Think back to this time last year. What was on your mind?
Most likely, you were thinking about finals or the holidays, although in this city I’ve noticed that thinking about the holiday is a fancy way of saying how much stuff will I get.
Now reflect on your thoughts for this holiday season. Most people are still thinking about the holidays, but I say that with a grain of salt. Everybody with a functioning brain and the ability to communicate knows that this holioday season comes with a pretty large price tag: the debt of all the hardships, both domestic and foreign, that we’ve faced over the past 12months.
Let’s face it: some of us will get everything we want over the holidays. But there are others whose parents have lost their jobs or who have lost jobs themselves because of the current economic situation. As much as we try to ignore it, there is still economic unrest in the blue and gold suburb.
In this situation, we have three options. One: We ignore the situation, like we seem to do for every bad thing that happens around us, because by God, it’s the American Way! Two: We recognize that our economy is shot, feel bad about it and spend our time wishing for the good old days. Three: We recognize that our economy is shot, but instead of moping, reflect on every good thing that we have going for us. Now, which option sounds best to you?
I spent a week this summer working in and around New York City with the city’s homeless population. Or so I thought. Although a lot of the people I served were in fact homeless, a significant number of them had a job or a home or both. The truth of the importance of this situation is that they and thousands of others across the country can’t afford even the most basic things of life, even while working two jobs. Yet no one that I met complained about their hardships. Instead, they took whatever I happened to give them(which was, more often than enough, not enough) and were genuinely grateful for what they had.
Wrap your heads around that statement for a second. These people worked their butts off to stay alive with minimal results, yet were overjoyed by a flimsy(脆弱的) paper plate with donated green beans on it. Although I am ashamed to admit it( both as a girthy figure and an affluent citizen), I have taken for granted most of my meals, let alone green beans, and I know for a fact that I am not alone.
64. According to the passage when people think about holidays they care much for ____.
A.where to spend their holidays | B.how to spend their holidays |
C.what they can get for their holidays | D.who they should go to visit |
65. When the author wrote the article, the economic situation in his country ____.
A.began to go bad. | B.began to improve | C.was still serious | D.was favorable for middle class. |
66. The author wrote the article mainly to advise people____.
A.to be thankful in time of hardship. | B.to spend their holidays in a wise way |
C.to think little about their holidays | D.to help the country to sail through the crisis |
67. It can be inferred from the passage that the writer is most probably ______.
A.a homeless child | B.an old professor | C.a famous scientist | D.a young student |
To Whom It May Concern:
My husband and I got married in 1965 and for the first ten years of our marriage I was very happy to stay home and raise our three children. Then four years ago, our youngest child went to school and I thought I might go back to work.
My husband was very supportive and helped me to make my decision. He emphasized all of the things I can do around the house, and said he thought I could be a great success in business.
After several weeks of job-hunting I found my present job, which is working for a small public relations firm. At first, my husband was very proud of me and would tell his friends , "My clever little wife can run that company she's working for."
But as his joking remark approached reality, my husband stopped talking to me about my job.I have received several promotions and pay increases , and I am now making more money than he is. I can buy my own clothes and a new car. Because of our combined incomes, my husband and I can do many things that we had always dreamed of doing , but we don't do these things because he is very unhappy.
We fight about little things and my husband is very critical of me in front of our friends. For the first time in our marriage, I think there is a possibility that our marriage may come to an end.
I love my husband very much, and I don't want him to feel inferior, but I also love my job.I think I can be a good wife and a working woman, but I don't know how .Can you give me some advice? Will I have to choose one or the other or can I keep both my husband and my new career?
Please help.
"Distressed"The letter was most probable written ________.
A.in 1975 | B.around 1980 | C.four years ago | D.in 1965 |
Her husband ________ when she first found her present job.
A.was very critical of her | B.felt disappointed |
C.was proud of her | D.was happy but critical |
What does the underlined word "promotion" mean?
A.scolding | B.criticism | C.prize | D.advancement |
As her income increased, ________.
A.she found a gap emerged between her and her husband |
B.she bought more clothes and a house |
C.she did the many things she and her husband dreamed of |
D.she felt very proud of herself |
During the summer holidays there will be a revised (修改过的) schedule (时刻表) of services for the students. Changes for dining-room and library service hours and for bus schedules will be posted on the wall outside of the dining-hall . Weekly film and concert schedules, which are being arranged(安排),will be posted each Wednesday outside of the student club.
In the summer holidays, buses going to the town center will leave the main hall every half hour during the day. The dinning-room will serve three meals a day from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. during the week and two meals from noon to 7:00 p.m. on weekends. The library will continue its usual hours during the week, but have shorter hours on Saturdays and Sundays. The weekend hours are from noon to 5:00 p.m.
All students who want to use the library borrowing services must have a new summer card. This announcement will also appear in the next week’s student newspaper.The main purpose of this announcement is to______.
A.tell students of important schedule changes |
B.tell students of new bus and library services |
C.show the excellent services for students |
D.ask students to renew their library cards |
At which of the following times will the bus leave the main hall?
A.8:00, 9:00, 10:00, 11:00 | B.8:30, 9:30, 10:30, 11:30 |
C.8:30, 9:00, 9:30; 10:00 | D.8:00, 9:30, 11:00, 12:30 |
Times for films and concerts are not listed in this announcement because______.
A.they are not to be announced | B.they are hard to arrange |
C.the full list is not ready | D.the full list is too long |
In the summer holidays, the library will have______.
A.no special hours |
B.special hours on weekdays |
C.special hours on weekends |
D.special hours both on weekdays and weekends |
James Joyce was an Irish novelist who revolutionized the methods of depicting characters and developing a plot in modern fiction. his astonishing way of constructing a novel, his frank portrayal(描画, 描写)of human nature in his books, and his complete command of English have made him one of the outstanding influences on literature in the 20th century. Many critics judge that he is second only to Shakespeare in his mastery of the English language. Joyce was deeply influenced by Ireland and wrote all his books about Dublin.
When he was in Dublin College, he studied languages and spent his spare time reading books. He refused to take part in the nationalist movement like his fellow students, but he became passionately(热情地, 热烈地)interested in literature. He wrote outspoken articles of literary criticism that shocked his teachers and even taught himself norwegian(挪威语)so that he could read Ibsen’s(挪威剧作家及诗人)works in the original.
When he graduated in 1902, he knew he would become a writer and an exile(流犯, 被放逐者), because he felt he could not be one without the other. In order to preserve his ideal of writing truthfully, fully, and as objectively as he knew how, about the people and places he knew best, he had to escape from all temptations to become involved in popular opinion or public life. He went to France, Italy and Switzerland, where he lived in poverty and obscurity for the first 20 years, only returning to Ireland when his mother was dying. Except for a couple of brief trips, he stayed abroad all his life.James Joyce was famous for many reasons except _______.
A.his way of constructing a novel |
B.his frank portrayal of human nature |
C.his complete command of English |
D.his passion in literature |
“he is second only to Shakespeare” is a comment on his ________.
A.achievement in literature |
B.achievement in the nationalist movement |
C.achievement in his study of languages |
D.mastery of the English language |
How many examples are used to show his passion in literature?
A.2. | B.3. | C.1. | D.4. |
Why did James Joyce stay abroad almost all his life?
A.Because he wanted to live in poverty and obscurity. |
B.Because he wanted to write the people and places he knew best. |
C.Because he wanted to escape from all temptations to become involved in popular opinion or public life. |
D.Because he wanted to preserve his ideal of writing truthfully, fully and objectively about the people and the places he knew best. |
Hong Kong, major commercial center for Asia, and with a population which has grown at an alarming rate to over 5 million, is a city highly dependent on mass (大量的, 大规模的) transit of all sorts, both local and long distance. An ordinary Hong Kong worker or businessman, going about his daily activities, simply must use transportation at one time or another.
Because Hong Kong is in two parts, Kowloon, on the mainland side, and Hong Kong, the island, with Hong Kong's harbor in between Hong Kong's mass transit systems, in addition to going over land they must also cross water.
Going from home to work, or going shopping from one side of the harbor to the other, the Hong Kong resident has three choices. One way is to take a bus which will cross the harbor through an under water traffic tunnel moving slowly through bumper- to-bumper (一辆接一辆) traffic.Another way is by ferry boat , a pleasant ride which crosses the harbor in from seven to fifteen minutes.
But by far the fastest way of crossing the harbor is the newly built underground electric railway, the Hong Kong Metro(地铁). If one gets on the train in the Central District,the commercial area of Hong Kong on the island side, he can speed across the harbor in an astonishing three minutes. On the other side of the harbor the railway continues, snaking back and forth through the outlying districts of Kowloon, allowing one to get off a short distance from his destination.
The story of the Metro is an encouraging one for supporters of mass transit. Although building the system was certainly a challenging task, the Japanese firm hired to construct it did so in record time. Construction got underway in 1979 and it was completed in 1980.
For the average commuter (一般持月票往返两地的乘客) the system has only one disadvantage; it is more expensive than by bus or ferry. One can ride the bus across the harbor for half as much or he can ride the ferry across for less than one-fifth as much.Hong Kong public transportation extends ________.
A.over hills and valleys | B.across land and water |
C.through mountains | D.throughout the Kowloon area |
Crossing the harbor by train is ________.
A.by far the most economical methods |
B.the most pleasant method |
C.the least pleasant method |
D.the fastest method |
The business area on the island side of Hong Kong is referred to as ________.
A.Kowloon | B.the Central District |
C.the Hong Kong Metro | D.downtown Hong Kong |
The underground railway ________.
A.winds through Kowloon | B.ends when it reaches Kowloon |
C.snakes across the harbor | D.circles Kowloon |
It doesn't matter when or how much a person sleeps, but everyone needs some rest to stay alive. That's what all doctors thought, until they heard about Al Herpin.
Al Herpin, it was said, never slept. He was 90 years old when doctors came to his home in New Jersey. They expected to find out that he needed sleep of some kind. But they were surprised. Though they watched him every hour of the day, they never saw Herpin sleeping. He did not even own a bed. He never needed one.
The closest that Herpin came to resting was to sit in a rocking chair(摇椅) and read some news papers. The doctors were puzzled by this strange continuous sleeplessness. Herpin offered the only probable explanation of his condition. He remembered some talk about his mother having been injured several days before he was born.The point of this story is that _______.
A.We needn't feel surprised to find someone who doesn't sleep |
B.one person was found who actually didn't need any sleep |
C.everyone needs some rest to stay alive |
D.not sleeping may help one to live longer |
After watching him closely, the doctors believed that Al Herpin _______.
A.needed some kind of sleep | B.slept while one was watching |
C.needed no sleep at all | D.nearly slept in a rocking chair |
One suggested explanation of Herpin's sleeplessness was _______.
A.his old age |
B.his not having a bed |
C.his magnificent physical condition |
D.his mother's injury while carrying him |
The writer of the story obviously thinks that Al Herpin's sleeplessness ___.
A.could be cured | B.could be explained |
C.was healthful | D.was uncommon |