Dec. 24, 1848
Dear Johnston,
Your request for eighty dollars, I do not think it best to satisfy now. At the various times when I have helped you a little, you have said to me, “We can get along very well again,” but in a very short time I find you in the same difficulty again. Now this can only happen by some fault in your behavior. What that fault is, I think I know. You are not lazy, and still you are an idler(游手好闲). I doubt whether since I saw you, you have done a good whole day’s work, in any other day. You do not very much dislike to work, and still you do not work much, merely because it does not seem to you that you could get much for it.
This habit of uselessly wasting time is the whole difficulty; it is vastly important to you, and still more so to your children, that you should break this habit. It is more important to them, because they have longer to live, and can keep out of an idle habit before they are in it, easier than they can get out after they are in.
You are now in need of some ready money; and what I suggest is, that you shall go to work hard, for somebody who will give you money for it.
Let father and your boys take charge of your things at home-prepare for a crop, and make the crop, and you go to work for the best money wages, or to pay back any debt you owe. And to secure you a fair reward for your labor, I now promise you that for every dollar you will, between this and the first of May, get for your own labor, I will then give you one other dollar. By this, if you hire yourself at ten dollars a month, from me you will get ten more, making twenty dollars a month for your work.
Now if you will do this, you will soon be out of debt, and what is better, you will have a habit that will keep you from getting in debt again. But if I should now clear you out, next year you will be just as deep in as ever. You say you would almost give your place in Heaven for $ 70 or $80. Then you value your place in Heaven cheaply, for I am sure you can with the offer I make you get the seventy or eighty dollars for four or five months’ work. You say if I furnish you the money you will deed(抵押) me the land, and if you don’t pay the money back, you will deliver possession-Nonsense! If you can’t now live with the land, how will you then live without it? You have always been kind to me, and I do not now mean to be unkind to you. On the contrary, if you will but follow my advice, you will find it worth more than eight time eighty dollars to you.
Affectionately
Your brother
A. Lincoln Abraham Lincoln wrote the letter to Johnston mainly to ________.
| A．show his concern for him | B．recommend him to save money |
| C．decline his request and motivate him | D．introduce him a new job |
What’s the problem with Johnston, according to Lincoln?
| A．He was very lazy. | B．He wasted time a lot. |
| C．He couldn’t get much from work. | D．He disliked working. |
In the letter Lincoln suggested that Johnston should ________.
| A．keep himself from getting into trouble | B．go to work hard for somebody |
| C．manage well the things at home | D．keep the children out of the idle habit |
If Johnston got one dollar for his work, Lincoln promised to _________.
| A．reward him with labor | B．pay off his debt |
| C．hire him at 10 dollars a month | D．give him another dollar |
In order to get 80 dollars from Lincoln, Johnston promised to ________.
| A．take away his place in Heaven | B．deed Lincoln the land |
| C．live without the land | D．do good work every day |
Robots that can chat，find misplaced glasses，draw aeroplanes and play with your children are attracting thousands of visitors during an expo in Tokyo as Japan adapts to changes in society．
Robots，such as the sound．sensitive Chapit，answer simple questions and even joke with people to help them fight loneliness and stay alert in old age．
Japan has one of the world’s fastest-ageing societies and the government predicts that by 2050 the proportion of people over 65 will reach 40 percent．”Many older people in Japan live alone and have no one to talk to，”said Kazuya Kitamura representative of the expo organizer．“Communication robots accompany people and don’t mind listening to the same stories over and over again．”
Matsumoto’s“Personal Mobility Robot，”equipped with four cameras and a sensor to recognize the user's centre of gravity, is designed to help elderly move around without pressing buttons．using joysticks(操纵杆)or rotating wheels as in traditional wheelchairs．
The robot can also help find misplaced glasses by identifying them with a sensor．
Other robots，such as the award-winning“DiGRO”can support busy parents who have little time to play with their children．The robot can use the Internet to find a simple image and then draw pictures，keeping children company while parents work．
While Chapit，a relatively simple robot，managed to attract a corporate partner many researchers，such as Kiyoshi Matsumoto，a professor at the University of Tokyo，struggle to attract sponsors for more expensive projects．
“We have developed a robot that can assist many people，but we still haven’t found a sponsor,”said Matsumoto，who added that the cost of the machine，if mass-produced，would be comparable to that of a car．”In the current economic environment there are few companies willing to invest in such a costly project，”he said．It can be inferred from the text that_______．
| A．many children lack love from parents |
| B．robots helpful to the old will be in great demand |
| C．robots are the most useful to children |
| D．robots do better than people in healthcare |
It is difficult to find sponsors for robots because______.
| A．Japan is suffering economy depression |
| B．the robots are of poor design |
| C．the production of robots costs a lot |
| D．the future market is worrying |
What is the author’s attitude towards the robots referred to?
| A．Unsatisfied． | B．Doubtful． |
| C．Favorable． | D．Regretful． |
Kenji Croman has broken his bones，his shoulder and elbow, and nearly drowned several times．He’s also had three close encounters with sharks over the years．A 10-foot wave landed directly on top of him five years ago，bending his body to the point that he actually kicked himself in the head．”I literally heard every bone in my body crack．”he said．
Croman has been photographing ocean waves since 2008，sometimes risking his life to get that perfect shot at the surf break．Despite the risks and certain injuries that come with wave photography, the Hawaii resident，body surfer and former competitive swimmer wouldn’t do anything else．The 36-year-old photographer loves the thrill of meeting breaking waves head on，shooting waves as his interest and shooting surfers to pay the bills．
The process of photographing waves requires more than just swimming out to where the surf breaks and waiting，he says．The night before a photo shoot Croman checks Surfline.com，a website and the coastal camera network that provides live and predicted ocean weather information，to see what the winds，waves and tide will be like at certain times．Croman has both a primary camera and a backup for emergencies．He goes without a wetsuit and uses heavy duty underwater housing to protect his camera．There is no great way for him to protect himself．He admits there are probably protective clothes he should be wearing，but there is little he could have done to decrease the impact of the 10-foot wave that crashed on top of him．
The hardest part of Croman’s job is staying calm in the face of breaking waves when his initial reaction is to panic and swim away．At most．Croman will take two to three shots of a single wave．”I've shot waves for so many years now that I see the wave in slow movement，”he said．What do we know about Kenji Croman’s job from the first paragraph?
| A．It is a game of death． |
| B．It is full of mysteries． |
| C．It requires patience． |
| D．It calls for courage． |
How does Kenji Croman make a living?
| A．By taking swimming races． |
| B．By teaching photography． |
| C．By shooting surfers． |
| D．By surfing waves． |
Why does Kenji Croman check the websites like Surfline.com?
| A．To get better prepared for shooting． |
| B．To predict something about weather． |
| C．To learn more about surfing waves． |
| D．To buy better equipment for safety． |
What would be the best title of the text?
| A．Taking adventures around the ocean |
| B．Risking his life for the perfect wave |
| C．Making preparations for life risks |
| D．Appreciating breaking waves in danger |
A green roof is a roof of a building that is covered with vegetation over a waterproof membrane (防水膜). It is a proper method of growing plants on the roof and does not refer to the mere green color of the roof. People benefit a lot from these green roofing systems, and they are gaining popularity day by day.
Human beings have occupied major areas of land and transformed them into huge buildings, which has severely affected the environment and the natural habitat of bird and insects. Green roofing compensates for that. It creates a natural habitat for creatures like bees, grasshoppers and other insects.
Modern roofs need a lot of energy to control the temperatures in winter and summer. However, green roofs reduce the amount of energy required for controlling temperatures, thus making them energy-efficient. As green roofing is highly energy-efficient, it can act as a encouragement for people who are interested in green roofing systems and their benefits. It will increase the market value of the building and fetch the owner a great share of profit.
As the vegetation requires a water supply, there is a inbuilt water preservation layer in the green roof system. This layer helps to keep the rainwater. It makes full use of the rainwater and prevents wastage. During heavy rains, the water runs off the flat roof. The green roof prevents this overflow by slowing down the volume of running water.
Green roofs can compensate for the lost greenery in urban areas and increase the artistic value of an area. Your building will look beautiful, coated with green vegetation. Green roofs can serve as local community garden and create a natural atmosphere, giving physical and psychological benefits like reducing stress levels in people and keeping them physically fit. Besides, people can start their own small-scale cultivation (栽培)and experience the pleasure
of gardening.What do we know about a green roof?
| A．It is painted green for a specific purpose |
| B．It uses solar energy to produce electricity |
| C．it is designed for kids to enjoy themselves |
| D．it is covered with grass, flowers or other plants |
Mr. Black who owns two buildings is interested in the green roofing system probably because_____.
| A．it can solve the problem of air pollution |
| B．it produces more energy to power the buildings |
| C．it creates natural habitats for birds and insects |
| D．it can save him spending a lot of money on energy |
How do the plants on green roofs get watered?
| A．Rainwater is often kept in the green roof system for later use |
| B．They mainly make use of the wasted water in people’s lives |
| C．The plants on green roofs usually need little water |
| D．People have to water the plants from time to time |
According to the last paragraph, a green roof is a place _____.
| A．where people can get close to nature |
| B．where people can relax and enjoy gardening |
| C．where people can hold all kinds of activities |
| D．where people can stay away from the city life |
The Knowledge Society
According to American economist Peter Drucker, every few hundred years in Western history a sharp transformation takes place in which society rearranges itself. One such period happened between 1455 and 1517, beginning with the invention of the printing press, and included the Renaissance, the European discovery of America, a reawakening of science, and the Protestant Reformation. All these events had significant effects on the development of Western society. The next period lasted from the American Revolution and the Perfection of the steam engine in 1776 until Napoleon’s defeat at Waterloo in 1815. During this time, the Industrial Revolution took place, public schools systems were established on a large scale, the first modern university was founded in Berlin in 1809, and both capitalism and communism emerged as economic and political ideologies. Again, society had been altered.Drucker suggested that another services to them.Those are the events which happened between 1455 and 1517 EXCEPT __________.
| A．the Industrial Revolution |
| B．the invention of the printing press. |
| C．the European discovery of America. |
| D．a reawakening of science and the Protestant Reformation. |
What is the major characteristic of the new society today ?
| A．Labor will be the basis of wealth. |
| B．Class conflict will appear. |
| C．Knowledge will be used as an economic resource. |
| D．People who provide various types of services must be socially and economically disadvantaged. |
Mr. Sankaram, a physics teacher, was known for his antics(滑稽动作)in his classroom to make the dull lessons in physics lively and interesting. Mixing different chemical drugs in the lab to become new substances in chemistry makes students excited. While studying botany or zoology, students can visit a garden or zoo. But physics limits students to listening to the boring lectures which are hard to understand. For example, why an apple dropping from a tree travels downwards but not upwards. But Mr. Sankaram’s classroom antics to cause students to listen to topics such as how sound travels in air or why light travels faster than sound made him stand out from the rest of the teachers.
At that time, most students in our school attended the college to please their parents, and some parents were proud of their children for simply attending a college, no-matter whether they benefited or not. They didn’t study hard. But a few students were diligent and they wanted to study pre-medical courses to gain admission into the medical school. The schooling of pre-medical courses was very expensive. The college was next to the medical school. The wall separating them was about four feet high. Few tried to jump over the wall to get free pre-medical courses. Doing this was at risk of injuries and the climbing was forbidden.
The college where Mr. Sankaram taught was known for unruly and naughty students. The unruly students usually sat at the back of the classroom. When a student from the back of the classroom tried to disrupt the class, Mr. Sankaram would say, “Dare you go ahead to make noise? Can you jump over the four-foot wall to get into the medical school?” The student’s face went red and he became silent. In the physics class . I sat in the first row to escape from the troublemakers at the back. One day during the class. Mr. Sankaram unexpectedly asked me, “Can you jump over the four-foot wall?” I shook my head and answered, “No, sir, I couldn’t jump over a one-foot wall, let alone a four-foot wall.” Mr. Sankaram wasn’t satisfied with my reply but waved his hand for me to sit down. He looked at me in the eyes hard and said, “If you can. Believe in yourself!”
There were stories about Mr. Sankaram’s past history. As a student at same college years ago, he went into much depression for some time when he couldn’t get into the medical school. In fact he could have been admitted by the school by his ability of studying. Because his family couldn’t afford his pre-medical courses and he didn’t dare to climb the wall, he often walked back and forth along the four-foot wall talking to himself and sometimes cried over his failure. Whether this story was true or false it was passed on from year to year. So Mr. Sankaram had a nickname “four-foot.” It was true that he left his dream to his students and he began challenging the students’ ability to jump over the four-foot wall to get into the medical school.
As a student I failed at my attempt to get admission into the medical school. In fact not all students wanted to be a doctor. And years later I ended up as a chemistry teacher at the same college. I thank Mr. Sankaram for his encouragement to me, and I am determined to follow his example to make my class interesting. Mr. Sankaram passed away years ago. He will always be remembered for his wonderful teaching techniques such as dancing movements and his encouraging words.Which subject was boring in the author’s opinion?
| A．Botany | B．Physics | C．Chemistry | D．zoology |
Most of the author’s schoolmates went to college to _____.
| A．make their parents happy |
| B．learn a skill of making a living |
| C．study abroad after graduation |
| D．find a good job after graduation |
Why wasn’t Mr. Sankaram satisfied with the author’s reply?
| A．He didn’t think the author was diligent. |
| B．He thought the author lacked confidence. |
| C．The author didn’t know what he meant |
| D．The author was shy while answering it. |
Mr. Sankaram’s failing to get into the medical school______.
| A．resulted in getting his nickname “four-foot” |
| B．caused him to be forever depressed and to cry every day |
| C．made him work hard to let his students realize his dream |
| D．made him complain the life was unfair and he was not lucky |
We can infer from this passage that the author_____.
| A．wanted to become a doctor very much in fact |
| B．regretted that he didn’t respect Mr. Sankaram |
| C．was born in a rich family and once a good student |
| D．is a good teacher in the college where he once studied |