In the last years of the Warring States period, the State of Qin attacked the State of Wei on a large scale repeatedly and occupied large areas of land, for the State of Wei was too weak to defend itself. In 273 B.C. ,the Qin army launched a more serious attack upon the State of Wei than ever. The king of the State of Wei gathered his officials, and asked with a worried look if anyone could propose a way to defeat the Qin army. After years of chaos caused by the wars, the officials trembled when fighting was mentioned, and no one dared to speak of resistance.
At the critical moment when a large enemy force was bearing down upon the border, most of the officials persuaded the king to use for peace, at the cost of giving away to the State of Qin the large area of land north of the Huanghe River and south of the Taihang Mountain. However Su Dai, a counselor, did not agree. He hurried up to the king and said:"Your Majesty, they don't think about the interests of the country at all. It is just because they are afraid of death that they ask you to sue for peace by betraying the country. Of course you can temporarily satisfy the ambition of Qin, but it will never stop attacking us until our land is totally given away."
He added." Once there was a man whose house was on fire. People told him to put out the fire with water, but he would not listen. Instead, he carried a faggot to put out the fire, only to make the fire fiercer. Isn't it similar to carrying faggots to put out a fire if you agree to sue for peace at the cost of the land of the State of Wei?"
Though Sue Dai's argument was very convincing, the king accepted the suggestion of those officials and gave away to the State of Qin a large area of the land of the State of Wei. As mi
ght be expected, the Qin army attacked the State of Wei in 225 B.C. Again, surrounding the capital city Daliang and flooding it by digging open the dykes(堤防) of the Huanghe River. The State of Wei was finally destroyed.When asked how to defeat the Qin army, most officials .
| A．were scared and at a loss what to do |
| B．were worried and asked Su Dai fir advice |
| C．decided to ask a force to bear down upon the border |
| D．trembled and decided to give up fighting back |
The underlined phrase "sue for" in Paragraph 2 probably means .
| A．hope for | B．beg for | C．search for | D．send for |
Su Dai used the example of "carrying faggots to put out a fire" to show
.
| A．the ambition of the State of Qin | B．the risk of fighting back |
| C．the serious results of giving in | D．the terrible results of defense |
The story is mainly developed by .
| A．time | B．logic | C．space | D．cause and effect |
SPECIAL EVENTS THIS WEEKEND
Captain Goodfellow
Do you children enjoy interesting stories funny games, and exciting dance? Captain Goodfellow will be ready to teach a11 these things to children at the City Theatre on Saturday morning at 10：00, free．
morning at 10:00 Free.
Walking Tour of the Town
Forget your worries on Saturday morning. Take a beautiful walk and leam about local history. Meet at the front entrance of City Hall at 9:30. Wear comfortable shoes!
Films at the Museum
Two European films will be shown on Saturday afternoon at the Museum Theatre. See Broken Window at 1:30. The workers will be at 3:45. For further information, call 4987898.
International Picnic
Are you tired of eating the same kind of food every day? Come to Central Park on Saturday and enjoy food from all over the world. Delicious and not expensive. Noon to 5 :00 p. m.
Take me out to the Ballgame
It's October, and tonight is your last chance to see the Red- birds this year. Get your tickets at the gate. It might be cold... don't forget sweaters and jackets.
Do you want to hear "The Zoo"?
"The Zoo", a popular rock group from Australia, will give their first US. Concert tomorrow night at 8 Rose Hall, City College.You can probably eat Chinese, Italian and Arab food _____.
| A．at Central Park on Saturday | B．at the front entrance of City Hall |
| C．at the ballgame | D．at 5:00 p. m. |
You can see movies at _____.
| A．the Museum Theatre | B．the Central Park |
| C．the City College | D．the City Theatre |
If you are going on the Walking Tour, don't forget _____.
| A．your beautiful walk | B．your comfortable shoes |
| C．your worries | D．your learning about local history |
Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．"The Zoo" is an Australian rock group. |
| B．"The Zoo" are going to meet their American audience for the last time. |
| C．"The Zoo" will appear at 8:00 p. m. |
| D．"The Zoo" will performance in front of college students. |
In bringing up children, every parent watches eagerly the child's acquisition (学会) of each new skill in the first spoken words, the first independent steps, or the beginning of reading and writing. It is often tempting to hurry the child beyond his natural learning rate, but this can set up dangerous feelings of failure and states of worry in the child. This might happen at any stage. A baby might be forced to use a toilet too early, a young child might be encouraged to learn to read before he knows the meaning of the words he reads. On the other hand, though, if a child is left alone too much, or without any learning opportunities, he loses his natural enthusiasm for life and his desire to find out new things for himself.
Parents vary greatly in their degree of strictness towards their children. Some may be especially strict in money matters. Others are severe (严格的) over time of coming home at night or punctuality for meals. In general, the controls represent the needs of the parents and the values of the community as much as the child's own happiness.
As regards the development of moral standards in the growing child, consistency is very important in parental teaching. To forbid a thing one day and excuse it the next is no foundation for morality (道德). Also, parents should realize that "example is better than precept". If they are not sincere and do not practice what they preach (说教), their children may grow confused when they grow old enough to think for themselves, and realize they have been to some extent fooled.
A sudden awareness of a marked difference between their parents' principles and their morals can be a dangerous disappointment. Eagerly watching the child’s acquisition of new skills_________________.
| A．will make the child lose interest in learning new things |
| B．sets up dangerous states of worry in the child |
| C．is universal among parents |
| D．should be avoided |
In the process of children’s learning new skills, parents _________________.
| A．should encourage them to read before they know the meaning of the words they read |
| B．should achieve a balance between pushing them too hard and leaving them on their own |
| C．should expect a lot of the children |
| D．should create as many learning opportunities as possible |
The second paragraph mainly tells us that _________________.
| A．parental restrictions vary, and are not always for the benefit of the children alone |
| B．parental controls reflect only the values of the community |
| C．parents should be strict with their children |
| D．it’s parents’ and society’s duty to control the children |
The word “precept” in Paragraph 3 probably means “_________________”.
| A．opinion | B．punishment | C．instruction | D．behavior |
In terms of moral matters, parents should _____________________.
| A．follow the rules themselves |
| B．be aware of the huge difference between adults and children |
| C．always ensure the security of their children |
| D．forbid their children to follow hook teachings |
Apparently，we are safe neither at home nor in the business office.We use water in both places，but the research shows that chemicals added to our local water supply to kill harmful bacteria can have unwanted side effects.These chemicals can cause potential harm through drinking and in seemingly harmless activities as cleaning one’s house.They are released(set free)from water by daily actions like water running out of tap，spraying from garden pipes，or splashing in dishwashers and washing machines.As the water is moving.these chemicals are released into the air and then breathed in. Once inside our bodies, they start to affect our health.
Does this mean we should stop bathing? No, say the scientists, but we should put all pollution into perspective. Activities at home such as the burning of coal, cooking oil, or even candles release carbon monoxide and particulates such as cigarette ashes which have been proven as harmful to health as working or living near heavy traffic. New tugs, bedding, and even clothing give off that“new smell, ”which is a sure sign of chemicals. In the office, newly applied paint, newly purchased telephones and other telecommunications equipment, and computers release polluting chemicals, too. As offices and homes often have inadequate ventilation (通风), these chemicals can build up to become health problems. Their poisonous effects are only now being slowly recognized.
These facts suggest that, at a minimum, proper airing of newly purchased goods with an obvious chemical smell is a wise warning. Home and office windows should be opened during good weather. Even one’s car needs to be ventilated as well while in the garage.
We need further research to understand better other potential health dangers, too. For example, the effects of overcrowding of schools (carbon dioxide build-up ), the factory work environment ( an endless list of potentially dangerous substances ), and even home heating and cooling (the air conditioner may be our enemies, not our friends) have only recently started to come to light. Until we understand the effects of our new technological environment better, we can only hope that“there is no place like home.”What is the main idea of the first paragraph?
| A．The air we breathe in is harmful. |
| B．Chemicals are released in the running water. |
| C．Chemicals are added to the drinking water. |
| D．The water in everyday use is unsafe. |
.In Paragraph 2, the underlined sentence means that .
| A．homes and offices should be aired often |
| B．any pollution should be taken into consideration |
| C．bathing should be done with caution |
| D．we should prevent any pollution from doing harm to us |
What is the purpose of the passage?
| A．To call on us to guard our water. |
| B．To show us that no place is like home. |
| C．To make us aware of the pollution around us. |
| D．To argue that neither homes nor offices are safe. |
Beauty has always been regarded as something praiseworthy. Almost everyone thinks attractive people are happier and healthier, have better marriages and have more respectable jobs. Personal advisors give them better advice for finding jobs. Even judges are softer on attractive defendants (被告). But in the executive (行政的；管理的) circle, beauty can become a liability.
While attractiveness is a positive factor for a man on his way up the executive ladder, it is harmful to a woman.
Handsome male executives were considered as having more honesty than plainer men; effort and ability were thought to lead to their success.
Attractive female executives were considered to have less honesty than unattractive ones; their success was connected not with ability but with factors such as luck.
All unattractive women executives were thought to have more honesty and to be more capable than the attractive female executives. Interestingly, though, the rise of the unattractive overnight successes was connected more to personal relationships and less to ability than that of the attractive overnight successes.
Why are attractive women not thought to be able? An attractive woman is considered to be more feminine and an attractive man more manly than the less attractive ones. Thus, an attractive woman has an advantage in traditionally female jobs, but an attractive woman in a traditionally manly position appears to lack the "manly" qualities required.
This is true even in politics. "When the only clue is how he or she looks, people treat men and women differently," says Anne Bowman, who recently published a study on the effects of attractiveness on political candidates. She asked 125 undergraduate students to rank two groups of photographs, one of men and one of women, of attractiveness. The students were told the photographs were of candidates for political offices. They were asked to rank them again, in the order they would vote for them.
The results showed that attractive males completely defeated unattractive men, but the women who had ranked most attractive unchangeably received the fewest votes. In traditionally female jobs, attractiveness ______________.
| A．makes women look more honest and capable |
| B．strengthens the qualifies required |
| C．is of no importance to women |
| D．often enables women to succeed quickly |
Bowman's experiment shows that when it comes to politics, attractiveness ____________.
| A．turns out to be a disadvantage to men |
| B．is more of a disadvantage than an advantage to women |
| C．affects men and women alike |
| D．has as little effect on men as on women |
It can be inferred from the passage that people's views on beauty are often ______________.
| A．practical | B．supportive | C．old-fashioned | D．one-sided |
Because of the financial crisis in the US and UK, college students are beginning to struggle to find ways to pay their tuition fees and accommodations.
Recently, two major US student loan lenders — Citibank and JPMorgan Chase — announced they were leaving the student loan industry altogether. Because banks currently have a lack of credit, they are reluctant to offer students low-interest loans that need a several-year wait for any return of interest.
In the US, many undergraduates top up their financial needs with a private loan, although the majority can get government-funded loans. In the 2005-2006 academic year, $17 billion in private student loans was used to finance higher education. The shortfall in private funding has yet to be covered and will hit many US students hard.
Across the Atlantic, UK students have been less troubled by the crisis. Most undergraduates in the UK cover their university expenses with government-funded loans and grants (助学金). Their biggest concern is a sudden steep increase in student rent.
Most young professionals now rent houses, since 80 percent of UK mortgage schemes (住房抵押贷款计划) have disappeared — a direct result of the credit crisis. This has boosted the house rent market.
In large cities, UK students are paying almost 6.5 percent more in rent than the previous year. Figures from the UK organization Accommodation for Student show students in big cities such as London paying an average weekly rent of ￡103. Yet, despite students’ suffering, the number of this year’s university applications is expected to grow. During economic slumps (经济萧条时期), people regard further education as a way to survive tough job markets.According to the passage, banks are unwilling to offer students loans because ________.
| A．the students are poor and sometimes they can’t pay off the debt |
| B．banks prefer lending the money to the young professionals |
| C．banks don’t have enough money left at the present time |
| D．they think college students are not studying hard |
The underlined phrase “top up” in Paragraph 3 probably means ________.
| A．put up | B．make up | C．fill up | D．pick up |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．UK college students have to pay more if they want to rent houses. |
| B．More UK students want to further their study in college. |
| C．It is not so easy for US students to loan money now. |
| D．College students’ tuition fees have risen greatly. |
It can be inferred that ________.
| A．there are no private student loan lenders in the UK |
| B．loans for US college students will be increased next year |
| C．private funding falls a little because of higher-interest loans in the US |
| D．private loans play a very important role in financing US students’ education |