Happiness is for everyone. You don’t need to care about those people who have beautiful houses with large gardens and swimming pools or those who have nice cars and a lot of money and so on. Why? Because those who have big houses may often feel lonely and those who have cars may want to walk on the country roads in their free time.
In fact, happiness is always around you if you put your heart into it. When you are in trouble at school, your friends will help you; when you study hard at your lessons, your parents are always taking good care of your life and your health; when you get a success, your friends will say congratulations to you; when you do something wrong, people around you will help you to correct it. And when you do something good to others, you will feel happy, too. All these are your happiness. If you notice a bit of them, you can see that happiness is always around you.
Happiness doesn’t mean money. It is a feeling of your heart. When you are poor, you can also say you are very happy, because you have something that can’t be bought with money. When you meet with difficulties, you can say loudly you are very happy, because you have more chances to challenge yourself. As the saying goes, life is like a revolving(旋转的)door. When it closes, it also opens. If you take every chance you get, you can be a happy and lucky person. When you do something wrong , people around you will .
A.quarrel with you | B.help you correct it |
C.do something wrong like you | D.laugh at you |
What will your friends say when you make great progress?
A.Oh, so do I | B.Congratulations! |
C.Good luck! | D.Just so-so |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A.People who have cars would never like to walk in the open air. |
B.You can get help from others when you are in trouble. |
C.You can still be a happy person even if you have little money. |
D.Happiness is always around you though difficulties come towards you. |
The passage mainly tells us .
A.parents always care for our life and health |
B.we’re not happy if we meet with difficulties |
C.happiness is always around us |
D.life is colorful |
The Internet has led to a huge increase in credit-card(信用卡) fraud. Your card information can even be on sale on an illegal website. Websites offering cheap goods and services should be regarded with care. Online shoppers who enter their credit-card information may never receive the goods they thought they had bought.
The thieves then go shopping with your card number—or sell the information over the Internet. Computer hackers(黑客)have broken down security system, raising questions about the safety of card holder information.
Several months ago, 25,000 customers of a CD universe, an online music retailer(批发商), were not lucky. Their names, addresses and credit-card numbers were posted on a Website after the retailer refused to pay $ 157,828 to get back the information.
Credit-card firms are now fighting against online fraud. Master-card is working on plans for web-only credit-cards, with a lower credit limit. The card can be used only for shopping online. However , there are a few simple steps you can take to keep from being cheated.
Ask about your credit-card firm’s online rules: under British law, cardholders are responsible for the first $ 78 of any fraudulent spending. And shop only at secure sites: send your credit-card information only if the website offers advanced security system.
If the security is in place, a letter will appear in the bottom right-hand corner of your screen. The website address may also start with https://--the extra “s” stands for security. If in doubt, give your credit-card information over the telephone.
Keep your password safe: most online sites require a user name and password before placing an order. Treat your password with care.
1. The underlined word “fraud” in the first paragraph probably means ______.
A. cheating B. sale C. payment D. use
2. According to this passage most people worry about shopping on the Internet because ______.
A. a great number of stolen credit-cards are sold on the Internet every day
B. fraud on the Internet happens very often
C. many Websites break down every day
D. there are too many illegal Websites on the Internet
3. Thieves usually get the information of the credit-card ______.
A. because many customers lost their cards
B. by paying money for people working in the information companies
C. because of the carelessness of the customers
D. by stealing the information from Websites
4. If the passwords of your credit-cards are not properly kept, _____.
A. the bank and the shop will suffer great losses
B. you will not be able to get back your information
C. you might suffer great losses
D. the bank will answer for your loss
5. What’s the best title of the passage?
A. How to Beat Online Credit-card Thieves
B. How to Shop on the Internet
C. Never Use Credit-card Without an Advanced Computer
D. Why Thieves Steal Credit-card Information
I had an experience some years ago, which taught me something about the ways in which people make a bad situation worse by blaming themselves. One January, I had to hold two funerals on successive days for two elderly women in my community. Both had died “ full of years”, as the Bible would say. Their homes happened to be near each other, so I paid condolence(吊唁) calls on the two families on the same afternoon.
At the first home, the son of the deceased(已故的)woman said to me, “ If only I had sent my mother to Florida and gotten her out of this cold and snow, she would be alive today. It’s my fault that she died.” At the second home, the son of the other deceased woman said, “ If only I hadn’t insisted on my mother’s going to Florida, she would be alive today.That long airplane ride, the sudden change of climate, was more than she could take. It’s my fault that she’s dead.”
You see that any time there is a death, the survivors will feel guilty. Because the course of action they took turned out bad, they believe that the opposite course—keeping Mother at home, putting off the operation—would have turned out better. After all, how could it have turned out any worse?
There seem to be two elements involved in our willingness to feel guilty. The first is our pressing need to believe that the world makes sense, that there is a cause for every effect and a reason for everything that happens that leads us to find patterns and connections both where they really exist and where they exist only in our minds.
The second element is the view that we are the cause of what happens , especially the bad things that happen. It seems to be a short step from believing that every event has a cause to believe that every disaster is our fault. The roots of this feeling may lie in our childhood.
A baby comes to think that the world exists to meet his needs, and that he makes everything happen in it. He wakes up in the morning and summons the rest of the world to its tasks. He cries, and someone comes to attend to him. When he is hungry, people feed him , and when he is wet, people change him. Very often, we do not completely outgrow that childish view that our wishes cause things to happen.
1. What is said about the two deceased elderly women?
A. They lived out a natural life.
B. They died of exhaustion after the long plane ride.
C. They weren’t used to the change in weather.
D. They died due to lack of care by family members.
2. The author had to conduct the two women’s funerals probably because ______.
A. he wanted to comfort the two families
B. he was an official from the community
C. he had great pity for the deceased
D. he was minister of the local church
3. People feel guilty for the deaths of their loved ones because _____.
A. they couldn’t find a better way to express their sorrow
B. they believe that they were responsible
C. they had neglected the natural course of events
D. they didn’t know things often turn in the opposite direction
4. According to the passage, the underlined part in paragraph 4 probably means that_____.
A. everything in the world is predetermined
B. the world can be explained in different ways
C. there is an explanation for everything in the world
D. we have to be sensible in order to understand the world
5. What’s the idea of the passage?
A. Life and death is an unsolved mystery.
B. Every story should have a happy ending.
C. Never feel guilty all the time because not every disaster is our fault.
D. In general, the survivors will feel guilty about the people who passed away.
III. Reading Comprehension 40%
Section A 30%
Directions:Read the following four passages. Each passage is followed by several questions. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. Choose the one that fits best according to the information given in the passage you have just read.
Riding was the favourite activity of Thomas Jefferson, who was the third President of the United States. He usually rode good horses.
One day, he was riding outside Washington, when a jockey (赛马师) came near. He did not know the President, but his professional eye was attracted by Mr. Jefferson’s horse. He stopped and said that he wanted to buy the horse, but Mr. Jefferson politely refused his offer.
The jockey offered more money for the horse, because the closer he looked at the horse, the more he liked it. All of his offers were refused, which made him angry. He then became rude, but his rudeness left as little an impression as his money, for Jefferson had a very good temper. At last, he hit Mr. Jefferson’s horse with his whip, getting it to run suddenly. This would have thrown a less skillful rider to the ground, but Jefferson stayed on his seat, and controlled his horse well.
The jockey then gave up. He rode with Mr. Jefferson side by side and began to talk with him about politics. Jefferson joined in the conversation. When they got into the city and came close to the gate of the presidential mansion (总统府), Mr. Jefferson stopped, and politely invited the man to enter.
The jockey was surprised and asked, “Why? Do you live here?”
“Yes” was the simple reply.
“Why, stranger, what’s your name?”
“My name is Thomas Jefferson.”
Embarrassed, the man quickly left, while the President looked at him with a smile and then rode through the gate.
1. Which is the best title for the passage?
A. Jefferson and the Jockey B. Jefferson’s Interest
C. Be Polite to Everyone D. No Pain, No Gain
2. Which word can best describe the jockey?
A. Professional. B. Skillful. C. Impatient. D. Impolite.
3. The underlined word “embarrassed” can be replaced by “__________”.
A. worried B. pleased C. hurried D. ashamed
4. We can infer from the passage that __________.
A. the jockey had once bought a horse from another stranger
B. Mr. Jefferson was very good at riding a horse
C. Mr. Jefferson would invite the jockey to his own house later
D. the jockey would not talk about this experience to others
5. According to the passage, which of the following statement is true?
A. The President of the US is fond of riding.
B. The jockey managed to buy the horse from Mr. Jefferson.
C. Mr. Jefferson, the third President of the United States, was a man of good manners.
D. All the presidents of the US have expensive horses.
Every kid wishes to be an adult. But now as grown-ups, some adults find they cannot leave childhood behind. They become "kidults" (kid+adult). Being a kidult has become a lifestyle-choice among young people across Asia.
Some kidults collect toys they once played with. Hello Kitty, Garfield, and Snoopy have many adult fans around the world. It is not unusual to see a 20-something woman with a big, Garfield-shaped cushion on her sofa or a Hello Kitty mobile phone accessory.
Other kidults still enjoy children's stories and fairy tales. For example, Bloomsbury even published the Harry Potter novels with an adult cover. That way, no one else on the subway will know that an adult is actually reading a children's book!
"Kidults can be like vitamins to society. Adults who value their childhood and hold on to pure, child-like emotion may be needed in such a rough and dry society," said Lee Sojung, professor of Foreign Studies at Hankuk University(韩国外国语大学). He added that kidult culture may fill the generation gap between adults and kids. It could give children and their parents books, movies, and cartoon shows to enjoy together. He may be right.
Tim Greenhalgh,a professor,explained that some kidults just refuse to grow up. They value childhood because life in a busy and stressful city frightens them. Kidults would like to forget their age and openly show their fear of society and adulthood.
1. We can infer from the article that _________.
A. Kidults miss their childhood so much that they can't give up their toys
B. Bloomsbury knows some kidults don't want people to know that they are kidults
C. Kidults like to have vitamins very much
D. Some toys are so interesting that even adults like them very much
2. According to the author, being a kidult is good in some way except that _______.
A. it can improve the relationship between parents and their kids
B. it can help kidults feel relaxed
C. it is helpful to solve some social problems
D. it can make people loyal to one's parents
3. According to the writer, _______.
A. being a kidult is nothing wrong B. kidults have mental problems
C. our society is very dull D. some people can never grow up
The U.S. Department of Labor statistics (统计) show that there is an oversupply of college-trained workers and that this oversupply is increasing. Already there have been more than enough teachers, engineers, physicists, aerospace experts, and other specialists. Yet colleges and graduate schools continue every year to turn out highly trained people to compete for jobs that aren't there. The result is that graduates cannot enter the professions for which they were trained and must take temporary jobs which do not require a college degree.
On the other hand, there is a great need for skilled workers of all sorts: carpenters, electricians, mechanics, plumbers, TV repairmen.
These people have more work than they can deal with, and their annual incomes are often higher than those of college graduates. The old gap that white-collar workers make a better living than blue-collar workers no longer holds true. The law of supply and demand now favors the skilled workmen.
The reason for this situation is the traditional myth that college degree is a passport to a prosperous future. A large part of American society matches success in life equally with a college degree. Parents begin indoctrinating (灌输) their children with this myth before they are out of grade school. High school teachers play their part by acting as if high school education were a preparation for college rather than for life. Under this pressure the kids fall in line. Whether they want to go to college or not doesn't matter. Everybody should go to college, so of course they must go. And every year college enrollments (入学) go up and up, and more and more graduates are overeducated for the kinds of jobs available to them.
One result of this emphasis on a college education is that many people go to college who do not belong there. Of the sixty percent of high school graduates who enter college, half of them do not graduate with their class. Many of them drop out within the first year. Some struggle on for two or three years and then give up.
1. It's implied but not stated in the passage that .
A. many other countries are facing the same problem
B. white-collar workers in the US used to make more money than blue-collar workers
C. fewer students will prefer to go to college in the future
D. the law of supply and demand has a strong effect on American higher education
2. Which of the following is NOT a reason why college enrollments go up every year?
A. Many people believe that the only way to success is a college education.
B. Many parents want their children to go to college.
C. High school teachers urge their students to go to college.
D. Every young man and woman wants to go to college.
3. By saying that“many people go to college who do not belong there,” the author means that .
A. many people who are not fit for college education go to college
B. many people who do not have enough money go to college
C. many people who go to college drop out within the first year
D. many people who go to college have their hopes destroyed
4. We can infer from the passage that the author believes that .
A. every young man and woman should go to college
B. college education is a bad thing
C. people with a college education should receive higher pay
D. fewer people should go to college while more should be trained for skilled jobs