Being the head of a high school for many years, I grew tired of budget meeting, funding cuts, and many other administrative chores (杂务). I started to dream of retirement. Sitting in traffic on a weekday morning, I would find my mind wandering, I would imagine spending time with my grandchildren, quiet evenings with my wife, traveling, or rediscovering some great books. I told myself that I wouldn’t sign myself up for any committees, any classes, or anything requiring a schedule.
My first day of retirement came at last! I cooked a great break fast for my wife and me, leisurely read the paper, cleaned a bit of the house, and wrote a few letters to friends. On the
second day, I cooked breakfast, read the paper … On the third day, … This is retirement? I tried to tell myself that it was just the transition（过渡）, that those golden moments were right round the corner, and that I would enjoy them soon enough, But something was missing.
A former colleague asked a favor. A group of students was going to Jamaica to work with children in the poorest neighborhoods. Would I interrupt my newfound “happiness” and return to the students, just this once? One trip. That’s all, My bags were packed and by the door.
The trip was very inspiring. I was moved not only by the poverty I saw but also by the sense of responsibility of the young people on the trip. When I returned home, I offered to work one day a week with a local youth organization. The experience was so positive that I was soon volunteering nearly full-time, working with students across North America to assist them in their voluntary work.
Now, it seems, the tables have turned. Some days I am the teacher, other days I am the student. These young people have reawakened my commitment (责任感) to social justice issues by challenging me to learn more about the situation in the world today, where people are still poor and suffer because of greed, corruption and war, Most important, they have given me the opportunity to continue to participate in helping to find solutions. In return, I help them do their charitable projects overseas. I’ve gone from running one school to helping oversee the construction of schools in twenty-one countries!
60.What did the writer expect to do after he retired?
A. To stay away from busy schedules. B. To write some great books.
C. To do some voluntary work D. To plan for his future.
61.Why did the writer decide to go to Jamaica?
A. He missed his students in that country. B. He couldn’t refuse his colleague’s favor.
C. He was not satisfied with his retired life. D. He was concerned about the people there.
62.The underlined part “the tables have turned”(Paragraph 5) means that the writer .
A. improved the situation in his school B. felt happy to work with students again
C. became a learner rather than a teacher D. changed his attitude toward his retired life
63.What does the writer think of his retired life now?
A. Disappointing B. Meaningful C. Promising D. Troublesome
Subways
| The Tokyo Metro and Toei Lines |
Features: The Tokyo Metro and Toei lines that make up of Tokyo’s huge subway system carry almost 8 million people each day, making it the busiest system in the world. The system is famous for its oshiya-- literally “pusher”--- who push passengers into crowded subway cars so the doors can close. And you think your ride is hell. |
| The Moscow Metro |
Features: The Moscow Metro has some of the most beautiful stations in the world. The best of them were built during the Stalinist era and feature chandeliers (枝行吊灯)，marble moldings and elaborate murals(精美壁画). With more than 7 million riders a day, keeping all that marble clean has got to be a burden. |
| The Hong Kong MTR |
Features: The Hong Kong MTR has the distinction of being one of the few subway systems in the world that actually turns a profit（利润）. It’s privately owned and uses real estate development along its tracks to increase income and ridership. It also introduced “Octopus cards” that allow people to not only pay their fares electronically, but buy stuff at convenience stores ,supermarkets, restaurants and even parking meters. It’s estimated that 95% of all adults in Hong Kong own an Octopus card. |
| Shanghai Metro |
Features: Shanghai is the third city in China to build a metro system, and it has become the country’s largest in the 12 years since it opened. Shanghai Metro has 142 miles of track and plans to add another 180 miles within five years. By that point, it would be three times larger than Chicago “L”. The system carries about 2.18 million people a day. |
| The London Metro |
Features: Londoners call their subway the Underground, even though 55 percent of it lies above ground. No matter when you’ve got the oldest mass-transit system in the world, you can call it anything you like. Trains started in 1863 and they’ve been running ever since. Some 3 million people ride each day, every one of them remembering to “Mind the gap” |
______ is done with the purpose of making money.
| A．The Tokyo Metro and Toei Lines | B．The Moscow Metro |
| C．Shanghai Metro | D．The Hong Kong MTR |
We can learn from the passage that Shanghai Metro______.
| A．carries the most people each day |
| B．is the world’s largest |
| C．may be larger than the Chicago “L” in the future |
| D．is the busiest in the world |
How many subways carry more than 5 million people per day?
| A．2 | B．3 | C．4 | D．5 |
What can be inferred from the passage?
| A．Shanghai is the third to build a metro system in China, which has become the largest in the world. |
| B．You’ll feel sick when you travel on the Tokyo Metro and Toei Lines. |
| C．Londoners call their subway the Underground because 55 percent of it lies above ground. |
| D．It is estimated that 95% of the population in Hong Kong own an Octopus card |
“What is the most important thing you’ve done in your life?” The question was put to me during a presentation I gave to a group of lawyers.
The answer came to me in an instant. It’s not the one I gave, because the situation was not right. As a lawyer in the entertainment industry, I knew the audience wanted to hear some amusing stories about my work with well-known people, but here’s the true answer:
The most important thing I’ve ever done occurred on October 8,1990. I began the day playing tennis with an old friend I hadn’t seen for a while. Between points we talked about what had been happening in each other’s lives. He and his wife had just had a baby boy, who was keeping them up at night.
While we were playing, a car came screaming up the road toward the courts. It was my friend’s father, who shouted to my friend that his baby had stopped breathing and was being rushed to the hospital. In a flash my friend was in the car and gone, disappearing in a cloud of dust.
For a moment I just stood there, paralyzed(呆若木鸡). Then I tried to figure out what I should do. Follow my friend to the hospital? There was nothing I could accomplish there, I convinced myself. My friend’s son was in the care of doctors and nurses, and nothing I could do or say would affect the outcome. Be there for moral support? Well, maybe. But my friend and his wife both had large families, and I knew they’d be surrounded by relatives who would provide more than enough comfort and support, whatever happened. All I could do at the hospital, I decided, was to get in the way. Also, I had planned a full day with my family, who were waiting for me to get home. So I decided to head back to my house and check in my friend later.
As I started my car, I realized that my friend had left his truck and keys at the courts. I now faced another problem. I couldn’t leave the keys in the truck. So I decided to go to the hospital and give him the keys.
When I arrived, I was directed to a room where my friend and his wife were waiting. As I had thought, the room was filled with family members silently watching my friend comfort his wife. I went in and stood by the door, trying to decide what to do next. Soon a doctor appeared. He approached my friend and his wife, and in a quiet voice told them that their son had died.
For a long time the two held each other and cried, unaware of the rest of us standing around in pained silence. After they had calmed themselves, the doctor suggested they spend a few moments with their son.
My friend and his wife stood up and walked past their families. When they reached the door, my friend saw me standing in the corner. He came over and hugged me and started to cry. My friend’s wife hugged me, too, and said , “Thanks for being here.”
For the rest of that morning, I sat in the emergency room of that hospital and watched my friend and his wife hold the body of their infant son, and say goodbye.
It’s the most important thing I have ever done. The experience taught me two lessons.
First: The most important thing I’ve ever done happened when I was completely helpless. None of the things I had learned in university, in three years of law school or in six years of legal practice were of any use in that situation. Something terrible was happening to people I cared about, and I was powerless to change the outcome. All I could do was standing by and watching it happen. And yet it was critical that I do just that--- just be there when someone needed me.
Second: The most important thing I’ve done almost didn’t happen because of things I had learned in classroom and professional life. Law school taught me how to take a set of facts, break them down and organized them. These skills are critical for lawyers. When people come to us for help, they’re often stressed out and depend on a lawyer to think logically. But while learning to think, I almost forget how to feel. Today I have no doubt that I should have leapt into my car without hesitation and followed my friend to the hospital.
From that one experience I learned that the most important thing in life isn’t the money you make, the status you attain or the honors you achieve. The most important thing in life is the kids’ team you coach or the poem you write----or the time when you’re just somebody’s friend. When he was asked about the most important thing he had done in life at a presentation, the author _______.
| A．felt it was not an interesting question |
| B．thought for a while and spoke his mind |
| C．gave an answer from a lawyer’s point of view |
| D．didn’t give the real answer |
When he saw his friend rush to the hospital, the author could not decide whether to follow mainly because he thought _______.
| A．he had to stay with his family |
| B．his friend did not need his help. |
| C．he would not be of much help |
| D．the baby would be in the doctor’s care |
What can we infer from the author’s description of the scene at the hospital?
| A．He found out that he was in the way. |
| B．He would have felt guilty if he had not been there. |
| C．He regretted that he went too late. |
| D．His friend would have felt better if he had not been there. |
Which of the following is conveyed in this story?
| A．Family and relatives can not take the place of friends. |
| B．More people are a great comfort when one is in trouble. |
| C．It is best to be here when someone needs you. |
| D．You can certainly help a friend if you want to. |
The author learned from his own experience that_______.
| A．what is taught in school is usually of no use. |
| B．a lawyer cannot learn much in classrooms |
| C．a lawyer should know people’s feeling first |
| D．he needs to be able to feel as well as think logically |
The underlined sentence in the last paragraph suggests that the author_______.
| A．is fond of writing poems |
| B．is going to coach the kid’s team |
| C．is determined to make friends with everybody |
| D．is fully aware of the importance of being helpful to those in need |
Imagine, one day，getting out of bed in Beijing and being at your office in Shanghai in only a couple of hours，and then，after a full day of work，going back home to Beijing and having dinner there．
Sounds unusual，doesn't it? But it's not that unrealistic，with the development of China’s high-speed railway system．And that’s not all．China has an even greater high-speed railway plan — to connect the country with Southeast Asia，and eventually Eastern Europe．
China is negotiating to extend its own high-speed railway network to up to 17 countries in 10 to 15 years，eventually reaching London and Singapore．
China has proposed three such projects．The first would possibly connect Kunming with Singapore via Vietnam and Malaysia．Another could start in Urumqi and go through Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan，and possibly to Germany．The third would start in the northeast and go north through Russia and then into Western Europe．
If China’s plan for the high-speed railway goes forward，people could zip over from London to Beijing in under two days．
The new system would still follow China’s high-speed railway standard．And the trains would be able to go 346 kilometers an hour.
China’s bullet train（高速客车），the one connecting Wuhan to Guangzhou，already has the World’s fastest average speed．It covers 1,069 kilometers in about three hours．
Of course，there are some technical challenges to overcome．There are so many issues that need to be settled，such as safety，rail gauge（轨距），maintenance of railway tracks．So，it’s important to pay attention to every detail．
But the key issue is really money．China is already spending hundreds of billions of yuan on domestic railway expansion．
China prefers that the other countries pay in natural resources rather than with capital investment．Resources from those countries could stream into China to sustain development．
It’ll be a win-win project． For other countries，the railway network will definitely create more opportunities for business，tourism and so on，not to mention the better communication among those countries．
For China，such a project would not only connect it with the rest of Asia and bring some much-needed resources，but would also help develop China’s far west．We foresee that in the coming decades，millions of people will migrate to the western regions，where the land is empty and resources unused．With high-speed trains，people will set up factories and business centers in the west once and for all．And they’ll trade with Central Asian and Eastern European countries．China’s new high-speed railway plan will be a win-win project because ________.
| A．China will get much-needed resources and develop its western regions |
| B．China and the countries involved will benefit from the project in various ways |
| C．China will develop its railway system and communication with other countries |
| D．The foreign countries involved will develop their business and tourism |
According to the passage，the greatest challenge to the new high-speed railway plan is ________.
| A．technical issues | B．safety of the system |
| C．financial problems | D．maintenance of railway tracks |
Which of the following words best describes the author’s attitude towards China’s high-speed railway plan?
| A．Critical． | B．Reserved． | C．Doubtful． | D．Positive． |
Which of the following might be the best title for the passage?
| A．New Railway Standards. | B．Big Railway Dreams. |
| C．High-speed Bullet Trains. | D．International Railway Network |
Breathe, wave and smile. Along with more than 300 other seniors, I marched into the stadium on the afternoon of May 10. The audience burst into deafening cheers. The huge stadium shook with all the whistling and clapping.
It was as if a Hollywood superstar had walked on stage. And indeed, every single senior that day was a star of the moment. Each deserved it. The seniors had been preparing for four years for this once-in-a-lifetime moment—the commencement.
Seated, I waited anxiously for the opening address. As a foreign exchange student, I was not able to receive a diploma. However, I still had the wonderful feeling of being part of things. Like the other graduates, I was dressed in marron（紫褐色）cap and gown(方帽长袍).
Our principal, Mr. Glover, delivered a short, warm greeting. The US national anthem followed and then, hands on chests, a solemn Pledge of Allegiance(对美国的效忠宣誓).
Students who had excelled academically gave farewell speeches. The tears in some eyes convinced me that many had deep feelings about the occasion. It was as the class motto says, “Life brings us tears, smiles and memories. The tears dry; the smiles fade; but the memories last forever.”
Then came the core (核心) of the commencement. Hundreds of names were announced. Each graduate walked across the stage to receive his or her diploma from the principal. From the different cheers each graduate got, we had the funny sense that it was a kind of competition of who could cheer the loudest.
To be honest, the presentation of diplomas got boring. A girl sitting next to me even started yawning. But it wasn’t boring for those receiving the diploma: they would treasure the moment the principal placed the sacred brown document in their hands for the rest of their lives.
A new page in the book of that person’s life had turned. They were glimpsing（开始领悟） their futures: futures of challenge, hardship, perhaps loneliness too, which would take all of their courage.What’s the article mainly about?
| A．An American graduation ceremony. |
| B．The opening ceremony of a sports meeting. |
| C．A presentation of college diplomas. |
| D．A US college’s farewell party. |
According to the text, which of the following statements about the author is TRUE?
| A．Hollywood superstars went to attend the ceremony. |
| B．Every single senior became a superstar at the ceremony. |
| C．When each graduate got his or her diploma, there were cheers. |
| D．All graduates would treasure the diploma for the rest of their lives. |
The right order of the following events is________.
a. Diplomas were presented to graduates. b. Students gave farewell speeches.
c. The US national anthem was played. d. The principal gave a short, warm speech.
e. Seniors went into the stadium.
| A．b-c-a-d-e | B．b-d-c-e-a | C．e-d-b-a-c | D．e-d-c-b-a |
From the text, we can infer that_______.
| A．foreign exchange students could get a diploma |
| B．a diploma guarantees a bright future |
| C．the ceremony symbolizes the beginning of a new stage in life |
| D．everyone felt excited at the presentation of the diploma |
We know from the text that the author _________.
| A．felt lost about the future |
| B．was actually one of the graduates |
| C．received her diploma on May 10 |
| D．felt it boring to be at the presentation ceremony |
In modern society, receiving systematic college education seems a necessary way for success as a graduate from first-class university may always get more opportunities than others. However, if it is gold, it will shine one day. In this article, we will get to know three most successful people in U.S. who never finished their college education. Following experiences of these successful dropouts may give you some inspiration.
1. Bill Gates
Harvard’s campus paper “Harvard Crimson” called Bill Gates “Harvard’s most successful dropout,” while the rest of the world preferred to name him “the world’s richest man” for more than a decade. Now, even not on the top, he is still among the list of the world’s wealthiest people.Gates entered Harvard in the fall of 1973. Two years later, he dropped out to found Microsoft with friend Paul Allen. And in 2007, he finally received an honorary doctorate from Harvard.
2. Steve Jobs
The iPad, even Buzz Lightyear probably wouldn’t have existed if Steve Jobs stayed in school. Because his family couldn’t afford his college education, Jobs had to drop out of Reed College just after entering for 6 months. Then he found Apple, NeXT Computer and Pixar, which had made great influences on development of modern technique and culture. However, this wizard thought that his brief college education was not worthless.
3. Frank Lloyd Wright
As the America’s most celebrated architect, Wright spent more time on designing colleges rather than attending classes in them. Once spent one year in the University of Wisconsin-Madison, then he left for Chicago and started to learn from Louis Sullivan, the “father of modernism." Wright’ s splendid resume included more than 500 works, most famous of which are Fallingwater and New York City's Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. What does“dropouts”in Paragraph One mean?
| A．Hardworking students. | B．Very successful students. |
| C．Students failing to finish their school education. | D．Students from poor families. |
Which of the following is right according to Paragraph One?
| A．People graduating from famous universities are more likely to get jobs. |
| B．Many successful people had the experience of giving up their school education. |
| C．If one has a lot of gold, he will become very rich one day. |
| D．We should stop our college education to follow in those successful people’s steps. |
According to the writer, Bill Gates _________.
| A．is richer than any other man in the world |
| B．is well-known in Harvard University |
| C．finally finished his study at Harvard and got a doctorate degree |
| D．is the only founder of Microsoft |
Which of the following statements can’t be learned from the last two paragraphs?
| A．The reason for Jobs’ dropping his college education is that his parents couldn’t pay for it. |
| B．Jobs thought his six-month college education gave him no help. |
| C．Wright’s teacher was a very famous artist. |
| D．Wright is the designer of New York City’s Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. |
What does the author want to tell us in this passage?
| A．Successful people often have unordinary life experience. |
| B．College education is not so important to one’s success. |
| C．People from poor families are more likely to give up their college education. |
| D．Even without college education, one can still achieve success with one’s hard work. |