When my family moved to America from a small village in Guangdong, China, we brought not only our luggage, but also our village rules, customs and culture. One of the rules is that young people should always respect elders. Unluckily, this rule led to my very first embarrassment in the United States.
I had a part-time job as a waiter in a Chinese restaurant. One time, when I was serving food to a middle-aged couple, the wife asked me how the food could be served so quickly. I told her that I had made sure they got their food quickly because I always respect the elderly. As soon as I said that, her face showed great displeasure. My manager, who happened to hear what I said, took me aside and gave me a long lecture about how sensitive(敏感) Americans are and how they dislike the description “old”. I then walked back to the table and apologized to the wife. After the couple heard my reason, they understood that the problem was caused by cultural differences, so they laughed and were no longer angry.
In my village in China, people are proud of being old. Not so many people live to be seventy or eighty, and people who reach such an age have the most knowledge and experience. Young people always respect older people because they know they can learn from their rich experience.
However, in the United States, people think “growing old” is a problem since “old” shows that a person is going to retire or that the body is not working well. Here many people try to keep themselves away from growing old by doing exercises or jogging, and women put on makeup, hoping to look young. When I told the couple in the restaurant that I respect the elderly, they got angry because this caused them to feel they had failed to stay young. I had told them something they didn’t want to hear.
After that, I changed the way I had been with older people. It is not that I don’t respect them any more; I still respect them, but now I don’t show my feelings through words.
36．Jack brought the couple their food very fast because .
A．the manager asked him to do so
B．he respected the elderly
C．the couple wanted him to do so
D．he wanted more pay
37．When Jack called the couple “elderly”, they became .
A．nervous B．satisfied
C．unhappy D．excited
38．In Jack’s hometown, .
A．people dislike being called “old”
B．people are proud of being old
C．many people reach the age of seventy or eighty
D．the elderly are the first to get food in restaurants
39．After this experience, Jack .
A．lost his job in the restaurant
B．made friends with the couple
C．no longer respected the elderly
D．changed his way with older people
40．Which of the following is TRUE?
A．The more Jack explained, the angrier the couple got.
B．Jack wanted to show his feelings through words after his experience.
C．The manager went back to the table and apologized to the couple.
D．From this experience, Jack learned more about American culture.
The increase in tuition fees has led to a “clear drop” in the number of English students applying for university places this autumn. There are 15,000 “missing” applicants（申请人） this academic year, according to the Independent Commission on Fees. Chairman Will Hutton said: “We’re asking our young men and women to have more debt than any other country in the world — it’s higher than the average debt in the US. It’s not clear whether those lost students this year will return next year, or if it’s a storm warming of a worrying trend.”
But the commission’s report says there does not seem to be an impact on poorer communities. The commission found there was no significant change in the application rate to the key universities, such as Oxford or Cambridge. The decline（下降） in England has not been mirrored（再现） in other parts of the UK where fees have not been raised, and the drop can only partly be explained by falling numbers of young people in the population. Students from Scotland attending Scottish universities do not pay fees, while the Welsh Assembly says it will pay fees above ￡3,465 for Welsh students attending UK institutions.
The average tuition fee at English universities this year is ￡ 8,385, rising to ￡ 8,507 next year. UK and EU students have access to government-backed loans to pay the fees. And the survey of 1,000 pupils aged 15-18, carried out this April, found that the majority expected to go on to higher education as people continue to understand that university remains a good long term investment（投资） in their future.
A spokeswoman at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills which is responsible for universities, said: “Students shouldn’t be forced to put off going to university for financial reasons. Most students will not have to pay in advance, and no one will have to start paying back their student loan until they start to earn at least ￡ 2l,000 per year.”From the first paragraph, we know that .
| A．the rising tuition fees have a great effect on English students |
| B．many English students are missing the final examinations |
| C．the lost English students will find their way back |
| D．it’s a trend that English students are dropping out of school |
Why is there still a drop of applicants though fees have not been raised?
| A．Because the students live in poor communities. |
| B．Because education is free for Scottish students. |
| C．Because there are less young students in the area. |
| D．Because Welsh students will pay fees above￡3,465. |
What’s the students’ attitude to universities in the survey?
| A．They will stop applying for university places this autumn. |
| B．They feel universities takes up too much time. |
| C．They are anxious to go to a key university. |
| D．Most of them are willing to go to university. |
The spokeswoman in the last paragraph advises students to .
| A．put off going to university |
| B．pay for the fees in advance |
| C．reduce the anxiety about the rising fees |
| D．pay back their loan soon aller graduation |
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 |