Making an apology is not the same as making amends. Sometimes we apologize just because it’s the easiest thing to do. What’s actually important is to identify where we go wrong, take full responsibility for our mistakes and , if possible, try to make up for them.
A recent case involving Hewlett-Packed, the US computer giant, shows the importance of presenting a sincere apology. The Chinese consumers who had bought notebook computers of certain models, which have been put on Chinese market since 2007, suffered a massive flash screen failures and overheating problems. Through investigation, Chinese AQSIQ(国家质检总局) identified these HP computers had quality problems and HP admitted this. HP made a proposal that they would extend the warranty period of such computers, but this could not satisfied the consumers. What they needed was a thorough description of the truth. HP has “sincerely” apologized. But the consumers remain angry, and say that only a product recall—as HP has done in the past—will prove that the apology is sincere.
Another apology that fell flat on its face was that of Thierry Henry, the famous French footballer. His deliberate handball in November 2009 created the goal which knocked Ireland out of the 2010 World Cup. The incident caused great anger in the football world, and eventually Henry issued and apology. Two days later, he wrote, “I’m not the referee…but if I hurt someone I’m sorry.” Better late than never, perhaps, but even then he passed the blame onto the referee!
Such high-profile cases, which attract a lot of publicity often under the spotlight, but similar incidents occur in our everyday lives. Stress caused by schoolwork and tiredness can sometimes result in outbursts of anger against friends and family. Have you ever lost your temper for minor reasons? After calming down, most people are quick to realize their mistake and apologize. But it’s just as important to identify what caused the error in the first place and take action to ensure it doesn’t happen again.
No one should hold a negative attitude to making a sincere apology. Empty words are easy to say, but they are as useless as they sound. A real show of remorse demands hard work and commitment to put error right.
46. What does the author intend to tell us in the case of HP?
A. A true apology needs sincere actions.
B. HP should recall all the faulty computers.
C. Good quality makes a good company.
D. A company should apologize and pay for their mistakes.
47. According to the author, when we do anything wrong we firstly __________ .
A. make an apology face to face honestly
B. admit we were wrong and try to make the wrong right
C. take the responsibility for apologizing to others
D. choose the easiest thing to do
48. We can infer from the case of Thierry Henry that ______________ .
A. It’s never too late to say “I’m sorry.”
B. Writing an apology is not a good idea.
C. Henry didn’t identify his fault.
D. The football fans were mad with Henry.
49. Which of the following can best explain the word “commitment” in the last paragraph?
A. decision B. promise C. agreement D. responsibility
50. What’s the best title of this passage?
A. What really puts things right
B. Don’t apologize easily
C. Making an apology—no one is out of exception
D. How to judge an apology—sincere enough?
It is pretty much a one-way street. While it may be common for university researchers to try their luck in the commercial world, there is very little traffic in the opposite direction. Pay has always been the biggest deterrent, as people with families often feel they cannot afford the drop in salary when moving to a university job. For some industrial scientists, however, the attractions of academia (学术界) outweigh any financial considerations.
Helen Lee took a 70% cut in salary when she moved from a senior post in Abbott Laboratories to a medical department at the University of Cambridge. Her main reason for returning to academia mid-career was to take advantage of the greater freedom to choose research questions. Some areas of inquiry have few possibilities of a commercial return, and Lee’s is one of them.
The impact of a salary cut is probably less severe for a scientist in the early stages of a career. Guy Grant, now a research associate at the Unilever Centre for Molecular Informatics at the University of Cambridge, spent two years working for a pharmaceutical (制药的) company before returning to university as a post-doctoral researcher. He took a 30% salary cut but felt it worthwhile for the greater intellectual opportunities.
Higher up the ladder, where a pay cut is usually more significant, the demand for scientists with a wealth of experience in industry is forcing universities to make the transition (转换) to academia more attractive, according to Lee. Industrial scientists tend to receive training that academics do not, such as how to build a multidisciplinary (多学科的) team, manage budgets and negotiate contracts. They are also well placed to bring something extra to the teaching side of an academic role that will help students get a job when they graduate, says Lee, perhaps experience in manufacturing practice or product development. “Only a small number of undergraduates will continue in an academic career. So someone leaving university who already has the skills needed to work in an industrial lab has far more potential in the job market than someone who has spent all their time on a narrow research project.”By “a one-way street” (Line 1, Para. 1), the author means ________.
| A．university researchers know little about the commercial world |
| B．there is little exchange between industry and academia |
| C．few industrial scientists would quit to work in a university |
| D．few university professors are willing to do industrial research |
The word “deterrent” (Line 3, Para. 1) most probably refers to something that ________.
| A．keeps someone from taking action |
| B．helps to move the traffic |
| C．attracts people’s attention |
| D．brings someone a financial burden |
What was Helen Lee’s major consideration when she changed her job in the middle of her career?
| A．Flexible work hours. |
| B．Her research interests. |
| C．Her preference for the lifestyle on campus. |
| D．Prospects of academic accomplishments. |
Guy Grant chose to work as a researcher at Cambridge in order to ________.
| A．do financially more rewarding work |
| B．raise his status in the academic world |
| C．enrich his experience in medical research |
| D．take advantage of better intellectual opportunities |
What contribution can industrial scientists make when they come to teach in a university?
| A．Increase its graduates’ competitiveness in the job market |
| B．Develop its students’ potential in research. |
| C．Help it to obtain financial support from industry. |
| D．Adapt its research to practical applications. |
Today, as in every other day of the year, more than 3,000 U.S. adolescents will smoke their first cigarette on their way to becoming regular smokers as adults. During their lifetime, it can be expected that of these 3,000 about 23 will be murdered, 30 will die in traffic accidents, and nearly 750 will be killed by a smoking-related disease. The number of deaths due to cigarette smoking outweighs all other factors, whether voluntary or involuntary, as a cause of death.
Since the late 1970s, when daily smoking among high school seniors reached 30 percent, smoking rates among youth have declined. While the decline is impressive, several important issues must be raised.
First, in the past several years, smoking rates among youth have declined very little. Second, in the late 1970s, smoking among male high school seniors beat that among female by nearly 10 percent . The statistic is reversing (完全相反的). Third, several recent studies have indicate high school dropouts have excessively high smoking rates, as much as 75 percent .
Finally, though significant declines in adolescent smoking have occurred in the past decade, no definite reasons for the decline exist. Within this context, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) began its current effort to determine the most effective measures to reduce smoking level among youth.According to the author, the deaths among youth are mainly caused by _____.
| A．traffic accidents | B．smoking-related disease |
| C．murder | D．all of these |
Every day there are over _____ high school students who will become regular smoker.
| A．75 | B．23 | C．30 | D．3000 |
By "dropout" the author means ________
| A．students who failed the examination |
| B．students who left school |
| C．students who lost their way |
| D．students who were driven out of school |
The reason for declining adolescent smoking is that ________.
| A．NCI has taken effective measures |
| B．smoking is prevented among high school seniors |
| C．there are many smokers who have died of cancer |
| D．none of these |
What is implied by the author is that ________.
| A．smoking rates among youth have declined very little |
| B．there are now more female than male smokers among high school seniors |
| C．high smoking rates are due to the increase in wealth |
| D．smoking at high school are from low socio-economic backgrounds |
I suddenly heard an elephant crying as though frightened. Looking down，I immediately recognized that something was wrong，and ran down to the edge of the near bank. There I saw Ma Sha with her three¬ month¬ old calf struggling in the fast rising water，and it was a life and death struggle. Her calf was floating and screaming with fear. Ma Sha was as near to the far bank as she could get，holding her whole body against the rushing water，and keeping the calf pressed against her huge body. Every now and then the rushing water would sweep the calf away.
There was a sudden rise in the water and the calf was washed clean （完全地）over the mother's body and was gone. Ma Sha turned quickly to reach it and pressed the calf with her head and trunk (象鼻) against the rocky bank. Then with a huge effort，she picked it up in her trunk and tried until she was able to place it on a narrow shelf of rock.
Just at this moment，she fell back into the river. If she were carried down，it would be certain death. I knew，as well as she did，that there was one spot (地点) where she could get up the bank，but it was on the other side from where she had put her calf.
While I was wondering what I could do next，I heard the sound of a mother's love. Ma Sha had crossed the river and got up the bank and was making her way back as fast as she could，roaring (吼叫) all the time，but to her calf it was music.The moment the author got down to the river bank he saw __________.
| A．the calf was about to fall into the river |
| B．Ma Sha was placing the calf on the rock |
| C．the calf was washed away by the rising water |
| D．Ma Sha was holding the calf against the rushing water |
How did the calf feel about the mother elephant's roaring？
| A．It was a great comfort. | B．It was a sign of danger. |
| C．It was a call for help. | D．It was a musical note. |
What can be the best title for the text？
| A．A Mother's Love | B．A Brave Act |
| C．A Deadly River | D．A Matter of Life and Death |
It’s never a real problem for us when the weather gets cold. We can put on more clothes, stay next to a fireplace, turn on the air conditioner or simply travel to a warmer city to spend the winter – people have many different ways of dealing with the cold.
But things are not as easy for plants. Unlike humans, plants can’t move to escape the cold or generate heat ( 发热) to keep themselves warm. So how do they manage to survive the freezing winter?
It turns out that plants have their own strategies （策略） too, said a study published on Dec 22 in the journal Nature.
According to researcher Amy Zanne of George Washington University, US, the cold is a big challenge for plants. Their living tissues （活组织） can be damaged when they freeze. “It’s like a plant’s equivalent to frostbite ( 相当于冻疮),” Zanne told Science Daily. Also, the process of freezing and thawing (解冻) can cause air bubbles （气泡） to form in the plant’s water transport system. “If enough of these air bubbles come together as water thaws they can block the flow of water from the roots to the leaves and kill the plant,” she explained.
To live through cold weather, plants have developed three traits （特性） , according to the study. Some plants, such as oak trees（橡树）, avoid freezing damage by dropping their leaves before the winter chill sets in – effectively shutting off the flow of water between roots and leaves – and growing new leaves and water transport cells when the warm spring returns.
Other plants, pine trees（松树） for example, protect themselves by narrowing their water transport cells, which makes it easier for cells to travel among air bubbles.
The third strategy is also the most extreme – some plants die on the ground in winter and start growing as new plants from seeds when conditions get warmer.
However, the study also found that these smart strategies were developed very slowly – over millions
of years of evolution （ 进化）. This leads scientists to worry that plants may not be able to deal with human-caused climate change, which has only started occurring over the past few decades.
Scientists are hoping that this study can help people find possible ways to save plants from the threat
of climate change.What is the article mainly about?
| A．Why plants are not afraid of the winter chill. |
| B．The ways that plants survive cold weather. |
| C．Changes in plants’ water transport system in winter. |
| D．How plants evolve to keep up with climate change. |
According to the article, if a plant freezes in the winter, ______.
| A．it produces more living tissues to stay alive |
| B．its leaves quickly fall out and its roots begin to die |
| C．lots of air bubbles form in its water transport system |
| D．its water transport system could be blocked in the spring |
What are scientists worried about when it comes to plants according to the article?
| A．Plants may not be able to adapt to the increasingly cold climate. |
| B．Human activities might have a great impact on the pace of plants’ evolution. |
| C．Plants may not be able to evolve fast enough to adapt to human-caused climate change. |
| D．The strategies plants develop are not good enough to protect them against cold. |
The old man walked with a cane (拐杖) slowly into the restaurant. His poor jacket, patched (打补丁的) trousers, and worn-out shoes made him stand out from the usual Saturday morning breakfast crowd.
He walked toward a table by the window. A young waitress watched him and ran over to him, saying, “Here, Sir. Let me give you a hand with that chair.”
Without a word, he smiled and nodded a thank you. She pulled the chair away from the table. Supporting him with one arm, she helped him move in front of the chair, and get comfortably seated. Then she pushed the table up close to him, and leaned his cane against the table where he could reach it.
In a soft, clear voice he said, “Thank you, Miss.”
“You’re welcome, Sir.” She replied. “My name is Mary. I’ll be back in a moment. If you need anything, just wave at me.”
After he had finished a hearty meal of pancakes, bacon, and hot lemon tea, Mary brought him the change, helping him up from his chair and out from behind the table. She handed him his cane, and walked with him to the front door. Holding the door open for him, she said, “Come back and see us, Sir!”
He nodded a thank you and said softly with a smile, “You are very kind!”
When Mary went to clean his table, she was shocked. Under his plate she found a business card and a note written on the napkin, under which was a $ 100 bill.
The note on the napkin read, “Dear Mary, I respect you very much, and you respect yourself, too. It shows by the way you treat others. You have found the secret of happiness. Your kind gestures will shine through those who meet you.”
The man she had served was the owner of the restaurant. This was the first time that she, or any of his employees, had seen him in person.Mary ran over to the old man because _____.
| A．the old man was the boss of the restaurant |
| B．she was worried that the old man might cause trouble to the restaurant |
| C．she saw the old man had some difficulty moving and taking a seat |
| D．the old man had asked her to wait on him |
The man came to the restaurant ______.
| A．to have breakfast |
| B．to see his employees |
| C．to find out how his restaurant was working |
| D．to see how Mary served customers |
The words the man left on the napkin suggested that _____.
| A．respecting others means respecting oneself |
| B．serving others is a respectable job |
| C．Mary would get a rise as a result of her kindness |
| D．Mary’s kind service would bring in more money for her |
Which of the following titles goes best with the story?
| A．A kind- hearted Girl |
| B．Shining Kindness |
| C．Kindness Means Opportunities |
| D．A Special Customer |