My newly-rented small apartment was far away from the centre of London and it was becoming essential for me to find a job, so finally I spent a whole morning getting to town and putting my name down to be considered by London Transport for a job on the underground. They were looking for guards, not drivers. This suited me. I couldn’t drive a car but thought that I could probably guard a train, and perhaps continue to write my poems between stations. The writers Keats and Chekhov had been doctors. T.S. Eliot had worked in a bank and Wallace Stevens for an insurance company. I’d be a subway guard. I could see myself as being cheerful, useful, a good man in a crisis. Therefore, obviously I’d be more than qualified for it. But I was willing to forget about that in return for a steady income and travel privileges—those being particularly welcome to someone living a long way from the city centre.
The next day I sat down with almost a hundred other candidates, for the intelligence test. I must have done all right because after about half an hour’s wait I was sent into another room for a psychological test. This time there were only about fifty candidates. The interviewer sat at a desk. Candidates were signaled forward to occupy the seat opposite him when the previous occupant had been dismissed, after a longer or shorter time. It was obvious that the long interviews were the more successful ones. Some of the interviews were as short as five minutes. Mine was the only one that lasted a minute and a half.
I can remember the questions now: “Why did you leave your last job?” “Why did you leave your job before that?” “And the one before that?” I can’t recall my answers, except that they were short at first and grew progressively shorter. His closing statement, I thought, revealed (揭示) a lack of sensitivity which might explain why as a psychologist, he had risen no higher than the underground railway. “You’ve failed the psychological test and we are unable to offer you a position.”
Failing to get that job was my low point. I thought that the work was easy. Actually, such jobs — being a postman is another one I still desire — demand exactly the sort of elementary yet responsible awareness that a poet is least qualified to have. But I was still far short of full self-understanding and I was also short of cash.
1. The writer applied for the job chiefly because _________.
A．he wanted to work in the centre of London
B．he could no longer afford to live without a job
C．he was not interested in any other available job
D．he had received some suitable training
2. The writer thought he was overqualified for the job because _________.
A．he often traveled underground B．he had written many poems
C．he could deal with difficult situations D．he had worked in a company once
3．The length of his interview meant that _________.
A．he was not going to be offered the job
B．he had not done well in the intelligence test
C．he did not like the interviewer at all
D．he had little work experience to talk about
4．What’s the writer’s opinion of the psychologist according to the underlined sentence?
A. He was very unsympathetic.. B. He was unhappy with his job.
C. He was quite inefficient. D. He was rather aggressive
5．What did the writer realize after the intervie
w according to the last paragraph?
A．How unpleasant ordinary jobs could be. B．How difficult it was to be a poet.
C．How unsuitable he was for the job. D．How badly he did in the interview.
Plants can’t communicate by moving or making sounds, as most animals do. Instead, plants produce volatile compounds (挥发性化合物) —— chemicals that easily change from a liquid to a gas. A flower’s sweet smell, for example, comes from such volatile compounds to attract insects such as bugs and bees.
Plants can also discover volatile compounds produced by other plants. A tree under attack by hungry insets, for instance, may give off these chemicals in order to let other trees know about the attack. In response, the other trees may send off their chemicals to keep the bugs away —— or even chemicals that will attract the bugs’ natural enemies.
Now scientists have created a quick way to understand what plants are saying: a chemical sensor (传感器) called an “electronic nose”. The “e-nose” can tell such compounds as plants make. When plants are attacked, scientists say, the e-nose could help quickly decide whether plants are being eaten by insects. But today, the only way to spot such insects is to inspect individual plants by observing them. This is a challenging task for managers of greenhouses, including those that can house thousands of plants. The research team is working with an e-nose that can recognize volatile compounds. Inside the device, 13 sensors chemically react with volatile compounds based on the interactions (相互作用), and then the e-nose will give off electronic signals that the scientists can analyze by using computer software.
To test the e-nose, the team presented it with healthy leaves from cucumber, pepper and tomato plants, all being common greenhouse crops. Then scientists collected samples of the air around damaged leaves from each type of crop. These plants had been damaged either by insects or by scientists who made holes in the leaves with a hole punch (打孔器).
The e-nose, it turns out, can identify healthy cucumber, pepper and tomato plants based on the volatile compounds they produce. It could also identify tomato leaves that had been damaged. But even more impressive, the device could tell which type of damage —— by insects or with a hole punch —— had been done to the tomato leaves.
With some fine-tuning (微调), a device like the e-nose can one day be used in greenhouses to quickly spot harmful bugs, the researchers say. A device like this can also be used to identify fruits that are perfectly ripe and ready to pick and eat, says Natalia Dudareva, a biochemist at Purdue University in West Lafayette, India, who studies smells of flowers and plants. Hopefully, scientists believe, the device can bring large benefits to greenhouse managers in the near future.We learn from the text that plants communicate with each other by ______.
| A．making some sounds |
| B．waving their leaves |
| C．producing some chemicals |
| D．sending out electronic signals |
What did the scientists do to find out if the e-nose worked?
| A．They fixed 13 sensors inside the device. |
| B．They presented it with all common crops. |
| C．They collected different damaged leaves. |
| D．They do tests on damaged and healthy leaves. |
According to the writer, the most amazing thing about the e-nose is that it can ______.
| A．pick out ripe fruits quite expertly |
| B．spot the insects in a very quick way |
| C．tell different damages to leaves |
| D．recognize unhealthy tomato leaves |
We can infer from the last paragraph that the e-nose ______.
| A．is unable to tell the smell of flowers |
| B．is not yet tested in greenhouses |
| C．is designed by scientists at Purdue |
| D．is helpful in killing harmful insects |
When I was seven, my father gave me a Timex, my first watch. I loved it, wore it for years, and haven’t had another one since it stopped ticking a decade ago. Why? Because I don’t need one. I have a mobile phone and I’m always near someone with an iPod or something like that. All these devices (装置) tell the time — which is why, if you look around, you’ll see lots of empty wrists (手腕); sales of watches to young adults have been going down since 2007.
But while these wise people have realized that they don’t need them, others — including some distinguished ones of our time — are spending total fortunes on them. Brands such as Rolex, Patek Philippe and Breitling command shocking prices, up to £ 250.000 for a piece.
This is ridiculous. Expensive cars go faster than cheap cars. Expensive clothes hang better than cheap clothes. But these days, all watches tell the time as well as all other watches. Yes, you may say expensive watches will come with some extra functions — but who needs them? How often do you dive to 300 metres into the sea to test its function of waterproof, or need to find your direction in the area around the South Pole by using its compass? So why pay that much of five years’ school fees for watches that allow you to do these things?
If justice were done, the Swiss watch industry should have closed down when the Japanese discovered how to make accurate watches for a five-pound note. Instead, the Swiss re-invented the watch, with the aid of millions of pounds’ worth of advertising, as a message about the man —— usually a famous star, wearing it. Rolexes are for those who spend their weekends climbing icy mountains; a Patek Philippe is for one from a rich or noble family; a Breitling suggests you like to pilot planes across the world.
Watches are classified as “investment items” (投资项目) now. A 1994 Philippe recently sold for nearly £ 350, 000, while 1960s Rolexes have gone from 15, 000 to 30, 000 plus in a year. But, to some wealthy people, a watch is more than an investment. It’s a valuable toy for self-satisfaction, a matter of fashion. Prices may keep going up — they’ve been rising for fifteen years. But when fashion moves on, the owner of that £ 350, 000 treasured object will suddenly find his pride and joy is no more a good investment than my childhood Times.The sales of watches to young people have fallen because ______.
| A．they have other devices to tell the time |
| B．they think watches are too expensive |
| C．they have little sense of time now |
| D．they prefer to wear an iPod on their wrists |
It seems ridiculous to the writer that ______.
| A．some people often dive 300 metres deep into the sea |
| B．expensive clothes sell much better than cheap ones |
| C．cheap cars usually don’t run as fast as expensive ones |
| D．expensive watches with unnecessary functions still sell |
What can be learnt about Swiss watch industry from the passage?
| A．It targets rich people as its potential customers. |
| B．It seems hard for the industry to beat its competitors. |
| C．It wastes a huge amount of money in advertising. |
| D．It is easy for the industry to re-invent cheap watches. |
Which would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Timex Being better than Rolex |
| B．My Expensive Childhood Timex |
| C．Super-level Watches? Not for Me! |
| D．Watches — a Valuable Collection |
Even at school there had been an unhealthy competition between George and Richard.
“I’ll be the first millionaire in Coleford!” Richard used to boast.
“And you’ll be sorry that you knew me,” George would reply “because I’ll surely be the best lawyer in our town!”
After graduation, George never became a lawyer and Richard was anybody but a millionaire …. Instead, it happened that both men opened bookshops on opposite sides of Coleford High Street, while it was hard to make much money from books then, which made the competition between them worse. Eventually, Richard closed down his, dreaming of making a fortune elsewhere.
Now, with only one bookshop in the town, business was better for George. But sometimes he sat in his narrow old kitchen and gazed out of the dirty window, thinking about his former rival (竞争对手)。Perhaps he missed him?
George was very interested in old dictionaries, and he had recently found a collector in Australia who was selling a rare first edition. When the parcel arrived, the book was in perfect condition and George was quite delighted. But while he was having lunch, George glanced at the photo in the newspaper that the book had been wrapped in. He was astonished — the smiling face was older than he remembered but unmistakable! Trembling, George started reading: “Bookends Company has bought ten bookstores from its competitors. The company, owned by multi-millionaire Richard Pike, is now the largest bookseller in this country.” George and Richard were at school.
| A．roommates | B．good friends | C．competitors | D．booksellers |
How did George feel about Richard after his disappearance?
| A．He envied Richard’s good fortune very much. |
| B．He thought about Richard from time to time. |
| C．He felt unlucky with no more rival in the town. |
| D．He was unhappy of Richard’s disappearance. |
George got information about Richard from .
| A．a dictionary collector in Australia |
| B．one of Richard’s competitors |
| C．some rare edition of a dictionary |
| D．the wrapping paper of a book |
What happened to George and Richard in the end?
| A．Both George and Richard became millionaires by selling books. |
| B．Both of them realized their original ambitions, which were the same. |
| C．George established a successful business while Richard was missing. |
| D．Richard became a millionaire while George had no great success. |
Abuse can be defined as “to treat wrongfully or harmfully”. There are different categories of abuse that have been recognized and within our case study there appear to be two distinct forms of abuse, family abuse and child abuse. These can be subdivided into terms of physical abuse and psychological abuse. Physical abuse is the intentional physical injury or harm or deliberately not preventing harm occurring. The minimum physical signs seen in our study of James are bruises but they might feel more painful to his heart than the more serious invisible injuries. Emotional abuse is the continual failure to meet basic emotional needs. Emotional development is prevented and well-being harmed. The emotional signs in our case study can be seen in James by his actions of being withdrawn and non-communicative. The behavioural sign to abuse taking place to James is his aggressive behaviour.
The short term effect of physical abuse on James is physical pain. In the long term, injuries that often happen can result in secondary illness and complications, permanent scars or even disabilities. His emotional effects in the short term are a fear of people, withdrawal, and poor relationship with others. The long term emotional effects could be low self-respect, depression, inability to form relationships.
Abuse can arise for many reasons and there are a number of theoretical views which may be useful in clarifying why the abuse has taken place. The female view believes that sex and family roles give approval to a culture of abuse. Considering the historical and fixed ideas, men have power and control. In James’ case he lives in a re-constructed family with the father being rude and a heavy drinker. From a psychological angle, alcohol misuse can bring mental health problems which may increase aggression in the person and so James is more at risk from abuse by his stepfather. The relationship between the mother and James involves a dependency of James on his mother. With other problems in James’ mother’s life, this leads to increasing stress and the inability of his mother to cope with and manage a family with four children borne by two mothers. The attachment theory states that significant separations of a child from the carer in the early years can have an effect on their emotional development and can lead to psychological and social difficulties in later life. The loss of both his father and his half sister’s father with whom he lives may have contributed to his behaviour.
Abusive behaviour can sometimes be the result of mental health problems, brain damage or being abused themselves. By becoming the abuser they believe they are taking control; some even believe that they are not doing anything wrong and cannot stop themselves. When working with individuals who have abused, it is important to be aware that they may go on to abuse again and there is a need to protect the community from the abuser. Which of the following is closest in meaning to the underlined word “bruises” in Paragraph 1?
| A．Slight injury | B．Deep Cut | C．Body disability | D．Inner wound |
According to the writer’s case study, which of the following cases can be defined as abuse?
| A．A father scolds his son because he doesn’t pass the exam in school. |
| B．A car knocks down a woman but the driver doesn’t take her to hospital. |
| C．A father never talks to his daughter and shows no interest in what she does. |
| D．A husband is angry with his wife when she stays out late into the night. |
From the passage we can infer that ______________.
| A．James’ step father doesn’t show any concern for his mother |
| B．James’ mother gave birth to a girl in the re-constructed family |
| C．James’ stepfather is rude to all the children in the family |
| D．James’ mother loves her husband more than her own son |
Which of the following can best serve as the title of the passage?
| A．Categories of Abuse | B．How to Prevent Abuse |
| C．Abuse and Its Causes | D．Effects Caused by Abuse |
A chocolate printer that allows sweet lovers to create 3D desserts by themselves is to go on sale at a cost of 2,500 pounds.
The machine squirts (喷射) out chocolate and, via computer instructions, allows the user to build any shape they like out of the food. But makers Choc Edge have missed the Easter rush. Even so, they hope the printer will be snapped up by retailers (零售商) immediately they come to the market. Britain’s biggest chocolatiers Thornton’s have already said they are interested. Because of the high cost, however, few individuals are likely to buy one. But thedevicecould one day allow people todesigntheir own 3D objects after submitting their designs on a website. Dr Hao, founder of Choc Edge came up with aprototype (原型)last year and has only just perfected it so that it can now go on sale. “We’ve improved and simplified the machine, so now it is really easy to use,” he told the BBC. “You just need tomeltsome chocolate, fill asyringe (注射器) that is stored in the printer, and get creativeprinting of your chocolate.”
3D printing is a technology where a threedimensionalobjectis created by building up successive layers of material. The technology is already used in industry toproduceplasticand metal products, but this is the first time the principles have been applied to chocolate. The research has presented many challenges. Chocolate is not an easy material to work with because it requires accurateheating and cooling cycles. Dr Hao said, “What makes this technology special is that users will be able todesignand make their own products. From reproducing the shape of a child’s favourite toy to a friend’s face, the possibilities are endless. It could be developed to help consumers design many products from different materials, but we’ve started with chocolate as it is easilyavailable, low cost and harmless.” “There is also no wastage as anyspoilage (损坏物)can be eaten.” Dr Hao added, “Eventuallywe may see manymass-produced products replaced byuniquedesigns created by the customer.”
EPSRC chiefexecutiveProfessor Dave Delpy said, “This is a good example of howcreativeresearch can be applied to create new manufacturing andretailideas. By combining developments in engineering with the commercialpotentialof the digital economy，We can see the new market prospect (前景)—creating new jobs and, in this case, the chocolate printer is called sweet business opportunities.”Which is the advantage of the chocolate printer?
| A．It is easilyavailable, low cost and harmless. |
| B．It mainly produces children’s favourite toys. |
| C．The user can build the shape they like via computer instructions. |
| D．The designs made by it are the same as many mass-produced products. |
What can we conclude from the passage?
| A．The printer sold well during last Easter. |
| B．The technology of 3D printing promises a good future. |
| C．The printer was perfected and went on sale many years ago. |
| D．It’s the first time that the technology has been used in industry. |
Dave Delpy’s attitude towards the chocolate printer is __________.
| A．doubtful | B．supportive | C．negative | D．critical |
We can conclude that this passage is a __________.
| A．science fiction | B．book review | C．news report | D．travel guide |