Have you ever heard the story of the four-minute mile? Many years ago, people believed that it was impossible for a human being to run a mile in less than four minutes until Roger Banister proved it wrong in1954.
What happens if you put an animal in a pond? Any animal, big or small, will swim its way through. What happens when someone, who does not know how to swim, falls in deep waters? They drown. If an animal who has not learned swimming could escape by swimming, why not you? Because you believe you will drown while the animal does not.
Have you ever wondered why the letters are organized in a particular order on hour keyboard? You might have thought it is to increase the typing speed. Most people never question it. But the fact is that this system was developed to reduce the typing speed at a time when typewriter parts would jam if the operator typed too fast.
These three cases show the power of our beliefs. There is no other more powerful directing force in human behavior than belief. Your beliefs have the power to create and to destroy. A belief delivers a direct command to your nervous system.
I used a snake in my workshops for children to show them how unrealistic some of their beliefs are. Students of a school in India, said snakes were slippery, slimy (黏糊糊的) and poisonous. After doing an exercise for changing beliefs, they handled my snake and found it to be dry and clean. They also remembered that only three types of poisonous snakes exist in India.
Did this story end the way you thought? Review your beliefs now and find out which ones you need to change.
51. In the author’s opinion, if a person in deep water doesn’t know how to swim he will drown because _________.
A. he is afraid of water B. he doesn’t want to live in the world
C. he hasn’t learned to swim before D. he believes he will drown
52. The author thinks that the letters are organized in a particular order on your keyboard in order to _________.
A. reduce one’s typing speed B. satisfy the operator
C. save more space D. increase one’s typing speed
53. The author’s experiment shows that __________.
A. snakes in India aren’t poisonous B. snakes can be caught easily
C. snakes are slimy and poisonous D. snakes are dry and clean
54. According to the passage, we know that ________.
A. students from India have unrealistic beliefs on how to live a better life
B. an animal who has not learned to swim will drown if you put it in a pond.
C. Roger Banister was the first person who ran a mile in less than four minutes.
D. most people don’t like the order the letters are arranged on your keyboard
55. The main idea of this passage should be that _______.
A. beliefs make us seem stupid
B. beliefs are very powerful
C. changing your beliefs now if necessary
D. people should always believe in themselves
The blue eyes that looked at him from outside the door were like the light through a maginifying glass (放大镜) when it is at its brightest and smallest, when paper and leaves begin to smoke.
"Hey . " said the man in the door. " Remember me? "
" Yes. " the boy said. whispering. "Rick. "
He felt so surprised to see Rick. All of Rick seemed to be shown in the eyes. With a strong feeling that ought to have hurt him.
" You knew me." Rick said. " You hadn't forgotten. "
" You're--just the same. " the boy said. and felt much thankful.
He seemed even to be wearing the same clothes, the same blue shirt and grey trousers. He was thin, but he was built to be lean; and he was still, or again. sunburnt. After everything, the slow white smile still showed the slight feeling of happiness.
" Let's look at you." Rick said, dropping into a chair. Then slowly he felt more at home, and he became once more just Rick as if nothing had happened. There were lines about his eyes. and deeper lines on his cheeks. but he looked like-just Rick, lined by sunfight and smiling.
" When I look at you." he said, " You make me think about me, for we look like each other. "
" Yes, " said the boy, eagerly, " they all think we both look like my grandfather. "On his return. Rick_______.
A.had not changed much | B.looked very old |
C.was much thinner than before | D.was wearing different clothes |
Rick and the boy are probably________.
A.brothers | B.related |
C.friends | D.neighbours |
You could describe Rick as________.
A.old and friendly | B.old and nervous |
C.thin and nervous | D.thin and friendly |
From the passage we can tell that the boy_____.
A.was worried that Rick had forgotten him |
B.was proud of what Rick had done |
C.was pleased to see Rick |
D.wondered where Rick had been |
Rick and the boy_______.
A.had similar personalities | B.cared about each other |
C.had lived in the same house | D.felt their friendship had changed |
EVENTS
Bicycle tour and race
A bike tour and race will be held on August 26 and 27 (Sat & Sun.). At 5:30 am, the riders will leave Tian'anmen Square and ride the first 35 kilometres as a training leg. Then the next 55-kilometre-leg. from Yanjiao to Jixian. will be the first competitive part of the tour. The riders and their bikes will then be takern from Jixian to Changli.
The second racing leg of the tour will be from Changli to the seaside of Nandaihe, covering a distance of 20 kilometres. Saturday night includes the stay at Nandaihe and supper. Sunday morning is free for play at the seaside. At noon all the people and their bikes will be taken back to Beijing.
Cost: 200 yuan Telephone: 4675027
Brazilian footballers
The Brazilian Football Club will play Beijing Guo'an Team at the Workers Stadium on August 26. The club has four national team players. Also coming is 1994 US World Cup star Romario who has promised to play for at least 45 minutes.
Ticket prices: 60; 100; 150 yuan
Time/Date: 4:30 pm, August 26 (Sat. ) Telephone: 5012372
Rock climbing
The Third National Rock Climbing Competition will be held on August 26-27 at the Huairou
Mountain-climbing Training Base. More than 10 teams from Beijing, Wuhan, Dalian, Jilin and other places will take part in it. A Japanese team will give an exhibition climbing. Free for spectators(观众).
Take a long-distance bus from Dongzhimen to Huairou.
Time/Dates: 9-12 am, August 26 and 27
Telephone: 7143177, 7144850, Wang ZhenghuaThe main purpose of announcing the above events is to give information about_________.
A.visiting teams | B.famous players |
C.things to do for the weekend | D.prices to pay for the sports events |
If you take part in the bike tour. you will ride for ________.
A.35 kilometres | B.55 kilometres |
C.75 kilometres | D.ll0 kilometres |
The underlined word "leg" in "Bicycle tour and race" probably means_______.
A.race | B.practice |
C.part of the training | D.part of the tour |
What is special about the rock climbing competition?
A.A foreign team takes pan in it. |
B.You can watch it without paying. |
C.You don't have to be a sportsman to take part. |
D.The bus trip to the place of the competition is free. |
If you want to find something to do for Saturday aftermoon, which telephone number will you call?
A.4675027 | B.7143177 | C.5012372 | D.7144850 |
Chinese scientists have found a new way to use cells found in human urine (尿液)that could aid in the treatment of a range of nerve disorders.That is a new technique for reprogramming cells in human urine into nerve progenitor cells that can grow into multi-functional nerve and brain cells.
The technique is expected to be used in the study and treatment of nerve disorders such as Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and other nerve disorders.
Pei Duanqing, a professor at Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, said his research team has combined an episomal system to deliver reprogramming factors with a chemically defined culture medium to reprogram kidney epithelial(肾表皮) cells in urine into NPCs.
These NPCs, normally only found in the human brain, were later proven to be transgene-free and self-renewing, he said.
"These nerve and brain cells can survive for up to one month when transplanted into the brain of a newborn rat," said Pei. "My team is working hard to understand why our experimental condition allowed the urine cells to become NPCs, because we want to improve the technique and make it more efficient".
Scientists have long searched to treat and study neural disorders by obtaining and transplanting neural stem cells. However, the previous method of getting and using cells from either fetal (胎儿)or adult human tissue remains challenging due to ethical concerns and immune system rejections, he said.
Pei hopes the discovery will be used to generate NPCs from patients with nerve disorders such as Parkinson's disease. "These NPCs from patients may help us discover new drugs for these diseases."
"It is a remarkable advance in the stem cell field. The results and methods obtained from this study will be of great value and significance to the field, " said Fred Gage,a professor with the Salk Institute for Biological Studies.What is the passage mainly about?
A.NPCs are beneficial in treating human diseases. |
B.Chinese scientists succeeded in making NPCs from human urine. |
C.Chinese scientists have found cures for all diseases. |
D.A new technique was used to study the use of human urine |
Pei and his team try their best to work hard in order to.
A.make more contributions to medical study |
B.discover another new technique |
C.make the technique more perfect |
D.treat more patients suffering from bad diseases |
What is the challenge of making NPCs in the previous method?
A.The ethical concerns and immune system refusal |
B.The difficulties in getting cells from human. |
C.The under-developed techniques in medical science. |
D.The lack of financial support from the government |
From the last paragraph we can infer .
A.the new technique will be developed in science |
B.the result and methods will be applied to treating cancers |
C.the study will give a major push to the stem cell field |
D.the new technique will bring great profits |
After a week-long vacation, U.S. President Barack Obama will focus on proposals to strengthen the still-recovering American economy. The agenda includes the reform of the nation’s health care system.
The Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare as some call it, expands federal health care programs for the needy and encourages Americans of all income groups to purchase private health care insurance.
“If you do not have insurance, beginning on October 1st, private plans will actually compete for your business. You can comparison--shop in an online marketplace, just like you would for cell phone plans or plane tickets. You may be eligible for new tax credits to help you afford the plan that’s right for you. And if you are in the up to half of all Americans who have been sick or have a preexisting condition, this law means that beginning January 1st, insurance companies have to cover you," Obama said.
Health-care spending accounts for one-seventh of U.S. economic activity, and is projected to increase to one-fifth in coming years. The cost has a direct bearing on America’s economic and financial well--being. Drawn up in 2010, the Affordable Care Act aims to control costs and expand access to health care. The effort is a big failure, according to Republican law makers like Tim Griffin and Todd Young.
“Republicans will continue to do everything we can to protect all Americans from the president's top-down, one-size-fits-all, Washington-knows-best approach to health care that is driving up costs and hurting our economy," said Griffin. “The sooner we can delay, oppose and cancel the president's health-care law, the sooner we can get people back to work and focus on expanding opportunity for everyone.”
The president accuses Republicans of putting partisanship(党派偏见) ahead of Americans’ health-care needs. “A lot of Republicans seem to believe that if they can gum up the works and make this law fail, they will somehow be sticking it to me. But they would just be sticking it to you. Your health insurance is not something to play politics with. Our economy is not something to play politics with," he said.
As a matter of fact,the success or failure of Obamacare could shape the president’s legacy long after he leaves office.It is implied in Obama’s words in Paragraph 3 that.
A.health care insurance will be of great benefit to Americans |
B.health care insurance will help recover American economy |
C.insurance companies don’t expect him to carry out the law |
D.insurance companies will cover Americans in all aspects |
According to Tim Griffin,Obama’s health-care law.
A.will be strongly opposed to by the Republicans |
B.will cause fewer economic problems in America |
C.will be canceled sooner or later by the government |
D.will never work without the help of the Republicans. |
What does Obama accuse Republicans of according to the passage?
A.They don’t know what Americans are in need of. |
B.They tend to put their own benefit ahead of Americans’. |
C.They know nothing about health insurance and economy. |
D.They like to play politics with economy and health insurance |
What is the author’s tone in this passage?
A.Subjective | B.Critical | C.Unconcerned | D.Objective |
Honey Sweet Cake (Prep. Time: 12 mins.) Ingredients Strawberries in syrup(糖浆), 1 package (unfrozen) Heavy cream, 1 cup Corn flour, 2 tablespoons Process Mix the strawberries, cream and corn flour in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat for about 8-10 minutes, while constantly mixing until the mixture thickens. Remove from heat and refrigerate for two hours, Fill the frozen mixture in a cake, and serve. |
Rosy Cake (Prep. Time: 10 mins. ) Ingredients Sugar, 3/4 cup Water, 1 cup Corn flour, 3 tablespoons Strawberries , 2 ![]() Process Take a large saucepan and mix all the ingredients. Cook until the mixture thickens over medium heat. Let it cool naturally and completely. Fill up your cake with the mixture, and serve. |
Triangle Sweet (Prep. Time: 15 mins. ) Ingredients Sugar, ![]() Whipping cream, ![]() Unflavored gelatin(明胶) , 1 tablespoon Cold water, 2 tablespoons Boiled water, 3 tablespoons Strawberries, crushed, 2 cups Process Add sugar to the crushed strawberries and set them aside. In cold water, soften the gelatin, and once it is softened, add boiling water. Stir until the gelatin dissolves. Add the dissolved gelatin mixture to the strawberries and let it cool. Now whip(搅打) the cream till it becomes stiff. When the strawberry mixture is of syrup thickness, add the whipped cream to it. Refrigerate until it sets. Fill it into your cake, and serve. |
Flaming Maple (Prep. Time: 10 mins. ) Ingredients Fresh lemon juice, 1 ![]() Honey, 2 tablespoons Maple syrup, 2 tablespoons Strawberries, ripe, 2 pints Process Make a fruit butter of half of the strawberries. Add honey, lemon juice, and maple syrup until it forms a smooth sauce. Add the remaining strawberries. Fill the mixture in the cake, and serve. |
Which of the following ingredients are used in all the recipes?
A.heavy cream | B.sugar syrup | C.corn flour | D.strawberries |
Chefs needn't freeze the ingredients when preparing ___________
① Honey Sweet Cake ②Rosy Cake ③Triangle Sweet④ Flaming Maple
A.①② | B.②③ | C.①④ | D.②④ |
Which of the following is true?
A.Triangle Sweet takes the longest time to prepare. |
B.Strawberries used in the recipes aren’t all fresh. |
C.Most strawberries are used when making a Rose Cake. |
D.Honey Sweet Cake is the best choice for busy mothers. |
In how many recipes should chefs thicken the mixture by heating?
A.Only one | B.Two | C.Three | D.Four |