The Marches were a happy family. Poverty, hard work, and even the fact that Father March was away with the Union armies could not down the spirits of Meg, Jo, Amy, and Marmee, as the March girls called their mother.
The March sisters tried to be good but had their share of faults. Pretty Meg was often displeased with the schoolchildren she taught; boyish Jo was easy to become angry; golden-haired schoolgirl Amy liked to show up; but Beth, who kept the house, was loving and gentle always.
The happy days passed and darkness came when a telegram arrived for Mrs. March. “Your husband is very ill,” it said, “come at once.” The girl tried to be brave when their mother left for the front. They waited and prayed. Little Beth got scarlet fever (猩红热) when she was taking care of the sick neighbor. She became very ill but began to recover by the time Marmee was back. When Father came home from the front and at that joyful Christmas dinner they were once more all together.
Three years later the March girls had grown into young womanhood. Meg became Mrs. Brooke, and after a few family troubles got used to her new state happily. Jo had found pleasure in her literary efforts. Amy had grown into a young lady with a talent for design and an even greater one for society. But Beth had never fully regained her health, and her family watched her with love and anxiety.
Amy was asked to go and stay in Europe with a relative of the Marches. Jo went to New York and became successful in her writing and had the satisfaction of seeing her work published there. But at home the bitterest blow was yet to fall. Beth had known for some time that she couldn’t live much longer to be with the family and in the spring time she died.
News came from Europe that Amy and Laurie, the grandson of a wealthy neighbor, had planned to be married soon. Now Jo became ever more successful in her writing and got married to Professor Bhaer and soon afterwards founded a school for boys.
And so the little women had grown up and lived happily with their children, enjoying the harvest of love and goodness that they had devoted all their lives to. The members of the March family were Father March, Mrs. March and their _______.
| A．four daughters | B．five daughters |
| C．son and four daughters | D．son and five daughters |
Who was the most successful in career (事业) among the March girls?
| A．Jo | B．Beth | C．Amy | D．Meg |
Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
| A．The march Family | B．The March Parents |
| C．The March Girls | D．The March Relatives |
It can be inferred from the passage that the March family had ______.
| A．both happiness and sadness | B．wealthy neighbors |
| C．more girls than boys | D．a lot of rich relatives |
A woman from Japan was telling a friend about her trip to the United States.The woman had visited major businesses and investment companies in New York City and Chicago.
“I studied English before I left home，”she said.“But I still was not sure that people were speaking English.”
Her problem is easy to understand.Americans in business are like people who are in business anywhere.They have a language of their own.Some of the words and expressions deal with the special areas of their work.Other expressions are borrowed from different kinds of work such as the theater and movie industry.
One such saying is “get your act together”．
When things go wrong in a business，an employer may get angry.He may shout，“Stop making mistakes.Get your act together.”
Or，if the employer is calmer，he may say，“Let us get our act together.”
Either way，the meaning is the same.Getting your act together is getting organized.In business，it usually means to develop a calm and orderly plan of action.
It is difficult to tell exactly where the saying began.But，it is probable that it was in the theater or movie industry.Perhaps one of the actors was nervous and made a lot of mistakes.The director may have said，“Calm down，now.Get your act together.”
Word expert James Rogers says the expression was common by the late 1970s.Mister Rogers says the Manchester Guardian newspaper used it in 1978.The newspaper said a reform policy required that the British government get its act together.
Now，this expression is heard often when officials of a company meet.One company even called its yearly report，“Getting Our Act Together.”
The Japanese visitor was confused by another expression used by American business people.It is cut to the chase.
She heard that expression when she attended an important meeting of one company.One official was giving a very long report.It was not very interesting.In fact，some people at the meeting were falling asleep.
Finally，the president of the company said，“Cut to the chase.”
Cut to the chase means to stop spending so much time on details or unimportant material.Hurry and get to the good part.
Naturally，this saying was started by people who make movies.Hollywood movie producers believe that most Americans want to see action movies.Many of their movies show scenes in which the actors chase each other in cars，or in airplanes or on foot.
Cut is the director’s word for stop.The director means to stop filming，leave out some material，and get to the chase scene now.
So，if your employer tells you to cut to the chase，be sure to get to the main point of your story quickly.After the woman visited the United States she might feel that ________.
| A．her English was poor |
| B．it’s easy to master English |
| C．it’s difficult to make money |
| D．people there weren’t very friendly |
In which situation could the words “get your act together” be used?
| A．A task is completed successfully. |
| B．Players perform badly in a match. |
| C．Audience is satisfied with the actor’s performance in a movie. |
| D．Visitors make a tiresome and unpleasant trip to someplace. |
According to the text，the expression “get one’s act together” ________.
| A．was first used by a Japanese businesswoman |
| B．was forbidden to be used in the government policy |
| C．originally came from a yearly report of a company |
| D．was commonly read by readers in a newspaper in 1978 |
What do the sayings “get your act together” and “cut to the chase” have in common?
| A．Their use. | B．Their meaning. |
| C．Their origin. | D．Their popularity. |
The library is one of the most popular places at a western university.Students turn to it for research，conversations about class，and many other services.
Compared with Chinese libraries，college libraries in the US and UK tend to offer more resources.A postgraduate at Yale University can borrow as many as 225 books at a time.
In addition to borrowing books，there are online and electronic resources.These include a database search of popular and academic material，such as LexisNexis Academic，which offers items from newspapers and magazines.
Although books and articles are the items that students ask for most frequently，some libraries provide audio and video recordings，maps and sheet music(活页乐谱)．At some schools，teachers and tutors put electronic copies of their teaching PPTs on the library web to give easier access for students.
Another useful service in western college libraries is the Interlibrary Loan.This allows a student at one school to borrow books from another school.The loan request is made through the student’s college library，which gets the book，gives it to the user，and arranges for its return.
Technology has brought more services to students and has made libraries attractive.Some universities have services for students to send messages through the computer or mobile texts to ask the library staff for information.
Earlier this year，Harvard University introduced a new Scan and Deliver service，allowing students to make requests for parts of books and articles.Requests made through the system are handled by library staff.The student receives an email with an Internet link to the scanned pages.The service is free and all material comes within four days.
It used to be that libraries didn’t allow food or drinks.But that rule is changing and many of them now contain a café so students can spend as much time as they want in the library.
Actually，some US university libraries are now allnight affairs，or have at least one study room open all night.In western college libraries a postgraduate can ________.
| A．have a free drink or a meal |
| B．borrow as many books as they want |
| C．ask questions and get answers from their tutors |
| D．access not only books but other study resources |
LexisNexis Academic is the name of a ________.
| A．guide | B．library |
| C．database | D．university |
Which of the following are mostly needed by students in western libraries?
| A．Books and articles. |
| B．Audio and video recordings. |
| C．Maps and sheet music. |
| D．Tutors’ teaching PPTs. |
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A．Chinese library services are better than western ones. |
| B．Library staff play an important role in college library service. |
| C．Postgraduates can post their own PPTs on the library website. |
| D．24hour services are adopted in all western libraries nowadays. |
The Firegathering
18－20 May
The Firegathering festival returns to an unidentified place somewhere in the Sussex countryside this May.The ticket price is a very agreeable ￡40，an amount that the organisers promise covers only the costs of staging the event.As well as the nightclub singers and dancers and circus performers，you can expect live performances from local stars.If this looks like it might be right for you，you’d be well advised to book your ticket soon；the event has sold out every year since its beginning four years ago.
Sheep Music
20－22 July
Sheep Music started life as a garden party and has developed into a fullscale(全面的) community event.Even though the advertising has always been limited to word of mouth，the huge number of people in 2005 left organizers worried that the large crowds could ruin the festival’s family feel.Luckily July sees the return of this brilliant party.The climax(高潮) comes in the shape of Saturday night’s fullscale parade(游行) and fancy dress ball that you just would not expect to happen in the other sleepy Welsh borders.
The Big Chill
3－5 August
Ten years on and The Big Chill could very well be close to becoming a big pop festival like Glastonbury.That said，the many thousands in attendance are still able to relax in the beautiful Eastnor deer park and listen to plenty of music that would otherwise pass them by.Families have always been given a warm welcome and it’s fair to say that The Big Chill is probably the most childfriendly of all the mediumsized festivals.If you’ve never been，you should certainly go.
Summer Sundae
10－12 August
Although only a year old this summer，Summer Sundae has quickly inspired the imaginations of Leicesteks music lovers.Last year’s event was a success，noted by more than a few mentions at the UK Festival Awards.It is set in the impressive grounds of De Montfort Hall.Although the performers are still to be confirmed，the cabins are sure to be there.These small buildings are made from wood and carpets，storage space，and can fit a family for the night.What can we learn about The Firegathering?
| A．The festival will take place in a park. |
| B．No profits will be made from the festival. |
| C．The audience will be bigger than expected. |
| D．A lot of national stars will perform at the festival. |
How did Sheep Music advertise itself?
| A．By holding a parade. |
| B．By advertising orally. |
| C．By giving performances. |
| D．By holding a family party. |
Which festival will provide accommodation for the audience?
| A．The Firegathering. | B．Sheep Music. |
| C．The Big Chill. | D．Summer Sundae. |
What is the similarity of these festivals?
| A．All of them entertain attendants with music. |
| B．All of them have a long history. |
| C．All of them need advance booking. |
| D．All of them can be compared with Glastonbury. |
Pessimistic，anxious and depressed people may have a higher risk of dementia (痴呆)，US researchers reported on Thursday.
A study of a group of 3,500 people showed that those who scored high for pessimism on a standardized personality test had a 30 percent increased risk of developing dementia 30 to 40 years later.
Those scoring very high on both anxiety and pessimism scales had a 40 percent higher risk，the study showed.
“There appears to be a doseresponse pattern.That is，the higher the scores，the higher the risk of dementia，”Dr Yonas Geda，a neuropsychiatrist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester，Minnesota who led the study，said in a statement.
Geda and his colleagues looked at the medical records of 3,500 men and women who lived near the clinic between 1962 and 1965.
They all took the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory，a standard personality and life experience test，Geda’s team told a meeting of the American Academy of Neurology in Miami.
In 2004，the team interviewed the participants or family members.
Those who scored higher for anxiety and pessimism on the test were more likely，as a group，to have developed dementia by 2004，including Alzheimer’s disease and vascular (血管的) dementia.
This did not mean a person who is pessimistic could assume he or she has a higher risk of developing dementia.
“One has to be cautious in interpreting a study like this，”Geda said.
“One cannot make a leap from group level data to the individual.Certainly the last thing you want to do is to say，‘Well，I am a pessimist；thus，I am doomed to develop dementia 20 or 30 years later，’because this may end up becoming a selffulfilling prophecy (预言)．”
And there is NOT any specific way to prevent dementia，although many studies have shown that a healthy diet，exercise，keeping active in other ways，doing puzzles and other activities lower the risk.What is the passage mainly about?
| A．It is impossible for people to avoid dementia. |
| B．People who always have negative feelings may have a higher risk of getting dementia. |
| C．If we have a healthy diet，we would have no chance of getting dementia. |
| D．A person who is pessimistic has a higher risk of developing dementia. |
According to the passage，which of the following is TRUE?
| A．There are many ways to prevent dementia effectively. |
| B．A person who is pessimistic is sure to get dementia. |
| C．Those who lead a happy life will not get dementia when they are old. |
| D．Those who scored high for pessimism might have a higher risk of dementia. |
Which of the following does NOT help reduce the risk of getting dementia according to the passage?
| A．A healthy diet. | B．Proper exercises. |
| C．Doing puzzles. | D．Getting up early. |
Which of the following words is not close to the meaning of the word “pessimistic”？
| A．Cheerless. | B．Optimistic. |
| C．Unhappy. | D．Upset. |
Mom was right！If you say thank you，for even the smallest gift or slightest show of kindness，you’ll feel happy.
Gratitude(感谢)，says Robert A．Emmons，a professor of psychology at the University of California，is an important element of happiness.In his recent book，Thanks！，Emmons uses the first major study on gratitude to prove mom’s point.In acknowledging and developing this muchignored expression of thankfulness，he explains how people have benefited—even improved their health.
As one of the leading scholars of the positive psychology movement，he admits gratitude may be difficult to express.He advises you to begin by admitting that life is good and full of events and elements that make daily existence a wonder.Second，recognize that the source of life’s goodness is more than just you.That source may be your mom，a friend，partner，child，colleague at work or play，or any combination of these.
Gratitude is always otherdirected，notes Emmons.You can be pleased or angry with yourself and feel guilty about doing something wrong，but you can never be grateful to or for yourself.
Expressing gratitude shouldn’t be a reaction；it should be a state of mind.To feel grateful when life is a breeze and you have more than you need is easy.To feel grateful in time of crisis—anger，hatred and bitterness—is easier.Also，too many people are aware of life’s blessings only after these are lost.The voices expressing gratitude from his studies of individuals are many.
It’s crisis and chaos—danger，disease，disability and death—that bring many individuals to realize just how dependent they are on others.Yet it’s the way each of us begins life and ends it.It’s too bad that so many people waste those decades in between labouring under the illusion(幻觉) they are selfsufficient，says Emmons.
To enable and embrace gratitude，Emmons encourages the readers of Thanks! to keep a gratitude diary.He even provides easytofollow directions on how to practise and develop gratitude.
I’m not a reader or advocate of selfhelp books，but I am thankful for the reference I found in a newspaper article to the research Emmons was conducting on gratitude involving organ donors and recipients(接受者)．The chance discovery led me to this book.
Mom implied that kindness seems to find its way back to the giver because life really is all about giving，receiving and repaying.So I’ll pay attention to her professional advice and say：Thank you，professor Emmons.What is the text mainly discussed?
| A．There are many ways of being thankful. |
| B．Gratitude is important to happiness. |
| C．Mom is great for her being thankful. |
| D．Being thankful will keep you fit. |
The author mentions Robert A．Emmons’book Thanks! in order to prove that ________.
A．Professor Emmons supports mom’s study on psychology
B．mom is as great a psychologist as Professor Emmons
C．Professor Emmons is a famous psychologist
D．mom is right about her viewpoint on gratitudeIt will be easier for you to feel grateful when ______.
| A．you live a comfortable life |
| B．you receive gifts on your birthday |
| C．you get help during your hard times |
| D．you are congratulated on your success |
What is the opinion of Professor Emmons?
| A．It is enough to thank others orally. |
| B．Whether you are thankful is always up to you. |
| C．Remember to be thankful anytime and anywhere. |
| D．It is easier to be thankful for yourself than for others. |