The old camera Brownie picked up in a charity shop was a splendid find .But the undeveloped film still inside turned out to be even more of a treasure.
New owner Don Roccoforte had it developed and saw in it an attractive dark haired woman in her thirties with two young boys. He immediately determined to try to find out who they were.
A few weeks later the California-based camera collector received the news that left him stunned. The woman was his wife Jaqueline’s aunt in a picture taken around 50 years ago, and one of the boys, her cousin.
The couple have now unraveled(揭开)the astonishing coincidence ,which leads back to Mrs. Roccoforte’s native Lancashire, where many of her family still live. The camera was bought from a shop in Preston by Brownie, a friend of Mr. Roccoforte, who knew of his interest in photography and thought it would be an unusual gift.
Back in California, the contents of his new possession inspired Mr. Roccoforte’s curiosity. Recognizing the water in the background of the photo as a lake in Lancashire; he sent a copy to the local paper in Preston to see if any readers could help.
Another relative recognized the group as Winnie Bamber, still living in the area at the age of 81, her son Tony, Mrs. Roccoforte’s cousin, and Tony’s childhood friend, Mick Murphy.
Yesterday Mrs. Bamber was still gasping(惊讶地吸气)at the turn of events which has reunited two strands(分支)of her family.
She said she remembered taking the boys to the lake and losing the camera. The two boys, both now 58, still live near Preston.
Mrs. Roccoforte’s father is Winnie Bamber’s brother, Billy Charnley.
He and his wife moved to America in the 1960s. Their daughter met Mr. Roccoforte there and they married and moved to Preston for two years before returning to America.
1 Which of the following is the right order of what happened?
a. Don Roccoforte received a special present from his friend.
b. Another relative recognized Winnie Bamber and the two boys.
c. Winnie Bamber ,together with two boys ,went to take pictures at a lake.
d. Don Roccoforte sent a copy of the picture to a paper in Preston.
e. The film was developed.
f. The camera was lost.
g. Brownie bought an old camera in a shop.
A. c→f→b→a→d→g→e B. b→c→a→f→d→e→g
C. c→f→g→a→e→d→b D. a→c→b→f→e→g→d
2. Which of the following statements is NOT true?
A. Tony is the son of Winnie Bamber.
B. Billy Charnley’s daughter was married to Don Roccoforte.
C. Brownie married Winnie Bamber.
D. Mrs. Roccoforte is Winnie Bamber’s niece.
3. The underlined word “stunned” is closest in meaning to ________.
A. disappointed B. shocked C. worried D. satisfied
4. The best title for this passage would be ________.
A. The Film that Waited 50 Years to Be Developed
B. An Unusual Reunion after about Half a Century
C. A Special Present to a Special Friend
D. An Old Camera and the Beautiful Pictures Inside
Decision-thinking is not unlike poker—it often matters not only what you think, but also what others think you think what you think they think you think. The mental process(过程) is similar. Naturally, this card game has often been of considerable interest to people who are, by any standards, good thinkers.
The great mathematician John von Neumann was one of the founders of game theory. In particular, he showed that all games fall into two classes; there are what he called games of 'perfect information', games like chess where the players can't hide anything or play tricks; they don't win by chance, but by means of logic and skills. Then there are games of 'imperfect information', like poker, in which it is impossible to know in advance that one course of action is better than another.
One mistaken idea about business is that it can be treated as a game of perfect information. Quite the reverse Business, life itself are games which we must normally play with very imperfect information. Business decisions are often made with many unknown and unknowable factors(因素), best poker players. But few business people find it comfortable to admit that they are taking a chance, and many still prefer to believe that they are playing chess, not poker.The subject discussed in this text is _________.
A.the process of reaching decisions |
B.the difference between poker and chess. |
C.the secret of making good business plans |
D.the value of information in winning games |
An important factor in a game of imperfect information is ___________.
A.rules | B.luck |
C.time | D.ideas |
Which of the following can be used in place of "Quite the reverse" in paragraph 3?
A.Quite right. | B.True enough. |
C.Most unlikely. | D.Just the opposite. |
In the writer's opinion, when making business decisions one should ___________ .
A.put perfect information before imperfect information |
B.accept the existence of unknown factors |
C.regard business as a game of chess |
D.mix known and unknown factors |
Elizabeth Mitchell’s new “Liberty’s Torch” is the fascinating story of how the Statue of Liberty came to be. The Statue of Liberty’s rough history is explored in “Liberty’s Torch”.
Frederic Auguste Bartholdi is an all-but-forgotten figure in American history. He was, however, responsible for one of the most enduring symbols of the United States: the Statue of Liberty. A Frenchman from Alsace, he designed and built the Statue of Liberty which stood on Bedloe’s Island in New York Harbor. How this statue came to be is the fascinating subject of Elizabeth Michell’s new book “Liberty’s Torch”.
The power of Mitchell’s narrative is convincing(令人信服的). We recognize the Statue of Liberty now as a symbol of hope and opportunity for a nation of immigrants. At the time, though, people could not see that-nor did they even imagine that. Instead, the construction of the statue was born of one man’s desire to set up a great monument.
For this reason, perhaps, “Liberty’s Torch” relies on Bartholdi as the connecting thread. Bartholdi went to Egypt to make photographic copies of the main monuments. On the boat, Bartholdi met and began a lifelong relationship with Ferdinand de Lesseps, the man who would build the Suez Canal. Maybe it was this friendship, or maybe it was seeing Egypt’s huge monuments, but finally the trip inspired Bartholdi’s dream to create the largest statue ever built. Failure to bring this to completion in Egypt, followed by his exile (流放) from Paris, led Bartholdi to sail to America.
By explaining the Statue of Liberty’s hard history and showing Bartholdi’s brave spirit, Mitchell has done a great service. It can be inferred from the text that ________.
A.American people have never forgotten Frederic August Bartholdi |
B.the Statue of Liberty wasn’t originally regarded as a symbol of hope |
C.Bartholdi finished the Suez Canal |
D.Bartholdi was a famous architect from Egypt. |
What was the main reason for Bartholdi to build the Statue of Liberty?
A.To finish his education in the arts. |
B.To mark his friendship with Ferdinand. |
C.To create something better than Egyptian monuments. |
D.To achieve his dream to create the largest statue. |
What type of writing is the passage?
A.A travel guide. | B.A book review |
C.An announcement | D.An architecture report. |
Hello. I’m Jan from Mrs. Lake’s class. My class wants to work together to help the public. We think we have found a great way to do this. Last month we did a class project on the highways near our town. We learned about the Adopt-a-Highway Program. This program brings people together to pick up litter along the roads. We think it would be a great idea for all students in our school to join the program and adopt a highway.
Adopting a highway is not like adopting a pet. When a highway is adopted, only part of the highway is cared for by a group of people. The group agrees to work every week to keep its part of the highway clean. Each group gets its own sign that has the name of the group printed on it. The sign is put up at the side of the road. This sign lets drivers know who is keeping that area of the road clean.
The Adopt-a-Highway Program is a great way for people to help their environment look nicer. Also, the government does not have to send out as many road workers. This saves money. Finally, people may try harder to keep roads clean if they see people, especially teenagers like us, cleaning them up.
We will need helpers to care for our adopted highway. If you want to feel great and keep our roads clean,please come with your parents to the meeting next week. We will meet in Mrs. Lake’ room on Wednesday at 6:00 P.M. At the meeting, we will talk about which roads are the dirtiest as a result of people's unkind acts. Then we' ll
try to pick an area to adopt and clean.
I look forward to seeing you at the meeting. Remember to keep our roads clean!What is the Adopt-a-Highway Program about?
A.Giving names to the highways. |
B.Drawing pictures of highways. |
C.Picking up litter along the roads. |
D.Putting up signs near the roads. |
What should the students do first if they want to join the program?
A.Pick a spot to care for. |
B.Call Mrs. Lake next week. |
C.Write a letter to their parents. |
D.Go to a meeting on Wednesday. |
What is the purpose of this speech?
A.To encourage students to join the program. |
B.To introduce the traffic system. |
C.To show drivers how to drive safely. |
D.To tell a story about adopting a pet. |
Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?
A.Adopt-a-Pet |
B.Adopt-a-Highway |
C.Ways to Protect the Environment |
D.Volunteers on Roads |
Service Foods makes it easier for cooks to reduce mealtime complains. Service Foods is so confident that they can reduce complaints, in fact, that the company is offering a series of mealtime complaint-reduction tips.
According to a representative of Service Foods, complaints can occur when busy cooks serve substandard, low quality meats. As products sit in packaging in the meat case at the store, the meat can age out too much. The natural flavor disappears, and it can be replaced with an undesirable strange flavor. According to Service Foods, complaints from children are common when you serve substandard meats. Kids may not have the words to describe why they don't like the meats, but they're certainly willing to express their displeasure. By serving meats from Service Foods, complaints can be reduced. Service Foods meats are all natural and organic, meaning the meats have-no chemicals or water or colorings that could change the taste. And the meats are flash-frozen right after cutting, so they won't taste strange to your children.
If you're facing different types of complaints, Service Foods may still be able to help you. Some families have mealtime boredom. The same meals, served in the same way, week after week, can be incredibly boring and hard 'to look forward to. When it comes to these complaints, Service Foods has the answer right on the web. Just go to http: //www. servicefoods.com and you'll find a long list of recipes to try. Some of these recipes are made in demonstration format, so you can watch the video and get step-by-step instructions on how to prepare the meals. By following these recipes from Service Foods, complaints relating to boredom can certainly be reduced.
While Service Foods knows complaints at mealtime can never be totally eradicated, as picky kids will always be picky kids with concerns, the company is doing everything possible to deal with the problem and get cooks the help they need.Service Foods can solve mealtime boredom by ______.
A.serving flash-frozen meat |
B.expressing children's complaints |
C.instructing different ways of cooking |
D.supplying natural food without chemicals |
The underlined word "eradicated" in the last paragraph can be replaced with ______.
A.covered | B.removed |
C.reduced | D.accepted |
From the passage we can learn that Service Foods can do the following EXCEPT ______.
A.cook food for picky kids |
B.teach how to prepare meals |
C.provide natural and organic meat |
D.help reduce complaints about foods |
What will the readers probably do after reading the passage?
A.Pay for Service Foods service. |
B.Buy organic meat from now on. |
C.Write recipes for Service Foods. |
D.Answer complaints on the web. |
Shyness is the cause of much unhappiness for a great many people. Shy people are anxious and self-conscious; that is, they are concerned with their own appearance and actions too much. Negative thoughts are constantly occurring in their minds: What kind of impression am I making? Do they like me? Do I sound stupid? Am I wearing unattractive clothes?
It is obvious that such uncomfortable feelings must affect people unfavorably. A person's self-concept is reflected in the way he or she behaves and the way a person behaves affects other people's reactions. In general, the way people think about themselves has a deep effect on all areas of their lives.
Shy people, who have low respect, are likely to be passive and easily influenced by others. They need faith that they are doing "the right thing". Shy people are very sensitive to criticism. It makes them feel inferior(自卑).They also find it difficult to be pleased by praises because they believe they are unworthy of praise. A shy person may respond to a praise with a statement like this one: "You're just saying that to make me feel good, I know it's not true.” It is clear that, while self-awareness is a healthy quality, overdoing it is harmful.
Can shyness be completely got rid of, or at least reduced? Fortunately, people can overcome shyness with determination since shyness goes hand in hand with lack of self respect. It is important for people to accept their weakness as well as their strengths. Each one of us has his or her own characteristics. We are interested in our own personal ways. The better we understand ourselves, the easier it becomes to live up to our chances for a rich and successful life.The first paragraph is mainly about______.
A.the cause of shyness |
B.the effect of shyness on people |
C.the feelings of shy people |
D.the questions in the minds of shy people |
According to the writer, self-awareness is______.
A.harmful to people |
B.a weak point of shy people |
C.the cause of unhappiness |
D.a good characteristic |
What is the shy people's reaction to praise?
A.They are pleased by it. |
B.They feel it is not true. |
C.They are very sensitive to it. |
D.They feel they are worthy of it. |
We can learn from the passage that shyness can ______.
A.block our chances for a successful life |
B.help us to live up to our full development |
C.enable us to understand ourselves better |
D.have nothing to do with lack of self respect |