with kids may _________.
| A．lose his or her job in today’s economy |
| B．be unable to look after the kids |
| C．not have enough income |
| D．find residence at a homeless shelter |
What will we be eating in the future? Here are the top factors that will be affecting the food that ends up on our tables in the new century.
Genetically engineered food Many crops are already genetically engineered, often to produce more food, fight against pests or improve nutrition. But concern is growing over the lasting effects of changing nature. While existing research has found little harm in genetic engineering, a recent study found the flower powder of a genetically engin
eered corn can kill the normal butterfly. This finding made many people nervous and brought attention to the topic.
Dining out Americans are increasingly eating meals away from home, both in sit-down restaurants and in fast food outlets. In the last decade alone there was a 14 percent decrease in the number of meals eaten at home. At the same time, restaurants are just beginning to really open their doors on the Internet. Websites exist to make restaurant reservations (预约), view menus, and get tips from your favorite chefs. The dining out trend and the demand for high-quality, chef-prepared food have encouraged chefs to spend time out of the kitchen — teaching classes, appearing on TV, and writing cookbooks.
Eating in Eating in doesn’t always mean cooking. Ready-made meals and froz
en food sold in supermarkets taste better all the time. Restaurants are offering neatly packaged “food to go”, and meals can be ordered over the Internet. Cooking is not as much as a necessity, as it is a hobby or a special treat.
Agriculture Although American farmers have been hit hard recently by bad weather, low prices and decreasing government help, they can increase grain production not using old farming methods.Which of the following is the main reason for genetically engineered crops?
| A．To lead to more food and better nutrition. | B．To kill the normal butterfly. |
| C．To reduce the harm done by insects. | D．To change the nature of the crops. |
From the passage, we learn that _________.
| A．eating out is not popular among the old people in USA |
| B．it is now easier for people to get information about eating out |
| C．it is popular for restaurants to send out information on the Internet |
| D．the trend of eating out is causing many chefs to give up their jobs |
In the future, cooking at home will probably _________.
| A．still be the job of most housewives |
| B．take up most of people’s free time |
| C．bring much joy to more people |
| D．lead to many restaurants closing down |
According to the passage, farmers should _________ to get a higher grain production.
| A．turn to better farming methods | B．ask for the support of the government |
| C．raise the prices of crops | D．not care about the effects of bad weather |
It happened to me recently that I was telling someone how much I had enjoyed reading Barack Obama’s Dreams from My Father and how it had changed my views of the current US president. The person I was talking to agreed with me that it was, in his words, “a wonderfully written book”. However, he then proceeded to talk about Mr. Obama in a way that suggested he had no idea of his background at all. I sensed that I was talking to a book liar.
And it seems that he is not the only one. Clearly two thirds of people have lied about reading a book which they haven’t. In the World Book Day survey, Dreams from My Father is at number 9. The survey lists top ten books, and various authors, which people have lied about reading. As I’m not one to lie too often, I’ll admit here and now that I haven’t read the entire ten books. But I am pleased to say that I have read the book at number one, George Orwell’s 1984. I think it’s absolutely outstanding.
Asked why they lied, the most common reason was to impress someone they were speaking to. This could be difficult if the conversation became more in depth!
The World Book Day survey also has some other interesting information in it. It shows that many people lie about having read classical works by Jane Austen, the Bronte sisters, Charles Dickens and so on. But when asked which authors they actually enjoy, they named J.K. Rowling, Jilly Cooper, and Stephen King (ah, the big sellers, in other words). Forty-one percent of people asked admitted they turned to the back of the book to read the end before finishing the story.
So which books have you lied about reading — if any — and which is your favourite?
1．The main reason why people lie about reading is to _________.
A. make fun of the listener B. impress the listener
C. please the listener D. interest the listener
2．The underlined word “proceeded” in the passage probably means “_________”.
A. wanted B. happened C. continued D. stopped
3．What does the World Book Day survey show?
A. Nearly half of the people su
rveyed didn’t read through a whole classical book.
B. People don’t like Dreams from My Father and George Orwell’s 1984.
C. Few people lie about having read classical works by Jane Austen.
D. People usually enjoy reading books by Charles Dickens.
4．What is the best title for the passage?
A. Are You a Book Liar? B. Readers Are All Liars
C. World Book Day D. Dreams from My Father