Banks are not ordinarily prepared to pay out all accounts(账，账户); they rely on depositors (储户) not to deman
d payment all at the same time. If depositors should come to fear that a bank is not safe, that it cannot pay off all its depositors, then that fear might cause all the depositors to appear on the same day. If they did, the bank could not pay all accounts. However, if they did not all appear at once, then there would always be enough money to pay those who wanted their money when they wanted it. M
rs. Elsie Vaught has told us of a terrifying bank run that she experienced. One day in December of 1925 several banks failed to
open i
n a city where Mrs. Vaught lived. The other banks expected a run the next day, and so the officers of the bank in which Mrs Vaught worked as a teller had enough money on hand to pay off their depositors. The officers simply told the tellers to pay on demand. The next morning a crowd gathered in the bank and on the sidewalk outside. The length of the line made many think that the bank could not possibly pay off everyone. People began to push and then to fight for places near the tellers’ windows. The power of the panic atm
osphere was such that two tellers, though they knew that the bank was quite all right and could pay all depositors, drew their own money from the bank. Mrs Vaught says that she had difficulty keeping herself from doing the same.A bank run happens when _______.
| A．too many depositors try to draw out their money at one time | |
| B．a bank is closed for one or more days |
C．there is enough money to pay all its depositors at one time |
| D．tellers of a bank take their own money from the bank |
The tellers in Mrs. Vaught’s bank were told to ________.
| A．explain why they could not pay out all accounts |
| B．pay out accounts as requested |
| C．make the depositors believe that the bank was stand |
| D．pay out money as slowly as possible |
According to the passage, the actions of the depositors of Mrs. Vaught’s bank were affected mainly by the _______.
| A．ease with which they could get their money |
B．confidence  that Mrs. Vaught showed |
| C．confidence shown by other depositors of the bank |
| D．failure of several other banks to open |
The world itself is becoming much smaller by using modern traffic and modern communication means. Life today is much easier than it was hundreds of years ago, but it has brought new problems. One of the biggest problems is pollution. To pollute means to make things dirty. Pollution comes in many ways. We see it, smell it, drink it and even hear it.
Man has been polluting the earth. The more people, the more pollution. Many years ago, the problem was not so serious because there were not so many people. When the land was used up or the river was dirty in one place, man moved to another place. But this is no longer true.
Man is now slowly polluting the whole world.
Air pollution is still the most serious. It’s bad for all living things in the world, but it is not the only one kind of pollution. Water pollution kills our fish and pollutes our drinking water. Noise pollution makes us angry more easily.
Many countries are making rules to fight pollution. They stop people from burning coal in houses and factories in the city, and from putting dirty smoke into the air. Pollution by SO2is now the most dangerous kind of air pollution. It is caused by heavy traffic. We are sure that if there are fewer people driving, there will be less air pollution.
The earth is our home. We must take care of it. That means keeping the land , water and air clean .And we must take care of the rise in pollution at the same time., our world is becoming much smaller.
| A．Became of the rise in pollution |
| B．Became of the scientific development |
| C．Because the earth is being polluted day and night |
| D．Because the earth is blown away by the wind every year |
Hundreds of years ago, life wasit is today.
| A．much easier than | B．as easy as |
| C．much harder than | D．as hard as |
Pollution comes in many ways. We can even hear it. Here “it” refers to.
| A．rubbish | B．noise pollution |
| C．air pollution | D．water pollution |
Air pollution is the most serious kind of pollution because.
| A．it makes much noise |
| B．it makes us angry more easily |
| C．it makes our rivers and lakes dirty |
| D．it’s bad for all living things in the world |
Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．Many countries are making rules to fight pollution. |
| B．The pollution of the earth grows as fast as the world population does. |
| C．The problem of pollution is not so serious because there are not so many people living on the earth. |
| D．If people could go to work by bus or bike instead of car or motorbike, it would be helpful in fighting against the problem of SO2 |
Last July, my 12-year-old car died on California's Santa Na Freeway. It was an hour before sunset, and I was 25 miles form home. I couldn't reach anyone to pick me up, so I decided to take a bus. Not knowing the routes, I figured I'd just head east.
A bus pulled up, and I asked the driver how far she was going. "Four more lights," she said. There was another bus I could take form there. This clearly was going to be a long night.
She dropped me off at the end of her route and told me which bus to look for. After waiting 30 minutes, I began to think about a very expensive taxi ride home. Then a bus pulled up. There was no lighted number above its wind-shield. It was out of service. But the door opened, and I was surprised to find that it was the same driver.
"I just can't leave you here, "she said. "This isn't the nicest place. I'll give you a ride home."
“You’ll drive me home in the bus?” I asked, perplexed(迷惑的).
“No, I’ll take you in my car,” she said.
“It’s a long way,” I protested(抗议).
“Come on,”she said. “I have nothing else to do.”
As we drove from the station in her car, she began telling me a story. A few days earlier, her brother had run out of gas. A good Samaritan picked him up, took him to a service station and then back to his car. “I’m just passing the favor along.”she said.
When I offered her money as a thank-you, she wouldn’t hear of it. “That would not make it a favor,” she said. “Just do something nice for somebody. Pass it along.”The writer thought that he would have a long night because
| A．it world be long before he could take another bus |
| B．no driver would give him a ride |
| C．he didn’t know the routes |
| D．he perhaps would have to take a taxi |
Judging from its context, the place where the writer waited for the second bus was.
| A．very quiet and peaceful | B．dark without street lights |
| C．neither clean nor beautiful | D．a little unsafe |
The writer wanted to take a taxi home at the end of the route because.
| A．no bus would come |
| B．a taxi ride would be more comfortable |
| C．he became impatient and a bit worried |
| D．he knew the driver would never return |
The bus driver drove the writer home later because.
| A．she happened to go in the same direction |
| B．she wanted to do something good for other people |
| C．her brother told her to do so |
| D．she wanted to earn more money |
The bus driver hoped that the writer.
| A．world do as she did | B．would keep her in memory |
| C．would give the money to others | D．would do her a favor |
My students often tell me that they don’t have “enough time” to do all their schoolwork.
My reply is often a brief “You have as much time as the president.” I usually carry on a bit about there being twenty-four hours in the day for everyone, and suggest that “not enough time” is not an acceptable explanation of not getting something done.
Once in graduate school, I tried to prove to one of my professors by saying that I was working hard. His answer to me was, “That’s irrelevant (无关的). What’s important is the quality of your work.” Since then I have had time to think carefully about the “hard worker” dodge (诀窍), and I have come to some conclusions — all relevant to the problem of how much time we have.
If you analyze the matter, you can identify two parts of the problem: There is, of course, the matter of “time”, which we can think of as fixed. Then there is the problem of “work” during that time. But, as my professor suggested, it’s not how hard one works but the quality of the product that’s important.
That led me to a new idea: the quality of the work. That concept is perhaps best explained by a sign I once saw on the wall in someone’s office: “Don’t work harder. Work smarter.” There is a lot of sense in that idea.
If you can’t get more time, and few of us can, the only solution is to improve the quality of the work. That means thinking of ways to get more out of the same time than we might otherwise get. That should lead us to an analysis of our work habits. Since “work” for students usually means “homework”, the expression “work habits” should be read as “study habits”.
Then, as a smart student, you will seek to improve those skills that you use in study, chiefly reading and writing. If you learn to read better and write better, there are big benefits that pay off in all your studies.From the passage, we know that the author is probably ______ .
| A．a poet | B．an educator | C．a novelist | D．an engineer |
We can infer from the 2nd paragraph that we students still _____ .
| A．have enough time | B．can meet the president |
| C．get everything done well | D．should accept the explanation |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．The author’s students make good use of their time to do all their homework. |
| B．The author tried to tell the professor that he/she (author) had done a good job. |
| C．You can’t improve the quality of the work if you can’t get more time. |
| D．You’ll try to improve your skills in reading and writing if you’re a clever student |
Name: Off the Beaten Pat
Cover price: $30.00
Our price: $19.80
The best-selling Reader’s Digest travel book has 40% new content including over 200 new sites, over 200 new full-color photographs, and all-new, up-to-date maps. It spotlights over 1,000 of the United States’ most overlooked must-see destinations.
Name: Container Gardens by Number
Cover price: $15.95
Our price: $9.49
A unique book contains 50 easy-to-follow container designs. Each design provides a simple numbered planting plan that shows exactly how to create each display, with an instruction of the finished planter and in-depth plant information. The plans are easy to follow and for any type of living space or garden.
Name: Best Weekend Projects
Cover price: $17.95
Our price: $13.96
Choose from 80 unique ideas to create an extraordinary living space. The projects are practical, as well as attractive, and will improve your home and yard and can be made in a weekend. These 80 well-designed projects are presented in a clear, easy-to-follow style that addresses readers in an accessible, user-friendly tone.
Name: 1801 Home Remedies
Cover price: $40.00
Our price: $29.96
Plenty of health complaints can be handled at home. Each and every remedy will be tested by a doctor to make sure it is safe and sound.
Dozens of conditions are covered, from headaches, sunburn, bad breath, and blisters to allergies, and hiccups.You can most probably read the passage in a ___________.
| A．newspaper | B．travel guide | C．textbook | D．telephone book |
How much money could you save if you want to buy a travel book?
| A．$6.46. | B．$10. 20. | C．$13.96. | D．$19.8. |
Which of the following could help you to deal with common diseases without a doctor?
| A．Off the Beaten Path. | B．Container Gardens by Number. |
| C．1801 Home Remedies. | D．Best Weekend Projects. |
What’s the purpose of the passage?
A. To share his opinion about the books with readers.
B. To advise readers to read more in spare time.
C. To share the pleasure of reading with readers.
D To advise readers to buy their books.
There are many American expressions about insects--- like bees, for example. Bees are known as very hard workers. They appear to be busy, moving around their homes, or hives (蜂窝). So you might say you were as busy as a bee if you spent your weekend cleaning your house. In fact, you might say your house was a beehive of activity if your whole family was helping you clean. You also might say you made a beeline for something if you went there right away. When we go to see a movie, my friend always makes a beeline for the place where they sell popcorn (爆米花) .
Here is an expression about bees that is not used much any more, but we like it anyway. We think it was first used in the 1920s. If something was the best of its kind, you might say it was the bee’s knees. Now, we admit that we do not know how this expression developed. In fact, we do not even know if bees have knees!
If your friend cannot stop talking about something because she thinks it is important, you might say she has a bee in her bonnet (女帽). If someone asks you a personal question, you might say “that is none of your beeswax”. This means none of your business.
Speaking of personal questions, there is an expression when their children ask, “Where do babies come from?” Parents who discuss sex and reproduction (生殖) say this is talking about the birds and bees.
Butterflies are beautiful insects, but you would not want to have butterflies in your stomach. That means to be nervous about having to do something, like speaking in front of a crowd. You would also not want to have ants in your trousers. That is, to be unable to sit still.If you make a beeline for something, you ______ .
| A．are as busy as a bee | B．go quickly and directly towards it |
| C．always go to the same place | D．buy something at a certain place |
The underlined expression “ it is the bee’s knees” _______ .
| A．is not used at all now | B．was first used in the 1820s |
| C．reminds us that bees have knees | D．means “it is very good” |
If you ask your American friend Jack “How old is your wife?” he may say “______.”
| A．It is none of your beeswax | B．You have a bee in your bonnet |
| C．It is the bee’s knees | D．You are talking about the birds and bees |
When you have butterflies in your stomach, you ______ .
| A．are too sick to sit still | B．have ants in your trousers |
| C．are nervous about something | D．have a stomachache |
The passage mainly tells us _______.
| A．some interesting and useful insects | B．some expressions about insects |
| C．the way of learning expressions | D．some newly-invented expressions |