The world hash’t seen a pandemic（流行疾病）in 4 1 years，when the”Hong Kong”flu crossed the globe and killed about one million people worldwide．If H1N1 flu（甲型流感）reaches pandemic levels，what would happen next?
The outbreak of SA
RS in 2003 rang alarm bells as potential pandemics．Although it jumped the”animal-to·human”barrier，neither disease changed enough to enable human-to．Human infection．Strictly speaking，SARS did not become pandemics because it was too good at killing their hosts．For a pandemic，it needs to be able to maintain human-to．human contact without killing its host off．
”H1N1 flu is already a man-to-man disease，which makes it much more difficult to manage．
And H1N1 flu appears much more infectious than SARS．
But the WHO warns，it cannot say whether or not it will indeed cause a pandemic．According to experts，here’s what the world might see if there is another pandemic，based on past experience．
The disease would skip from city to city over an 18-to-24 month period，infecting more than a third of the population．World health Organization officials believe as many as 1．5 billion people around the globe would seek medical care and nearly 30 million would seek hospitalization．Based on the last pandemic and current world population，as many as 7 million people could die．Hos
pitals will become overcrowded；scho
ols will close；businesses will close；airports will be empty．Business will become very bad，as people avoid as much social contact as possible．
Health facilities will become overrun with patients and there would be less-than-adequate staffing，as medical health professionals fall ill themselves and that would result in higher deaths．
The very young and very old will likely be the most susceptible（易受感染的）to the illness．Experts warn，much is still unknown about the current H1N1 flu virus and its severity and it is too early to say whether it will lead to a pandemic．Right now，the focus is on finding answers and controlling the spread．How many kinds of disease is mentioned in the passage?
| A．Two | B．Three | C．Four | D．Five |
Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．SARS didn’t change enough to enable sustained（持续的）human-to—human infection． |
| B．SARS was very good at killing its carriers． |
| C．A man with H1N1 flu can not infect another man easily． |
| D．Comparing SARS and H 1N 1 flu，SARS is not as infectious． |
What can we know about the “Hong Kong” flu from the passage?
| A．It spread all around the globe and killed lots of people． |
| B．It killed about millions of people． |
| C．It killed about one million people in Hong Kong． |
| D．Not the old but the young were susceptible to it and got killed． |
What can be inferred from the passage?
| A．The H1N1 flu will skip from city to city over an 18一to一24 month period． |
B．Doctors and nurs es will fall ill themselves，which will result in many more deaths． |
| C．Every country is taking measures to stop the H1N1 flu from leading to a pandemic． |
| D．The WHO and experts have known much about the current H1N1 flu virus． |
When something goes wrong, it can be very satisfying to say, “Well, it’s so-and-so’s fault.” or “I know I’m late，but it’s not my fault; the car broke down.” It is probably not your fault, but once you form the habit of blaming somebody or something else for a bad situation, you are a loser. You have no power and could do nothing that helps change the situation. However, you can have great power over what happens to you if you stop focusing on whom to blame and start focusing on how to remedy the situation. This is the winner’s key to success.
Winners are great at overcoming problems. For example, if you were late because your car broke down, maybe you need to have your car examined more regularly. Or, you might start to carry along with you the useful phone numbers, so you could call for help when in need. For another example, if your colleague causes you problems on the job for lack of responsibility or ability, find ways of dealing with his irresponsibility or inability rather than simply blame the person. Ask to work with a different person, or don’t rely on this person. You should accept that the person is not reliable and find creative ways to work successfully regardless of how your colleague fails to do his job well.
This is what being a winner is all about—creatively using your skills and talents so that you are successful no matter what happens. Winners don’t have fewer problems in their lives; they have just as many difficult situations to face as anybody else. They are just better at seeing those problems as challenges and opportunities to develop their own talents. So, stop focusing on “whose fault it is.” Once you are confident about your power over bad situations, problems are just stepping stones for success.According to the passage, winners .
| A．meet with fewer difficulties in their lives |
| B．have responsible and able colleagues |
| C．deal with problems rather than blame others |
| D．blame themselves rather than others |
The underlined word remedy in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to ______.
| A．avoid | B．accept | C．consider | D．improve |
When problems occur, winners take them as ______.
| A．chances for self-development | B．barriers to greater power |
| C．challenges to their colleagues | D．excuses for their failures |
Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
| A．A Winner’s Problem | B．A Winner’s Secret |
| C．A Winner’s opportunity | D．A Winner’s Achievement |
Hank Viscardi was born without legs. He had—not legs but stumps(残肢) that could be fitted with a kind of special boots. People stared at him with cruel interest. Children laughed at him and called him ‘Ape Man’ (猿人) because his arms practically dragged on the ground.
Hank went to school like other boys. His grades were good and he needed only eight years to finish his schooling instead of the usual twelve. After graduating from school, he worked his way through college. He swept floors, waited on table, or worked in one of the college offices. During all this busy life, he had been moving around on his stumps. But one day the doctor told him even the stumps were not going to last much longer. He would soon have to use a wheel chair.
Hank felt himself got cold all over. However, the doctor said there was a chance that he could be fitted with artificial legs(假腿). Finally a leg maker was found and the day came when Hank stood up before the mirror. For the first time he saw himself as he had always wanted to be—a full five feet eight inches tall. By this time he was already 26 years old.
Hank had to learn to use his new legs. Again and again he marched the length of the room, and marched back again. There were times when he fell down on the floor, but he pulled himself up and went back to the endless marching. He went out on the street. He climbed stairs and learned to dance. He built a boat and learned to sail it.
When World War II came, he talked the Red Cross into giving him a job. He took the regular training. he marched and drilled along with the other soldiers. Few knew that he was legless. This was the true story of Hank Viscardi, a man without legs.Children laughed at Hank and called him ‘Ape Man’ because _____.
| A．he didn’t talk to them |
| B．he kept away from them |
| C．he couldn’t use his arms |
| D．his arms touched the ground when he moved |
It can be inferred from the story that five feet eight inches tall is _____.
| A．too tall for an average person |
| B．an average height for a fully grown person |
| C．too short for an average person |
| D．none of the above |
The sentence “he talked the Red Cross into giving him a job” implies that the Red Cross_____.
| A．was not willing to give him a job at first |
| B．gave him a job because he was a good soldier |
| C．gave him a job after he talked to someone he knew in the organization |
| D．was only glad to give him a job |
The writer suggests that Hank Viscardi _____.
| A．had no friends |
| B．was very shy |
| C．never saw himself as different from others |
| D．was too proud to accept help from others |
It’s such a happy-looking library, painted yellow, decorated with palm-tree stickers and sheltered from the Florida sun by its own roof. About the size of a microwave oven, it’s pedestrian-friendly(对行人友善的), too, waiting for book lovers next to a sidewalk in Palm Beach country Estates, along the northern boundary of Palm Beach Gardens.
It’s a library built with love.
A year ago, shortly after Janey Henriksen saw a Brian Williams report about the Little Free Library organization, a Wisconsin-based nonprofit organization that aims to promote literacy(读书识字) and build a sense of community in a neighborhood by making books freely available, she announced to her family of four, “That’s what we’re going to do for our spring break!”
Son Austin, now a 10th-grader, didn’t see the point of building a library that resembles（类似） a mailbox. But Janey insisted, and husband Peter unwillingly got to work. The 51-year-old owner of a ship supply company modified（修饰） a small wooden house that he’d built years earlier for daughter Abbie’s toy horses, and made a door of glass.
After adding the library’s final touches (装点), the family hung a signboard on the front, instructing users to “take a book, return a book,” and making the Henriksen library, now one of several hundred like it nationwide and among more than 2,500 in the world, the only Little Free Library in Palm Beach County.
They stocked it with 20 or so books they’d already read, a mix of science fiction, reference titles, novels and kids’ favorites. “I told them, keep in mind that you might not see it again,” said Janey, a stay-at-home mom.
Since then, the collection keeps replenishing (补充) itself, thanks to ongoing donations from borrowers. The library now gets an average of five visits a day.
The project’s best payoff, says Peter, are the thank-you notes left behind. “We had no idea in the beginning that it would be so popular.” In what way is the library “pedestrian-friendly”?
| A．It owns a yellow roof. |
| B．It protects book lovers from the sun. |
| C．It stands near a sidewalk. |
| D．It uses palm-tree stickers as decorations. |
Janey got the idea to build a library from __________.
| A．a report on a Wisconsin-based organization |
| B．a spring break with her family |
| C．a book sent by one of her neighbors |
| D．a visit to Brian Williams |
The library was built __________.
| A．by a ship supply company | B．on the basis of toy horses |
| C．with glass | D．like a mailbox |
The passage tells us that the borrowers__________.
| A．get paid to collect books for the library |
| B．receive thank-you notes for using the library |
| C．donate books to the library |
| D．visit the library over 5 times on average daily |
Shakespeare once called the English countryside “the precious stone set in the silver sea”- and he is not the last to sing high praises of its beauty and historical charm(魅力).
The countryside is particularly beautiful during the summer, especially in August and September. As one travels the countryside, you’ll find more of its treasures: so many plants and animals, romantic castles(浪漫的城堡), secret gardens, and villages so unchanged in the last decades that they seem to have been caught under a fairy’ s spell.
Must-sees include Derbyshire, called “the heart of England” and home to the National Park. The great peaks were the muse（创作灵感）of the Bronte sisters (and if you love the book Jane Eyre, you can visit North Lees hall, where the real Eyre family once lived).
History lovers will enjoy a visit to Lincoln city (its most famous son is Lord Alfred Tennyson). It is also known for its cathedral(大教堂), the charming tea shops, a small castle. One would never guess its violent past—built by Romans, it was once a center for arrow(箭) making.
Harry Potter fans shouldn’t miss a visit to Alnwick, which is better recognized as the “Hogswarth” in the movies.
Let’s not leave out the Wessex region, where one can see one of England’s greatest mysteries, Stone Henge. You can also go to the City of Bath, which has been famous for its medicines springs since the Roman times. Other popular tractions include Salisbury Cathedral, and landscaped(景色优美的) gardens of Stourhead, and the cobbled(用鹅卵石铺的) streets of Shaftesbury. This is also home to Oxford, one of the world’s most famous universities.
Art lovers will also like a visit to East Anglia, whose landscapes inspired the painter Constable (he was born in Dedham village). This is also home of the University City of Cambridge, and the famous architectural(建筑上的) attraction, King’s College Chapel. Be sure to visit the aircraft museum of Duxford. What was Shakespeare’s attitude towards the English countryside?
| A．Uninterested. | B．Dissatisfied(不满意的). |
| C．Surprised. | D．Admiring. |
According to the text, Lincoln city________.
| A．produced arrows in the past |
| B．will be enjoyed by music lovers |
| C．was the place where the Eyre family once lived |
| D．has one of the world’ s most famous universities |
When traveling in the countryside, Harry Potter fans are advised to visit ________.
| A．the Wessex region | B．Derbyshire | C．Yorkshire | D．Alnwick |
The text is most probably taken from ________.
| A．a travel guide |
| B．a book review(书评) |
| C．a history paper |
| D．a newspaper report |
Among rich countries, people in the United States work the longest hours. They work much longer than in Europe. This difference is quite surprising because productivity(生产力) per hour worked is the same in the United States as it is in France, Spain and Germany, and it is growing at a similar speed.
In most countries and at most times in history, as people have become richer they have chosen to work less. In other words they have decided to “spend” a part of their extra income on a fuller personal life. Over the last fifty years Europeans have continued this pattern, and hours of work have fallen sharply. But not in the United States. We do not fully know why this is. One reason may be greatly lower taxes in America, which increase the rewards to work. Another may be more satisfying work, or less satisfying personal lives.
Longer hours do of course increase the GDP(国内生产总值). So the United States has produced more per worker than, say, France. The United States also has more of its people at work, while in France many more mothers and older workers have decided to stay at home. The overall result is that American GDP per head is 40% higher than in France, even though productivity per hour worked is the same.
It is not clear which of the two situations is better. As we have seen, work has to be compared with other values like family life, which often get lost in its interest. It is too early to explain the different trends（趋势）in happiness over time in different countries. But it is a disappointing idea that in the United States happiness has made no progress since 1975, while it has risen in Europe. Could this have anything to do with trends in the work-life balance?Which of the following countries has more of its people at work?
| A．Spain. | B．France. | C．Germany. | D．America. |
What message can we get from the text?
| A．The GDP of Europe is higher than that of America. |
| B．Two possible reasons are given for working longer hours in the US. |
| C．People all over the world choose to work less when they are richer. |
| D．Americans are happier than Europeans. |
Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
| A．Americans and Europeans |
| B．Staying at Home |
| C．Work and Productivity |
| D．Work and Happiness |