In 1909 an English newspaper offered £ 1,000 to the first man to fly across the English Channel in an aeroplane. Today, modern jets cross it in minutes. But at that time it still seemed a good distance. The race to win the money soon became a race between two men. Both were very colourful.
One was Louis Bleriot. He owned a factory in France that made motor car lamps. He was already well known as a pilot because he had had accidents several times. Some people laughed at him. One man said, “He may not be the first to fly across the Channel but he will certainly be the first to die in an accident!” But Bleriot was really a good and brave pilot. He also had many good ideas about aeroplane design.
The other man was Hubert Latham. He was half French and half English. He took up flying when his doctors told him he had only a year to live. “Oh, well,” he said, “if I’ m going to die soon, I think I shall have a dangerous and interesting life now.” Latham was the first to try the flight across the Channel. Ten kilometres from the French coast, his plane had some trouble. It fell down into the water and began to sink under the water. A boat reached Latham just in time. He was sitting calmly on the wing and was coolly lighting a cigarette. Bleriot took off six days later. He flew into some very bad weather and very low cloud. He somehow got to the English side and landed in a farmer’s field. When he did so, a customs (海关) officer rushed up to his plane. Planes have changed since then, but customs officers have not. “Have you anything to declare(报关)?” The officer demanded.
Bleriot was well known as a pilot because ____ .
| A．he was unusually brave |
| B．he was quite rich |
| C．he had many good ideas about aeroplane design |
| D．he had had a few accidents |
Why did Hubert Latham want to fly across the Channel?
| A．He thought he could manage it easily. |
| B．He wanted to be the first one to cross the Channel. |
| C．He knew he only had a year to live. |
| D．He had always been interested in flying. |
Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．Latham became a pilot on the doctor’s advice. |
| B．He was told he could live another year. |
| C．His plane had some trouble. |
| D．He was saved by a boat when his plane was sinking. |
阅读理解
What makes a gift special? Is it the price you see on the gift receipt？Or is it the look on the recipient's face when they receive it that determines the true value? What gift is worth the most?
This Christmas I was debating what to give my father. My dad is a hard person to buy for because he never wants anything. I pulled out my phone to read a text message from my mom saying that we were leaving for Christmas shopping for him when I came across a message on my phone that I had locked. The message was from my father. My eyes fell on a photo of a flower taken in Wyoming, and underneath a poem by William Blake. The flower, a lone dandelion (蒲公英) standing against the bright blue sky, inspired me. My dad had been reciting those words to me since I was a kid. That may even be the reason why I love writing. I decided that those words would be my gift to my father.
I called back. I told my mom to go without me and that I already created my gift. I sent the photo of the cream-colored flower to my computer and typed the poem on top of it. As I was arranging the details another poem came to mind. The poem was written by Edgar Allan Poe; my dad recited it as much as he did the other. I typed that out as well and searched online for a background to the words of it. The poem was focused around dreaming, and after searching I found the perfect picture. The image was painted with blues and greens and purples, twisting together to create the theme and wonder of a dream. As I watched both poems passing through the printer, the white paper coloring with words that shaped my childhood, I felt that this was a gift that my father would truly appreciate. Christmas soon arrived. The minute I saw the look on my dad’s face as he unwrapped those black letters carefully placed in a cheap frame, I knew I had given the perfect gift.The author's inspiration for the gift came from_________.
| A．a photo of a flower | B．a story about a kid |
| C．a call from the mother | D．a text about Christmas |
The author made the gift by ________.
| A．searching for the poems online |
| B．drawing the background by hand |
| C．painting the letters in three colors |
| D．matching the words with pictures |
What is the main purpose of the passage?
| A．To show how to design images for gifts |
| B．To suggest making gifts from one’s heart |
| C．To explain how computers help create gifts |
| D．To describe the gifts the author has received |
Knowing that Mrs. Mallard suffered from a heart trouble, great care was taken to break to her as gently as possible the news of her husband’s death.
It was her sister Josephine who told her, in broken sentences. Her husband’s friend Richards was there, too. It was he who had been in the newspaper office when news of the railroad disaster was received, with Brently Mallard’s name leading the list of “killed.” He had only taken the time to assure himself of its truth by a second telegram, and hurried to send the sad message.
She did not hear the story as many women have heard the same. She wept at once, with wild abandonment, in her sister’s arms. When the storm of sadness had spent itself she went away to her room alone.
There stood, facing the open window, a comfortable armchair. Into this she sank, pressed down by a physical exhaustion that held her body and seemed to reach into her soul.
She could see in the open square before her house the tops of trees that were all aquiver (颤抖的) with the new spring life. The delicious breath of rain was in the air. The notes of a distant song which someone was singing reached her, and countless sparrows were twittering in the eaves(屋檐).
There was something coming to her and she was waiting for it, fearfully. What was it? It was too hard to name. But she felt it, coming out of the sky, reaching toward her through the sounds, the smells, the color that filled the air.
Now her chest rose and fell violently. She was beginning to recognize this thing that was approaching to possess her, and she was trying very hard to beat it back with her will. When she gave up trying a little whispered word escaped her lips. She said it over and over under the breath: “free, free, free!”
She did not stop to ask if it was extreme joy that held her. She knew that she would weep again when she saw the kind, gentle hands folded in death; the face that had never looked at her except with love, fixed and gray and dead. But she saw beyond that bitter moment many years to come that would belong to her absolutely. And she opened and spread her arms out to them in welcome.
There would be no one to live for during those coming years; she would live for herself. There would be no powerful will bending hers.
And yet she had loved him—sometimes. What did it matter! What could love count for in the face of her realization.
“Free! Body and soul free!” she kept whispering.
Josephine was kneeling before the closed door with her lips to the keyhole. “Louise, open the door! I beg; open the door—you will make yourself ill.”
“Go away. I am not making myself ill.”
Her fancy was running wild along those days ahead of her, all sorts of days that would be her own. She breathed a quick prayer that life might be long. It was only yesterday she had thought with a shake that life might be long.
She arose after a long time and opened the door to her sister’s begging. She carried herself unknowingly like a goddess of Victory. She held her sister’s waist, and together they walked down the stairs.
Someone was opening the front door with a key. It was Brently Mallard who entered, a little travel-stained, calmly carrying his suitcase and umbrella. He had been far from the scene of the accident, and did not even know there had been one. He stood amazed at Josephine’s sharp cry; at Richards’ quick motion to screen him from the view of his wife.
When the doctors came they said she had died of heart disease—of the joy that kills.What does the underlined sentence in paragraph 7 indicate?
| A．Mrs. Mallard decided to fight back when her husband beat her. |
| B．Mrs. Mallard was trying hard to fight against her heart trouble. |
| C．Mrs. Mallard was struggling with the guilty feeling of happiness. |
| D．Mrs. Mallard was extremely sad because of her husband’s death. |
What is “that bitter moment” in paragraph 8?
| A．The time when she saw her husband’s dead body. |
| B．The time when she had lived with her husband. |
| C．The time when she had to live without her husband. |
| D．The time when she heard of her husband’s death. |
What can we infer about Mr. Mallard?
| A．He was killed in a railroad disaster. |
| B．He survived the railroad accident. |
| C．He was unaware of what was going on. |
| D．He hurried back to comfort his wife. |
What can we learn from paragraph 14 “Her fancy …might be long”?
| A．Mrs. Mallard was more afraid of her future life. |
| B．Mrs. Mallard missed her husband very much. |
| C．Mrs. Mallard always thought life was hopeful. |
| D．Mrs. Mallard used to think life was hopeless. |
What really killed Mrs. Mallard?
| A．The joy of seeing her husband coming back alive. |
| B．The shock of losing her coming freedom. |
| C．The fear of seeing the ghost of her husband. |
| D．The sadness of losing her husband suddenly. |
Give it five minutes
I used to be a hothead. Whenever anyone said anything, I’d think of a way to disagree. I’d push back hard if something didn’t fit my world-view.
It’s like I had to be first with an opinion — as if being first meant something. But what it really meant was that I wasn’t thinking hard enough about the problem. The faster you react, the less you think. Not always, but often.
This came to a head back in 2007. I was speaking at the Business Innovation Factory conference in Providence, RI. So was Richard Saul Wurman. After my talk Richard came up to introduce himself and compliment my talk. That was very generous of him. He certainly didn’t have to do that.
And what did I do? I pushed back at him about the talk he gave. While he was making his points on stage, I was taking an inventory of the things I didn’t agree with. And when presented with an opportunity to speak with him, I quickly pushed back at some of his ideas. I must have seemed like such an asshole.
His response changed my life. It was a simple thing. He said “Man, give it five minutes.” I asked him what he meant by that? He said, it’s fine to disagree, it’s fine to push back, it’s great to have strong opinions and beliefs, but give my ideas some time to set in before you’re sure you want to argue against them. “Five minutes” represented “think”, not react. He was totally right. I came into the discussion looking to prove something, not learn something.
This was a big moment for me.
Richard has spent his career thinking about these problems. He’s given it 30 years. And I gave it just a few minutes. Now, certainly he can be wrong and I could be right, but it’s better to think deeply about something first before being so certain you’re right.
There’s also a difference between asking questions and pushing back. Pushing back means you already think you know. Asking questions means you want to know. Ask more questions.
Learning to think first rather than react quick is a life-long pursuit. It’s tough. I still get hot sometimes when I shouldn’t. But I’m really enjoying all the benefits of getting better.
If you aren’t sure why this is important, think about this quote from Jonathan Ive regarding Steve Jobs’ reverence(respect) for ideas:
And just as Steve loved ideas, and loved making stuff, he treated the process of creativity with a rare and a wonderful reverence. You see, I think he better than anyone understood that while ideas ultimately can be so powerful, they begin as fragile, barely formed thoughts, so easily missed, so easily compromised, so easily just squished.
That’s deep. Ideas are fragile. They often start powerless. They’re barely there, so easy to ignore or skip or miss.
There are two things in this world that take no skill: 1. Spending other people’s money and 2. Dismissing an idea.
Dismissing an idea is so easy because it doesn’t involve any work. You can scoff at it. You can ignore it. You can puff some smoke at it. That’s easy. The hard thing to do is protect it, think about it, let it marinate, explore it, riff on it, and try it. The right idea could start out life as the wrong idea.
So next time you hear something, or someone, talk about an idea, pitch an idea, or suggest an idea, give it five minutes. Think about it a little bit before pushing back, before saying it’s too hard or it’s too much work.
Those things may be true, but there may be another truth in there too: It may be worth it.Which of the following best describes the word hothead from the first paragraph?
| A．Supportive | B．Fast | C．Nervous | D．Aggressive |
What did the author do while Richard was talking in the business conference?
| A．He kept notes for things that he did not agree with. |
| B．He pushed Richard and beat him. |
| C．He was preparing for his own speech. |
| D．He was getting ready to compliment him. |
Which of the following is the reason for quoting Jonathan Ive?
| A．The author thinks Steve Job is the best when it comes to creativity. |
| B．The author is inspired by Steve Job's attitude towards new ideas. |
| C．The author respects Steve Job because he is creative and he likes ideas. |
| D．The author thinks Steve Job has ideas that are strong and powerful and are hard to miss. |
What is the core argument that the author put forward?
| A．Dismissing ideas is an effortless thing to do so you should always protect ideas carefully. |
| B．The right idea always starts from a wrong idea and you need to protect it from being dismissed. |
| C．One should be careful when it comes to judge a new idea. |
| D．Every idea, whether powerful or fragile deserves five minutes |
Large companies need a way to reach the savings of the public at large. The same problem, on a smaller scale, faces practically every company trying to develop new products and create new jobs. There can be little prospect of raising the sort of sum needed from friends and people we know, and while banks may agree to provide short-term finance, they are generally unwilling to provide money on a permanent basis for long- term projects. So companies turn to the public, inviting people to lend them money, or take a share in the business in exchange for a share in future profits. This they do by issuing stocks and shares in the business through the Stock Exchange. By doing so, they can put the savings of individuals both at home and overseas into circulation.
When the saver needs his money back, he does not have to go to the company with which he originally placed it. Instead, he sells his shares through a stockbroker to some other savers who are seeking to invest their money.
Many of the services needed both by industry and by each of us are provided by the government or by local authorities. Hospitals, roads, electricity, telephones, equipment and new development, if they are to serve us properly, require more money than it is raised through taxes alone. The government, local authorities, and nationalized industries therefore frequently need to borrow money to finance major capital spending, and then too, come to the Stock Exchange.
There is hardly a man or a woman in this country whose job or whose standard of living does not depend on the ability of his or her employers to raise money to finance new development. In one way or another, new money must come from the savings of the country. The Stock Exchange exists to provide a channel through which these savings can reach those who need finance.How does a company get the public to invest their savings for it according to the passage?
| A．By paying them very high interests for borrowing their savings. |
| B．By providing a share to them in the future profits. |
| C．By offering favorable terms to attract them to buy its products. |
| D．By selling its stocks and shares to them through the Stock Exchange. |
According to the passage, many services wanting to serve people properly haveto_______.
| A．get as much finance as possible through taxes |
| B．get the support from the government or local authorities |
| C．be able to provide what people really need |
| D．get persistent financial support |
According to the passage, what factor has a great effect on the workers’ job and living standard?
| A．Their employers’ policy for offering good welfare to them. |
| B．Their employers’ strategy for the company’s development. |
| C．Their employers’ capacity of raising money to finance new development. |
| D．Their employers’ ability to make the company obtain a great profit. |
Proper arrangement of classroom space is important to encouraging interaction. Most of us have noticed how important physical setting is to efficiency and comfort in our work. College classroom space should be designed to encourage the activity of critical thinking.
We are in the 21st century now, but step into almost any college classroom and you step back in time at least a hundred years. Desks are normally in straight rows, so students can clearly see the teacher but not all their classmates. The assumption behind such an arrangement is obvious: Everything of importance comes from the teacher.
With a little imagination and effort, unless desks are fixed to the floor, the teacher can correct this situation and create space that encourages interchange among students. In small or standard-size classes, chairs, desks, and tables can be arranged in a variety of ways: circles, U-shapes or semicircles. The primary goal should be for everyone to be able to see everyone else.
Arrangement of the classroom should also make it easy to divide students into small groups for discussion or problem-solving exercises. Small classes with movable desks and tables present no problem. Even in large lecture halls, it is possible for students to turn around and form groups of four or six. Breaking a class into small groups provides more opportunities for students to interact with each other, think out loud, and see how other students’ thinking processes operate---all these are essential elements in developing new modes of critical thinking.
In courses that regularly use a small group format, students might be asked to stay in the same small groups throughout the course. A colleague of mine, John, allows students to move around during the first two weeks, until they find a group they are comfortable with. John then asks them to stay in the same seat, with the same group, from that time on. This not only creates a comfortable setting for interaction but helps him learn students’ names and faces.The final purpose of arranging desks in circles or U-shapes is __________.
| A．for teachers to divide students into small groups |
| B．to make it possible for students to interact with each other |
| C．for teachers to find out how students think |
| D．to give students more opportunities to practice speaking |
The expression “step back in time at least a hundred years” is intended to convey that________.
| A．college classrooms often reminded people of their past |
| B．critical thinking was encouraged even one century ago |
| C．desk arrangement in a classroom was quite different from that a hundred years ago |
| D．today’s arrangement of college classroom space has little difference from past’s |
The way of arranging desks in classrooms in straight rows indicates that ________.
| A．students can be easily prevented from cheating during tests |
| B．it is convenient for teachers to monitor students |
| C．teachers play a significant role in a classroom |
| D．it is good for students to concentrate on listening to teachers |