During the last century we have moved from the Industrial Age through the Information Age to the Knowledge Age. The ability to obtain and apply the right knowledge effectively will become a key skill in the next century. Our ability will no longer be judged only by knowledge gained in the past, but will also be measured by our ability to learn and adapt in the future.
Learning isn’t just about economic success, however. It is the key to achieving our full potential(潜能,潜力). Human beings are particularly adapted to learn and we have the ability to do so throughout our lives.
Learning has the power to change us. Specifically, we can become more successful. Learning can enable us to solve problems and change our attitudes. It makes us more interesting to be with. It can be enormous fun. It can also be very challenging.
We all have the ability, at any age, to change our lives through learning. Our survival in the twenty-first century as individuals, organizations and nations, will depend on our ability to learn. A learning population is healthier, more tolerant(容忍的,宽容的), independent and fulfilled. Learning can take place in a range of styles: anytime, anywhere, anyhow.
None of us learn in isolation(隔绝,孤立). There are a whole range of factors that can affect us in learning. The key factors affecting people’s learning include: ●their resources ●their image of learning ●the rewards associated with any learning activity ●the availability of information about learning opportunities ●the climate created by government and employers in which learning takes place What is the most important skill in the next century according to the passage?
| A．Knowledge we obtained in the past. |
| B．Computer skill. |
| C．The ability to obtain and apply knowledge. |
| D．Foreign language. |
What is the most important purpose of learning?
| A．To succeed economically. |
| B．To achieve in life. |
| C．To solve problems. |
| D．To achieve our full potential. |
In many ways learning has the power to transform us, so which of the following does NOT belong to the ways?
| A．We can have a longer life. |
| B．We can become more successful through learning. |
| C．We can be more open-minded. |
| D．We can be more agreeable. |
Which of the following proverbs can best go with the fourth paragraph?
| A．Learning makes a good man better and an ill man worse. |
| B．It’s never too late to learn. |
| C．Reading makes a full man. |
| D．Knowledge is power. |
University of Maryland student Ben Simon and his friends couldn' t stand to see good food thrown out on their campus. "We basically noticed that some of the extra food from the dining hall was going to waste at the end of the day. And we met with the dining services and asked them whether it would be okay if instead of throwing out the food we would donate it. And they were on board," he said.
So 18 months ago, the students began what they call the Food Recovery Network. Each night, volunteers would show up at a campus dining hall to pick up leftovers and deliver them to area shelters and food banks. So far, they have donated more than 23 000 kilos of food that would otherwise have been thrown out.
Nationwide, $ 165 billion worth of food is wasted each year, according to the National Resources Defense Council.Spokesman Bob Keefe says that is about 40% of the country' s entire food production. "If we can reduce our waste in this country by 15% ,we can feed 25 million hungry Americans. That is a huge benefit. That is what programs like this Food Recovery Network are doing," he said.
Christian Life Center is one of the beneficiaries ( 受益) of the students' efforts. Ben Slye, the senior pastor (牧师) ,said," It has been just amazing to see these students take their own time, their own vehicles and own gas money and be able to make an effort like this. Each week we are able with this food probably to feed over hundred people."
The University of Maryland' s Food Recovery Network now has 200 volunteers and the program has expanded to 18 schools across the country. "I want to grow 18 chapters to a thousand chapters within five years. And once we get to the Food Recovery Nation being at every college campus in America, we want to expand to restaurants and farms." said Simon.
The volunteers are committed to making that happen.The dining services in University of Maryland.
| A．threw out good food on the campus |
| B．enjoyed the talk with the students |
| C．supported the volunteers'job |
| D．donated their leftovers to the poor |
Volunteers from the Food Recovery Network.
| A．started the Food Recovery Network two years ago |
| B．delivered leftovers as well as money to shelters |
| C．donated leftovers to avoid food waste |
| D．helped to solve the hunger issues in America |
Ben Slye' s attitude toward the volunteers' effort was that of.
| A．unconcern | B．appreciation |
| C．doubt | D．opposition |
We can learn from the text that.
| A．over 40% of the country' s entire food is wasted each year |
| B．altogether 25 million Americans suffer from hunger nowadays |
| C．every college has started the Food Recovery Network |
| D．Simon aims to expand the program to restaurants and farms |
What can be the best title for the text?
| A．Battles Against the Problem of Hunger |
| B．College Students Rescue Leftover Food |
| C．How to Pick up Leftovers on College Campuses |
| D．Waste Problems in University of Maryland |
There are many older people in the world and there will be many more. A little-known fact is that over 60 percent of the older people live in developing countries. According to the World Health Organization, by 2020 there will be 1 billion, with over 700 million living in developing
countries.
It is a surprising fact that the population ageing is particularly rapid in developing countries. For example, it took France 115 years for the proportion of older people to double from 7 percent to 14 percent. It is estimated to take China a mere 27 years to achieve this same increase.
What are the implications of these increased numbers of older folk？ One of the biggest worries for governments is that the longer people live ,the more likelihood there is for diseases and for disability. Attention is being paid to the need to keep people as healthy as possible, including during old age, to lessen the financial burden on the state.
Another significant problem is the need for the younger generations to understand and value the older people in their society. In some African countries, certainly in Asia, older people are respected and regarded as the ones with special knowledge. Yet traditions are fading away daily, which does not ensure the continued high regard of older people. As society changes, attitudes will change.
Much needs to be done to get rid of age discrimination (歧视) in employment. Life-long learning programs need to be provided to enable older people to be active members in a country's development.
Social security policies need to be established to provide adequate income protection for older people. Both public and private schemes are vital in order to build a suitable safety net.
To achieve equality in such matters will take considerable time and effort. One thing is sure:there is no time to be lost.The proportion of older people.
| A．is bigger in developed countries than in developing countries |
| B．will increase much faster in China than in France |
| C．is one-seventh of the population in developing countries |
| D．will be sixty percent in developing countries by 2020 |
According to the passage, which of the following are governments most worried about?
| A．The longer life and good health of people. |
| B．The diseases and disability of older people. |
| C．The loss of taxes on older people. |
| D．The increasing respect for older people. |
It is stated directly in the passage that older people should.
| A．be treated differently in different cultures |
| B．enjoy a similar lifestyle |
| C．be valued by the younger generations |
| D．be ignored as society changes |
Which of the following measures is NOT mentioned to solve the population ageing problem？
| A．Getting rid of age discrimination in employment. |
| B．Ensuring adequate income protection for older people. |
| C．Supplying life-long learning programs to older people. |
| D．Providing free health care for sick older people. |
The author concludes in the last paragraph that.
| A．governments have spent lots of time in solving the ageing problem |
| B．people are too busy to solve the population ageing problem |
| C．population ageing is a hard problem,but it needs to be solved urgently |
| D．much time and effort will be lost in solving the ageing problem |
Everyone in our village likes my father, so he has a sense of humor. On other words, he canmake others laugh easy and people feel happy to be around him. I admire him very much anddream of that some day I will be as humorous as him. I even asked him how have a good sense ofhumor, but what she replied disappointed me. “Not someone can be humorous, because those whois humorous are usually born to be humorous,” he said. However, later, he adds, “But you can behumorous too if you know a lot of joke.” That’s why now I’m reading a book of jokes.
A typical day at work for Cesar Millan might include putting on his running shoes and taking a fourhour jog with 40 dogs—large and small, young and old. Amazingly, most of those dogs belong to him. The rest are at the heart of his work; they are troubled dogs sent to Millan to learn good behavior.
Obviously Millan, star of the TV show “Dog Whisperer” and author of the bestselling book Cesar's Way，has a special gift for working with these animals.
Growing up on a farm in Mexico, Millan knew he wanted to work with dogs. His first job, at age 15，was helping a veterinarian (兽医)．He was so good at calming scared dogs and handling all kinds of situations that people started calling him “el perrero”， Spanish for “the dog boy”．Since then, he has built a rewarding career around his favorite animal.
“My grandfather taught me at an early age not to work against nature，”he explains. In nature, dogs_are_pack_animals. They form a group and follow one leader. Millan's specialty is teaching people to be pack leaders for their dogs.
Studying dogs on the farm where he grew up，Millan realized they need lots of exercise to be calm. He explains his approach，“Exercise and discipline first，and then affection！”He says a lot of people get it backwards because they don't realize what dogs really need. Therefore, while he trains dogs, he teaches owners to understand that their pets need rules. He's helped famous people like Oprah Winfrey and movie star Will Smith and everyday people too.
To find the right career, Millan encourages kids to do what they enjoy. “A lot of people don't realize I've been working with dogs for more than 20 years—long before my TV show or book. Success followed me because I was following my dream of being the best dog trainer in the world.”By saying “dogs are pack animals”(in Para.4)，the author means that________.
| A．dogs like to live with people |
| B．dogs are easier to be trained |
| C．few dogs can be leaders |
| D．dogs live in groups |
Which of the following would Millan agree with?
| A．Dogs are quiet animals. |
| B．Dogs should be trained on farms. |
| C．Rules are more important than love in training dogs. |
| D．Famous people have more problems in training dogs. |
What does Millan advise children to do when it comes to choosing a job?
| A．Do what interests them. |
| B．Never give up and they will succeed. |
| C．Share their ideas with many other people. |
| D．Receive training long before they succeed. |
A young girl is calling a neighbor a superhero because of what he did when she was trapped beneath a car. Nick Harris said he didn't know where he found the strength, but somehow he managed to lift a car off the 6yearold girl last week，earning himself the title of superman. “I just think it' s a Christmas miracle，”Harris said.
Harris said he has tried time and again to recreate(使再现)the surprising show of strength because instinct(本能) sent him running to the 6yearold' s aid. “I just ran over there，saw the tire on her，and lifted the car up to get her out from underneath the car，”Harris said. “I don't know how I did it. I've tried three or four times since then.”
Harris was dropping off his daughter at Eugene Field Elementary Friday morning when he saw a car back out of a driveway，pinning(压住) the girl under its tire. That girl turned out to be his daughter's best friend.
“I was expecting her to have bad injuries，”Harris said. “I've had broken toes, because a car just backed over my foot. And here this whole car was on top of her. I wasn't expecting it to turn out as wonderful as it did.” The first grader was flown to Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City by an air ambulance(救护车)，but didn't have to stay long.
“They all call me superman now，”Harris said. “I'm just a dad. I'm just a dad that was in the right place at the right time. And I was finally able to help and I did something good.”Why was Harris called a superhero?
| A．He saved a girl by lifting a car. |
| B．He won in a Christmas competition. |
| C．He pushed off the car on his daughter. |
| D．He was always ready to help his neighbors. |
Harris tried many times to repeat his action in order to________.
| A．prove he had great strength |
| B．find out how he had done it |
| C．show his daughter he was a hero |
| D．make people believe what happened |
Where did the accident happen?
| A．Near Children's Mercy Hospital. |
| B．Around his neighbor's home. |
| C．Outside a supermarket. |
| D．At a school gate. |
What can we learn about Harris?
| A．He was fond of the movie Superman. |
| B．He had the accident while backing his car. |
| C．He drove the injured girl to the nearby hospital. |
| D．He was once run over on the foot by a car. |