How often one hears children wishing they were grown-ups and old people wishing they were young again. Each age has its pleasures and its pains, and the happiest person is the one who enjoys what each age gives him without wasting his time in useless regrets.
Childhood is a time when there are few responsibilities to make life difficult. If a child has good parents, he is fed, looked after and loved, whatever he may do. It is impossible that he will ever again in his life be given so much without having to do anything in return. In addition, life is always presenting new things to the child — things that have lost their interest for older people because they are too well-known. But a child has his parents. He is not so free to do what he wishes to do; he is continually being told not to do things or being punished for what he has done wrong.
When the young man starts to earn his own living, he can no longer expect others to pay for his food, his clothes, and his room, but has to work if he wants to live comfortably. If he spends most of his time playing about in the way that he used to as a child, he will go hungry. And if he breaks the laws of society as he used to break the laws of his parents, he may go to prison. If, however, he works hard, keeps out of trouble and has good health, he can have the great happiness of building up for himself his own position in society. According to the second paragraph, the writer thinks that __________.
A.if much is given to a child, he must do something in return |
B.a child is always loved whatever he does |
C.life for a child is comparatively easy |
D.only children are interested in life |
After a child grows up, he __________.
A.will have little time playing |
B.has to be successful in finding a job |
C.can still ask for help in time of trouble |
D.should be able to take care of himself |
Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
A.Life is less interesting for old people. |
B.People are often satisfied with their life. |
C.Adults are free to do what they want to do. |
D.Adults should no longer rely on others. |
The underlined word "responsibilities" in the second paragraph means __________.
A.jobs | B.duties | C.suggestions | D.desires |
The main idea of the passage is __________.
A.life is not enjoyable since each age has some pains |
B.young men can have the greatest happiness if they work hard |
C.childhood is the most enjoyable time in one's life |
D.one is the happiest if he can make good use of each age in his life |
Having just quit a highly moneymaking job with tech giant Microsoft in the United States,where he’d made millions working as a program manager,Patrick Awuah would wake up once in a while wondering if he’d done the right thing.
What Awuah wanted was to create a university in his native Ghana.a state-of-the-art education centre that would help educate the country’s next generation of leaders.Awuah moved with his family back to Ghana.There,he invested his own money and with the help of other donors he founded Ashesi University.
“Africa needs to have a renaissance(复兴),” says Awuah as he explained what drove him to take the risky decision.“The world needs to change in this way and I strongly believe that people like me need to be part of the solution;I need to be really actively involved in helping to drive this change in Africa‘‘
Located about an hour's drive from the capital Accra,Ashesi,which appropriately translates to “beginning,” is the first Ghanaian university to combine technical majors with a liberal arts approach.Its campus,set on 100 acres in a town called Berekuso,was designed to be inspiring for the more than 500 young Ghanaians studying there.
“So when I look at universities I see Africa fast—forward 30 years.When this 20-year-old is now in his or her 50s,that person is going to be a leader.”
Today Ashesi,which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year,offers degrees in business,information systems and computer science.There are plans to offer engineering and economics majors in the near future.The school’s graduation rate is between 70%and 90%,according to Awuah.
In our last freshman class,50% of the students paid full tuition(学费),25%were on full scholarships and 25%on partial scholarships ,”he said.“The reason why variety is so important is that the most important conversation on campus is a conversation about the good society—what is the good society we would like to see in Africa? That conversation is a lot more interesting if you have variety in the classroom,”adds Awuah.In Awuah’s opinion,Africa should be changed by
A.investing more money for development |
B.developing computer science |
C.training future leaders for development |
D.founding more universities |
The underlined sentence in the first paragraph infers that “_____”.
A.Awuah regretted that he had once worked with Microsoft |
B.Awuah would doubt if he should resign from Microsoft |
C.Awuah wondered whether it was right to invest for a university |
D.Awuah felt it wrong that he had refused a job with a large salary |
The university founded by Awuah_____.
A.came into being 10 years ago | B.was named with “beginning” |
C.is located in the capital of Ghan | D.will be run for 30 years |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?
A.Ashesi has offered five degrees since it was founded. |
B.Awuah had earned millions of dollars before he left Microsoft. |
C.50% of the new students in Ashesi receive education for free. |
D.Awuah was the only investor in setting up Ashesi University. |
I am a strong believer that if a child is raised with approval (准允), he learns to love himself and will be successful in his own way. Several weeks ago, I was doing homework with my son in the third grade and he kept standing up from his chair to go over the math lines. I kept asking him to sit down, telling him that he would concentrate better. He sat but seconds later, as if he didn’t even notice he was doing it, he got up again. I was getting frustrated (受挫), but then it hit me. I started noticing his answers were much quicker and accurate when he stood up. Could he be more absorbed while standing up?
This made me start questioning myself and what I had been raised to believe. I was raised to believe that a quiet, calm child was a sure way to success. This child would have the willpower to study hard, get good grades and become someone important in life.
Now those same people perhaps come to realize that their kids are born with their own sets of DNA and personality qualities, and all you can do is loving and accepting them. As parents, throughout their growing years and beyond that, we need to be our kids’ best cheerleaders, guiding them and helping them find their way.
I have stopped asking my son to sit down and concentrate. Obviously, he is concentrating just in his own way and not mine. We need to learn to accept our kids’ ways of doing things. Some way may have worked for me but doesn’t mean we need to carry it through generations. There is nothing sweeter than being personal and unique (独特的). It makes us free and happy and that’s just the way I want my kids to live their own life.Time and again the author got his son seated in order to make him ______.
A.work fast | B.go polite | C.stay relaxed | D.keep attentive |
The underlined “it” (in the first paragraph) probably refers to ______.
A.his son’s doing better while standing up |
B.his failure in keeping his son under control |
C.his own experience as a school boy |
D.his disappointment with his active child |
By this passage, the author attempts to tell other parents to ______.
A.correct their kids’ manners from the early ages |
B.respect and trust their kids’ ways of behaviors |
C.develop a good relationship with their children |
D.guarantee their children’s freedom at home |
Which of the following would be the best title of the passage?
A.Parental help with teens’ study |
B.Adult influence on teen growth |
C.Kids’ success in their own styles |
D.Friendship between generations |
Monkeys prefer heavy metal to classical music, according to researchers at the University of Wisconsin whose findings are published this week in Biology Letters.
Scientists played a selection of music to a group of South American cotton-top monkeys but the only sound that got a reaction were from the heavy metal band Metallica. They were seemingly disinterested in Led Zeppelin, Miles Davis and Bach, but after the beautiful sound of Master of Puppets by Metallica was played the monkeys calmed down.
"Monkeys interpret rising and falling sounds differently than humans. Oddly, their only response to several samples of human music was a calming response to the heavy-metal band Metallica," said Professor Charles Snowdon, from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Rather than making them excited or aggressive, the heavy metal tracks had a comforting effect. Dr Snowdon, who teamed up with National Symphony Orchestra musican David Teie, also played the monkeys music composed specifically for them. Although they enjoyed Metallica, they were much more interested in these pieces.
A melody(乐曲) based on the short calls of scared monkeys led to anxiety levels rapidly growing, researchers found, while one based on long calls the creatures make when they are happy had a calming effect.
Frans B.M. de Waal, a professor of psychology at Emory University who studies animals, said the findings appear to say more about how monkeys respond to the sounds they make than they do about music or the evolution of music.
Dr Snowdon no longer has a monkey colony to use in his research, but he said his co-author David Teie is exploring the concept of music for cats.
"If we understand how we can affect their emotional states through using musical sound and aspects of our speech, maybe those of us living with companion animals can have a better relationship with them, too," Snowdon said. The research mentioned in the passage is mainly about ______.
A.the change of music over time | B.animals’ response to music |
C.special music for animals | D.the origin of music |
When the monkeys heard the music they liked, they ______.
A.looked anxious | B.became restless |
C.felt at ease | D.made long calls |
According to the passage, the monkeys are most interested in the music ______.
A.of Led Zeppelin | B.of Miles Davis |
C.of Metallica | D.specially composed for them |
The aim of the research, according to Professor Snowdon, is to ______.
A.build better ties between animals and humans |
B.compare monkeys and cats in term of music |
C.develop new music based on animals’ calls |
D.find better ways to keep animals under control |
Cultural Center Adds Classes for Young Adults
The Allendale Cultural Center has expanded its arts program to include classes for young adults. Director Leah Martin announced Monday that beginning in September, three new classes will be offered to the Allendale community. The course titles will be Yoga for Teenagers; Hip Hop Dance: Learning the Latest Moves; and Creative Journaling for Teens: Discovering the Writer Within. The latter course will not be held at the Allendale Cultural Center but instead will meet at the Allendale Public Library.
Staff member Tricia Cousins will teach the yoga and hip hop classes. Ms. Cousins is an accomplished choreographer (舞蹈教师) as well as an experienced dance educator. She has an MA in dance education from Teachers College, Columbia University, where she wrote a thesis on the pedagogical (教学法的) effectiveness of dance education. The journaling class will be taught by Betsy Milford. Ms. Milford is the head librarian at the Allendale Public Library as well as a columnist for the professional journal Library Focus.
The courses are part of the Allendale Cultural Center’s Project Teen, which was initiated by Leah Martin, Director of the Cultural Center. According to Martin, this project is a direct result of her efforts to make the center a more essential part of the Allendale community. Over the last several years, the number of people who have visited the cultural center for classes or events has steadily declined. Project Teen is primarily funded by a generous grant from The McGee Arts Foundation, an organization devoted to bringing arts programs to young adults. Martin oversees the Project Teen board, which consists of five board members. Two board members are students at Allendale’s Brookdale High School; the other three are adults with backgrounds in education and the arts.
The creative journaling class will be cosponsored by Brookdale High School, and students who complete the class will be given the opportunity to publish one of their journal entries in Pulse, Brookdale’s student literary magazine. Students who complete the hip hop class will be eligible to participate in the Allendale Review, an annual concert sponsored by the cultural center that features local actors, musicians, and dancers. All classes are scheduled to begin immediately following school dismissal, and transportation will be available from Brookdale High School to the Allendale Cultural Center and the Allendale Public Library. For more information about Project Teen, contact the cultural center’s programming office at 988-0099 or drop by the office after June 1 to pick up a fall course catalog. The office is located on the third floor of the Allendale Town Hall.Which of the following statements is correct?
A.Tricia Cousins will teach two of the new classes. |
B.The new classes will begin on June 1. |
C.People who want a complete fall catalogue should stop by the Allendale Public Library. |
D.The cultural center’s annual concert is called Pulse. |
According to Leah Martin, what was the direct cause of Project Teen?
A.Tricia Cousins was available to teach courses in the fall. |
B.Community organizations were ignoring local teenagers. |
C.The McGee Arts Foundation wanted to be more involved in Allendale’s arts programming. |
D.She wanted to make the cultural center a more important part of the Allendale community. |
Which of the following factors is implied as another reason for Project Teen?
A.The number of people visiting the cultural center has declined over the last several years. |
B.The cultural center wanted a grant from The McGee Arts Foundation. |
C.The young people of Allendale have complained about the cultural center’s offerings. |
D.Leah Martin thinks classes for teenagers are more important than classes for adults. |
This article is organized in which of the following ways?
A.In time order, from the past to the future. |
B.Most important information first, followed by background and details. |
C.Background first, followed by the most important information and details. |
D.As sensational news, with the most controversial topic first. |
You put a great deal of effort into reaching the college of your choice. It’s time to get started. But what’s next? Beginning college can be an exciting but awkward time. Follow these tips to adjust to your new life rapidly and make the most of your college experience.
● To save time and money, use the college’s bus system. Taking the bus to school is quick, easy and free in most college towns. You won’t have to locate or afford a place to park either. It’s also a good way to be environmentally aware.
● Save pennies on books by waiting until class starts. You might not even need all of the recommended books. New textbooks cost an arm and a leg. Try buying used textbooks — it’s a surefire way to save money and serves the purpose as well.
● Do never look at college life as an endless series of parties and social activities. But there is a whole lot more to college if you’re serious about graduating. Having a good college experience is all about balancing work and fun.
● Be aware that your living environment can largely affect your academic success. If the dorm doesn’t suit you, consider living at home with your family or renting your own apartment. The best location for your studies isn’t always your dorm. Find a quiet area, like the library, to do your work. Alternatively, buy some headphones that block out noise.
● Be mindful of your diet. Make healthy food choices and watch what you eat. Avoid foods that are processed or high in sugar. The “freshman 15” is real. Many college students gain at least 15 pounds during their freshmen year.
● While electives (选修课) can be helpful when figuring out your major, you shouldn’t entirely rely on them. Clubs and other organizations exist around. Get involved. Make sure, though, that you still have time to study. Having too much on your plate can hurt your grades.Which of the following ideas can be financially wise?
A.Driving your own car. | B.Buying used books. |
C.Renting an apartment. | D.Attending activities. |
In the text, freshmen are repeatedly warned against ______.
A.academic failures | B.physical problems |
C.traffic accidents | D.social activities |
The “freshman 15” tells the fact that some freshmen ______.
A.attend limited activities on campus |
B.have little regular physical exercise |
C.focus less on their academic work |
D.take relaxed attitudes to their diets |
The underlined phrase “having too much on your plate” probably refers to ______.
A.using too much money for meals |
B.eating too many unhealthy foods |
C.taking part in too many after-class activities |
D.taking an elective that has too many students |