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 |
Washington: NASA has announced evidence that Jupiter's largest moon, Ganymede, has a saltwater ocean under its icy surface. The ocean seems to have more water than all the water on Earth's surface, according to new Hubble observation.
New Hubble observations of Ganymede's magnetic field strongly suggest that the moon, which is the largest in our whole solar system, is home to a subsurface ocean.
Scientists estimate the ocean is 95 kilometres thick, which is about 10 times deeper than Earth's oceans. But unlike our salty waters, Ganymede's ocean is buried under 150 kilometres of ice.
While scientists have speculated(推测) since 1970s about the presence of an ocean on Ganymede------the largest moon in our solar system------ until now the only observational evidence came from a brief flyby by the Galileo spacecraft, which didn’t observe the moon long enough to confirm a liquid ocean.
This discovery marks an important milestone, highlighting what only Hubble can accomplish. In its 25 years in orbit, Hubble has made many scientific discoveries in our own solar system. A deep ocean under the icy surface of Ganymede opens up further exciting possibilities for life beyond Earth.
Scientists have already confirmed the existence of an ocean on Europa, another moon orbiting Jupiter, and NASA has announced plans to send an unmanned mission there searching for the life that might come with liquid water.
Hubble is a telescope that orbits Earth, but because of its impressive gravitational analyses it can be used to study the inside of far distant planets. Using these same principles, scientists could theoretically detect oceans on distant planets as well.What can we learn about the Ganymede from the passage?
| A．It is a planet with the largest moon in our whole solar system. |
| B．Its ocean adds to people’s excitement about life beyond Earth. |
| C．It will be used by NASA as a base for the Hubble telescope. |
| D．Its liquid ocean was first proved by the Galileo spacecraft. |
Which of the following best describes the writer’s attitude towards Hubble?
| A．Cautious | B．Doubtful |
| C．Negative | D．Favourable |
What does the underlined part in Paragraph 6 mean?
| A．An underground ocean has been found in Europa. |
| B．The presence of an underground ocean in Europa is not possible. |
| C．It is now certain that there is an ocean on Europa. |
| D．No evidence has shown the existence of an ocean on Europa. |
What type of writing does this passage belong to?
| A．A term essay | B．A news report |
| C．An experiment report | D．An exploration review. |
I went online to check if my pay was in my bank account. To my amazement I discovered that not only had I been paid, a company I’d never worked for had also paid me! I knew I’d have been beside myself if my own salary was not in my account, so I tried to get the money back to the right person. Easier said than done.
The bank couldn’t help as it wasn’t a bank problem. The human resources department at the company that paid me was unable to help as I didn’t have enough details. I rang the bank again. Thankfully, I had a sympathetic(同情的) call operator who gave me a name, so I again rang the company Daniel worked for.
I expected the bank would contact me to arrange to take the money from my account and repay Daniel. I heard nothing for a month and the money remained in my account when Daniel called, explaining he’d tried to get back his money but had been unsuccessful as neither the bank nor his company felt it was their error. He had rung to ask if I could speak to the bank, but after chatting for a few minutes we realized we could probably fix this problem ourselves.
We decided I would take the money from my account and he would pick it up from me. Due to my busy job I was unable to meet Daniel personally but he left me a lovely bottle of wine in exchange for what was rightfully(正当地) his. I never had any intention of keeping Daniel’s pay but red tape(繁琐手续) made it difficult to do the right thing. It all came down to two people being able to do what a huge bank and a large company couldn’t do--admit a mistake has occurred and fix it.The underlined phrase “beside myself”(in Paragraph1) probably means___________.
| A．very fortunate | B．very angry |
| C．really thankful | D．at ease |
What was the attitude of the author towards the extra money in his bank account?
| A．He didn’t know what to do with it. |
| B．He felt lucky to get it. |
| C．He thought of keeping it for himself. |
| D．He wanted to return it to the right person. |
From the passage we can infer that___________.
| A．the bank could solve the problem soon and easily with the red tape |
| B．some large organizations usually have troublesome official rules |
| C．Daniel didn’t know the error before he contacted the author |
| D．the company gave the wrong account to the bank |
How was the problem solved in the end?
| A．The author and Daniel solved the problem themselves. |
| B．It cost Daniel a lovely bottle of wine to get back his money. |
| C．The author gave the money back to the company. |
| D．The call operator offered to solve their problem |
Have you ever been to the world’s smallest bookstore?
The World’s Smallest Bookstore，whose official name is just these three words，sits quietly about 100 miles northeast of Toronto．
The bookstore is about 10 feet by 10 feet，so it is easy to imagine how tiny it really is．The bookstore is open 24 hours a day．Inside the bookstore are various books，especially literary books and classic authors’ works．So if you are looking for something less popular，you may get a bit disappointed there．
Another special feature of this bookstore is that each book only costs three dollars．All the expenses are paid on the honor system，which means buyers should make a note of what they’ve bought and leave their money by themselves．So the tools of the trade in this bookstore are quite simple: pens，papers，light bulbs and a label-maker．
In order to catch passers-by’s attention，the billboards(广告牌）of the bookstore are several times bigger than the store itself．With these large eye-catchers，many people are willing to stop by and have a visit．What’s the passage mainly about?
| A．The world’s smallest bookstore． |
| B．A strange way of selling books． |
| C．The popular books nowadays． |
| D．The popular bookstores in the world． |
Which of the following books might you most probably get in the store?
| A．Books on popular science． |
| B．Literary books． |
| C．The year book of a university． |
| D．Books on economic control． |
How could you buy a book from the store?
| A．The salesman will help you find the book． |
| B．The salesman will get the money for the book． |
| C．Choose the book(s）and leave the money there． |
| D．Pay on the net and then get the book(s）in the store． |
China has recently been faced with serious issues of product safety. In Panama，it is said that medicine made with a poisonous chemical sickened some people.A Chinese company had identified it as diethylamide glycol(乙二醇)，a lowcost substitute commonly used in automobile antifreeze(防冻剂)．
Some countries have banned Chinesemade toothpaste containing diethylamide glycol. China has now told companies to discontinue its use，even though it says the toothpaste is safe. Another industrial chemical，melamine，was found in wheat flour used to make pet food in North America.
Thousands of dogs and cats became sick.
The United States has restricted some imports of Chinese seafood because they contained banned substance. And questions have been raised about other products，including children's toys covered with lead paint.
Chinese officials promised to provide the European Union，the biggest trading partner，with detailed reports on enforcement efforts against unsafe goods.
Meglena Kuneva，commissioner(理事) for consumer protection of the European Union said China should have kept its promise.
China recently closed three companies linked to the Panama and the pet food scare. And it dismissed the former head of its food and drug administration. He was found guilty of corruption(腐败)for approving unsafe drugs. This week，a conference of the State Council approved a proposed special measure on the supervision of food safety. The Xinhua News Agency said it calls for stronger controls over producers，greater responsibilities for government and more serious punishment for illegal activities.
But Chinese officials have accused some foreign media of overstating problems with goods made in China. They say food imports from the United States also fail inspection sometimes. Next week，American and Chinese food safety officials are planning to hold 5 days of meetings in Beijing to discuss cooperation.How many cases with safety problems are mentioned in the passage?
| A．Six. | B．Five. | C．Four. | D．Three. |
How was Panama case dealt with afterwards?
A．Three companies linked to it were closed down.
B．The former head of food and drug administration was removed from his position.
C．More serious punishment was conducted for leaders linked to it.
D．Both A and B.It can be implied but not clearly stated that________.
| A．Chinesemade toothpaste is safe |
| B．the safety of “Made in China” is doubted |
| C．there are safety problems with one more Chinese products |
| D．stronger control over Chinese products is in need |
The passage is mainly about________.
| A．China is facing product safety problems |
| B．more controls are taken of Chinese goods |
| C．overstated problems with Chinese goods |
| D．China is losing its trade partners |
Jane Austen was born in the English countryside more than 200 years ago. She lived a simple life. She seldom travelled. She never married and she died from illness when she was only 41.
However, people all over the world remember her. Why? It is because Jane Austen is the author of some of the best-loved novels in the English language. These novels include Emma, Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility and Persuasion.
Jane completed her last novel Persuasion in 1816, but it was not published until after her death. Persuasion is partly based on Jane’s naval brother.
Anne, the daughter of Sir Walter Elliot, falls in love with Captain Wentworth, a person of a lower social position. But she breaks off the engagement when persuaded by her friend Lady Russell that such a match is unworthy. The breakup produces in Anne a deep and long-lasting regret. Eight years later, Wentworth returns from sea a rich and successful captain. He finds Anne’s family on the edge of financial ruin. Anne and the captain rediscover their love and get married.
Jane Austen once compared her writing to painting on a little bit of ivory（象牙）, two inches square. Readers of Persuasion will see that neither her skill of delicate, ironic(讽刺的) observations on social custom, love, and marriage nor her ability to apply a sharp focus to English manners and morals has abandoned her in her final finished work.
Persuasion has produced three film adaptations: a 1995 version starring Amanda Root and Ciaran Hinds, a 2007 TV miniseries with Sally Hawkins and Rupert Penry-Jones, and a 1971 miniseries with Ann Firbank and Bryan Marshall.
People who are interested in Jane Austen can still visit many of the places she visited and lived. These places include the village of Steventon, although her family house is now gone. Many of the places Jane visited in Bath are still there. You can visit Jane Austen’s home in Chawton, where she did her best writing, and Winchester, where she died.What is the theme of Persuasion?
| A．Never regret what you’ve chosen. |
| B．True love lasts forever. |
| C．Be matched for marriage. |
| D．Love waits for no man. |
Which of the following CANNOT describe Jane’s writing style?
| A．Her application of symbolism. |
| B．Her delicate observations. |
| C．Her focus on manners and morals. |
| D．Her use of irony. |
Which of the following about Jane Austen is TRUE?
| A．Her family house is now in the village of Steventon. |
| B．Many of the places she visited in Bath are still available. |
| C．The latest film adaptation of Persuasion was produced in 1995. |
| D．Her last novel Persuasion is considered her most successful one. |
The article mainly talks about _______.
| A．Jane Austen’s unique writing style |
| B．the original residence of Jane Austen |
| C．Jane Austen’s last novel: Persuasion |
| D．the popularity of Jane Austen’s novels |