The next day I sat down，with almost a hundred other candidates，for the intelligence test．I must have done all right because after about half an hour’s wait I was sent into another room for a psychological test．This time there were only about fifty candidates．The interviewer sat at a desk．Candidates were signaled forward to occupy the seat opposite him when the previous occupant had been dismissed，after a greater or shorter time．Obviously the long interviews were the more successful ones．Some of the interviews were as short as five minutes．Mine was the only one that lasted a minute and a half．
I can remember the questions now：“Why did you leave your last job?”“Why did you leave your job before that?”“And the one before that?”I can’t recall my answers，except that they were short at first and grew progressively shorter．His closing statement，I thought，evealed(揭示)a lack of sensitivity which helped to explain why as a psychologist，he had risen no higher than the underground railway．“You’ve failed the psychological test and we are unable to offer you a position．”
Failing to get that job was my low point．Or so I thought，believing that the work was easy．Actually，such jobs—being a postman is another one I still desire—demand exactly the sort of elementary yet responsible awareness that the habitual dreamer is least qualified to give．But I was still far short of full self-understanding．I was also short of cash．The writer applied for the job chiefly because .
| A．he wanted to work in the centre of London |
| B．he could no longer afford to live without one |
| C．he was not interested in any other available job |
| D．he had received some suitable training |
The writer thought he was overqualified for the job because .
| A．he often traveled underground |
| B．he had written many poems |
| C．he could deal with difficult situations |
| D．he had worked in a company |
The length of his interview meant that .
| A．he was not going to be offered the job |
| B．he had not done well in the intelligence test |
| C．he did not like the interviewer at all |
| D．he had little work experience to talk about |
What does the writer realize now that he did not realize then?
| A．How unpleasant ordinary jobs can be |
| B．How difficult it is to be a poet |
| C．How unsuitable he was for the job |
| D．How badly he did in the interview |
What’s the writer’s opinion of the psychologist?
| A．He was very aggressive |
| B．He was unhappy with his job |
| C．He was quite inefficient |
| D．He was rather unsympathetic |
Over the last 70 years, researchers have been studying happy and unhappy people and finally found out ten factors that make a difference. Our feelings of well-being at any moment are determined to a certain degree by genes. However, of all the factors, wealth and age are the top two.
Money can buy a degree of happiness. But once you can afford to feed, clothe and house yourself , each extra dollar makes less and less difference.
Researchers find that, on average, wealthier people are happier. But the link between money and happiness is complex. In the past half-century, average income has sharply increased in developed countries, yet happiness levels have remained almost the same. Once your basic needs are met, money only seems to increase happiness if you have more than your friends, neighbors and colleagues.
“Dollars buy status, and status makes people feel better,” conclude some experts, which helps explain why people who can seek status in other ways---scientists or actors, for example—may happily accept relatively poorly-paid jobs.
In a research, Professor Alex Michalos found that the people whose desires—not just for money, but for friends, family, job, health—rose furthest beyond what they already had, tended to be less happy than those who felt a smaller gap. Indeed, the size of the gap predicted happiness about five times better than income alone. “The gap measures just blow away the only measures of income.” Says Michalos.
Another factor that has to do with happiness is age. Old age may not be so bad. “Given all the problems of aging, how could the elderly be more satisfied?” asks Professor Laura Carstensen.
In one survey, Carstensen interviewed 184 people between the ages of 18 and 94, and asked them to fill out an emotions questionnaire. She found that old people reported positive emotions just as often as young people, but negative emotions much less often.
Why are old people happier? Some scientists suggest older people may expect life to be harder and learn to live with it, or they’re more realistic about their goals, only setting ones that they know they can achieve. But Carstensen thinks that with time running out, older people have learned to focus on things that make them happy and let go of those that don’t. “People realize not only what they have, but also that what they have cannot last forever,” she says. “A goodbye kiss to a husband or wife at the age of 85, for example, may bring far more complex emotional responses than a similar kiss to a boy or girl friend at the age of 20.According to the passage, the feeling of happiness ________.
| A．is determined partly by genes | B．increases gradually with age |
| C．has little to do with wealth | D．is measured by desires |
Some actors would like to accept poorly-paid jobs because the jobs_____.
| A．make them feel much better | B．provide chances to make friends |
| C．improve their social position | D．satisfy their professional interests |
Aged people are more likely to feel happy because they are more______.
| A．optimistic | B．successful | C．practical | D．emotional |
Professor Alex Michalos found that people feel less happy if _______.
| A．the gap between reality and desire is bigger |
| B．they have a stronger desire for friendship |
| C．their income is below their expectation |
| D．the hope for good health is greater |
The south and east of the Great Lakes is famous for the huge amounts of snow it receives. When the snow starts to fall every year, people start discussing the phrase “lake-effect snow”.
Lake-effect snow which is influenced by the movement of cold air over the relatively warm water of the Great Lakes often comes in late autumn and early winter. Because of the at least 20 degrees’ difference between the lake water and the overrunning air, it’s easy to form huge amounts of snow.
As the cool air crosses the water of Great Lakes, the lowest levels of the atmosphere begin to warm and pick up moisture. This newly warmed atmosphere is lighter than the cold air above it, so it starts rising. As the changed air continues to climb higher and higher, it finally meets much colder atmosphere which changes the moisture into water drops and ice, forming clouds. After this course repeats a number of times, the clouds become heavier and heavier, and then they are changed into snow and fall down.
The most important point that decides the amount of snowfall is the direction of the wind. If the wind runs perpendicularly（垂直地）across the lake, there won’t be plenty of time for clouds to develop. However, if the wind runs in the opposite direction, clouds will form easily. The longer the cold air travels over the lake, the more moisture it is able to produce, which leads to a greater amount of snow.
The largest amount of the lake-effect snow was found across the U.P. of Michigan, the northwestern Pennsylvania and the far southwestern and northwestern New York, which are all along the south or east of the Great Lakes. It has been over 100 inches of snowfall in a winter season.The level of the snowfall depends on ________.
| A．the size of the lake |
| B．the direction of the wind |
| C．the temperature of the lake |
| D．the strength of the wind |
From the passage, we can learn that ________.
| A．clouds are easy to produce with the help of the perpendicular wind |
| B．cold air always falls down and picks up moisture to form clouds |
| C．the temperature of the lake water is the same as the overrunning air’s above it |
| D．the longer journey of the cold atmosphere can make a grater amount of snow |
The passage is mainly about ________.
| A．the influences of the lake-effect snow for local people |
| B．the weight between moisture and atmosphere |
| C．how the phrase “lake-effect snow” comes in New York |
| D．how the lake-effect snow forms around the Great Lakes |
One morning Mrs Smith was driving home after she had done shopping. When she drove near a rubbish dump, she noticed a microwave oven(微波炉) not far from the side of the road.“John is a good electrician!”she said to herself.“Perhaps he can repair this. I'll take it home and let him try.”She picked up the oven and put it in the boot of her car. Then she drove on happily. A few kilometers later, she heard the siren (警报器)of a police car behind her. She looked in the driving mirror and saw a policeman waving to her to tell her to pull over and stop.
Mrs Smith was very puzzled. She slowed down at the side of the road. A traffic policeman got out of the police car and walked up to her.
“Can I see your driving license and insurance certificate(保险证)，please? ”he asked her. He copied down details of her name, address and the number of the car.“What's wrong, officer?” Mrs Smith asked. The policeman did not reply. He looked in the car and then at the back.“Open the boot, please.”he said to Mrs Smith.
Mrs Smith was still puzzled. She opened the boot and pointed to the microwave oven. "I found this old microwave oven a few minutes ago," she said. "I'm just taking it home to see if my husband can repair it." The policeman stared at her for a moment to see if she was telling the truth. "That's not a microwave oven." he said at last. "That's our radar set(雷达装置). It was the start of a speed trap. Do you mind if we have it back?" Mrs Smith's face turned red. "Oh", she said," I'm very sorry. I wouldn't have touched it if I'd known what it was." Why did Mrs Smith pick up the police's radar set and want to take it home?
| A．She had no microwave oven and wanted one. |
| B．She took it for a waste microwave oven. |
| C．She saw nobody was looking. |
| D．She just wanted to steal it. |
The underlined word "boot" in the third paragraph means_____ .
| A．the outer covering for the foot |
| B．the outer covering for the car |
| C．the place for luggage at the back of a car |
| D．the place for metal equipment for protection |
Choose the right order of the events(事件) given in the passage.
a. The policeman wrote down Mrs Smith's name, address and the car number.
b. Mrs Smith picked up a radar set and put it in the boot of her car.
c. The policeman took back the radar set.
d. Mrs Smith went shopping.
e. A policeman signed Mrs Smith to stop her car.
f. The policeman found the radar set in the boot of Mrs Smith's car.
| A．b,d,e,f,c,a | B．d,b,e,f,c,a | C．b,d,e,a,f,c | D．d,b,e,a,f,c |
Along the seashore(海边)，the tall coconut(椰子)trees waved in he wind. The sand was white in the bright sun, and the ocean was dark blue. The houses in the town near the shore, were painted white. The boats had been pulled up on the shore. Usually they would all be in the water with hard-working fishermen. But today was a holiday, and everyone was preparing for the celebration that was going to take place that evening.
In the distance, men could be seen climbing the coconut trees. They were singing as they worked. There were monkeys in the trees, too. The monkeys were jumping up and down and screaming angrily.The climbers just laughed at the monkeys and continued to pick the fruits. What is this passage about?
| A．It tells us a story of the monkeys. |
| B．It describes the scene on the seashore. |
| C．It talks about the life of the fishermen. |
| D．It is about how the people celebrated a holiday. |
The boats had been pulled up on the shore because_________.
| A．it was a holiday |
| B．the weather was too hot |
| C．there was going to be a storm |
| D．it was not the season for fishing |
The men climbed the coconut trees to_________.
| A．pick the coconuts |
| B．catch the monkeys |
| C．look at the ocean far away |
| D．see who could climb high and fast |
The word "screaming" in Paragraph Two probably means _______.
| A．singing and working |
| B．jumping up and down |
| C．running here and there |
| D．shouting in a high voice |
The monkeys were angry because________.
| A．the men were trying to catch them |
| B．the men wanted to drive them away |
| C．the men got the coconuts , which were their food |
| D．the men climbed higher and faster than they did |
【1】 It's difficult enough to have privacy(隐私) in a house, so privacy in a small dorm room is next to impossible. However, it can be done if both roommates are willing to cooperate.
【2】 Step1 Tie a scarf to the outside doorknob as a symbol of Do Not Disturb, but be careful not to do this too consistently. Warn your roommate beforehand about possible days and times when this scarf will be on the door so your roommate will have time to make plans ahead of time instead of it being a surprise, especially if you plan to have an overnight guest. Be considerate if your roommate needs to get into the room regardless of the scarf on the door to get something out of the dorm because it is his dorm room too.
【3】 Step2 If one roommate is a light sleeper and the other is a heavy sleeper, the heavy sleeper could consider an alternate way to wake himself up besides an alarm. Heavy sleepers tend to ignore alarms, but sometimes vibrating (震动的) cell phones feel like someone is shaking them. It is also a quieter way to not disturb the light sleeping roommate using a vibrating cell phone.
【4】 Step3 Take cell phone calls outside of the room. Your roommate may not want to hear your conversation or you may want some privacy, but your roommate should not have to leave every time you have a phone call. The roommate who is not on the phone has no way of knowing how often you will have phone calls and should not be put out because you do.
【5】 Step4 Ask if it' s okay to have a guest in the room. Although your roommate is not your parent, and you may feel like this is your room too, remember that ____. He may not want company when you do. If one roommate is more sociable than the other and guests become a repeated argument, consider asking the resident director if you can swap( 交换) roommate with someone else.What does the passage mainly talk about? (no more than 10 words)
______________________________________________________________________Complete the following statement with proper words, (no more than 6 words)
To avoid disturbing the light sleeper, _______________________ is also a good way.Please fill in the blank in the passage with proper words, (no more than 6 words)
_________________________________________________________________What does Step 3 suggest us? (no more than 10 words)
_______________________________________________What does the underlined word "it" (line 2, paragraph 1) probably refer to? (no more than 3 words)
_______________________________________________