There was once a blind man, who did a lot of traveling alone. He was making his first trip to Texas and happened to be seated next to a Texan on the flight.
The Texan spent a lot of time telling him how everything was bigger and better in Texas. After the blind man reached his destination, a large resort (度假) hotel, he was very excited about being in Texas.
The long trip had worn him out a little so he decided to stop at the bar for a small soda and a light snack before going up to his room to sleep.
When the waitress set down his drink, it was in a huge cup. “Wow, I had heard everything in Texas is bigger,” he told her.
“That’s right,” she replied. The blind man ate his snack and finished his drink. After drinking such a large amount, it was natural that his next stop was to be the restroom. He asked the waitress for directions. She told him to turn left at the corner, and then take the second door on the right.
He reached the first door and continued. A few steps later he stumbled (绊倒) slightly and missed the second door and ended up going through the third door instead. Not realizing he had entered the swimming area he walked forward and immediately fell into the swimming pool.
Remembering that everything was bigger in Texas, he had his head above water and started shouting “Don’t flush(冲洗)! Don’t flush!”Why was the blind man excited about being in Texas?
| A．It was the first time that he had travelled abroad. |
| B．People from Texas were very friendly than he expected. |
| C．He heard that everything was bigger and better in Texas. |
| D．The service staff in the large resort hotel was very humorous. |
Why did the blind man enter the swimming area?
| A．He wanted to go swimming. |
| B．He wanted to have a bath. |
| C．He stumbled and missed the restroom door. |
| D．The waitress gave him wrong directions. |
Why did the blind man go to the bar?
| A．To go through it on his way to his room. |
| B．To have a short rest after a long walk. |
| C．To have something to eat there. |
| D．To ask a waitress for directions. |
Why did the blind man shout out “Don’t flush! Don’t flush!”?
| A．He thought he was caught in a big toilet and someone was cleaning it. |
| B．He didn’t want anyone to clean the toilet at that time. |
| C．He didn’t want anyone to clean the swimming pool at that time. |
| D．He thought it was such a big swimming pool that making it clean was no use. |
If the passage is taken from a website, which part of the website does it belong to?
| A．Travel services. | B．Hotel services. | C．Funny stories. | D．Health problems. |
A friend of mine was in low spirits one day. He usually dealt with this state of mind by avoiding people until the mood passed. But on that day Fred had an important meeting with his boss, so he decided to put on a false front. During the meeting Fred smiled, joked and played the part of a happy, good-natured person. To his surprise, he soon discovered he was no longer depressed.
Without realizing it, Fred chanced to find an important new principle of psychological research: acting a part can help us feel the way we want to feel — more self-assured in a trying situation, more cheerful when things go wrong.
How can you put this principle to work in your own life? There’s more involved than simply mimicking a few expressions. You have to be systematic about it. Here’s how:
Smile to cheer yourself up.
Relax to reduce anxiety or fear.
Look your best to increase your self-confidence.
Keep cool in a crisis.
Using our bodies and actions to change the way we feel can be a useful tool in helping us through life’s difficult times. As novelist George Eliot wrote more than a century ago, “Our deeds determine us, as much as we determine our deeds.” People who remember that — and act upon it — can only be richer and happier for the experience.In paragraph 1 the underlined phrase “to put on a false front” means ______.
| A．to wear a wrong coat |
| B．to act a part unsuccessfully |
| C．to show a pretended happy appearance |
| D．to put on airs |
According to Paragraph 1, Fred ______before the meeting.
| A．had very few spirits |
| B．had many spirits |
| C．was in bad mood |
| D．was in good mood |
The underlined phrase “mimicking” in Paragraph 3 most probably means ______.
| A．learning quickly |
| B．making faces |
| C．behaving well |
| D．imitating others |
In the last paragraph, the quotation “Our deeds determine us, as much as we determine our deeds” may show that ______.
| A．actions speak louder than words |
| B．the more we do, the happier we are |
| C．our feeling cannot change our behavior |
| D．actions are very important for us to beat bad moods for good |
Sports can help you keep fit and get in touch with nature. However, whether you are on the mountains, in the waves, or on the grassland, you should be aware that your choice of sport might have great influence on the environment.
Some sports are resource-hungry. Golf, as you may know, eats up not only large areas of countryside, but also tons of water. Besides, all sorts of chemical and huge amounts of energy are used to keep its courses in good condition .This causes major environmental effects. For example, in the dry regions of Portugal and Spain, golf is often held responsible for serious water shortage in some local areas.
There are many environment-friendly sports．Power walking is one of them that you could take up today. You don’t need any special equipment except a good pair of shoes; and you don’t have to worry about resources and your purse. Simple and free, power walking can also keep you fit. If you walk regularly, it will be good for your heart and bones. Experts say that 20 minutes of power walking daily can make you feel less anxious, sleep well and have better weight control.
Whatever sport you take up, you can make it greener by using environment-friendly equipment and buying products made from recycled materials. But the final goal should be “green gyms”. They are better replacements for traditional health clubs and modern sports centers. Members of green gyms play sports outdoors, in the countryside or other open spaces. There is no special requirement for you to start your membership. And best of all, it’s free.What do we know about golf from the passage?
| A．It is not played in Portugal and Spain at all. |
| B．It causes water shortages around the world. |
| C．It pollutes the earth with chemicals and wastes. |
| D．It needs water and electricity to keep its courses green. |
The author uses power walking as an example mainly because ________.
| A．it is an outdoor sport |
| B．it improves our health |
| C．it uses fewer resources |
| D．it is recommended by experts |
The author writes the passage to ________
| A．show us the function of major sports |
| B．encourage us to go in for green sports |
| C．discuss the major influence of popular sports |
| D．introduce different types of environment-friendly sports |
When I learned that 71-year-old mother was playing Scrabble —a word game, I knew I had to do something. My husband suggests we give her a computer to play against herself. I wasn’t sure whether my mother was ready for it. After all, it had taken 15 years to persuade her to buy an electric cooker. Even so, we packed up our old computer and delivered it to my parents’ home. And so began my mother’s adventure in the world of the computers.It also marked the beginning of an unusual teaching task for me. I’ve taught people of all ages, but I never thought I would be teaching my mother how to do anything.She has been the one teaching me all my life: to cook and sew; to enjoy the good times and put up with the bad. Now it was my turn to give something back. It wasn’t easy at the beginning. There was so much to explain and to introduce. Slowly but surely, my mother caught on, making notes in a little notebook. After a few months of Scrabble and other games, I decided it was time to introduce her to word processing. This proved to be a bigger challenge to her, so I gave her some homework. I asked her to write me a letter, using different letter types, colors and spaces.“Are you this demanding with your kindergarten pupils?” she asked.“No, of course not,” I said.”They already know how to use a computer.”My mother isn’t the only one experiencing a fast personal growth period. Thanks to the computer, my father has finally got over his phone allergy(过敏). For as long as I can remember, any time I called, my mother would answer. Dad and I have had more phone conversations in the last two months than we’ve had in the past 20 years.What does the author do?
| A．She is a cooker |
| B．She is a teacher |
| C．She is a housewife |
| D．She is a computer engineer |
The author decided to give her mother a computer _____.
| A．to let her have more chances to write letters |
| B．to support to her in doing her homework |
| C．to help her through the bad times |
| D．to make her life more enjoyable |
The author asked her mother to write her a letter _____.
| A．because her mother had stopped using the telephone |
| B．because she wanted to keep in touch with her mother |
| C．so that her mother could practice what she had learned |
| D．so that her mother could be free from the housework |
Nickname: Hawaii’s Island of Adventure
Size: 4,028 square miles
Population: 148,677． The most heavily populated areas are Hilo on the east side and Kailua-Kona on the west．
Temperature: Averages between 71℉and 77℉ year around （expect the mercury（水银柱） to drop at higher heights）．
Beaches: 47 Golf Courts: 20 Highest Peak: Mauna Kea, 13,796 feet．
Agriculture: The bulk of Hawaii’s farming products are grown and processed on the Big Island, including coffee, macadamia nuts and papaya．
Lodging: 9,655 rooms total; nightly rates range from $35—$5,000．
Airports: Hilo International Airport on the east side and Kona International Airport on the west side．
Rental Cars: All of the nationally known rental car companies have locations at Hilo International and Kona International Airports as well as many resorts． In addition, Hilo, Kona and the major resort areas are serviced by taxis．
Resources: Call （800） 648-2441 to order a video, poster, brochures and maps from the Big Island Visitors Bureau． See www．bigisland．org for updated information．
Shopping: The largest shopping centers are in Hilo, Kona, Waimea and the Kona Coast．_________ are mostly interested in reading the passage．
| A．Students | B．Businessmen | C．Tourists | D．Immigrants |
The average population per square mile on the island is about _________．
| A．28 | B．32 | C．37 | D．44 |
__________ are not mentioned as a traffic means to get around the Big Island．
| A．Trains | B．Planes | C．Rental cars | D．Taxis |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．You can see www．bigisland．org for updated information． |
| B．You can call （800） 648-2441 to order some food． |
| C．You can find some courts to play tennis on the island． |
| D．You may pay a high price for spending one night on the island． |
Earlier, in the old days, women used to sit at home separated from the outside world. They used to manage the home and look after children. They were free of the responsibility of earning money to support the family, which was left to men.
With the coming of industrialization (工业化) and technological development, the lifestyles of human beings started to change. The needs of human beings started to grow. In this process, women slowly started to move outside the home. Women received the same education as men. Gradually, women slowly started to think independently and participated equally with men in all fields of life, including politics, sports and even military.
With changing environments, the role of women has become more important in society. To match today’s standard of living, it is necessary for both men and women to support the family.
Today, women have been given bigger roles to play in society. They are even taking more responsibility than men. At first, men disagreed with women pursuing (追求) their careers outside the home. However, with growing needs and a shortage of money, they had no other way but to accept the reality.
The financial contributions from women to their families have increased, but in some places, the home is still managed only by women as in the past. It is a challenging task for women to manage both. Women are bearing the stress and suffering mental difficulties with both managing the home and pursuing their careers.The best title for the passage would be _________.
| A．Women's Responsibility in Society | B．The Changing Social Environments |
| C．The Changing Role of Women in Society | D．Women's Financial Contributions |
Earlier in the old days, women used to do the following EXCEPT _________.
| A．wash clothes | B．prepare dinners |
| C．look after children | D．make money for the family |
We can infer from the last paragraph that ______.
| A．women don't need to manage the home today |
| B．women are taking more responsibility than before |
| C．men still disagree with women pursuing their careers |
| D．men have begun to do more housework than women |