If you feel at present that you don’t have enough friends in your life, one reason may be that you have let yourself become too busy to make time for the relationships you already have. Starting and keeping friendship requires effort and commitment.
Many of us let our lives become so busy with work and other commitments that we don’t get around to scheduling time for pleasure and renewal(叙旧)with the friends, relatives and acquaintances we already have.
Making the effort to call your friends more regularly and to accept more of the invitations you receive from others can improve your social life in a hurry!
Are there any people you could call right now and be assured of a pleasant welcome? Are there people that you could count on to help you in time of difficulty? Can you have close talks with them? Do you have fun when you are together? Are you happy to have them in your life?
If you haven’t seen much of them lately, is it because you have become too busy? Have you grown apart? Was there an argument?
If the main reason you haven’t been getting together with the people you already know is that you have got too busy, take a good look at how you spend your time. Compare it with your real values and priorities(优先考虑的事)in life. Is your busy lifestyle really bringing you the quality of life that you want?
If you have become too busy for friends, why has this happened? Are you seeking material toys in your life at the expense of relationships with other human beings? Have you allowed your time to be over-committed because you never say “No” to anyone? Do you insist on doing things yourself that could be appointed to others? If so, why? Do you believe that everything depends on you?
Examine whether the way you are now spending your time accurately reflects your deepest values and priorities. Make sure that you schedule adequate time for the things that are truly most important to you.
If you really want to keep friends in your life, make a space in your schedule, and a space in your heart for them.In this passage the author mainly discusses ____.
A.how to balance friendship and work |
B.how to spend our spare time |
C.whether we should keep friendship |
D.whether we should invite friends to dinner |
Which of the following doesn’t indicate a good relationship?
A.You have someone to count on when you ![]() |
B.You have someone to have close talks with. |
C.You have fun when you are with someone. |
D.You feel depressed with others in life. |
The reason why you have become too busy for friends may be the following EXCEPT that ____.
A.you spend too much time seeking material toys in your life |
B.you feel it difficult to keep friendship |
C.you stick to doing everything all by yourself |
D.you never refuse whatever other people ask you to do |
Which would be the best title for the text?
A.Too Busy for Friendship? | B.Too Busy with Work? |
C.How to Spend Your Time | D.How to Make New Friends |
C
There is a place where Christmas lives all year long. It is called Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland in Frankenmuth, Michigan. The family-owned business calls itself the world’s largest Christmas store. The late Wally Bronner started the business in 1945.
Wayne Bronner, Wally’s son, is president and CEO of what is now a multi-million dollar corporation. He learned the business from an early age. Some of his best memories are traveling to other countries with his father to find new products for the store.
Bronner’s sells more than fifty thousand holiday products from seventy nations. Half of the products cost less than ten dollars. Wayne Bronner says demand for small objects to hang on Christmas trees has expanded over the years. People spend more time, effort and money into decorating their homes with these ornaments(装饰品), lights and religious scenes. Bronner’s is famous for its nativity scenes which show the birth of Jesus Christ.
Michigan has the nation’s highest unemployment rate. Bronner’s has been affected by the financial crisis, too. But not in reduced sales.
Wayne Bronner said, “Even though people are spending less, we’re having more people visit here. And as a result we’ve actually had a sales increase.” Bronner’s success is also linked to community co-operation and investment. Frankenmuth is a town of five thousand people in eastern Michigan’s farm country. The town was settled by Bavarian Germans in the 1800s. It has kept its traditions alive in buildings and restaurants.
Bavarian cultural themes and Bronner’s huge store bring three million visitors a year. The town is the most popular place for tourists in the state. Bronner’s business is aimed at a single day of the year. But that is not too different from other businesses.
“About half of our business is done in the last quarter of the year, in the last three months. And actually when you compare that with most retailers(零售商), that follows the same pattern.” Wayne Bronner says the family’s long-term planning and willingness to reinvest profits has grown the company into what it is today. Still, it does not hurt to build a business on a holiday which is celebrated worldwide. Currently, about only two percent of sales are overseas. But Wayne Bronner sees room for growth, especially through the Internet.
51. Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland is probably ______.
A. a private business B. a state-run business
C. the world’s largest store D. a nationalized corporation
52. Bronner’s mainly sells ______.
A. festival ornaments made by themselves
B. holiday products imported from foreign countries
C. festival ornaments during the summer and winter holidays
D. holiday products to tourists from foreign countries
53. We can learn from the passage that ________.
A. most of Bronner’s products are expensive
B. people are spending less money on small objects
C. Frankenmuth is a modern town popular with tourists
D. Wally Bronner, founder of Bronner’s, has passed away
54. In what way has the financial crisis affected Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland?
A. Many of its staff have lost their jobs.
B. Only two percent of sales are overseas.
C. The corporation has had an increased sale.
D. People are spending less in Bronner’s.
55. Bronner’s success lies in the following EXCEPT ________.
A. aiming its business at a single day of the year
B. community co-operation and investment
C. the family’s long-term planning
D. the willingness to reinvest profits
B
Almost 200 countries met for two weeks in Copenhagen, Denmark at a United Nations conference on climate change. It was due to conclude a deal designed to set a carbon cutting framework to cover 2012-2050. In the end, only five of them reached an agreement: the United States, China, India, Brazil and South Africa.
President Obama praised the agreement last Friday. He said, “Many people are disappointed in the agreement, but the compromise is better than nothing.”
The voluntary agreement, known as the Copenhagen Accord, urges major polluters to make deeper cuts in the emission(排放) of greenhouse gases. Greenhouse gas emissions, such as carbon dioxide, are partly created by burning oil and coal for transportation and electricity.
The agreement sets targets to prevent the Earth’s average temperature from rising more than two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. And the plan calls for 100 billion dollars a year in aid to poor nations to deal with climate change. This would start in 2020.
But the agreement is not legally binding(约束). It fails to set detailed targets for cuts in carbon emissions. And it failed to earn the support of all the nations at the talks.
India’s environment minister praised the united position taken by India, China, Brazil and South Africa. He said it permitted them to avoid the legally binding targets and international supervision proposed by developed countries.
India has promised to cut emissions by at least twenty percent but they say rich nations created the problem, so they should take most of the responsibility for reducing greenhouse gases.
China rejected accusations that it was responsible for the results at Copenhagen. A Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said developed countries didn’t perform well at the talks. She said China has taken its own measures to fight climate change and supports pressing ahead with international cooperation.
China and other large developing countries have accused rich nations of failing to offer big enough cuts in their own emissions. They also say wealthy nations did not offer enough money and technology to help poor countries deal with climate change.
In Europe, politicians and environmentalists expressed deep disappointment that world leaders failed to reach a stronger agreement. United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon says the Copenhagen Accord is only a beginning, and that he will work with world leaders to reach a legally binding treaty(条约) in the coming months.
46. What’s the main purpose of the Copenhagen conference?
A. To sign the Copenhagen Accord.
B. To reach a legally binding agreement on cutting carbon emissions.
C. To discuss measures of controlling the world climate change.
D. To prevent the Earth’s average temperature from rising.
47. Which is true about the agreement, the Copenhagen Accord?
A. It will collect $ 100 billion to help poor countries to deal with climate change.
B. It has earned the support of all the nations at the conference.
C. It has set detailed targets for big enough cuts in carbon emissions.
D. It is far from a satisfactory agreement, which should be legally binding.
48. We can infer from the passage that ______.
A. the Copenhagen conference has achieved most of its designed goals
B. a stronger agreement with legal effect will soon be reached
C. big differences still remain between developing and developed countries.
D. developed countries won’t make cuts in the emission of greenhouse gases
49. Which of the following is NOT China’s attitude towards the issue of climate change?
A. China should be responsible for the result of the world climate change.
B. Rich countries should offer more money to help poor ones deal with climate change.
C. China supports pressing ahead with international cooperation to fight climate change.
D. Major polluters should make deeper cuts in the emission of greenhouse gases.
50. By saying “the Copenhagen Accord is only a beginning”, Ban Ki-moon implies that ______.
A. there is still a long way to go
B. there is little hope to realize the goal
C. too little is achieved at this conference
D. he is disappointed with the world leaders
Ⅲ阅读(共两节。满分40分)
阅读理解(共15小题;每小题2分,满分30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。
A
Cold weather has a great effect on how our minds and our bodies work. Maybe that is why there are so many expressions that use the word cold. For centuries, the body’s blood has been linked closely with the emotions. People who show no human emotions or feelings, for example, are said to be cold-blooded. Cold-blooded people act in merciless ways. They may do brutal things to others, and not by accident. For example, a newspaper says the police are searching for a cold-blooded killer. The killer murdered someone, not in self-defense. He seemed to kill for no reason, and with no emotion, as if taking someone’s life meant nothing. Cold can affect other parts of the body. The feet, for example. Heavy socks can warm your feet, if your feet are really cold. But there is an expression -- to get cold feet -- that has nothing to do with cold or your feet.
The expression means being afraid to do something you had decided to do. For example, you agree to be president of an organization. But then you learn that all the other officers have resigned. All the work of the organization will be your responsibility. You are likely to get cold feet about being president when you understand the situation.
Cold can also affect your shoulder. You give someone the cold shoulder when you refuse to speak to them. You treat them in a distant, cold way. The expression probably comes from the physical act of turning your back toward someone, instead of speaking to him face-to-face. You may give a cold shoulder to a friend who has not kept a promise he made to you. Or, to someone who has lied about you to others.
A cold fish is not a fish. It is a person. But it is a person who is unfriendly, unemotional and shows no love or warmth. A cold fish does not offer much of himself to anyone.
Out in the cold is an expression often heard. It means not getting something that everybody else got. A person might say that everybody but him got a pay raise, that he was left out in the cold. And it is not a pleasant place to be.
41. The passage is intended to tell us that______.
A. cold weather has a great effect on human bodies
B. many English expressions contain the word cold
C. cold is a word closely linked with human emotions
D. the word cold has many different meanings in English
42. The underlined word brutal in paragraph 1 most probably means _______.
A. impolite B. illegal C. cruel D. extreme
43. Which of the following expressions can best describe a person who is unwilling to offer anything to others?
A. Cold-blooded. B. To get cold feet.
C. A cold shoulder. D. A cold fish.
44. You can say Tom ______ if the teacher gives all the boys except him a pen as a prize.
A. is given the cold shoulder
B. is left out in the cold
C. has got cold feet
D. is murdered by a cold-blooded killer
45. We can draw a conclusion from the passage that ______.
A. all the expressions containing the word cold have a negative meaning
B. all the expressions containing the word cold have something to do with cold
C. People who show no human emotions or feelings have cold blood
D. Many parts of the human body can be badly affected by cold.
第二节语法填空(共10小题;每小题1.5分,满分15分)
阅读下面短文,按照句子结构的语法性和上下文连贯的要求,在空格处填人一个适当的词或使用括号中词语的正确形式填空,并将答案填写在答题卡标号为31~40的相应位置上。
I met Kumkum at a children’s home in Delhi. It is a home 31 children who are sick are provided treatment and care before 32 (send) to some other orphanage. Kumkum was 7 years old, and a very brave soul. Despite suffering from tuberculosis(肺结核), I never saw 33 crying. She had lost her parents and was struggling herself through this terrible disease.
Upon meeting, we took an instant liking 34 each other. Every Saturday I would visit Kumkum and play with her. She would love to sit on my lap. It was one such moment that the child felt like 35 (kiss) me... and I suddenly remembered that she was suffering from tuberculosis which is a communicable(传染性的)disease. I tried to stop her 36 she really wanted to show her affection for me, so I overcame my fear and let her place the 37 gentle and sweet kiss on my cheek that I ever had.
Although I overcame my fear at that moment, I 38 (not forgive) myself ever since for refusing her 39 (initial). Although the child kissed me, I think she sensed my hesitation 40 she has never kissed me again. I will never forget that the most beautiful thing in this world is a child’s kiss... so full of love and innocence.
C
As Joe and Michael were heading towards the Drivers License place, Michael, who was behind the wheel, froze as he heard the voice on the radio saying that a man had been murdered by a bullet that had came from the sky. He immediately drove off and went to a secret place. Later on that day, after thinking that the shot they had fired possibly wasn’t the shot that killed Mr Ward, they headed back to the Drivers License place where Michael failed the driver’s test because he could not think straight. For the next two months, Michael and Joe hid the secret that the bullet had actually shot Mr Ward.
During this time, Jenna Ward started to realize life without her father. While Jenna mourned the death of her father, a strange boy started to appear at the front steps of the church across the street from her house. After many nights of watching this boy, she finally recognized that it was Michael who was sitting on the steps every night.
After months of finding out where the shot came, the police were able to narrow the search area down to within a four-block area. Among these four blocks were Michael’s house and Joe’s house. When the police arrived at Michael’s house, his dad mentioned the gun that Michael had received from his grandpa at his birthday party. Michael, trying to be sly, told the cops that Joe had borrowed the gun. Upon this, Joe said that the gun had been stolen out of his car along with his CD player. After the police were gone, Michael met Joe at a special spot and told Joe the gun was under the wood pile in his backyard.
One day, when Michael thought the police would not come back, he came home to find the police searching his backyard with metal detectors. When the Sergeant(警官) went into the woods behind the house, he came out with a bullet that Joe and he had shot off on his birthday. The bullet matched the one that they had recovered from Mr. Ward, but without the gun, the police could not place Michael as the killer.
With the pressure mounting, Michael finally broke down and realized he had to give up. On a Saturday morning, he went to Jenna’s house to confess to her and her mother and then turned himself in.
51. It can be inferred from the story that Michael and Joe _____.
A. shot and killed Mr Ward by accident
B. shot and killed Mr Ward deliberately
C. fired a bullet that killed Ward from the sky
D. were experienced professional murders
52. Michael and Joe drove to the Drivers License place ______.
A. to find out whether Mr Ward was dead
B. to find a secret place to hide themselves
C. to take the driver’s licence test
D. to have their car wheel repaired
53. Why did Michael sit on the steps of the church every night?
A. He was monitoring Jenna’s whereabouts (行踪)
B. He was probably feeling upset and guilty.
C. He wanted to make sure that Ward was dead.
D. He wanted to show sympathy for the Ward’s.
54. From the passage we can learn that _____.
A. Michael lent the gun to Joe at his birthday party
B. the gun together with a CD player was stolen from Joe’s car
C. Michael hid the gun under the wood pile in his backyard
D. the Sergeant discovered the bullet in the wood pile
55. The underlined phrase “turned himself in” in the last paragraph means _____.
A. returned home B. went into the room
C. fled into the woods D. delivered himself to the police