Inaugural Address－John F. Kennedy
delivered 20 January 1961
We observe today not a victory of party, but a celebration of freedom—symbolizing an end, as well as a beginning—signifying renewal, as well as change. For I have sworn before you and Almighty God the same solemn oath our forebears prescribed nearly a century and three-quarters ago.
The world is very different now, for man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life. And yet the same revolutionary beliefs for which our forebears fought are still at issue around the globe–the belief that the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state, but from the hand of God.
We dare not forget today that we are the heirs of that first revolution. Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans—born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage, and unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of those human rights to which this nation has always been committed, and to which we are committed today at home and around the world.
Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and the success of liberty.
This much we pledge—and more…
In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I do not shrink from this responsibility -- I welcome it. I do not believe that any of us would exchange places with any other people or any other generation. The energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this endeavor will light our country and all who serve it. And the glow from that fire can truly light the world.
And so, my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.
My fellow citizens of the world, ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.
Finally, whether you are citizens of America or citizens of the world, ask of us here the same high standards of strength and sacrifice which we ask of you. With a good conscience our only sure reward, with history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth God's work must truly be our own.
What should friends and foes know?
| A．That the United States is powerful. |
| B．That a new generation of Americans are responsible for their government. |
| C．That the United States is governed by liberals. |
| D．That the rights of man come from the hand of God. |
What is Kennedy’s promise to the world?
| A．To support liberty. | B．To abolish all forms of human poverty. |
| C．To visit each country at least once. | D．To support any friend. |
What should citizens of the world ask of America?
| A．How America can help them. |
| B．If America plans to invade their country. |
| C．What they can do for freedom. |
| D．What they can do for America. |
Which of the following statement is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Human beings have the power to put an end to all forms of poverty. |
| B．We should remember we are the first revolution. |
| C．Our nation has always been committed to human rights. |
| D．We should assure the survival and the success of liberty. |
As we know, it is common for people to catch a cold in winter and most people believe they know the reason for colds. However, scientists say people have some wrong beliefs about the cause of colds.
Many people think that once you get infected by colds, you will not be easy to be attacked by colds for the rest of your life. That’s not the case. There are about 200 different viruses that cause the common cold. You catch a cold because of one kind of them this time, but you might catch a cold next time because of another.
Others believe that people get sick just because of the cold weather in winter. That is also wrong.
It’s because people tend to stay closer in winter and the cold virus is transmitted from one person to another through handshakes, sneezing, or coughing.
While there is no actual cure for the common cold, scientists say there are still a few things you can do to help you. Some experts say honey and chicken soup are effective against colds. Especially honey. There is increasing evidence that it helps shorten the duration of the common cold sometimes even by two to three days particularly in children. Chicken soup also helps reduce the duration of the cold.
In addition, if you do have a cold and you don’t feel like eating anything, it’s not going to hurt you but you have to drink a lot and you can drink water or tea because doctors say the water cycle in your bodies helps to cure colds. That’s very important. Though there is more than one way to deal with colds, doctors say the best advice is to continue using whatever works best for you. We know from the second paragraph that ______.
| A．the common cold is caused by only one virus |
| B．there are people who never catch a cold |
| C．colds can be caused by different viruses |
| D．all people are easily attacked by colds |
The underlined word “transmitted” in the fourth paragraph means “______”.
| A．passed | B．changed | C．cured | D．caused |
If you have a cold, you can do the following except ______.
| A．drinking a lot of water | B．drinking chicken soups |
| C．eating honey | D．forcing yourself to eat |
It can be inferred from the passage that ______.
| A．now scientists have found out practical treatment for colds |
| B．different people may have different ways to fight against colds |
| C．working in freezing weather is the main reason for colds |
| D．colds can be passed from animals to human beings |
For those who are tired of doing the laundry, Samsung has found an answer: a washing machine that can tell you when your laundry is done via a smartphone app (application).
Strange though it may seem — "my wife already does that" was a common response among attendees viewing the device when it was introduced at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) this week — Samsung is just one of many appliance makers racing to install a large number of internet-connected features in machines in an effort to make them "smart".
Last year, it was a refrigerator that tweeted. This year, it's Wi-Fi-enabled laundry machines and fridges that can tell you when your groceries are going bad.
The washers and dryers, available starting in the spring, connect to any smartphone through a downloadable application. The phone can then be used as a remote control, so the machines can be turned on and off while their owner is at work or on the bus.
Samsung says it's not just something new — the app connection actually has some practical uses.
"If you started to dry clothes in the morning and forgot to take them out, you can go to your phone and restart your dryer for the time when come home, so your clothes are refreshed and ready to go." said spokesperson Amy Schmidt.
The company also says that with electricity rate (电价) varying depending on the time of day, more control over when the machines are used can help save money.
Perhaps, but what they will probably really accomplish is what all good technologies do — enable laziness. Rather than getting up to check on whether the laundry is done, users will instead monitor it on their phones while watching TV. What can be inferred from the common response of the attendees at the CES?
| A．The machine will be a big success. |
| B．their wives like doing the laundry. |
| C．The machine is unrelated to their life. |
| D．This kind of technology is familiar to them. |
We can conclude from Samsung's statements that ________.
| A．the app connection makes life easier |
| B．it is better to dry clothes in the morning |
| C．smartphone can shorten the drying time |
| D．we should refresh clothes back at home |
What is the main idea of the last paragraph?
| A．The laundry should be frequently checked |
| B．Lazy people like using such machines |
| C．Good technologies also cause problems |
| D．Television may help do the laundry |
It is easy for us to tell our friends from our enemies. But can other animals do the same? Elephants can! They can use their sense of vision and smell to tell the difference between people who pose a threat and those who do not.
In Kenya, researchers found that elephants react differently to clothing worn by men of the Maasai and Kamba ethnic groups. Young Maasai men spear animals and thus pose a threat to elephants; Kamba men are mainly farmers and are not a danger to elephants.
In an experiment conducted by animal scientists, elephants were first presented with clean clothing or clothing that had been worn for five days by either a Maasai or a Kamba man. When the elephants detected(察觉)the smell of clothing worn by a Maasai man, they moved away from the smell faster and took longer to relax than when they detected the smells of either clothing worn by Kamba men or clothing that had not been worn at all.
Clothing color also plays a role, though in a different way. In the same study, when the elephants saw red clothing not worn before, they reacted angrily, as red is typically worn by Maasai men. Rather than running away as they did with the smell, the elephants acted aggressively toward the red clothing.
The researchers believe that the elephants’ emotional reactions are due to their different interpretations of the smells and the sights. Smelling a potential danger means that a threat is nearby and the best thing to do is run away and hide. Seeing a potential threat without its smell means that risk is low. Therefore, instead of showing fear and running away, the elephants express their anger and become aggressive.According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE about Kamba and Maasai people?
| A．Maasai people are a threat to elephants. |
| B．Kamba people raise elephants for farming. |
| C．Both Kamba and Maasai people are elephant hunters. |
| D．Both Kamba and Maasai people traditionally wear red clothing. |
How did the elephants react to smell in the study?
| A．They attacked a man with the smell of new clothing. |
| B．They needed time to relax when smelling something unfamiliar. |
| C．They became anxious when they smelled Kamba-scented(有…气味的) clothing. |
| D．They were frightened and ran away when they smelled their enemies. |
What is the main idea of this passage?
| A．Elephants use sight and smell to detect danger. |
| B．Elephants attack people who wear red clothing. |
| C．Scientists are now able to control elephants’ emotions. |
| D．Some Kenyan tribes understand elephants’ emotions very well. |
What can be inferred about the elephants’ behavior from this passage?
| A．Elephants learn from their experience. |
| B．Elephants have sharper sense of smell than sight. |
| C．Elephants are more intelligent than other animals. |
| D．Elephants tend to attack rather than escape when in danger. |
Chelsea Clinton, the 31-year-old daughter of former President Bill Clinton and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, is stepping into her own spotlight.
According to the New York Times, NBC has hired Clinton to become a full-time special correspondent（记者） for NBC News. Her feature stories will reportedly be used in the “Making a Difference” series, which runs on “NBC Nightly News”. The sections attract people who volunteer to improve the lives of others in their communities.
When Bill Clinton won the presidency in 1992, the first lady asked the press to keep Chelsea out of the public eyes. As a young adult, Chelsea continued to avoid media attention in order to attend college and quietly enter the business world. Once her mother decided to run for the presidency in 2007, however, Chelsea made hundreds of public appearances, mostly on college campuses, to support the campaign. More recently, she has worked for New York University and promoted her father’s latest book. She is currently pursuing a doctor’s degree at Oxford.
Clinton is the second daughter of a president hired by NBC News; Jenna Bush Hager, daughter of former President George W. Bush, works as a correspondent for NBC’s “Today” show. Chelsea Clinton continued to stay out of media attention to _____.
| A．improve the lives of others |
| B．help her father in the election |
| C．study and go to the business circle |
| D．support her mother for the presidency |
What does the underlined word mean in Paragraph 2?
| A．is shown | B．flows | C．is managed | D．spreads |
Which is the right order of the events?
a. Chelsea helped to sell Bill Clinton’s latest book.
b. Chelsea pursues her doctor’s degree.
c. Chelsea supported her mother’s career.
d. Chelsea was out of the public attention.
| A．d, a, c, b | B．c, d, b, a |
| C．c, b, d, a | D．d, c, a, b |
According to the text, we can conclude that _____.
| A．Chelsea Clinton is the second daughter of Bill Clinton |
| B．Chelsea Clinton is in favour of her parents’ careers |
| C．Chelsea Clinton always follows her mother’s advice |
| D．Jenna Bush Hager is a correspondent for “NBC Nightly News” |
Mini Book Excerpts (节选)
Biography
When Salinger learned that a car park was to be built on the land, the middle-aged writer was shocked and quickly bought the neighboring area to protect it… The townspeople never forgot the rescue and came to help their most famous neighbor.
J. D. Salinger: A Life by Kenneth Slawenski (Random House, $27)
Mystery (疑案小说)
"You're a smart boy. Benny's death was no accident, and you're the only who saw it happen. Do you think the murderer should get away with it?" The boy was staring stubbornly at his lap again.
A thought suddenly occurred to Annika, "Did you …You recognized the man in the car, didn't you?"
The boy hesitated, twisting his fingers, "Maybe," he said quietly.
Red Wolf by Liza Marklund (Atria Books, $25.99)
Short Stories
She wants to say to him what she has learned, none of it in class. Some women are born stupid, and some women are too smart for their own good. Some women are born to give, and some women only know how to take. Some women learn who they want to be from their mothers, some who they don't want to be. Some mothers suffer so their daughters won't. Some mothers love so their daughters won't.
You Are Free by Danzy Senna (Riverhead Books, $15)
Humor
Do your kids like to have fun? Come to Fun Times! Do you like to watch your kids having fun? Bring them to Fun Times! Fun Times!'s "amusement cycling" is the most fun you can have, legally, in the United States right now. Why spend thousands of dollars flying to Disney World when you can spend less than half of that within a day's drive of most cities?
Happy: And Other Bad Thoughts by Larry Doyle (Ecco, $14.99)If the readers want to know about the life of Salinger, they should buy the book published by ________.
| A．Ecco | B．Atria Books | C．Riverhead Books | D．Random House |
The book Happy And Other Bad Thoughts is intended for ________.
| A．young children | B．Disney World workers |
| C．middle school teachers | D．parents with young children |
Which book describes women with characters of their own?
A. Happy And Other Bad Thoughts
B. J. D. Salinger: A Life
C. You Are Free
D. Red Wolf After finishing the book Red Wolf, the readers would learn that ________.
| A．the boy helped arrest the murderer |
| B．Benny died of an accident |
| C．the murderer got away with the crime |
| D．Annika carried out the crime |