Sir William Osler has a few words for you: “In the Life of a young man, the most essential thing for happiness is the gift of friendship.” Truer words were never spoken. For what more could you ask than comradeship during the peaks and valleys of life? To whom else but a close, valuable friend can you show off your successes and complain about your failures or losses?
What is a “good friend”? How is he best described? Well, it has been my observation that although many will cry with you, few can sincerely rejoice (欣喜) with you. Therefore, in my opinion, a good friend is one who can enjoy your successes without envy; one who can say, “That was wonderful! You can do it again, even better if you want!” and mean it. Nothing taxes a friendship more than the success of one and not the other. Even the closest of friendships often cannot resist such pressure and fail. No wonder many minor friendships go down day by day for the same reason.
A person of good character and sound moral, of honor and humor, of courage and belief is a friend to be sought and treasured — for there are few. Too often we hear, “If you can count your good friends on more than one hand, consider yourself blessed.”
What makes a friendship last? Well, I don’t know all the answers, but one of my observations is that most good friends usually have similar tastes. They generally like and dislike many of the same things. There also usually seems to exist a similarity of personality types — especially in the fundamental values of life such as honesty, sincerity, loyalty, and dependability. More often than not, birds of a feather do fly together. I don’t think it matters a lot whether one prefers jazz or hockey to another’s Mozart or ballet. Much other matters far more: relying, sharing, giving, getting, enjoying; a sympathetic ear always there; criticism when it can help; praise — even if only because it would help. With not many people on this earth will you find this much in common. When you find one, hang on to him, for a good friend found is a rare treasure.
67. The function of Paragraph 1 is to introduce ______.
A. a famous saying
B. the topic for discussion
C. a famous person
D. two different attitudes
68. What is the meaning of the underlined sentence in Paragraph two?
A. People don’t have to pay taxes to develop friendship with others.
B. Success of one person can promote his friendship with others.
C. Friendship can be affected by the difference in success between friends.
D. Nothing can affect friendship because it has gone through the peaks and valleys of life.
69. What is the main idea of Paragraph three ?
A. One is lucky to have many friends.
B. A friend should have a good character.
C. We should count our friends on more than one hand.
D. A true friend should be treasured because there are few.
70. According to the passage, which of the following plays the LEAST important role in a long-lasting friendship?
A. Hobbies. B. Tastes. C. Personality. D. Sympathy.
Dear Cassy,
Thanks for reminding me by e-mail that you want to baby-sit our children. In spite of the fact that you are only 15 years old, my wife and I would be willing to consider your application if you can meet a few modest requirements:
1. Submit three letters from teachers who will prove that you have never failed to follow directions perfectly in class and never failed to hand in the homework on time.
2. Submit a note from two doctors which says that you are in perfect health, have never been sick, and will never be sick.
3. Submit a document (文件) from your physical education teacher or team coach that proves that you can do each of the following: Run two miles in less than nine minutes, climb an oily rope to a height of twenty feet in thirty seconds while balancing a glass of water on your nose, and walk in bare feet over hot coals and broken glass without complaint or injury.
4. Submit letters from at least two mental health experts saying that you have never had a bad thought towards any living being or not living object.
5. Play and defeat five expert chess players with your eyes covered after going without sleep for 48 hours.
6. Wait patiently for two years while we make sure that all your documents are true.
Your loving and trusting friends,
The SmithsFrom the letter we can know that ______.
A.Cassy wrote to the Smiths twice | B.Cassy loves children very much |
C.Cassy will be in perfect health | D.Cassy does very well in her studies |
Which of the following can most probably replace the underlined word “submit”?
A.write | B.report | C.hand in | D.recommend (推荐) |
What can we infer from this text?
A.Their children are hard to baby-sit. | B.Their children are well educated. |
C.Cassy is good at doing many things. | D.Cassy won't get the job as a baby-sitter. |
Which of the following words can best describe the Smiths?
A.Humorous. | B.Patient. | C.Honest. | D.Kind-hearted. |
He only finished fourth in this year's Super Boy talent show. But it didn't stop him capturing (俘获) the hearts of thousands of fans. He can hit high notes with ease. And he is very modest. Zhang Jie,25,shed(流) sweat and tears all the way through the competition, but he never gave up.
“No matter how life treats him, he always fights back bravely ,”said Wu Chunyan, a Senior 2 student in Hubei. “He has never lost his dream of being a singer.” The road to fame is always rocky, and Zhang is no exception. As a college student he was majoring in tourism. He was considering becoming a tourist guide after graduation until he entered a singing competition.
His life changed after he competed in My Show. He won first place and signed with a record company. “I was very excited and regarded it as a way to take me closer to my dream,” he said. But the company gave him little money to make music and slowly began to ignore him. Zhang even borrowed money to buy costumes. “Life has its ups and downs. But the tough (艰难的) reality only makes me stronger,” he said.
He forgot he was once a champion of a talent show and joined Super Boy. His decision got support from his family who worked hard to make ends meet. His mother sold rice noodles on a street in his hometown, but she said she would “support him forever.”
“I have the dream to buy a large house for my parents, where my mom can get a large window sill (窗台) to grow flowers,” said Zhang.Which of the following is the best title of the passage?
A.An easy way to success![]() |
B.A rocky path to success |
C.A clever boy | D.A successful boy |
From the passage, we can know that _________.
A.he once won the first place in Super Boy talent show. |
B.he finished fourth in My Show. |
C.he is an exception on his way to fame. |
D.after signing with a record company, he didn’t get much money. |
When he met with difficulty in a record company, he decided to _______.
A.join Super Boy | B.tell the others he was a champion |
C.give up on his way to success | D.quarrel with the boss |
Before he joined in a singing competition, his dream was to become________.
A.a great scientist | B.a good college student |
C.a famous singer | D.a tourist guide |
With the Indian economy predicted to grow by 7.5 percent this year, experts say it could be time for Western CEOs to learn some lessons from Indian CEOs.The key differences between Indian and Western bosses are:
Social purpose
One of the most important things is that Indian leaders lead with a sense of social purpose.Every leader in India gave a specific social purpose as being the goal of their business.Those purposes ranged from improving healthcare to getting cell phones to people who didn't have access to communication tools.Having a social purpose motivates workers.
Invest in employees
Indian firms invest an enormous amount in their employees' training and development.IT firms typically offer 60 days of formal training for newly hired workers and they even spend months training experienced workers.A study said that Western firms have largely abandoned investing in employees, seeing it as a waste if they quit.But Indian bosses believe that investing in employees ensures the quality of those who stay at the company.
Take the long view
Indian bosses stress far less on shareholders than it is typical at Western business.As a result they're more able to take a long-term view.Western companies can't just ignore their shareholders, but their CEOs can do more to protect their -employees from short-term financial pressures, letting them get on with their jobs.
Work fromtheir strengths
Western companies often think about strategy in terms of chasing customers or pursuing market opportunities, but Indian firms will more often start by identifying their strengths and customers’ needs, and then try to meet those needs.
Act as a role model
Being a personal role model for their employees is an amazing thing for a CEO.If Western bosses could think of themselves as role models, it would have a real impact on their workers.Indian CEOs use their sense of social purpose to _________.
A.improve the workers' healthcare system |
B.provide cell phones to people in need |
C.motivate and encourage their employees |
D.promote the development of communication systems |
Western firms have largely abandoned investing in employees’ training and development because _______.
A.it takes too long to complete the formal training of newly hired workers |
B.they often hire experienced workers who don't need much training |
C.they are afraid of the losses brought about by the resignation of employees |
D.they don't care about the quality of the employees in their firms |
Which of the following is TRUE about Western bosses?
A.They stress on![]() |
B.They always act as role models for employees. |
C.They are good at identifying their own strengths. |
D.They pay closer attention to market opportunities. |
It takes courage to stand up at work.Now more and more people are standing up when they are working on something important.Standing up is in fashion.Medical researchers have found that people who stand at work tend to be much healthier than those who sit.But I wasn't just looking for better health — standing would also improve how I work and relax my body.
In recent years, many office supply companies have begun to sell adjustable desks.These so-called "sit / stand" models are equipped with an electric motor that lets them shift from chair height to person height at the push of a button.Unfortunately, sit / stand desks tend to be expensive, hard to find and not very easy to test in person.
I discovered that when I worked standing up, my mind was clearer and new ideas kept coming to me.I suspect that this is because when you're standing, you feel a bit unchained from your desk.If I got stuck on a word or sentence as I wrote it, I found myself shaking my arms, bouncing (跳) on my feet or stepping away from the desk for a bit — things I couldn't do in a chair.Often, standing up seemed to relax my mind enough for me to get over creative barriers.
There's another thing about standing for a long time: I tend to get hungrier than I do when I sit on a chair.That feels like confirmation(证实) of the stand-up advocates’ belief that you burn more calories when you stand than when you sit.For this reason alone, I' m hoping that one day mass-market furniture companies can make many low-priced versions of sit / stand desks.We could all work with a bit more standing up.The author likes standing up while working because __________.
A.he wants to show that he has a lot of courage |
B.researchers say standing makes one healthier |
C.he intends to catch up the fashion trend |
D.he hopes to improve his work and relax himself |
It can be inferred from the text that ________.
A.adjustable desks are mass-produced now |
B.adjustable desks are easy to operate |
C.cheaper adjustable desks will soon be available |
D.adjustable desks can be tried out easily |
What is the main idea of the text?
A.Standing up at work is a better choice. |
B.Standing up at work takes courage. |
C.Standing up at work burns more calories. |
D.Standing up at work will replace traditional sitting. |
Is there a magic cutoff period when children become responsible for their own actions? Is there a wonderful moment when parents can become spectators (audiences) in the lives of their children and shrug, “It’s their life,” and feel nothing?
When I was in my twenties, I stood in a hospital passage waiting for doctors to put a few stitches(缝线) in my son’s head.I asked, “When do you stop worrying?” The nurse said, “When they get out of the accident stage.” My mother just smiled faintly and said nothing.
When I was in my thirties,I sat on a little chair in a classroom and heard how one of my children talked continually and disrupted the class.As if to read my mind, a teacher said.“Don’t worry.They all go through this stage and then you can sit back, relax and enjoy them.” My mother just smiled faintly and said nothing.
When I was in my forties, I spent a lifetime waiting for the phone to ring, the cars to come home, the front door to open.A friend said, “They’re trying to find themselves.Don’t worry; in a few years, you can stop worrying.They’ll be adults.” My mother just smiled faintly and said nothing.
By the time I was 50, I was sick and tired of being weak.I was still worrying over my children, but there was a new wrinkle.There was nothing I could do about it.My mother just smiled faintly andsaid nothing.
I continued to suffer from their failures, and be absorbed in their disappointments.My friends said that when my kids got married I could stop worrying and lead my own life.I wanted to believe that, but I was haunted(萦绕心头) by my mother’s warm smile and her occasional “You look pale.Are you all right? Call me the minute you get home.Are you depressed about something?” Can it be that parents are sentenced to a lifetime of worry?
One of my children became quite anxious about me recently, saying, “Where w
ere you? I’ve been calling for three days, and no one answered.I was worried.”
I smiled a warm smile.The author intends to tell us in the passage that_______.
A.parents long for a period when they no longer worry about their children |
B.there is no time when parents have no worry about their children |
C.it’s parents’ duty to worry about their children |
D.there should be a period when parentsdon’t have to worry about their children |
We can infer from the underlined sentence “My mother just smiled faintly and said nothing.” that ______.
A.her mother shared the same idea as the nurse |
B.her mother didn’t agree with the nurse |
C.her mother thought the nurse was lying |
D.her mother wouldn’t express her opinion upon the matter |
The author mentioned her ages of twenties, thirties, forties and fifty in order to show_______.
A.the hard times she experiences in her life |
B.the different stages of her children |
C.the support she received from her mother |
D.she had been worrying about her children in her life |
What can we infer from the last sentence?
A.The mother was happy that her child began to worry about her, too |
B.Finally the mother didn’t have to worry about her children |
C.At last the mother could live her own life without worry. |
D.The mother succeeded in turning her children into adults. |
Which of the following should be the best title?
A.Life | B.Parents | C.Worry | D.Children |