I worked as a waitress for a few months. I was not a great waitress and I worked in a restaurant that served mostly older people who, however, have not learned that ten percent of their expense is no longer a tip that waitresses can live on – let alone a college student working hard for 20 hours a week!
One night, when I was still working two hours after shift(轮班) was supposed to finish, all that I wanted was for my last table to clear out so I could clean and go home. My last customer caught me on her way out and asked if I had change for a twenty. I dug through my pocket and turned out my night’s earnings—a small amount of $14.
She smiled at me and said, “That is enough.”
My eyes were full of tears as I made the uneven(不等价的) exchange. “Thank you, ”I said in a low voice.
I heard her little boy ask why she did that and she explained that I’d had a hard night and she just wanted to help me out. I even heard her words, “Reach out your hands when somebody needs help.” I noticed the little boy nodded his head. Not only did her kindness touch my hurried and tiring life, but she also taught her son an important lesson that night.
I do not know her name, but I will always remember her.
1. According to the passage, at that time the author was ___________.
A. a full-time worker B. still a college student
C. a school-leaver D. a secretary in a big company
2. Why did the woman want an uneven exchange?
A. She was to thank the author for her service.
B. She was in great need of change to buy a gift for her son
C. She was only to teacher her son a lesson.
D. She only wanted to give a hand to the author.
3. What was the woman’s son’s attitude to what she did at last?
A. Unbelievable. B. Acceptable.
C. Disappointed. D. Amazed.
4. What did the woman probably teach her son?
A. To live a hard life.
B. To give a waitress a more than 10% tip.
C. To show kindness to those who need help.
D. To make an uneven change.
It's really true what people say about English politeness: it's everywhere. When squeezing past someone in a narrow passage, people say "sorry". When getting off a bus, English passengers say "thank you" rather than the driver. In Germany, people would never dream of doing these things. After all, squeezing past others is sometimes unavoidable, and the bus driver is only doing his job. I used to think the same way, without questioning it, until I started traveling to the British Isles, and here are some more polite ways of interacting (交往) with people in UK.
People thank each other everywhere in England, all the time. When people buy something in a shop, customers and retail assistants in most cases thank each other twice or more. In Germany, it would be exceptional（例外的）to hear more than one thank you in such a conversation. British students thank their lecturers when leaving the room. English employers thank their employees for doing their jobs, as opposite to Germans, who would normally think that paying their workers money is already enough.
Another thing I observed during my stay was that English people rarely criticize others. Even when I was working and mistakes were pointed out to me, my employers emphasized several times but none of their explanations were intended as criticism. It has been my impression that by avoiding criticism, English people are making an effort to make others feel comfortable. This also is showed in other ways. British men still open doors for women, and British men are more likely to treat women to a meal than German men. However, I do need to point out here that this applies to English men a bit more than it would to Scottish men! Yes, the latter are a bit tightfisted.What is the author's attitude towards English politeness?
| A．He thinks it is artificial. |
| B．He appreciates it very much. |
| C．He thinks little of it. |
| D．He thinks it goes too far. |
What can be inferred from the passage?
| A．The author think it's unnecessary to say “thank you” to the bus driver. |
| B．In Germany, employers often say “thank you” to employees for their job. |
| C．Germans think it is unnecessary to thank workers because payment is enough. |
| D．German men never treat a woman to dinner. |
Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
| A．English people try to avoid criticizing others in the daily life. |
| B．In Germany, passengers sometimes say “thank you” to bus drivers. |
| C．English drivers often say “thank you” to passengers when they get off the bus. |
| D．Germans are more considerate and polite than Englishmen. |
The author develops the text through the method of .
| A．giving comments |
| B．telling stories |
| C．making comparisons |
| D．giving reasons/examples |
Even with the multimedia excitement of the web. Electronic Mail, email, is the most frequently used application of the Internet. Many people who have a chance to use the Internet at school, home, and work. They use the Internet for no other purposes than to send or receive emails.
It's all very easy. You prepare the message, log onto(登录) the Internet, and send it. The message first goes to your Internet Service Provider's mail server, which in turn sends it to the recipient's(邮件接收者) mail server. On the way your message may go through several servers, each reading the name in order to send it to the right server. The message then remains in the recipient's mail email server until he requests it by “checking his mail”.
The benefits of emails are obvious: mostly it's quick. Also, many people feel that the rules for regular mails don't apply to email, making it less formal, which in turn make email easier to write and send.
It's not just friends and coworkers that are receiving emails. Wherever you look, the Web is providing email addresses. This has made communication between strangers easier than ever. You can read an interesting article online and immediately send the author an email. Anyone who posts his email address on a Web page is saying he wants to receive email.
There are places you can go if you don't know someone's email address. Check out Bigfoot, the Internet Address Finder, or Netscape's Email Directories for more information.
Email is one of the services offered by your Internet Service Provider—a service that you're applying for every month.The passage is about .
| A．the multimedia excitement | B．different websites |
| C．email | D．mail server |
We can infer from the passage that .
| A．email is the only application of the internet |
| B．if you want to send and receive emails, all you have to do is to log onto the Internet. |
| C．many people use the Internet only for the purpose of sending and receiving email |
| D．you can send emails to friends and coworkers but you can't make communication between strangers |
If you don't know someone's email address, .
| A．look up in a dictionary |
| B．check on Netscape's Email Directories |
| C．ask your computer teacher |
| D．refer to your textbook |
What can you infer from the fourth paragraph?
| A．Only friends and coworkers send emails. |
| B．It's convenient to communicate between strangers online. |
| C．It's difficult to contact the author on the Internet. |
| D．You can't log onto the Internet except at home. |
If practicing an attitude of gratitude (感激) during the storms of life is too much for you right now, that’s OK. When things are tough, most people have a hard time being thankful. They’re so caught up in what’s wrong in the present moment that they simply can’t see some things are still right.
If that’s true for you, then accept it. You’re going through a particularly difficult or unhappy period of time, and you don’t like it one bit. Very normal, very human. But remember this: there is always something to be grateful for. It may be only a small comfort right now, but it is a start. Make a list of some of the terrible things that didn’t happen. For example:
You’re in debt ... but you’re not homeless.
You lost your job ... but you didn’t lose your health.
You broke your leg … but you didn’t break your neck.
Your mother has Alzheimer’s disease ... but your father doesn’t.
No matter how bad things are, they could always be worse. Start finding gratitude for what might have happened, but didn’t. It does help a lot. Of course, you may not be thankful for everything — but you can always be thankful for something.How many “terrible things that didn’t happen” are listed in this passage?
| A．Two. | B．Three. | C．Four. | D．Five. |
The writer thinks it ______ for people to feel unhappy in time of difficulty.
| A．necessary | B．normal |
| C．great | D．helpful |
What is the purpose of this passage?
| A．To discuss ways to make a list of terrible things. |
| B．To explain what is gratitude towards the storms of life. |
| C．To persuade people to be thankful for what didn’t happen. |
| D．To show people different ways to consider their tough situations. |
How is the passage organized?
| A．Explanation—Comparison—Topic |
| B．Argument—Opinion—Discussion |
| C．Comparison—Argument—Explanation |
| D．Introduction—Discussion—Conclusion |
Mark Zukerberg is the founder and CEO of Facebook, an extremely popular social working website that started in the United States.
Now, millions of student users visit Facebook daily and the website is one of the top ten most widely visited sites on the internet worldwide. College and high school students use Facebook to communicate with friends and share both information and pictures for free. The company earns money through advertising.
Many other companies have been rumored (谣传) to be interested in buying Facebook. Just a few years after Mark started the company, he was approached by Terry Semel, who was the CEO of Yahoo. Terry offered Mark one billion dollars ($1,000,000,000) to sell Facebook to Yahoo. Mark said no, though. He stands behind his dreams at the very beginning. He knows the value of the company could fall down; however, he is in this to build something unbelievable, not be bought out by another company.
Maybe he was smart. Now Facebook is rumored to be worth billions of dollars and bigger companies, like Microsoft or Google, want a share of the company. Some private firms are also interested. Facebook could sell 15 billion dollars if Mark decides to sell it at all. Perhaps Mark will just keep working from his California office to continue his dream of building something cool.Facebook makes money from ______.
| A．members | B．advertisements |
| C．pictures | D．students |
Terry Semel was the CEO of ______.
| A．Microsoft | B．Facebook | C．Google | D．Yahoo |
The underlined word “this” (Paragraph 3) most probably refers to ______.
| A．buying companies | B．managing Facebook |
| C．sharing information | D．fighting rumors |
Which of the following words best describes Mark Zukerberg according to the passage?
| A．Determined. | B．Humourous. |
| C．Gentle. | D．Selfless. |
In Mexico, girls mark their fifteenth birthday with a celebration called Quinceanera. In the morning, the birthday girl goes to the church with her family and her best friends. She wears a beautiful dress. Later in the day, there is a huge party, with a big cake that matches the girl’s dress, and a night filled with music and dancing.
Becoming an adult is a very important life change, and Japan has a special holiday to celebrate this. The second Sunday in January is Coming-of-Age Day. On that day, everyone who had their twentieth birthday in the last year goes to their Town Hall for a special activity. Everyone dresses up, and many women wear beautiful dresses. The mayor makes a speech and gives presents to all the new adults.
Some kids are afraid to start school, but six-year-olds in Germany can’t wait. For them, Schulanfang is a big holiday. To celebrate a child’s first day of school, parents or friends give the child a Zuckertuete, a big color box filled with candy and little presents. People take pictures of the kids holding their Zuckertuete, and there is a school party later for the parents with cake and coffee.What happens at Quinceanera?
| A．The birthday girl buys many gifts. |
| B．The birthday girl goes to the church. |
| C．Parents give a Zuckertuete to the child. |
| D．Parents make speeches in the church. |
When is Coming-of-Age Day celebrated?
| A．On one’s first day of school. |
| B．On one’s twentieth birthday. |
| C．On a girl’s fifteenth birthday. |
| D．On the second Sunday in January. |
Schulanfang is celebrated when German children ______.
| A．start school | B．reach the age of 15 |
| C．grow into adults | D．are born |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．Celebrating birthdays. |
| B．Celebrating school holidays. |
| C．Celebrating life changes. |
| D．Celebrating national holidays. |