What could make Michael Jordon, one of the greatest basketball players in history, shed tears? It was when he became a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame on September 11. The hall is in Springfield, Massachusetts and honors the best basketball players, greatest coaches and other contributors to the game. “The game of basketball has been everything to me ,” said Jordan, 46. “It is the place I have always gone when I needed to find comfort and peace.”
Jordan retired twice in his 15-year career, finishing with 32292 points, the third highest total points in NBA history behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Karl Malone. His average of 30.12 points a game is the best in the League.
“One day you might look up and see me playing the game at 50,” Jordan said. “Because limits, like fears, are often just an illusion.” (假象) In other words, it was motivation that made Jordan such a success..
A great career did not mean a smooth one. His high school coach cut him from the team in favor of a taller player when Jordan was in 10th grade. His college coach wouldn’t allow him on the cover of Sports Illustration in 1981 with North Carolina’s four other players because Jordan was a freshman. In his first NBA All-Star game, older NBA stars wouldn’t throw him the ball because of jealousy.
“That burned me up,” Jordan said. “But obstacle don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.” When Jordan became a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame,_____
| A．he found something more encouraging . |
| B．he was so excited that he couldn’t hold his tears back. |
| C．he was happy and sad at the same time. |
| D．he felt very comfortable and peaceful. |
Who scored the highest total points in NBA history?
| A．Michael Jordon. | B．Karl Malone. |
| C．Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. | D．Kobe Bryant. |
When in college basketball team, Jordan ______
| A．was not experienced enough to be favored by his coach. |
| B．was the pet of his basketball coach. |
| C．was the best player in the team |
| D．was the tallest one of all basketball players. |
What does the word “obstacle” mean in the passage?
| A．Something that makes you feel uncomfortable |
| B．The coach who thinks you are not suitable for playing basketball. |
| C．A wall in the basketball court to stop players in training. |
| D．Something that makes it difficult for you to achieve your goal. |
People use their mouths for many things. They eat, talk, shout and sing. They smile and they kiss. In the English language, there are many expressions using the word “mouth.”
For example, if you say bad things about a person, the person might protest and say “Do not bad mouth me.” Sometimes, people say something to a friend or family member that they later regret because it hurts that person’s feelings. Or they tell the person something they were not supposed to tell. The speaker might say: “I really put my foot in my mouth this time.” If this should happen, the speaker might feel down in the mouth. In other words, he might feel sad for saying the wrong thing.
Another situation is when someone falsely claims another person said something. The other person might protest: “I did not say that. Do not put words in my mouth.”
Some people have lots of money because they were born into a very rich family. There is an expression for this, too. You might say such a person, “was born with a silver spoon in his mouth.” This rich person is the opposite of a person who lives from hand to mouth. This person is very poor and only has enough money for the most important things in life, like food.
Parents might sometimes withhold sweet food from a child as a form of punishment for saying bad things. For example, if a child says things she should not say to her parents, she might be described as a mouthy child. The parents might even tell the child to stop mouthing off.
But enough of all this talk. I have been running my mouth long enough.People use their mouths for many things. Which is NOT RIGHT?
| A．eat | B．talk | C．sing | D．hear |
In what kind of situation will a person say “Do not bad mouth me.”? _____________.
| A．When he feels down . | B．When he feels regretful. |
| C．When he is spoken ill of. | D．When he feels innocent. |
If a person feels sorry for what he has said, he might say “.”
| A．Do not bad mouth me | B．I really put my foot in my mouth this time |
| C．Do not put words in my mouth | D．Stop mouthing off |
If a person lives from hand to mouth, it implies.
| A．he is badly – off(家境贫寒) | B．he is hard – working |
| C．he is well – off（家境好） | D．he has enough to eat |
By saying, “I have been running my mouth long enough”, the speaker means “”.
| A．I have run a long way | B．I have been a mouthy person |
| C．I have learned a lot | D．I have talked too much |
Prolonging human life has increased the size of the human population. Many people alive today would have died of childhood diseases if they had been born 100 years ago. Because more people live longer, there are more people around at any given time. In fact, it is a decrease in death rates, not an increase in birthrates, that has led to the population explosion.
Prolonging human life has also increased the dependency load. In all societies, people who are disabled or too young or too old to work are dependent on the rest of society to provide for them. In hunting and gathering cultures, old people who could not keep up might be left behind to die. In times of famine (饥荒), infants might be allowed to die because they could not survive if their parents starved, where as if the parents survived they could have another child. In most contemporary societies, people feel a moral obligation (责任) to keep people alive whether they can work or not. We have a great many people today who live past the age at which they want to work or are able to work; we also have rules which require people to retire at a certain age. Unless these people were able to save money for their retirement, somebody else must support them. In the United States many retired people live on social security checks which are so little that they must live in near poverty. Older people have more illnesses than young or middle-aged people; unless they have wealth or private or government insurance, they must often “go on welfare” if they have a serious illness.
When older people become senile (衰老的) or too weak and ill to care for themselves, they create grave problems for their families. In the past and in some traditional cultures, they would be cared for at home until they died. Today, with most members of a household working or in school, there is often no one at home who can care for a sick or weak person. To meet this need, a great many nursing homes and convalescent (疗养的) hospitals have been built. These are often profit making organizations, although some are sponsored by religious and other nonprofit groups. While a few of these institutions are good, most of them are simply “dumping (倒垃圾的) grounds” for the dying in which “care” is given by poorly paid, overworked, and under skilled personnel (员工).The author believes that the increased size of the human population results from _______.
| A．an increase in birthrates | B．the industrial development |
| C．a decrease in death rates | D．childhood diseases |
It can be inferred from the passage that in hunting and gathering cultures _______.
| A．it was a moral responsibility for the families to keep alive the aged people who could not work |
| B．the survival of infants was less important than that of their parents in times of starvation |
| C．old people were given the task of imparting (传授) the cultural wisdom of the tribe to new generations |
| D．death was celebrated as a time of rejoicing for an individual freed of (免除) the hardships of life |
The phrase “this need” in the last paragraph refers to ________.
| A．prolonging the dying old people’s lives |
| B．reducing the problems caused by the retired people |
| C．making profits through caring for the sick or weak people |
| D．taking care of the sick or weak people |
According to the passage, which of the following statements about the old people in the United States is true?
| A．Many of them live on social security money which is hardly enough. |
| B．Minority of them remain in a state of near poverty after their retirement. |
| C．Many nursing homes are sponsored by religious and nonprofit groups. |
| D．Older people have wealth or private insurance if they have a serious illness. |
It helps to choose the colors you plan to live with in your home with awareness of how different colors affect your emotional and physical states. Every color has a unique meaning, and this can significantly affect how you feel in a room.
Simple Solution:
Using this simple chart, you can choose a room’s color to be in balance and harmony with the role you want a room to have in your and your family’s life.
| Red: A room that is painted red will energize, inspire activity and movement, help passion, and be powerful and stimulating. it is a great choice for such gathering places. Orange enhances parties, |
Orange: Orange rooms encourage happy, joyful, social gatherings. While an orange dining room or family room can stimulate the appetite, it is a great choice for such gathering places. Orange enhances parties, communication, positive feelings, and general good cheer. |
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| Yellow: Yellow rooms inspire intellectual clarity, organization, clear-headed thinking, and happy energy. Yellow is considered a color for the logical left side of the brain. Yellow is also very bright and somewhat energizing. |
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| Blue: Blue rooms are often chosen for bedrooms and meditation (冥想) rooms because its cool energy is very calming, restful, peaceful, and spiritual. Blue helps inspire a quiet meditative quality, and color therapy with blue has been found to reduce blood pressure. Blue is also useful to make one to sleep. |
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| Green: Green rooms are very restful but combine with an energizing quality. Green is the color of outdoors, calm and active at the same time. Green brings balance and harmony to a room, and can be used as a calming place for people who are troubled or in need of refreshment. |
What impression can green rooms give to you?
| A．Passionate and powerful. | B．Refreshing and harmonious. |
| C．Cool and calming. | D．Inspiring and bright. |
If you are going to hold a family gathering, which color of the room can best enhance your atmosphere?
| A．Red. | B．Orange. | C．Blue. | D．Green. |
Which of the following statements about color is NOT true?
| A．Yellow rooms inspire logical and clear thinking. |
| B．Blue creates a quiet meditative quality. |
| C．Different colors affect you emotionally and physically. |
| D．Red rooms are acceptable when you are in a bad mood. |
A new study of 8,000 young people in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior shows that although love can make adults live healthily and happily, it is a bad thing for young people. Puppy love (早恋) may bring stress for young people and can lead to depression (忧郁症). The study shows that girls become more depressed than boys, and younger girls are the worst of all.
The possible reason for the connection between love and higher risk of depression for girls is “loss of self”. According to the study, even though boys would say “lose themselves in a romantic relationship”, this “loss of self” is much more likely to lead to depression when it happens to girls. Young girls who have romantic relationships usually like hiding their feelings and opinions. They won’t tell that to their parents.
Dr Marian Kaufman, an expert on young people problems, says 15% to 20% young people will have depression during their growing. Trying romance often causes the depression. She advises kids not to jump into romance too early. During growing up, it is important for young people to build strong friendships and a strong sense of self. She also suggests the parents should encourage their kids to keep close to their friends, attend more interesting school activities and spend enough time with family.
Parents should watch for signs of depression -- eating or mood changes -- and if they see signs from their daughters or sons, they need to give help. The good news is that the connection between romance and depression seems to become weak with age. Love will always make us feel young, but only maturity (成熟) gives us a chance to avoid its bad side effects.What’s the main idea of the passage?
| A．Puppy love may bring young people depression. |
| B．Parents should forbid their children’s love. |
| C．Romance is a two edged sword for adults. |
| D．Romance is good for young people. |
Which of the following is more likely to have depression?
| A．Young people who have a strong sense of selfishness. |
| B．Young boys whose parents watch for their behavior. |
| C．Young girls who always hide their feelings and opinions. |
| D．Careless parents whose children are deep in love. |
What can be inferred from the passage?
| A．Lacking love can lead young people to grow up more quickly. |
| B．Early love makes young people keep close to their friends and parents. |
| C．Parents should help their children to be aware of the signs of depression. |
| D．The older a woman is，the less likely she seems to lose herself in romance. |
What’s the author’s attitude towards puppy love?
| A．Confused. | B．Disapproving. | C．Disinterested. | D．Scared. |
Will it matter if you don't take your breakfast? Recently a test was given in the United States. Those tested included people of different ages, from 12 to 83. During the experiment, these people were given all kinds of breakfasts, and sometimes they got no breakfast at all. Special tests were set up to see how well their bodies worked when they had eaten a certain kind of breakfast. The results show that if a person eats a proper breakfast, he or she will work with better effect than if he or she has no breakfast. This fact appears to be especially true if a person works with his brains. If a student eats fruit, eggs, bread and milk before going to school, he will learn more quickly and listen with more attention to class.
Opposite(相反的) to what many people believe, if you don't eat breakfast, you will not lose weight. This is because people become so hungry at noon that they eat too much for lunch, and end up gaining weight instead of losing. You will probably lose more weight if you reduce your lunch and super!During the test, those who were tested were given ________.
| A．no breakfast at all | B．very rich breakfasts |
| C．little food for breakfast | D．different breakfast or none |
The results of the test show that ________.
| A．breakfast has great effect on work and studies |
| B．breakfast has little to do with a person’s work |
| C．a person will work better if he has a simple breakfast |
| D．those working with brains should have much for breakfast |
The passage mentions that many people believe that if you don't eat breakfast, you will _________.
| A．lose weight | B．not lose weight |
| C．be healthier | D．gain a lot of weight |
Which of the following is not true according to the passage?
| A．Poor breakfasts affect those who work with brains. |
| B．Morning diet may cause one person to get fatter. |
| C．Reducing lunch and supper is of less help in weight losing. |
| D．Eating less in lunch and supper may help to lose weight. |
According to the passage, if a student does not eat breakfast, ___________.
| A．he will fall ill |
| B．he will not listen to his teacher |
| C．he will not make progress in his study |
| D．his mind will work more slowly |