Great leaders are almost always great simplifiers, who cut through argument, debate and doubt to offer a solution everybody can understand and remember．Churchill warned the British to expect “blood, toil, tears and sweat”; Roosevelt told the Americans that “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself”; Lenin promised the war-weary Russians peace, land and bread．Straightforward but effective messages．
We have an image of what a leader ought to be．We even recognize the physical signs; leaders may not necessarily be tall, but they must have bigger-than-life, commanding features －- Lyndon Baines Johnson’s nose and ear lobes, Ike’s broad grin．A trade-mark also comes in handy; Lincoln’s stovepipe hat, Kennedy’s rocking chair．We expect our leaders to stand out a little, not to be like an ordinary man．Half of President Ford’s trouble lay on the fact that, if you closed your eyes for a moment, you couldn’t remember his face, figure of clothes．A leader should have an unforgettable identity, instantly and permanently fixed in people’s minds．
It also helps for a leader to be able to do something most of us can’t: FDR overcame polio; Mao swam the Yangtze River at the age of 72. We don’t want our leaders to be "just like us." We want them to be like us but better, special more so. Yet if they are too different, we reject them.
A Chinese philosopher once remarked that a leader must have the grace of a good dancer, and there is a great deal of wisdom to this. A leader should know how to appear relaxed and confident. His walks should be firm and purposeful. He should be able, like Lincoln, Roosevelt, Truman, Lke and JFK, to give a good, hearty, belly laugh, instead of the sickly grin that passes for good humor in Nixon or Carter. Ronald Reagan’s training as an actor showed to good effect in the debate with Carter, when by his easy manner and apparent affability, he managed to convey the impression that in fact he was the president and Carter the challenger.
The every simple truth about leadership is that people can only be led where they want to go. The leader follows, though a step ahead. Americans wanted to climb out of the Depression and needed someone to tell them they could do it, and Roosevelt did. The British believed that they could still win the war after the defeats of 1940, and Churchill told them they were right.
A leader rides the waves, moves with the tides, understands the deepest yearning of his people. He cannot make a nation that wants peace at any price go to war, or stop a nation determined to fight from doing so. His purpose must match the national mood.
1．The underlined word “yearning” in the last paragraph probably means_________.
A．love B．trouble C．desire D．feeling
2．From the fourth paragraph we can learn that_________.
A．leaders usually look special or different
B．leaders don’t have to be tall
C．most leaders look ordinary
D．leaders should always have trademarks
3．According to the article, a leader_________.
A．usually tries to simplify our messages
B．tell us what we want to hear
C．encourages us to think about things in a new way
D．is usually confident and handsome
4．From the passage we can infer that .
A．it helps for a leader to be able to dance or act well
B．great leaders are usually totally different from us
C．Carter was humorous and made good speeches
D．it is the people rather than the president that makes what a nation is
5．Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?
A．Want to be a leader?
B．What makes a leader?
C．What does a leader look like?
D．What must a leader do?
To pollute or not to pollute? That is the question. In order to survive, we all need to cause pollution. Factories that process the food we eat, clothes we wear, and cars we drive have to cause pollution. The environment has the ability to absorb our waste or the pollution, but its absorption ability has its limits. If the pollution level is higher than what the environment can cope with, then that's the time when pollution is bad.
If the pollution level becomes too high, human health can be affected badly. Then, the productivity level of the sick people is low and the economy suffers. The economy suffers not only because of the lost productivity of the people, but also because the government must pay for the damage the pollution has done to its people.
This is the reason why the government prefers taxation policy. Imposing（征收）a tax on firms that pollute the environment can be considered a good strategy, as long as the tax covers all the external costs or the cost of the damage the firm has created during production.
Taxation, if enforced（执行）really well, can make firms create a technology that may reduce pollution, if they find out that it will be cheaper than continuously paying the tax. The disadvantage of this policy, however, lies in the possibility that some big firms will find the tax cheap and then they will just produce more and pollute the environment more. If other small firms find the tax expensive, thus closing down, their production will be eaten up by those firms which can afford the tax.
Therefore, it is important that lawmakers in each country, when deciding to impose a tax on pollutant emissions, first review and analyze very carefully the real cost of the damage. We can infer from the first paragraph that
| A．for human beings pollution is unavoidable |
| B．it's not easy to figure out how bad pollution is |
| C．humans should reduce the use of everyday products |
| D．we can survive without causing pollution. |
The underlined word "absorb" here refers to”____”．
| A．reduce | B．fit in |
| C．avoid | D．deal with |
What is the second paragraph mainly about?
| A．The effects of pollution on human health. |
| B．The relationship between people and their government. |
| C．The effects of pollution on economic development. |
| D．The relationship between human health and economic development. |
Which of the following can be the result of imposing a higher tax according to Paragraph 3 ？
| A．Firms may reduce the prices of their products. |
| B．Firms may develop some environmental technology. |
| C．A big firm will be broken up into small firms. |
| D．A small firm will try to pass the tax on to consumers. |
Do you drink water that's been left sitting out overnight or even for another day? Have you noticed it tastes different?
Tap water that has been left to sit out slowly begins to acquire an off taste. Many people think that this is because of microorganisms(微生物). But that's not what makes old water taste not fresh. For that we can thank carbon dioxide. After about 12 hours, tap water starts to go flat as carbon dioxide in the air starts to mix with the water in the glass, lowering its pH and giving it an off taste. But it's most likely safe to drink.
However, back to those microorganisms. If you use a dirty glass day after day, there is more of a chance of bacteria making themselves known; a risk that increases if you share the glass with another mouth as well. But assuming you use a fresh glass every few days, you probably won't have a problem unless the glass has been touched by dirty fingers, and especially if those dirty fingers went unwashed after using the bathroom.
As for plastic water bottles that have been left out in the sun or in the car, step away from the bottle, warns Dr. Kellogg Schwab, director of the Johns Hopkins University Water Institute. "A chemical called bisphenol-A, or BPA, along with other things used to make plastic can leach(过滤) into your water if the bottle heats up or sits in the sun," he explains. BPA, as you probably know, has been linked to everything from heart disease to cancer.Schwab also adds that plastic used for commercial bottled water isn't meant to be washed or refilled, so use only one time and recycle. Or don't buy them at all; use refillable water bottles instead.Tap water begin to acquire an off taste because of .
| A．BPA | B．the glass |
| C．the microorganism | D．carbon dioxide |
According to Paragragh 2 , tap water that's been left sitting out for 12 hours____.
| A．tastes better | B．is still safe to drink |
| C．contains few microorganisms | D．is most likely undrinkable |
What should we do with plastic water bottles that have been left out in the sun or in the car?
| A．Throw them away. | B．Refill them with fresh water. |
| C．Use them after they cool down. | D．Clean them and use them again. |
Which of the following is true about BPA?
| A．It is safe for people to use. |
| B．It is a kind of new material. |
| C．It can cause great harm to people. |
| D．It is the main material to make plastic. |
In October 2013, Davion Only made an appeal on the Internet. He had learned that his biological mothr had died not long before. ”My name is Davion and I've been in foster care (寄养照管) since I was born," he said, “but I'm not giving up hope. "
The heartbreaking appeal spread quickly, and Only's foster agency received calls from more than 10,000 people. Only ended up travelling to Ohio to live with a family. But after Only got into a physical fight with one of his elder would-be brothers, the family changed their minds.
Back in Florida, Only passed through four different temporary homes over the following year, until he called Connie Going, his adoption case worker, to make a special request. Only had known Going for nearly ten years, and had asked every year if she would adopt him, but she always hesitated. “I always believed there was a better family than us out there," Going said in an interview. But last July, when Only called and asked again if she might adopt him, Going said something felt different. "When he asked me, my heart felt this ache and I just
knew he was my son," she said.
So Going, 52, invited Only to start spending time with the rest of her family-her two daughters, Sydney, 21, and Carly 17, and a son Taylor, 14, who she also adopted out of foster care. Eventually, after seeing how well the arrangement was working, Going, who had rented a bigger home, started adopting Only. Only moved in with her family last December.He officially joined Going's family on April 22, 2015 when the adoption papers went through.
"Today, I feel blessed and honored to have been chosen to be the parent of all my children," Going said.By making the appeal, Davion Only hoped that
| A．service in his foster agency would improve |
| B．his biological mother would come to him |
| C．a foster agency would accept him |
| D．he would be adopted by a family |
Davion Only didn't live with the family in Ohio because
| A．he hated living with them |
| B．they finally refused to accept him |
| C．he has received another invitation |
| D．he often fought with his would-be brothers |
What do we know from Paragraph 3?
| A．Davion Only had fun living in different homes. |
| B．Connie Going had cared about Davion Only for over ten years. |
| C．Davion Only had a strong desire to be adopted by Connie Going. |
| D．Connie Going believed she would give Davion Only what he wanted. |
After Davion Only joined Connie Going's family,
| A．Connie Going bought a bigger house |
| B．the four kids often had physical fights |
| C．Connie Going didn't regret her decision |
| D．another three kids were later adopted as well |
Victoria Avenue School supports the Walking School Bus initiative（倡议） a safe, healthy and fun way for children to walk to and from school, guided by a registered group of parents. If you and your child would be interested in joining one of our buses we would love to hear from you.
Bell Road route
This is a morning bus with over 30 walkers! The route is as follows: Starts at 14 Bell Road, down Scherf Road, crosses Portland Road into Ingram Street, left into Spencer Street then to school. Please call Vanessa McNaught at 5234529.
Lingarth / Mahoe route
This bus runs morning and afternoon. It departs from the corner of Combes Road and Lingarth Street at 8:10 am. There are two routes-one goes along Lingarth Street and the other along Mahoe Avenue and Manawa Road at 8:25 am. The bus continues up Manawa Road, turns right into Victoria Avenue, and goes down Dragon Drive. At the end of the school day all walkers meet at the bottom of Dragon Drive, leaving school at approximately 3:10 pm. Please contact Toko Kofoed tokofoed@gmail. com.
Shore Road route
We gather together at Hapua Reserve at 8:15 am and depart at 8:20 am. We walk along Shore Road to Stirling Street and then up Stirling Street to school. Please contact Nicky Hall nicky. hall@simpsongrierson. com.
Spencer Street starwalkers
The route begins at the crossing of Aldred Road and Spencer Street leaving at 8:20 am.The bus then crosses Glenbrook Street and continues along Spencer Street reaching the school. Please contact Victoria Nicholls victorian@ pascoes. co. nz.
Shera Road route
Currently this bus is not running. Those living in Shera Road, Leys Crescent and Portland Road are welcome to register your interest in taking this bus. We hope to have the bus running in the autumn, when it will travel along Portland Road, up Ingram Street and left into Spencer Street. Pease call Vanessa McNaught at 5234529.Part of Bell Road route is similar to .
| A．Lingarth/Mahoe route |
| B．Shera Road route |
| C．Shore Road route |
| D．Spencer Street starwalkers |
In the afternoon, a student taking the bus of Lingarth/Mahoe route may go along .
| A．Combes Road Lingarth Street Mahoe Avenue Manawa Road |
| B．Combes Road- Mahoe Avenue Manawa Road Dragon Drive |
| C．Dragon Drive Victoria Avenue Manawa Road Mahoe Avenue |
| D．Dragon Drive Manawa Road Victoria Avenue Lingarth Street |
Who might be most interested in the text?
| A．Bus drivers. | B．Local walkers. |
| C．Tourists. | D．Parents. |
Even if you’re not an astronomy fan, chances are that you can easily recognize certain constellations (星座) and stars such as the Big Dipper (北斗七星) and the North Star.
The North Star is the brightest star in the constellation known as the Little Dipper. It is so-called because of the special position. If you were to stay up all night looking at the stars, you’d slowly see them move around a point in the sky known as the North Celestial Pole.
You would notice, however, that one star remains still. This is the North Star, so named for its location almost directly in line with the North Celestial Pole.
Due to its position in the sky, at one time sailors used the North Star as a navigational tool. By measuring the angle between the northern horizon and the North Star, a navigator could accurately determine the ship’s latitude.
But latitude, or the imaginary lines stretching across the globe parallel to the equator, was not enough to plot a ship’s location. Knowing latitude only allowed navigators to locate themselves on a particular latitude line at a particular distance from the equator. It was only with the invention of a way to accurately measure longitude that precise navigation became possible.
Although the North Star is no longer used by navigators, it remains a heavenly symbol of human curiosity and exploration.Which of the following statements about the North Star is TRUE?
| A．The North Star is the brightest star in the night sky. |
| B．The North Star, together with some other stars, make up the Little Dipper. |
| C．The North Star moves along the same course with other stars. |
| D．The North Star is exactly located in line with the North Celestial Pole. |
What can be inferred from the passage?
| A．The North Star could help navigators set a straight course of their ship in the past. |
| B．Real lines that are parallel to the equator are called “latitude”. |
| C．Either latitude or longitude could make precise navigation possible. |
| D．Now the North Star is no longer a navigational tool used by sailors. |
Which is probably the best title of the passage?
| A．What is a navigational tool? |
| B．What can be called the earliest GPS? |
| C．What makes the North Star so special? |
| D．What is the symbol of human exploration? |