Howtoimproveourlife?Manypeople-优题课

The Friday after the American holiday of Thanksgiving is called Black Friday. It’s said that it’s the day that store ledgers(分类账)move into the black and companies become profitable.On that day, retailers slash prices to get consumers to buy. It is also a time when many Americans start their Christmas shopping. VOA’s Elizabeth Lee tells us how the economy may affect consumers on that bargain day.
“It’s just the deals, the sales and everything you can get for a lesser price,” said Sandy Thomas, a shopper. But it’s a nightmare for others. “I think it’s crazy. I’ve done all of my shopping throughout the week so I don’t have to go out on Friday,” she said. It’s called Black Friday, the start of the traditional Christmas shopping season in the United States. Every year it’s the day after the Thanksgiving holiday. Stores open before sunrise and there are deep discounts everywhere you look.
While the lead up to Christmas is known as the season of giving, Black Friday can get ugly.
Last year a crowd of bargain-hunters killed a Wal-mart worker in a New York suburb. This year, many stores are increasing security while they slash prices. “This is a huge time for the retail stores,” said Fred Joutz from George Washington University. “This is when they begin making their profits for the year.”
Economics professor Fred Joutz says how Americans spend the weekend after Thanksgiving is a good indication of how consumers feel about the future.
With the unemployment rate above 10 percent, Joutz says Americans are saving more and spending less. “Credit is still strictly controlled whether through credit cards or through borrowing from banks,” he said. Some retailers are attracting consumers by opening on Thanksgiving Day, when shops are traditionally closed. Other stores open their doors anywhere from midnight to four in the morning.
And shoppers will be lining up in front of the doors in order to be one of the first ones to walk through and get a big discount. Electronics like flat screen TVs are usually the first items to go. Sandy Thomas says it’s an annual family tradition and well worth it. “I just save maybe half of what I would have spent on a regular, you know, shopping trip,” she said.
Economists say U.S. consumers will spend money this Black Friday, but they will spend it more carefully.
59. The underlined word “slash” in the first paragraph probably means _________.
A. reduce B. raise C. increase D. change
60. The sentence “This day should be a shopper’s dream.” should be placed between ________.
A. paragraph two and paragraph three B. paragraph one and paragraph two
C. paragraph three and paragraph four D. paragraph five and paragraph six
61. Why are many stores increasing security according to the passage?
A. Because there are too many people saving more and spending less.
B. Because it’s a time when they begin making their profits for the year.
C. Because last year a crowd of bargain-hunters caused an accident.
D. Because many stores open their doors from midnight to four a.m.
62.What can we learn from the passage?
A. Christmas shopping is traditional time and this year it is no exception.
B. Electronics like flat screen TVs are usually least discounted.
C. The economy only affects consumers on that bargain day.
D. Thanksgiving is a good indication of how consumers feel about the future.

What is your favorite color? Do you like yellow, orange or red? If you do, you must be an optimist, a leader, and an active person who enjoys life, people and excitement. Do you prefer gray and blue? Then you are probably quiet, shy and you would rather follow than lead. If you love green, you are strong-minded and determined. You wish to succeed and want other people to see you are successful. At least this is what a psychologist tell us, and we are also told that we don’t choose our favorite color as we grow up. If you happen to love brown, you did so as soon as you opened your eyes, or at least as soon as you could see clearly.
A yellow room makes us feel more cheerful and more comfortable than a dark green one, and a red dress brings warmth and cheer to the saddest winter day. On the other hand, black is depressing. Light and bright colors make people not only happier but also more active. It is a fact that factory workers work better, harder, and have fewer accidents when their machines are painted orange rather than black or dark gray.
Remember, then, that if you feel low, you can always brighten your day or your life with a new shirt or a few colorful things. Remember also that you will know your friend and your enemies better when you find out what colors they like and dislike. And don’t forget that anyone can guess a lot about your character when you choose handkerchiefs or a lampshade.
60. According to this passage, ________.
A. one can choose his color preference B. one is born with his color preference
C. one’s color preference is changeable D. one has to choose his favorite color any time
61. “I am feeling black” means _______.
A. I’m feeling well B. I am in high spirits
C. I am excited D. I am unhappy
62. Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
A. An active person who enjoys life probably likes red, yellow and orange.
B. A person preferring gray and blue is probably quiet and shy.
C. Finding out what color he likes and dislikes, you can know your friend better.
D. When we grow up, we choose which color we like best.
63. What can be the best title for this passage?
A. Color Preference and Its Effect.B. Different Colors in Our Life
C. Light and Bright Colors. D. Favorite Colors Change Our Mind.

第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题，每题2分，满分40分）
请认真阅读下列短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
The story is about a 92-year-old lady. She is fully dressed each morning by eight, with her hair fashionably done and makeup perfectly applied. She is moving to a nursing home today. Her husband recently passed away, making the move necessary.
After waiting for many hours patiently in the lobby（大厅） of the nursing home, she smiled sweetly when told her room was ready. As she maneuvered（操作） her walker to the elevator, I provided a description of her tiny room. “I love it,” she stated with childlike enjoyment.
“Mrs. Jones, you haven’t seen the room yet. Just wait,” I said.
“That doesn’t have anything to do with it,” she replied. “Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn’t depend on how the furniture is arranged. It depends on how I arrange my mind, I have already decided to love it before I see it. It’s a kind of decision I make every morning when I wake up.”
“I have a choice： I can spend the day in bed counting the difficulties I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do. Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open I’ll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I’ve shored away.”
“Life is like a bank account from which you withdraw（提取） what you’ve put in. so, my advice to you would be to deposit（存） a lot of happiness in the bank account of memories. Thank you for your part in filling my memory bank. I am still depositing.”
56. Mrs. Jones has to move to a nursing home probably because _______.
A. she needs others to do her hair B. she wants to visit a friend there
C. she is not willing to become homeless D. she has no family to take care of her
57. What makes Mrs. Jones satisfied with her new room?
A. Her own decision. B. The size of the room
C. The author’s description D. The arrangement of the furniture
58. According to the passage, the old lady _______.
A. has a positive attitude towards life B. has a lot of money in her bank account
C. is very lonely and in fact not happy at all D. is self-centered and never takes others’ advice
59. Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
A. How to Live Economically. B. Life Like a Bank Account
C. Always Smile to Others. D. New Life in the Nursing Home

“Around 500,000 years ago, at the Peking Man Site at Zhoukoudian in Beijing’s suburban Fangshan district, which is about 50 km from the city of Beijing, there lived early human beings,” says a China history textbook.
The textbook now has to be revised. New dating techniques suggest the remains of Peking Man--- found in the 1920s---are over 200,000 years older than previously thought. What’s important about that date, about 770,000 ago, is that this was an ice age on Earth.
Over Earth’s long history, there have been a number of times when ice and snow covered a large part of its surface. Such periods are known as ice ages.
Earth is in an ice age now. It started about 2 million years ago. Despite the many warm periods since then, scientists regard the whole time as one ice age because of the continuous existence of at least one large ice sheet---the one over Antarctica.
The new discovery was made by Chinese and US scientists. It suggests Peking Man is probably our oldest cold weather human being, said Darryl Granger, an atmospheric scientist at Purdue University whose research appears in Thursday’s edition of the journal Nature.
The average yearly temperature at the time in that part of China was around the freezing mark, but it was too dry for an ice sheet, Granger said.
This raises a question. How did Peking Man survive the cold weather?
Rick Potts, a Smithsonian Institution human origins expert who wasn’t involved in the research, raised three possibilities:
First, fire. Early findings showed signs of a fire in Peking Man’s cave. But there has been debate about whether the fire was accidental or controlled.
Second, fur. There is no evidence that Peking Man used simple tools to make more form-fitting clothes, it’s more likely he wore animal fur.
Lastly, he may have developed gradually to handle the cold. Peking Man may have experienced physiological changes that allowed more blood to flow to his hands and legs, Potts said. “People in general who live in colder climates tend to be shorter and wider,” he explained.
Unlike the times of Peking Man today the global temperature is rising due to the greenhouse effect. In the future, could humans develop to handle the warmth just as Peking Man did to fight the cold?
72. According to the new research, Peking Man actually dates back to _______.
A. around 500,000 years ago B. over 200,000 years
C. about 770,000 years ago D. about 2 million years ago
73. What is the most important standard for scientists to decide an ice age?
A. The weather conditions. B. The continuous existence of any large ice sheets.
C. The average yearly temperature D. The long period of snowfall
74. Which of the following is true of Peking Man?
A. He is the oldest human being B. He used fire to keep warm
C. He wore form-fitting clothes made from fur with simple tools.
D. He might have been shorter and wider than previously thought.
75. The following are all the possibilities EXCEPT _______ that the Peking Man survived the cold weather.
A. putting up tents to keep the cold out B. wearing animal fur
C. using fire in their cave D. developing gradually to handle the cold.

Castle Fire
Winton Castle was damaged in a fire last night. The fire, which was discovered at about 9 o’clock, spread very quickly. Nobody was injured but two people had been rescued from the upstairs room. A number of paintings are believed to have been destroyed. It isn’t known how the fire started.
Shop Robbery
In Paxham yesterday a shop assistant was forced to hand over 500 pounds after being threatened by a man with a knife. The man escaped in a car which had been stolen earlier in the day. The car was later found in a car park where it had been thrown away by the thief. A man has been arrested in connection with the robbery and is still being questioned by the police.
Road Delays
Repair work started yesterday on the Paxham-Longworth road. The road is being resurfaced and there will be long delays. Drivers are asked to choose another way if possible. The work is expected to last two weeks. Next Sunday the road will be closed and traffic will be diverted(改道).
Accident
A woman was taken to hospital after her car collided with a truck near Norstock yesterday. She was allowed home later after treatment. The road was blocked for an hour after the accident and to be diverted. A police inspector said afterwards, “The woman was lucky. She could have been killed.”
64. As a result of the accident yesterday, _________.
A. a lot of valuable things were broken B. five hundred pounds and a car were lost
C. the traffic had to be diverted D. a woman didn’t survive the accident
65. The man who directly joined in the robbery ________.
A. was still being questioned by the police B. hasn’t been arrested ye
C. had escaped in a car earlier in the day D. is being controlled by the police
66. What do you know about the Paxham-Longworth road?
A. An accident happened there and the traffic was diverted.
B. Another road was open for the drivers during the road repairs.
C. The surface of the road needed repairing for two weeks.
D. The road was blocked for an hour after a traffic accident.
67. Which of the following may be the title of the passage?
A. Brief News Report B. Unexpected Accidents
C. What Has Happened Recently D. Important happenings

A．doesn't need improving	B．couldn't be improved
C．will be better some day	D．will be worse in the future

A．positive thinking	B．positive action
C．hope for the best	D．intention to succeed

A．understand yourself	B．improve your life
C．believe in yourself	D．change your normal way