About ten years ago, a young and very successful businessman named Josh was traveling down a Chicago neighborhood street. He was going a bit too fast in his shiny, black, Jaguar XKE, which was only two months old.
He was watching for kids rushing out from between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something. As his car passed, no child came out, but a brick sailed out and — WHUMP! — it hit the Jag’s shiny black side door! SCREECH...!!!! Immediately Josh stopped the car, jumped out, seized the kid and pushed him up against a parked car. He shouted at the kid, "What was that all about and who are you? Just what are you doing?!" Building up a head of steam, he went on. “That’s my new car. That brick you threw is gonna cost you a lot of money. Why did you throw it?"
"Please, mister, please....I’m sorry! I didn’t know what else to do!" begged the boy. "I threw the brick because no one else would stop!" Tears were streaming down the boy’s face as he pointed around the parked car. "It’s my brother, mister," he said. "He rolled of the curb (路沿) and fell out of his wheelchair and I can’t lift him up. "Sobbing, the boy asked the businessman," Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He’s hurt and he’s too heavy for me.”
Moved beyond words, the young businessman tried hard to swallow (咽下) the rapidly swelling lump in his throat. Straining, he lifted the young man back into the wheelchair and took out his handkerchief and wiped the scrapers and cuts, checking to see that everything was going to be OK. He then watched the younger brother push him down the sidewalk toward their home.
It was a long walk back to the black, shining Jaguar XKE — a long and slow walk. Josh never did fix the side door of his Jaguar. He kept the dent (凹痕) to remind him not to go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at him to get his attention. Feel for the bricks of life coming at you.
57. The boy threw a brick at the businessman’s car because ____________.
A. the businessman drove at a high speed B. he envied the new car very much
C. he wanted to ask for some money D. he wanted to get help from the driver
58. Which of the following is the right order of the story?
a. The younger brother threw a brick at Josh’s car. b. The elder brother fell out of his wheelchair.
c. The younger brother begged Josh for help.
d. Josh lifted the elder brother back into his wheelchair. e. Josh shouted at the younger brother.
A.b, a, e, c, d B. a, c, d, b, e C. b, a, c, e, d D. a, c, b, e, d
59. What can we learn from the passage?
A. Josh would accept the money from the kids. B. The two kids were Josh’s neighbors.
C. Josh was a kind-hearted man. D. Josh’s new car broke down easily.
60. According to the passage, the underlined sentence in the last paragraph means ____________.
A. trying to get ready for the trouble in your future life
B. driving fast in a neighborhood street is dangerous
C. trying to be more understanding seeing others in trouble
D. protecting oneself from being hurt
Hobbs was an orphan（孤儿）. He worked in a factory and every day he got a little money. Hard work made him thin and weak. He wanted to borrow a lot of money to learn to paint pictures, but he did not think he could pay off the debts.
One day a lawyer said to him, “One thousand dollars, and here is the money.” As Hobbs took the package of notes, he was very dumbfounded. He didn’t know where the money came from and how to spend it. He said to himself, “I could go to find a hotel and live like a rich man for a few days; or I give up my work in the factory and do what I’d like to do: painting pictures. I could do that for a few weeks, but what would I do after that? I should have lost my place in the factory and have no money to live on. If it were a little less money, I would buy a new coat, or a radio, or give a dinner to my friends. If it were more, I could give up the work and pay for painting pictures. But it’s too much for one and too little for the other.”
“Here is the reading of your uncle’s will,” said the lawyer, “telling what is to be done with this money after his death. I must ask you to remember one point. Your uncle has said you must bring me a paper showing exactly what you did with his money, as soon as you have spent it.”
“Yes, I see. I’ll do that,” said the young man. Hobbs wanted to borrow money to _______.
| A．study abroad | B．work abroad |
| C．pay off the debts | D．learn to paint pictures |
What does the underlined word “dumbfounded” （in Paragraph 2）probably mean?
| A．Surprised. | B．Frightened. |
| C．Satisfied. | D．Excited. |
With the money he got, at first Hobbs _______.
| A．planned to have a happy life for a few days |
| B．decided to give up his work in the factory |
| C．was to give a dinner to his friends |
| D．had no idea what to do |
Hobbs was asked to _______.
| A．tell the lawyer what he did with the money after spending it |
| B．read his uncle’s will |
| C．tell the lawyer what was to be done with the money |
| D．buy some pictures |
She turned up at the doorstep of my house in Cornwall. No way could I have sent her away. No way, not me anyway. Maybe someone had kicked her out of their car the night before. "We're moving house.'; "No space for her any more with the baby coming." "We never really wanted her, but what could we have done? She was a present." People find all sorts of excuses for abandoning(放弃) an animal. And she was one of the most beautiful dogs I had ever seen.
I called her Goldie. If I had known what was going to happen，I would have given her a more creative name. She was so unsettled during those first few days. She hardly ate anything and had such an air of sadness about her. There was nothing I could do to make her happy, it seemed. Heaven knows what had happened to her at her previous owner's. But eventually at the end of the first week she calmed down. Always by my side, whether we were out on one of our long walks or sitting by the fire.
That's why it was such a shock when she pulled away from me one day when we were out for a walk. We were a long way from home, when she started barking and getting very restless. Eventually I couldn't hold her any longer and she raced off down the road towards a farmhouse in the distance as fast as she could.
By the time I reached the farm I was very tired and upset with Goldie. But when I saw her licking (舔) the four puppies (幼犬) I started to feel sympathy towards them. "We didn't know what had happened to her," said the woman at the door. "I took her for a walk one day, soon after the puppies were born, and she just disappeared." "She must have tried to come back to them and got lost," added a boy from behind her. '
I must admit I do miss Goldie, but I've got Nugget now, and she looks just like her mother. And I've learnt a good lesson: not to judge people.In her first few days at the author's house, Goldie .
| A．felt worried | B．was angry |
| C．ate a little | D．sat by the fire |
Goldie rushed off to a farmhouse one day because she .
| A．saw her puppies |
| B．heard familiar barking |
| C．wanted to leave the author |
| D．found her way to her old home |
The passage is organized in order of .
| A．time | B．effect |
| C．importance | D．Complexity |
Are you a problem shopper? The answer is “Yes”, if you or someone else thinks that you sometimes get carried away with shopping. In other words, do you or does someone else think you are busy in extreme shopping? If people have regrets later about their shopping, or have an “out-of-control” feeling about the quantities of what they buy or the amount of money they use, they may be considered to be problem shoppers.
Extreme shopping can lead to a more serious problem — addictive shopping. Addictive shoppers feel driven by the desire to shop and spend money. They experience great tension which drives them to shop and spend money and they feel a “rush” during the time they are occupied with the shopping activity.
Extreme or addictive shopping may result from long-time unpleasant feelings, of which anxiety, pain and shame are common ones. When we feel bad inside, we often do something to make ourselves feel better. In this case, we often go shopping.
A few people shop to relieve their boredom or emptiness. For some people, the motivation is a desire for status, power, beauty or success. Some love to shop as it makes them feel valued in the eyes of the shop assistants. Others shop simply because it makes them forget, at least temporarily, tension, fear or unhappiness in their life.
Besides, shopping malls are designed to encourage continual shopping. For instance, there are some malls where you can’t see clocks displaying the time because they don’t want you to become too aware of the time you spend there. What’s more, food courts, coffee shops and restrooms are provided, so you don’t have to leave the mall because of your physical needs.
Therefore, once you become aware of how market forces work, you will certainly come to control your shopping behavior. For example, how much time you will spend and what areas you will visit can be decided before you enter the mall. Keep a written account of what items you will buy and how much money you will spend. Make a plan for what you are going to buy before you feel the urge to shop and then stick to it. That is vital for gaining self-control.Which of the following people may not be problem shoppers?
| A．Those who cannot control the amount of money they use. |
| B．Those who just walk around the shopping malls. |
| C．Those who are occupied in too much shopping. |
| D．Those who feel sorry for their shopping. |
According to the passage, what may not result in addictive shopping?
| A．The awareness of how market forces work. |
| B．The desire for status, power, beauty or success. |
| C．Boredom, emptiness, tension, fear or unhappiness in people’s life. |
| D．Long-time bad feelings of anxiety, pain and shame. |
What does the author suggest to control our shopping behaviour?
| A．Never going to the shopping malls because there are many tricks. |
| B．Applying for a credit card before we go shopping. |
| C．Making the shopping time as short as possible. |
| D．Making a shopping list before we go shopping. |
The author writes this passage to _______.
| A．inform the shopping malls how to attract more shoppers |
| B．provide solutions to the problem shopping |
| C．scold the problem shoppers |
| D．tell a shopping story |
We’ve all felt discouragement at one point or another in our lives. However, when this emotion bleeds into other aspects of our life, it can sometimes be inappropriate or even harmful.
I was personally discouraged by an adult during my high school. After telling her what university I wanted to attend, she plainly told me I would not get in. I was completely shocked and angry at her statement. The adult may have not intended to hurt me with her words, but it had an after effect. The meeting made me think she had no belief that I could possibly succeed in the future. After that it caused me to try to avoid any future meeting with adults until absolutely necessary.
We are all human; therefore, we can all understand that some days are more challenging. But when people allow situations of stress to consume(充满) them, they cannot perform their best. People should pay attention to how their reactions could affect the person they are interacting with. People have the potential to perform their best when they are indulged in the task at hand, but adults who come off in a rude and aggressive way through communication have an effect on teenagers’ mind.
Adults whether in schools, or any other institutions should work to tear down walls gently and create a safe space for the person they are serving. These adults should also help and contribute to a person’s academic, personal and professional growth. High school is an important time when young people need someone to believe in them.
In conclusion, I would like to add that it is not completely up to adults only. Students are responsible for seeking help from adults who are in authority(权威) positions. They are also responsible for the way they approach adults in their academic surroundings. Students can expect to be treated in a respectful way when they express at the beginning. Generally the responsibility lies on both parties. When both sides can communicate in a polite manner then the complete environment of the school has the potential to develop well.The passage is mainly about ______.
| A．the adults’ roles in school |
| B．the skill to encourage students |
| C．the way to communicate with children |
| D．the importance of personal professional growth |
Who are responsible for children’s development at school according to the writer?
| A．Students. | B．Teachers. |
| C．Headmasters. | D．Both students and teachers. |
The underlined phrase probably “are indulged in” means “______”.
| A．are weak in | B．are amazed at |
| C．are interested in | D．are unbearable with |
The writer once tried to avoid meetings with adults because ______.
| A．he was very busy |
| B．he thought highly of himself |
| C．he was once hurt by an adult |
| D．he couldn’t get high marks at school |
Global Positioning Systems（GPS） are now a part of everyday driving in many countries. These satellite-based systems provide turn-by-turn directions to help people get to where they want to go. But, they can also cause a lot of problems, send you to the wrong place or leave you completely lost. Many times, the driver is to blame. Sometimes a GPS error is responsible. Most often, says Barry Brown, it is a combination of the two.
We spoke to Mr. Brown by Skype （网络电话软件）. He told us about an incident involving a friend who had flown to an airport in the eastern United States. There he borrowed a GPS-equipped car to use during his stay. BARRY BROWN: “And they just plugged in an address and then set off to their destination. And, then it wasn’t until they were driving for thirty minutes that they realized they actually put in a destination back on the West Coast where they lived. They actually put their home address in. So again, the GPS is kind of 'garbage in garbage out'.”
Mr Brown says this is a common human error. But, he says, what makes the problem worse has to do with some of the shortcomings, or failures, of GPS equipment. BARRY BROWN: “One problem with a lot of the GPS units is that they have a very small screen and they just tell you the next turn. Because they just give you the next turn, sometimes that means that it is not really giving you the overview that you would need to know that it’s going to the wrong place.”
Barry Brown formerly served as a professor with the University of California, San Diego. While there, he worked on a project with Eric Laurier from the University of Edinburgh. The two men studied the effects of GPS devices on driving by placing cameras in people’s cars. They wrote a paper based on their research. It is called “The Normal, Natural Troubles of Driving with GPS.”
It lists several areas where GPS systems can cause confusion for drivers. These include maps that are outdated, incorrect or difficult to understand. They also include timing issues(时机问题) related to when GPS commands are given.
Barry Brown says, “ To make GPS systems better we need a better understanding of how drivers, passengers and GPS systems work together.”In paragraph 2, Mr. Brown mentioned his friend in the conversation to _______.
| A．build up his own reputation |
| B．laugh at his stupid friend |
| C．prove the GPS system is only garbage |
| D．describe an example of human error |
What is the disadvantage of small screens in GPS equipment according to the text?
| A．They just provide the next turn. |
| B．They are harmful to eyes. |
| C．They make drivers tired easily. |
| D．They often break down suddenly. |
Which of the following statements would Barry Brown most likely agree with?
| A．GPS units are to blame for most GPS service failures. |
| B．We should introduce higher standards for the driving license. |
| C．Cameras are badly needed to help improve GPS systems. |
| D．Drivers, GPS systems and passengers should unite to improve GPS systems. |
What is Mr. Brown’s attitude towards GPS?
| A．Unconcerned. | B．subjective. |
| C．Objective. | D．Critical. |
Which of the following statements can best describe the main idea of the passage?
| A．Driving with GPS can be difficult. |
| B．Driving confusions can be caused by small screens. |
| C．Driving without GPS should be much more convenient. |
| D．GPS equipment in driving to be given up or improved |