Hallmark arrived in my hometown of Calcutta, India when I was 16. On Valentine’s Day(情人节), I waited in line with many other teenagers just for a chance to get into the store. I remember wishing two things. One of them is that the good-looking boy whom I could see through the store window was picking out a gift for me. Unfortunately, Valentine’s Day passed and I received nothing but a lecture from my father on how Western capitalism(资本主义) was ruining your culture.
The next Valentine’s Day, I still didn’t have a boyfriend, but I did receive a greeting card from a secret admirer. I can’t remember what it exactly said inside the card, but it hardly mattered. I know I’m not the only one who’s had the blues because of being single on Valentine’s Day.
It’s not just on Valentine’s Day that I’m reminded of these feelings. One night, my friend and I were at the subway station in New York City waiting for the local to arrive. The station was mostly full of college students, and later an older couple walked in. Just at that moment, a street musician started playing She’s Only a Woman to Me. The couple began dancing around the station and lost in their own world. On the train, I found myself recalling the time when I was with a date at the subway station, and there he picked me up in his arms like I was a ballerina(芭蕾舞女演员).
My view of romance has changed from when I was 16 in Calcutta to now, 23, and living in Manhattan. This year, I won’t focus all my romantic expectations on one particular day. I’ll spend Valentine’s Day with friends in New York City. But I won’t try to hide somewhere or turn off my cellphone. Instead, I’ll help my coupled-up friends pack for their weekend trips to Rome.The underlined word “Hallmark” in Paragraph 1 probably refers to a .
| A．city | B．street | C．store | D．man |
We can infer that in the opinion of the writer’s father .
| A．his daughter should have received a gift |
| B．people in India shouldn’t celebrate Valentine’s Day |
| C．people in India should welcome Western culture |
| D．his daughter should know more about capitalism |
According to Paragraph 2, if someone has the blues, he or she is probably .
| A．lucky | B．angry | C．excited | D．sad |
What is implied in the passage?
| A．The writer now has a boyfriend. |
| B．The writer now is afraid of Valentine’s Day. |
| C．The writer will go to Rome with her coupled-up friends. |
| D．The writer’s attitude towards Valentine’s Day has changed. |
A star usually is someone who has become famous in sports, film, or pop music, someone like singer Michael Jackson. In the middle nineteen eighties, Michael Jackson successfully made a famous record, which quickly became the most popular recording in the history of music. This made Michael Jackson a bright star.
One of the famous sports bright stars in the United States is Mohammed Ali. When he was a young man, he won a gold medal in the Olympic Games as a boxer. Then, he won first place in the world heavy weight boxing match. Before long, he was known as one of the greatest and most famous boxers in sports history. Everyone knows his name.
Like the stars in the sky, a bright star will lose his brightness as time passes. He is loved by millions of people today, but will be forgotten tomorrow.What does this passage mainly talk about?
| A．Michael Jackson | B．Mohammed Ali |
| C．pop music and boxing | D．bright stars |
Michael Jackson is famous for .
| A．his songs | B．his film |
| C．his sports | D．his heavy weight |
What does “boxer” in the passage mean in Chinese?
| A．盒子 | B．装箱者 | C．拳击手 | D．制作人 |
What will happen to the bright stars at last according to the passage?
| A．They will be remembered by millions of people. |
| B．They will be loved by people for ever. |
C．T hey will be the most important people in history. |
| D．They will lose their brightness and be little known. |
No one wants to look silly or do the wrong thing at a new job. It’s important to make the right impression (印象) from the first day. You will face new people. You will be in a new place. It may be difficult to know what to do. Here are seven tips to help you make it through the first days at a new job:
1. First impression is important. Make sure you make a good one. Before your first day, find out if your new job has a dress code. If so, be sure to follow it. No matter what you wear, always be neat (整洁) and clean.
2. Get to work on time. Employers value workers who come to work on time. Give yourself an extra 15 minutes to
make sure you arrive on time.
3. Pay attention to introduction. One of the first things that your supervisor (主管) may do is to introduce you to co-workers. These co-workers will be important to you. They are the ones who will answer your questions when the boss isn’t around.
4. Ask plenty of questions. Make sure that your supervisor has told you what your are expected to do. If he or she has not told you your job duties, ask for a list. Set daily and weekly goals for yourself.
5. Don't make personal phone calls. You should never make personal phone calls to your friends a
nd family unless it's an emergency.
6. Don’t take too long for lunch. What’s the lunch-hour policy at your new job? You can find out from your supervisor or your company’s personnel department(人事部门). For example, do people eat at their desks or does everyone take a full hour outside the workplace?
7. Never be the first one to leave. Observe how your co-workers behave arou
nd quitting (离开) time. It does no good for you to be eager to leave.Which is the best title for the passage?
| A．Tips On First Days At a New Job | B．How to Do a Job Well |
| C．Be the Last to Leave | D．Ways to Find a New Job |
From the last two paragraphs, we can infer that the most important rule we should follow is ______.
| A．to have lunch outside the workplace | B．to do as other people do |
| C．not to be the first to leave after work | D．to pay attention to introductions |
The underlined phrase “a dress code” (Para. 2) means ______.
| A．a beautiful dress | B．a place where a dress can be placed |
| C．a neat and clean dress | D．a rule about what you can wear to work |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．You should not make personal calls unless very necessary. |
| B．Co-workers will be important to you when the boss is out. |
| C．You shouldn’t ask any questions in case you trouble others. |
| D．Leave an extra 15 minutes earlier to make sure you won’t be late. |
The clock struck eleven at night. The whole house was quiet. Everyone was in bed except me. Under the strong light，I looked sadly before me at a huge pile of that troublesome stuff they call “books”．
I was going to have my examination the next day. “When can I go to bed？”I asked myself. I didn't answer, in fact I dared not.
The clock struck twelve. “Oh, dear！”I cried. “Ten more books to read before I can go to bed！”We pupils are the most wretched creatures in the world. Dad does not agree with me on this. He did not have to work so hard when he was a boy.
The clock struck one. I was quite desperate (绝望的) now. I forgot all I had learned. I was too tired to go on. I did the only thing I could. I prayed, “Oh, God, please help me pass the exam tomorrow. I do promise to work hard afterwards, Amen.” My eyes were so heavy that I could hardly open them. A few minutes later, with my head on the desk, I fell asleep.When the author was going over his lessons, all the others in the house were ________.
| A．asleep | B．working in bed |
| C．outside | D．quietly laughing at him |
Reviewing his lessons didn't help him because ________.
| A．it was too late at night |
| B．he was very tired |
| C．his eyes lids were so heavy that he couldn't keep them open |
| D．he hadn't studied hard before the examination |
What do you suppose happened to the author?
| A．He went to a church to pray again. |
| B．He passed the exam by sheer luck. |
| C．He failed in the exam. |
D．He was p unished by his teacher. |
The best title for the passage would be ________.
| A．The Night Before the Examination |
| B．Working Far into the Night |
| C．A Slow Student |
| D．Going Over My Lessons |
根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。
Americans are proud of their variety and individuality （个性）, yet they love and respect few things more than a uniform, whether it is the uniform of a lift operator or the uniform of a five-star general（将军）．
Among the arguments for uniforms, one of the first is that in the eyes of most people they look more professional than civilian （百姓的） clothes．People expect higher quality from a man who wears a uniform．Faith in the skill of a garage mechanic is increased by a uniform．What easier way is there for a nurse, a policeman, a hairdresser, or a waiter to lose professional identity （职业身份） than to step out of uniform?
They are often more comfortable and more lasting than civilian clothes．
Among the arguments against uniforms is their lack of variety and the loss of individuality experienced by people who must wear them．Though there are many types of uniforms, the wearer of any particular type is generally stuck with it, without change, until retirement．Though they are long-lasting, often their initial（最初的） expense is greater than the cost of civilian clothes．Some uniforms are also expensive to maintain, requiring professional dry cleaning rather than the home laundering possible with many types of civilian clothes．
| A．Americans think highly of uniforms ． |
| B．Why are uniforms so popular in the United States? |
| C．When people wear the same uniforms, they are likely to think, speak, and act similarly on the job at least． |
| D．Uniforms also have many practical good points |
E．Some practical problems with uniforms arise．
F．The television repairman who wears a uniform is likely to inspire more trust than one who appears in civilian clothes．
G．People's identity can be recognized more easily by their uniforms
A black hole is created when a large star burns out. Like our sun, stars are unbelievably hot furnaces(熔炉) that burn their own matter as fuel. When most of the fuel is used up, the star begins to die.
The death of a star is not a quiet event. First there is a huge explosion. As its outer layer is blasted off into space, the dying star shines as brightly as a billion suns.
After the explosion gravity pulls in what’s left of the star. As the outside of the star sinks toward the center, the star gets smaller and smaller. The material the star is made of becomes tightly packed together. A star is so dense that a teaspoon of matter from it weighs billion of pounds.
The more the star shrinks, the stronger the gravity inside it becomes. Soon the star is very tiny, and the gravity pulling it in is unbelievably strong. In fact, the gravity is so strong that it even pulls light into the star! Since all the light is pulled in, none can go out. The star becomes black when there is no light. Then a black hole is born!
That’s what we know about black holes. What we don’t know is this: What happens inside a black hole after the star has been squeezed into a tiny ball? Does it keep getting smaller and smaller forever? Such a possibility is hard to imagine.
But if the black hole doesn’t keep shrinking, what happens to it? Some scientists think black holes are like doorways to another world．They say that as the star disappears from our universe, it goes into another universe. In other words a black hole in our universe could turn into a “white hole” in a different universe. As the black hole swallows light, the white hole shines brightly — somewhere else. But where? A different place, perhaps, or a different time — many years in the past or future.
Could you travel through a black hole? Right now, no. Nothing we know of could go into a black hole without being crushed．So far the time being, black hole must remain a mystery.
Black holes are a mystery—but that hasn’t stopped scientists from dreaming about them. One scientist suggested that in the future we might make use of the power of black holes. They would supply all of Earth’s energy needs, with plenty to spare. Another scientist wondered if a black hole could some day be used to swallow earthly waste—a sort of huge waste disposal (处理) in the sky! When the star begins to die ______.
| A．there is no fuel left in it | B．its outer layer goes into space first |
| C．a huge explosion will happen | D．it doesn’t give off light any longer |
Which of the following doesn’t help produce a black hole?
| A．The gravity inside the star is very strong. |
| B．The light can’t go out of the star. |
| C．The star becomes smaller and smaller |
| D．The dying star shines very brightly. |
The black hole ______.
| A．continues becoming smaller and smaller all the time |
| B．goes into another universe and becomes a white hole |
| C．can pull in everything we know of in the world |
| D．will appear at another place at a different time |
The author mainly intended to tell us _____.
| A．A New Scientific Discovery: Black Holes |
| B．How Black Holes Came Into Being |
| C．What Black Holes Are |
| D．Travel Through A Black Hole |