I had my first job at a local diner called the Buttercup Bakery when I was 22. I worked there for seven years and learned so many lessons, especially from a fellow waitress Helen who had incredible self-respect and did what she loved—serving people. She made everyone smile and feel good, customers and co-workers alike.
Being a waitress changed my life. One of my regular customers was Fred Hasbrook, an electronics salesman. Thanks to the newfound confidence I picked up from Helen, I dreamed of having my own restaurant. But when I called my parents to ask for a loan, they said, “We just don’t have the money.”
The next day, I shared my dream with him and said, “Fred, I know I can do more if somebody would just have faith in me.”
He walked over to some of the other diner regulars and the next day handed me checks totaling $50,000—along with a note that I have to this day. It reads, “The only collateral（担保）on this loan is my trust in your honesty as a person. Good people with a dream should have the opportunity to make that dream come true.”
I took the checks to Merrill Lynch—the first time I had ever entered a brokerage（经纪业）house—where the money was invested for me. I continued working at the Buttercup, making plans for the restaurant I would open. My investments soured, though, and I lost the money.
After great deliberation（考虑） I decided to apply for a job at Merrill Lynch. Even though I had no experience, I was hired and ended up becoming a pretty good broker. Eventually I paid back Fred and my customers the $50,000, plus 14-percent annual interest. Five years later, I was able to open my own firm.
I got a thank-you note from Fred, which will be imprinted on my head forever. He had been sick and wrote that my check had helped cover his mounting medical bills. His letter read, “That loan may have been one of the best investments that I will ever make.” According to the passage, the author thought ______.
| A．Helen was full of complaint about her work |
| B．it was easy for Helen to make everyone happy and comfortable |
| C．she was lucky to have a job working with Helen |
| D．it was not acceptable to live in such a bad condition |
By saying that “Being a waitress changed my life.” the author means that ______.
| A．the author got a high pay by working hard |
| B．the author borrowed $50,000 with no interest from Fred Hasbrook |
| C．the effort which she had made influenced her a lot |
| D．the experience working as a waitress was worthwhile for the author |
Which of the following statements is not true of Fred Hasbrook?
| A．Fred Hasbrook was one of the author’s regular customers. |
| B．Fred Hasbrook lent the author $50,000, together with other customers. |
| C．Fred Hasbrook’s self-respect had a great effect on the author. |
| D．Fred Hasbrook’s himself did not have much money. |
What made the author’s customers lend her money according to the passage?
| A．Her maturity. | B．Her honesty. | C．Her faith. | D．Her success. |
Shower Radio --- Warranty (保单) and Directions
Introduction
Congratulations! You are now the owner of a So Fine Shower Radio! It is sure to provide entertainment for many hours. In addition, the radio features a timer for those days when you are in a hurry.
Before using the radio, please read all directions, fill out and mail in the warranty card, and put warranty information in a safe place. Although we do not expect problems with the radio, you may need to refer to the warranty information at a later time.
Warranty
This radio is warranted for a one-year period that begins on the date of purchase. If it fails to work because of a problem of materials, please return it to the following address: So Fine Radio Corp, 1279 Delta Way, Monga.
We will not pay shipping costs for returning the radio to us. We will either repair or replace the radio. Please allow at least four weeks for looking at the problem and repairing the radio. If you have not heard from us within six weeks, call our customer service department at 1-800-123.
Radios that are returned to us for problems other than a problem of materials will be subject to service fee as well as the cost of the repairs. Customers will be informed of the charge by postcard. Radios will not be returned to customers until these fees are paid.
Directions
Please read all directions before using it.
Please note that this radio is designed and built to operate well in a damp environment. The self-contained batteries and circuits (线路) are contained in the enclosed space that will bear heat and humidity.
To Operate the Radio
1. Put two AA batteries in the enclosed space at the back of the radio. Be certain to follow the diagram, or the batteries will not provide electricity. The radio should NOT be adapted in order to be fixed into the wall; this will damage the waterproofing (防水).
2. Turn the POWER dial in a clockwise direction until it clicks. Continue turning the dial until the desired volume is achieved.
3. To find the desired station, press the station selector button. The tuner (调谐器) will automatically go to the next highest signal. The station’s call number will be visible in the digital screen. When the station with the highest frequency has been reached, the selector will start again at the lowest frequency.
4. To switch between AM and FM stations, move the sliding AM/FM switch.
To Operate the Timer
1. Press the Timer Set button. Each time the button is pressed, five minutes will be put on the timer. The amount of time on the timer will be visible for five seconds on the digital screen.
2. When the time on the timer doesn’t work, a beep will sound for ten seconds. The timer may be reset again one minute.
Troubleshooting
Before returning the radio for service, please check the following items:
Problem: Radio cannot be heard.
1. Check batteries to be certain that they still have power and are put in correctly.
2. Check Power/Volume Control.
Problem: Timer does not work.
1. Check batteries to be certain that they still have power and are put in correctly.
2. Follow directions above for setting timer.
3. Turn the power control on. The timer will not work when the radio is not on.
4. Adjust the volume control which regulates the volume of the beep as well as the radio volume. The digital screen will show both ______.
| A．the volume level and the AM/FM indicator |
| B．the AM/FM indicator and the radio station |
| C．the time remaining on the timer and the date |
| D．the call number and time on the timer |
Which of the following is covered within this text?
| A．How to operate the radio and the timer. |
| B．What other owners say about the radio. |
| C．Who will benefit from using the radio. |
| D．Where to purchase the radio. |
What question might a reader still have about this product?
| A．How can I know the service fee? |
| B．Where should I send a nonworking radio? |
| C．How is the radio placed in the shower? |
| D．What kind of batteries does the radio use? |
According to the text, what should you do before returning the radio for service?
| A．Contact the store where you purchased it. |
| B．Check whether certain problems exist. |
| C．Call the producer for a repair number. |
| D．Consult the telephone book for local repair service. |
Looking for a new weight loss plan? Try living on top of a mountain. Mountain air contains less oxygen than air at lower altitudes, so breathing it causes the heart to beat faster and the body to burn more energy. A handful of studies have found that athletes training at high altitudes tend to lose weight. Doctor Florian Lippl of the University Hospital Of Ludwig-Maximilians-university Munich wondered how the mountain air would affect overweight individuals if they weren’t doing any more physical activity than usual.
Lippl and his colleagues invited 20 overweight men to an environmental research station about 300 meters below the summit of Zugspitze, a mountain around 2,970 meters near the Austrian border. They were allowed to eat as much as they liked. The men also gave blood so that researchers could test for hormones linked to appetite and fatness. At the end of the week, the men, whose mean weight starting out was 105kg, had lost on average about l.5kg. The men’s blood pressure also dropped, which the researchers believed was due to weight lost.
Exactly what caused the weight loss is uncertain. Loss of appetite is common at higher altitudes, and indeed the men ate significantly less than usual—about 700 calories fewer per day. Lippl also notes that because their consumption was being recorded, they may have been more self-conscious about what they ate. Regardless, eating less accounts for just l kg of the l.5 kg lost, says Lippl. He thinks the increased metabolic (新陈代谢的) rate, which was measured, also contributed to weight loss but cannot separate the different effects with the given data.
Appetite loss at high altitudes could certainly be key, notes Damian Bailey, a physiologist at the University of Glamorgan, UK, who recently lost 11 kg during a 3-month expedition to the Andes in Chile.
Unfortunately, for the average person there is no treatment that can resemble living at high altitude, says Lippl. The only alternative is hypobaric chamber, which exposes subjects to low oxygen and isn’t practical as a treatment. He says, half- jokingly, “If fat people plan their holidays, they might not go to the sea, but maybe to the mountain.”What contributes the most to one’s heart rates according to the first paragraph?
| A．our bodyweight | B．the consumption of energy |
| C．the rates of our breathing | D．the amount of oxygen provided |
Hormones are tested in the research because they can affect ______.
| A．one’s bodyweight | B．one’s blood pressure |
| C．one’s way of living | D．one’s metabolic rate |
What was found about the 20 overweight men in the process of the research?
| A．They controlled what to eat self-consciously. |
| B．They took in much fewer calories than usual. |
| C．They lost appetite because of lack of physical activity. |
| D．They were provided with a healthier diet than before. |
Why does Damian Bailey agree with the idea of appetite loss at high altitudes?
| A．He experimented with the new weight loss plan in the Andes. |
| B．He found no other reasons for his loss of weight in the Andes. |
| C．He researched the related subject in the Andes. |
| D．He lost much weight in the high altitude Andes. |
In what manner does Lippl talk about the way of losing weight by spending holidays on mountains?
| A．casual | B．inaccurate | C．uncertain | D．confident |
_____Susan is a big eater. She usually has a lot at every meal. So she wonders whether she could only eat less for the first meal of a day to lose weight.
_____Tina is a fat girl who doesn’t like exercise much. She just wants to lose weight by eating less but not doing exercise.
_____Maggie is a busy office lady. She usually has to work overtime every day. So she could only have her dinner late at night. She wants to be slimmer so that she could be much more attractive.
_____ Judy is a fashionable designer. She hopes to have a slim shape as models. She usually doesn’t have any regular meal, but has some snacks when she is hungry.
| A．If you eat less for breakfast, you have a lower chance of losing weight. Breakfast is important. It gives the body sufficient energy to sustain itself through the morning, and it also stimulates metabolic (新陈代谢) activity in the body. Metabolism is what consumes fat and what makes us slimmer. So, don’t forget to eat something for the breakfast. |
| B．If you ate your last meal right before going to bed, the calories accumulated from this meal could be twice the amount accumulated from a same meal if you ate it another time during the day. |
| C．Many people stop doing exercise when they eat less. When you do this, your body will burn less fat. So even if people take in less calories, they get rid of less too. The balance is then unchanged. |
| D．People gain fat not from the food they eat, but from the number of calories in the food. For example, a bunch of vegetables has just one tenth the calories contained in a small bit of chocolate cake. So make sure you have adequate regular meals, but firmly say no to various snacks, milk tea or even instant noodles. |
When Frida Kahlo's paintings were on show in London, a poet described her paintings as “ a ribbon （丝带）around a bomb”. Such comments seem to suggest Kahlo had a big influence on the art world of her time. Sadly, she is actually a much bigger name today than she was during her time.
Born in 1907 in a village near Mexico City , Kahlo suffered from polio（小儿麻痹症）at the age of seven. Her spine （脊柱）became bent as she grew older. Then, in 1925, her back was broken in several places in a school-bus accident. Throughout the rest of her life, the artist had many operations, but noting was able to cure the terrible pain in her back. However, the accident had an unexpected side effect. While lying in her bed recovering, Kahlo taught herself to paint.
In 1929, she got married to Diego Rivera, another famous Mexican artist. Rivera’s strong influences on Kahlo’s style can be seen in her early works, but her later works from the 1940s, known today as her best works, show less influence from her husband.
Unfortunately, her works did not attract much attention in the 1930s and1940s, even in her home country. Her first one-woman show in Mexico was not held until 1953. For more than a decade after her death in 1954, Kahlo’s works remained largely unnoticed by the world, but in the 1970s her works began to gain international fame at last. What does the phrase “a much bigger name” in paragraph 1 most nearly mean?
| A．a far better artist | B．a much more famous person |
| C．a much stronger person | D．a far more gifted artist |
The terrible pain Kahlo suffered was caused by.
| A．back injuries | B．her bent spine | C．polio | D．the operations she had |
Kahlo’s style had become increasingly independent since the.
| A．1930s | B．1970s | C．1950s | D．1940s |
What is author’s attitude toward Kahlo?
| A．Devotion | B．Encouragement | C．Worry | D．Sympathy（同情） |
I moved to the small, busy town of Edison in New Jersey six years ago. It was during the second term of my fifth grade. My parents got new jobs and higher income, so they decided it was time to move from Woodbridge to a better, more educational town.
In the US, it is unnecessary to take a test to get into a “good” middle or high school. You just attend the school close to where you live. So, many parents will think about the quality of the local school when they decide to buy a new house. My parents did the same. We finally chose Edison mainly because of the high quality of its school.
In New Jersey, an area with a good school usually means a concentration of Asian people. There are about 300 students in our school. 55% are Asians and just under half of that are Chinese. There are so many Chinese people nearby that we even have our own Chinese school.
Edison is an old town, just like thousands of others in the United States. However, I have treated it as my hometown. That’s where I spend much of my youth, and the memories there can’t be moved anywhere else.Why did the writer’s parents move to Edison?
| A．Because they were born there. | B．Because it was a better educational town. |
| C．Because the writer began his fifth grade. | D．Because the writer didn’t need to take a test. |
How many students are from Asia in the writer’s school?
| A．About 80. | B．About 160. | C．About 220. | D．About 300. |
What does the underlined expression “a concentration of” mean in Paragraph 3?
| A．None of. | B．The whole of | C．A large number of | D．A small number of |
Why can’t the writer forget Edison?
| A．Because he regards it as his hometown. | B．Because his parents got new jobs there. |
| C．Because there are many Asians there. | D．Because it is in the state of New Jersey. |