Who’s in control of your life? Who is pulling your string? For the majority of us, it’s other people—society, colleagues, friends, family or our religious community. We learned this way of operating when we were very young, of course. We were brainwashed. We discovered that feeling important and feeling accepted was a nice experience and so we learned to do everything we could to make other people like us. As Oscar Wilde puts it, “Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else’s opinions, their lives a mimicry(模仿), their passions a quotation.”
So when people tell us how wonderful we are, it makes us feel good. We long for this good feeling like a drug—we are addicted to it and seek it out wherever we can. Therefore, we are so eager for the approval of others that we live unhappy and limited lives, failing to do the things we really want to. Just as drug addicts and alcoholics live worsened lives to keep getting their fix (一剂毒品). We worsen our own existence to get our own constant fix of approval.
But, just as with any drug, there is a price to pay. The price of the approval drug is freedom—the freedom to be ourselves. The truth is that we cannot control what other people think. People have their own agenda, and they come with their own baggage and, in the end, they're more interested in themselves than in you. Furthermore, if we try to live by the opinions of others, we will build our life on sinking sand. Everyone has a different way of thinking, and people change their opinions all the time. The person who tries to please everyone will only end up getting exhausted and probably pleasing no one in the process.
So how can we take back control? I think there’s only one way—make a conscious decision to stop caring what other people think. We should guide ourselves by means of a set of values---not values imposed(强加)from the outside by others, but innate values which come from within. If we are driven by these values and not by the changing opinions and value systems of others, we will live a more authentic, effective, purposeful and happy life. What Oscar Wilde says implies that _____________.
A.we have thoughts similar to those of others |
B.most people have a variety of thoughts |
C.other people’s thoughts are more important |
D.most people’s thoughts are controlled by others |
What does the author try to argue in the third paragraph ?
A.Changing opinions may cost us our freedom. |
B.We may lose ourselves to please others. |
C.We need to pay for what we want to get. |
D.The price of taking drugs is freedom. |
In order to live a happy, effective and purposeful life, we should _________.
A.care about others’ opinions and change opinions all the time |
B.guide ourselves by means of values from the outside |
C.stick to our own values |
D.persuade others to accept our opinions |
It can be concluded from the passage that __________.
A.it’s better to do what we like | B.we shouldn’t care what others think |
C.we shouldn't change our own opinions | D.it’s important to accept others’ opinions |
When someone says, "well, 1 guess I will have to face the music. It does not mean he is planning to go to a concert. It is something far less pleasant like being called in by your boss to explain why you did this and did that, and why you did not do this or that. Terrible music indeed, but it has to be faced. At some time or another, every one of us had to "face the music", especially as children. We can all remember father's angry voice, "I want to talk to you!" and only because we did not obey him. What an unpleasant business it was!
The phrase "to face the music" is familiar to every American, young or old. It is at least 100 years old. Where did the expression come from?
The first explanation comes from the American novelist James Penimore Cooper. He said in 1851 that the expression was first used by actors while waiting in the wings to go on stage . When they got their signal to go on, they often said, "Well, it's time to go to face the music." And that is exactly what they did face the orchestra which was just below the stage.
46. The passage mainly tells us______.
A. how the phrase “to face the music” developed in its own way
B. what the phrase “ to face the music ” means
C. when the phrase "to face the music" came into being
D. all the above
47. A person has to face the music especially as he is______.
A. a child B. a young man C. a grown-up D. a player
48.______used the phrase "to face the music" for the first time.
A. Actors B. The boss C. The director D. Cooper
49. Which of the following statements is wrong?
A. The actor stayed on the stage to enjoy the music.
B. To face the music is usually an unpleasant thing.
C. The original meaning of the phrase “to face the music ” is to face the orchestra.
D. The phrase “to face the music” has been used for more than one century.
50. According to the passage the connotation of the phrase “to face the music” is____
A. to listen to the music B. to go through something unpleasant
C. to stand in front of the stage D. to go to the concert
III阅读理解(共25小题;每小题2分,满分50分)
阅读下列短文,从每题所给的A、B、C和D项中,选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
It doesn't matter when or how much a person sleeps, but everyone needs some rest to stay alive. That's what all doctors thought, until they heard about Al Herpin. Al Herpin, it was said, never slept. Could this be true? The doctors decided to see this strange man themselves.
Al Herpin was 90 years old when the doctors came to his home in New Jersey. They thought for sure that he got some sleep of some kind. So they stayed with him and watched every movement he made. But they were surprised. Though they watched him hour after hour and day after day, they never saw Herpin sleeping. In fact, he did not even own a bed. He never needed one.
The only rest that Herpin sometimes got was sitting in a comfortable chair and reading newspapers. The doctors were puzzled by this strange continuous sleeplessness. They asked him many questions, hoping to find an answer. They found only one answer that might explain his condition. Herpin remembered some talk about his mother having been injured several days before he was born. But that was all. Was this the real reason? No one could be sure.
Al Herpin died at the age of 95.
41.The main idea of this passage is that _______
A. everyone needs some sleep to stay alive
B. people can live longer by trying not to sleep
C. large numbers of people do not need sleep
D. a person was found who actually didn't need any sleep
42.The doctors came to visit Herpin, expecting ______
A. to find out whether his sleeplessness was really true
B. to find out why some old people didn't need any sleep
C. to find a way to free people from the need of sleeping
D. to cure him of his sleeplessness
43. After watching him closely, the doctors came to believe that Al Herpin ____
A. needed no sleep at all B. needed some kind of sleep
C . was too old to need any sleep D .often slept in a chair
44.One reason that might explain Herpin' s sleeplessness was ______A. his mother's injury before he was born
B. his magnificent physical condition
C. that he had gradually got rid of the sleeping habit
D. that he hadn't got a bed
45.Al Herpin' s condition could be regarded as ______
A. a common one B. very healthy C. one that could be cured D. a rare one
The legal age for drinking alcohol(酒)in the United States is twenty-one. Underage drinking is a crime but also a common part of college social life. This week in our Foreign Student Series ,we look at alcohol policies at American colleges and universities .These policies differ from school to school, as do enforcement(实施) efforts. But many schools have been moving to strengthen their rules.
The United States has more than 170,000 students in higher education. Each year,1,700 of them aging eighteen to twenty-four die from alcohol-related road crashes and other injuries. More than 600,000 are injured under the influence of alcohol. And almost 700,000 are attacked by another student who has been drinking. These numbers, from a 2007 report, are on a government Website:collegedrinkingprevention.gov.
One behavior that college officials are trying to prevent is binge (无节制的狂热行为)drinking ,having four or five drinks or more in a short period of time. Some researchers have found that students who think binge drinking is normal often overestimate how much other students really drink .A person can die of alcohol poisoning.
At the University of Oklahoma, new policies went into effect after a nineteen-year-old student died in 2004.He had been drinking heavily at a fraternity party.(男大学生联谊会)。
Now alcohol is banned from all fraternity and sorority(女大学生联谊会) houses and university housing. Student organizations can serve alcohol at events but only on Friday and Saturday nights. And they must provide for transportation to and from off-campus parties. Other new requirements include an alcohol education program that first-year students take online.
The policies govern behavior on campus and off. With a first violation, students pay seventy-five dollars and their parents are told. They must also take an alcohol education class. For a second” strike”, they have to pay one hundred and fifty dollars. A third strike means a suspension(暂被停学) for at least one semester.
Since January of 2005,633 students have had a first strike.30 have had a second strike----and has been suspended. An official at Oklahoma tells us the aim is not just to punish but to change behavior and the culture at the university.
67.In American colleges and universities,______.
A. no students under age 21 drink alcohol
B. many students under age 21 drink alcohol
C. rules about drinking alcohol are almost the same
D. rules about drinking alcohol are different from state to state
68.Each year in the United States ,about 1,700 young college students aging 18 to 24 die______.
A, from alcohol poisoning
B. from traffic accidents
C. under the influence of alcohol
D. from alcohol-related road crashes and other injuries.
69.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A. The deaths or injuries of the students are all because they have been drinking.
B. The numbers from collagedrinkingprevention.gov are not accurate at all.
C. The death of a 19-year-old student influenced policies of the University of Oklahoma.
D. No student organizations can offer alcohol at events in the US now.
70.Which of the following can be the best title of this article?
A. Studying in the US: Rules about Alcohol
B. The Legal Age for Drinking Alcohol in the United States.
C. Policies of Drinking Alcohol in the US Differ From School to School
D. New Policies about Alcohol Drinking At the University of Oklahoma.
San Francisco, a leader in urban recycling, is preparing to turn dog waste into energy.
Norcal Waste System Inc., the city’s largest garbage company, plans to test collection carts(回收车)and collection bags in a city-center park which is popular with dog walkers.
A city study found that almost 4 percent of all the garbage picked up at San Francisco homes was from animal waste, Norcal Waste spokesman Robert Reid said. San Francisco has about 120,000 dogs.
“The city asked us to start a program to recycle dog waste in order to cut back adding more waste in landfills(废渣埋填池) “,Reid said.
Dog waste will be poured into a methane digester(沼气池),and the methane it gives off will be collected and burned to make electricity or to heat homes.
“Dogs and cats in the United States produce about 10 million tons of waste a year,” Will Brinton, an environmental scientist said.
“As much as we love them, our pets leave a lot of fertilizer behind them in yards and on the street but that can be a major source of contamination of groundwater,” Brinton said.
European cities such as Zurich, Frankfurt, Munich and Vienna are starting biology programs to turn waste into gas ,he said.
San Francisco runs a great program to recycle bottles, cars, paper and other rubbish and now two-thirds of its garbage needn’t be carried to landfills .The city’s goal is a 75 percent drop by 2010 and zero new waste in landfills by 2020.
63.San Francisco will plan to use dog waste for making __________.
A. fertilizer B. gas C. electricity D. methane
64.What does the underlined word “ contamination” mean?
A. Increase B. Reduction C. Flow D. Pollution
65.What can we infer from the passage?
A. San Francisco is short of electricity
B. San Francisco has done a lot of in rubbish recycling.
C. Fewer people will keep dogs as pets in San Francisco
D. There will be no rubbish by 2010 in San Francisco
66.The passage is mainly about_______.
A .San Francisco ‘s new policy for pet keepers
B. San Francisco ‘s new plan for recycling
C. how to keep a city clean
D. how to deal with rubbish
Album Name |
Introduction |
“Master of the Chinese Dulcimer” -----Xu Pingxin |
Xu Pingxin shows skillful technique and spellbinding(迷人的)musical expression on the Chinese dulcimer (yangqin) .His musicianship has won him international praise and he is considered one of the most successful yangqin players of the world. |
“The Silk String Quartet(丝弦四重奏组)Contemporary &Traditional Chinese Music” |
Cheng Yu (pipa),Sun Zhuo (guzheng),Hu Bin (erhu)and Zhou Jinyan (yangqin)present traditional as well as modern pieces. The music describes moonlight scenes ,river landscapes, court dances and more. |
“Chinese Masterpieces of the Pipa & Guzheng” ---ChengYu |
Beautiful music as well as lively pieces played on pipa ,guzheng, xiao and dizi. Cheng Yu is an internationally famous pipa and guzheng virtuoso(名家),former soloist(独奏者)at the China Central Orchestra of Chinese Music in Beijing .Information about the artist, the music and the instruments in English, German, French and Spanish. |
TsengYungching----“Magic of the Chinese Flute” |
Beautiful Chinese flute (dizi) music played by world-famous flute virtuoso Tseng Yungching Accompanied(伴奏) on traditional Chinese instruments. |
Zhou Yu----“The Art of the Chinese Erhu” |
During his great musical career Zhou Yu won many awards in China and internationally .Here he presents an album of Chinese music, played on erhu with orchestral accompaniment: pipa, yangqin, ruan, and others. This is a very beautiful album with the typical “mystical ,dreamy” mood of Far Eastern music. Very enjoyable! |
59.If you are interested in playing the Chinese flute what will you probably buy?
A."Chinese Masterpieces of the Pipa & Guzheng" and "Magic of the Chinese Flute."
B."The Silk String Quartet” and "Chinese Masterpieces of the Pipa & Guzheng."
C."Master of the Chinese Dulcimer "and The Art of the Chinese Erhu."
D."Magic of the Chinese Flute "and "The Silk String Quartet."
60.Whose information is introduced in four different languages?
A. Xu Pingxin’s B. Cheng Yu’s C. Tseng Yungching’s D. Zhou Yu’s
61.From the passage ,we can know Tseng Yungching is ______.
A. a famous pipa and erhu player B. a skillful guzheng virtuoso
C. a famous yangqin player D .a world-famous flute player
62.Which album has the typical mood of Far Eastern music?
A. Zhou Yu ----“The Art of the Chinese erhu.”
B.“ The Silk String Quartet----Contemporary &Traditional Chinese Music.”
C.“ Master of the Chinese Dulcimer”---Xu Pingxin
D. Tseng Yungching-----“Magic of the Chinese Flute.”