A rat looked through a crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife opening a package. What food might it contain? He was alarmed to discover that it was a rat trap (捕鼠夹).
Going back to the farmyard the rat gave a warning: “There is a rat trap in the house, a rat trap in the house!” The chicken raised her head and said: “Excuse me, Mr Rat, I can tell this is a big concern to you, but it is of no business to me. I cannot be bothered with it.”
The rat turned to the pig and told him: “There is a rat trap in the house, a rat trap in the house!”“I am so very sorry, Mr. Rat,” sympathized the pig, “but there is nothing I can do about it but pray. I will make sure that you are in my prayers.”
The rat turned to the cow. She said, “Like wow, Mr. Rat. A rat trap. I am in grave danger. Duh?”
So the rat returned to the house, head down and dejected, to face the farmer’s rat trap alone.
That very night a sound was heard throughout the house, like the sound of a rat trap catching its prey (猎物). The farmer’s wife rushed to see what was caught. In the darkness, she did not see that it was a poisonous snake whose tail the trap had caught. The snake bit the farmer’s wife.
The farmer rushed her to the hospital. She returned home with a fever. Now everyone knows you treat a fever with fresh chicken soup, so the farmer took his hatchet (短柄斧) to the farmyard for the soup’s main ingredient.
His wife’s sickness continued so that friends and neighbors came to sit with her around the clock. To feed them the farmer killed the pig.
The farmer’s wife did not get well. She died, and so many people came for her funeral that the farmer had the cow killed to provide meat for all of them to eat.
So the next time you hear that someone is facing a problem and think that it does not concern you, remember that when there is a rat trap in the house, the whole farmyard is at risk.The underlined word “dejected” in Paragraph 5 is closest in meaning to .
| A．disappointed | B．surprised | C．confused | D．doubtful |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the article?
| A．The chicken showed great concern for the rat. |
| B．The pig helped the rat get rid of the trap. |
| C．The cow didn’t care about what the rat said. |
| D．The snake was killed after being caught in the trap. |
We can conclude from the article that .
| A．the farmer’s wife got good treatment in the hospital |
| B．the farmer regretted setting up the rat trap |
| C．the rat was very wise in avoiding the trap |
| D．none of the other animals felt threatened by the rat trap |
What message does the story intend to convey?
| A．We should mind our own business. | B．Everything is related to something else. |
| C．Helping others is always a virtue. | D．We should treat animals in a friendly way. |
Make Up Your Mind to Succeed
Kindhearted parents have unknowingly left their children defenseless against failure. The generation born between 1980 and 2001 grew up playing sports where scores and performance were played down because “everyone's a winner.” And their report cards sounded more positive (正面的) than ever before. As a result, Stanford University professor Carol Dweck, PhD, calls them “the overpraised generation.”
Dweck has been studying how people deal with failure for 40 years. Her research has led her to find out two clearly different mindsets that have a great effect on how we react to it. Here's how they work：
A fixed mindset is grounded in the belief that talent (才能) is genetic—you're a born artist, point guard, or numbers person. The fixed mindset believes it's sure to succeed without much effort and regards failure as personal shame. When things get difficult, it's quick to blame, lie, and even stay away from future difficulties.
On the other hand, a growth mindset believes that no talent is entirely heavensent and that effort and learning make everything possible. Because the ego(自尊) isn't on the line as much, the growth mindset sees failure as a chance rather than shame. When faced with a difficulty, it's quick to rethink, change and try again. In fact, it enjoys this experience.
We are all born with growth mindsets. (Otherwise, we wouldn't be able to live in the world.) But parents, teachers, and instructors often push us into fixed mindsets by encouraging certain actions and misdirecting praise. Dweck's book, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, and online instructional program explain this in depth. But she says there are many little things you can start doing today to make sure that your children, grandchildren and even you are never defeated by failure.What does the author think about the present generation?
| A．They don't do well at school. |
| B．They are often misunderstood. |
| C．They are eager to win in sports. |
| D．They are given too much praise. |
A fixed mindset person is probably one who ________.
| A．doesn't want to work hard |
| B．cares a lot about personal safety |
| C．cannot share his ideas with others |
| D．can succeed with the help of teachers |
What does the growth mindset believe?
| A．Admitting failure is shameful. |
| B．Talent comes with one's birth. |
| C．Scores should be highly valued. |
| D．Getting over difficulties is enjoyable. |
What should parents do for their children based on Dweck's study?
| A．Encourage them to learn from failures. |
| B．Prevent them from making mistakes. |
| C．Guide them in doing little things. |
| D．Help them grow with praise. |
Moscow, Russia (Space news)... "The,computer is a better chess player, " insisted Viktor Prozorov, the loser. "It seemed as if it were laughing after every good move, I know I should have beaten it for the sake of mankind(为人类着想), but I just couldn't win," he announced and shook his head sadly.
Prozorov's disappointment was shared by sereral grand masters who were present, some of whom were so upet that they shouted at the machine. Many chess players said that this meant the end of chess championships(锦标赛) around the world, since the fun had been taken out of the game.
The computer walked or rather, rolled-away with 5,000 dollars in prize money and limited its remarks to a set of noises and lights.Which of the following best gives the main idea of this newspaper article?
| A．5,000 dollars goes to a computer! | B．New invention:a laughing computer! |
| C．World's best chess player beaten! | D．Computer defeats man in chess! |
How did some of the grand masters feel about chess game between Prozorov and the computer?
A. They thought that the game was no fun.
B. They thought that the game was no fun.
C. They agreed that Prozorov didn't play well
D They were unhappy that the computer had won.What was it that Prozorov felt most bitter(懊恼) about?
| A．That he didn't win the $5,000. | B．That he hadn't tried his best. |
| C．That he had lost to a machine. | D．That this was the end of the chess game. |
After winning the game, the computer______.
| A．laughed | B．walked away |
| C．made some remarks | D．gave out some lights and sounds |
Many chess players felt that playing with a computer would______.
| A．make the game tougher | B．make the game less interesting |
| C．make man appear foolish | D．make man lose lots of money |
Phil White has just returned from an 18,000mile, aroundtheworld bicycle trip. White had two reasons for making this epic journey. First of all, he wanted to use the trip to raise money for charity, which he did. He raised￡70,000 for the British charity, Oxfam. White's second reason for making the trip was to break the world record and become the fastest person to cycle around the world. He is still waiting to find out if he has broken the record or not.
White set off from Trafalgar Square, in London, on 19th June 2004 and was back 299 days later. He spent more than 1,300 hours in the saddle (车座) and destroyed four sets of tyres and three bike chains. He had the adventure of his life crossing Europe, the Middle East, India, Asia, Australia, New Zealand and the Americas. Amazingly, he did all of this with absolutely no support team. No jeep carrying food, water and medicine. No doctor. Nothing! Just a bike and a very, very long road.
The journey was lonely and desperate at times. He also had to fight his way across deserts, through jungles and over mountains. He cycled through heavy rains and temperatures of up to 45 degrees, all to help people in need. There were other dangers along the road. In Iran, he was chased by armed robbers and was lucky to escape with his life and the little money he had. The worst thing that happened to him was having to cycle into a headwind on a road that crosses the south of Australia. For 1,000 kilometres he battled against the wind that was constantly pushing him. This part of the trip was slow, hard work and depressing, but he made it in the end. Now Mr. White is back and intends to write a book about his adventures.When Phil White returned from his trip, he ________.
| A．broke the world record |
| B．collected money for Oxfam |
| C．destroyed several bikes |
| D．travelled about 1,300 hours |
What does the word “epic” in Paragraph 1 most probably mean?
| A．Very slow but exciting. |
| B．Very long and difficult. |
| C．Very smooth but tiring. |
| D．Very lonely and depressing. |
During his journey around the world, Phil White ________.
| A．fought heroically against robbers in Iran |
| B．experienced the extremes of heat and cold |
| C．managed to ride against the wind in Australia |
| D．had a team of people who travelled with him |
Which of the following words can best describe Phil White?
| A．Imaginative. | B．Patriotic. | C．Modest. | D．Determined. |
The world is filled with smart，talented，educated and gifted people.We meet them every day.A few days ago，my car was not running well.I pulled it into a garage，and the young mechanic had it fixed in just a few minutes.He knew what was wrong by simply listening to the engine.I was a mazed.The sad truth is that great talent is not enough.
I am constantly shocked at how little talented people earn.I heard the other day that less than 5 percent of Americans earn more than $100,000 a year.A business consultant who specializes in the medical，trade told me how many doctors and dentists struggled financially.It was this business consultant who gave me the phrase，“They are one skill away from great wealth.”
There is an old saying that goes，“Job means ‘just over broke (破产)’．” And unfortunately，I would say that the saying applies to millions of people.Because school does not think financial intelligence is intelligence，and most workers “live_within_their_means”．They work and they pay the bills.Instead I recommend young people to seek work for what they will learn，more than what they will earn.
When I ask the class I teach，“How many of you can cook a better hamhurger than McDonald’s？” almost all the students raise their hands.I then ask，“So if most of you can cook a better hamburger，how come McDonald’s makes more money than you？” The answer is obvious：McDonald’s is excellent at business systems.The reason why so many talented people are poor is that they focus on making a better hamburger but know little or nothing about business systems.The world is filled with talented poor people.They focus on perfecting their skills at making a better hamburger rather than the skills of selling and delivering the hamburger.The author mentions the mechanic in the first paragraph to show that________.
| A．he is just one of the talented people |
| B．he is ready to help others |
| C．he has a sharp sense of hearing |
| D．he knows little about car repairing |
The underlined part in the third paragraph can be best replaced by “________”．
| A．spend more than they can afford |
| B．do in their own way |
| C．live in their own circle |
| D．live within what they earn |
Why do talented people earn so little according to the author?
| A．They don’t work hard enough. |
| B．They lack financial intelligence. |
| C．They don’t make full use of their talents. |
| D．They have no specialized skills. |
The success of McDonald’s lies in its________.
| A．skills at making hamburgers |
| B．good business systems |
| C．talented workers |
| D．excellent service |
The main purpose of the author is to tell us________.
| A．how young people can find a satisfactory job |
| B．what schools should teach students |
| C．why so many talented people are poor |
| D．how McDonald’s makes much money |
BLOOD DRIVE ＆ MARROW（骨髓）REGISTRATION
“These patients deserve a chance at a normal, happy future and they rely on the kindness of the strangers to make that happen.
— Daisy, Isabelle’s Mother
Isabelle is the daughter of Daisy and Saman Mirzaei. In January 2008 Isabelle was diagnosed（诊断）with a genetic blood disorder，beta thalassemia. Isabelle’s body is unable to produce healthy red blood cells. As a result, Isabelle has been receiving blood transfusions (输血) every 4-6weeks since she was 11 months old. A lifetime of regular transfusions can lead to serious medical problems. Her only chance at a normal, healthy life is to have a marrow transplant. Isabelle is an only child, so doctors have started a search for an unrelated marrow donor through The Match Registry. The Mirzaei family asks that you consider helping patients like Isabelle by registering to be a marrow donor and give the gift of life, the gift of blood.
Held at Wiley Hall
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Behind Heathman Dormitory/Butterfield Rd.
12:00 PM - 6 :00 PM
Don’t forget to bring your driver’s license or another form of identification when you donate.
Visit www.ribc.org to make an appointment, Sponsor Code 3390.
FREE Kingston Pizza ! ! !
| Marrow Donors: BE THE MATCH bethematch.org ·be 18 to 44 years old ·in good health ·give a swab(化验标本)of your cheek cells for marrow typing ·FREE—sponsored（赞助）by Michael’s Fund |
WWW. ribc. org 800-283-8385
The Rhode Island Blood Center distributes blood products to hospitals in Rhode Island and Southern New England.We can learn from the passage that__________.
| A．the blood drive is organized by Isabelle's mother |
| B．Isabelle receives blood transfusions regularly |
| C．Isabelle has been ill for 11 months |
| D．doctors will sponsor Isabelle's family |
To be a marrow donor, you must_____________.
| A．be a relative of the patient | B．carry a driver's license |
| C．be at least 18 years old | D．apply to Michael's Fund |
Those who want to help patients like Isabelle can ___________.
| A．come to Wiley Hall every Wednesday |
| B．visit www. ribc. org for an appointment |
| C．contact their parents at 800-283-8385 |
| D．call at hospitals in Rhode Island |