Elizabeth Blackwell was born in England in 1821, and moved to New York City when she was ten years old. One day she decided that she wanted to become a doctor. That was nearly impossible for a woman in the middle of the nineteenth century. After writing many letters asking for admission(录取) to medical schools, she was finally accepted by a doctor in Philadelphia. She was so determined that she taught school and gave music lessons to get money for the cost of schooling.
In 1849, after graduation from medical school, she decided to further her education in Paris. She wanted to be a surgeon(外科医师) , but a serious eye problem forced her to give up the idea.
Upon returning to the United States, she found it difficult to start her own practice because she was a woman. By 1857 Elizabeth and her sister, also a doctor, along with another woman doctor, managed to open a new hospital, the first for women and children. Besides being the first woman physician and founding her own hospital , she also set up the first medical school for women.Why couldn’t Elizabeth Blackwell realize her dream of becoming a surgeon?
| A．She couldn’t get admitted to medical school |
| B．She decided to further her education in Paris |
| C．A serious eye problem stopped her |
| D．It was difficult for her to start a practice in the United States |
What main obstacle(障碍) almost destroyed Elizabeth’s chances for becoming a doctor?
| A．She was a woman. |
| B．She wrote too many letters. |
| C．She couldn’t graduate from medical school. |
| D．She couldn’t set up her hospital. |
How many years passed between her graduation from medical school and the opening of her hospital?
| A．Eight years | B．Ten years | C．Nineteen years | D．Thirty-six years |
According to the passage, all of the following are “firsts” in the life of Elizabeth Blackwell except that she ______.
| A．became the first woman physician |
| B．was the first woman doctor |
| C．and several other women founded the first hospital for women and children |
| D．set up the first medical school for women |
Elizabeth Blackwell spent most of her life in _______.
| A．England | B．Paris | C．the United States | D．New York City |
When 47-year-old volunteer Susan Boyle stepped onto the stage of Britain’s Got Talent and announced she was unemployed, had never been married and “never been kissed, actually”, few in the audience would have wondered why. This Ms Boyle, looking unfashionable, from a village in Scotland, shocked the three judges and the audience with the song I dreamed a dream from the musical Les Miserables on a show of Britain’s Got Talent, one of the hottest reality shows in Britain.
She couldn’t hide the awkwardness when walking to the center of the stage in a housedress, and everyone — including the judges — seemed laughing at her when she said she wanted to be as successful as Elaine Paige. As soon as she began singing, however, everyone in the auditorium fell silent, then rose within seconds to applaud her incredible voice as the celebrity judges sat open-mouthed, and remained standing to the end.
After her performance, one of the judges Piers Morgan said, “Without doubt that was the biggest surprise I’ve had in three years of this show. When you stood there everyone was laughing at you. No one is laughing now. That was amazing.” Actress Amanda Holden followed, “I’m so thrilled because I know that we everybody were against you. I honestly think that we were all being very cynical (愤世嫉俗的) and I think that’s the biggest wake up call ever.”
Susan obviously won over the hearts of millions around the world with sensation spreading across the Atlantic. Hollywood actors Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore — who between them have nearly 1.5 million followers — speak highly of her. Kutcher posted a link to the video clip (片段). The Scottish talent made her live American debut via satellite connection on CBS’s The Early Show, doing an interview and singing live from her room. And she already accepted an invitation from talk show host Oprah Winfrey.
Now Boyle has become one of the world’s hottest celebrities. The video clip of her performance has been viewed more than 50 million times on Youtube, becoming a hit on the Internet.We learn from the passage that Susan Boyle ______.
| A．rose from a low social class |
| B．had an unhappy marriage |
| C．lived with a dog alone on a farm |
| D．won the championship in the Britain’s Got Talent show |
At the beginning of the show, almost everybody ______.
| A．looked forward to her wonderful performance |
| B．was attracted by her beautiful dress |
| C．looked down upon her |
| D．placed great hope on her |
We can infer that ______ contributed most to her global popularity.
| A．the judges | B．the Internet | C．the newspaper | D．the advertisement |
The 4th paragraph intends to tell us ______.
| A．how Susan Boyle achieved her success |
| B．the comment made by American actor Ashton Kutcher |
| C．Susan Boyle’s influence in the USA |
| D．Oprah Winfrey’s invitation to Susan Boyle |
Shopping in the United States changes a lot．About ninety years ago most people shopped in small stores that were owned by one person or a family．Women went from the bakery to the butcher's to the grocer and on to the fruit and vegetable seller in order to get their food for the week．
Then about sixty years ago, supermarkets were born．In a supermarket, people could get all the different kinds of food they needed without going to different stores．
The next big change in shopping in the United States was the shopping mall．A shopping mall is a group of stores under one roof．Because malls allowed people to shop without worrying about the weather, they soon became very popular．The mall became a place for people to socialize in addition to shopping．If you walk through a mall, you will see older people sitting, chatting and drinking coffee．Malls are places for teenagers to hang out．Many teens will often just "go to the mall" and spend time with their friends．
The recent change in American shopping was the superstore．Large chain stores such as Wal-Mart, Office Depot and Toys "R" Us have been built all across the United States．Because they are so large, they can buy goods at a great discount and sell them much cheaper than smaller stores．
Sometimes, when they are built near small towns, many of the small town stores have to close．They just cannot compete with their giant neighbors．
And now, online shopping is becoming more and more popular all over the States．People are too busy to go to the physical stores, so they go shopping over the Internet．Online shopping has lots of advantages．For instance, online stores are usually available 24 hours a day．Searching or browsing online shops can be faster than browsing the physical stores．While, online shopping also has its disadvantages．People are at higher risk of being cheated on the part of the merchant than in a physical store．And privacy of personal information may be let out．Which of the following shows the right order of shopping development in the United States?
①small stores ②superstores③shopping malls④shopping online
⑤supermarkets
| A．①②③④⑤ | B．①⑤②③④ |
| C．①⑤③②④ | D．②③④①⑤ |
Which is the place for people to spend time with others according to the passage?
| A．Shopping malls． | B． Small stores． |
| C．Supermarkets． | D．Superstores． |
Why can the superstores sell products at much lower prices?
| A．Because they are built near small towns． |
| B．Because they are across the United States． |
| C．Because they sell all kinds of products people need． |
| D．Because they can buy goods at a reduction in the price． |
What's the disadvantage of online shopping according to the passage?
| A．Wasting time． | B．Leaking personal information． |
| C．Fixed prices． | D．No chance to do physical activities. |
Learning new words is learning new ideas: High school students can take control of
their learning by always looking up new words and finding out what they mean. They should keep a dictionary and a thesaurus close at hand.
Make clear lists: Students should make a list of everything that they need to get done. They should check off assignments（作业）once completed. They should include clear due dates.
Make a commitment: Active learners will resolve to keep up –to-date from the start. They will avoid procrastinating. They will complete most of their work as early as possible.
Independent work is best: Students will do all assignments independently—they will never copy! Students who copy are passive learners. Passive learners do not give their mind a chance to think on its own.
Organization is key: Students should keep an excellent folder and notebook. All problems should be clearly stated and solutions given. All tests and quizzes should be corrected and used as study guides for exams and finals.
All actions without solutions are dead: Active learners will always show their work needed to solve a problem. Active learners will never turn in a list of answers without giving an explanation or a solution.
Advanced reading: Students should do any required reading for the topic before class. They should write an outline of the section or chapter. They should actively take notes as they read to help them remember.If you want to be successful in exams and finals you should.
| A．give your mind a chance to think on its own |
| B．check off your papers once completed |
| C．keep an excellent folder and notebook |
| D．hand in your homework on time |
What does the underlined word” procrastinating” mean?
| A．be active doing something |
| B．finishing doing something |
| C．delaying doing something |
| D．doing something ahead |
The best title of the passage is “”.
| A．How to Be an Effective Reader |
| B．How to Get Good Scores in Tests |
| C．How to Collect Academic Information |
| D．How to Actively Study in High School |
According to the United States government, people are classified as homeless if they have no place to stay and no expectation of finding a place for the next thirty days．Although technically accurate, that is an impersonal assessment of an enormous and very human problem．
The homeless population represents all of us Americans．It includes men and women, the elderly, children, and infants．Its members are from all ethnic groups．What they have in common is poverty．
Currently in the U．S．, thirty-nine million people live in poverty．When money is really tight, paying the rent or buying food often becomes a choice．Government assistance in the form of food stamps does help but, as one homeless man explains, you can’t pay the rent with food stamps．
With no money for rent, the streets and homeless shelters become the alternative．
Although men constitute the largest group within the homeless population, homeless women with children are rapidly joining them．In fact, one quarter of the homeless people in the U．S．are teenagers and young children．
People may become homeless for numerous reasons．However, there are certain factors that many of these individuals have in common．They include a lack of adequate education and job skills．A majority of the teenagers and adults have not completed high school．
The abuse of alcohol and drugs is also a common factor．One third of the adult homeless population abuses alcohol．While one quarter of the same group uses drugs．
Some members of this population suffer mental health problems．Within the past several years many institutions for the mentally ill have been closed and their patients sent “home”．Unfortunately, a number of those people have no home to go to and they are unable to adequately look after themselves．
Job loss in today’s economy has also become a real factor in the loss of people’s homes．The breakup of families through abandonment and divorce are also contributing factors, particularly when there are children involved．The parent who is left to care for the kids with inadequate income may be forced to depend on the homeless shelters to put a roof over their heads．The writer thinks that the U．S．government’s definition for the homeless reveals ________．
| A．an insincere attitude toward the homeless |
| B．an unbearable attitude toward the homeless |
| C．an uncivilized attitude toward the homeless |
| D．an unsympathetic attitude toward the homeless |
The U．S．government helps the homeless by ___________．
| A．giving them homeless allowance |
| B．giving them food stamps |
| C．finding jobs for them |
| D．finding residence for them |
People become homeless for all the following reasons E XCEPT __________．
| A．the lack of adequate education |
| B．the abuse of alcohol and drugs |
| C．the closure of institutions for the mentally ill |
| D．the poor performance of economy |
The breakup of families is likely to lead to homelessness because a parent with kids may_____．
| A．lose his or her job in today’s economy |
| B．be unable to look after the kids |
| C．not have enough income |
| D．find residence at a homeless shelter |
During a state of deep relaxation, several physiological changes take place in the body: the body’s oxygen consumption is reduced; the heart beat decreases; muscle tension and sweating ease, and there is decreased sympathetic （交感的） nervous system activity．This restful state not only allows the body to repair and restore itself, but it has a calming effect on the consciousness．
How to achieve this state of relaxation, however, is a matter of opinion, and in some medical circles, a matter of controversy．A recent report by Dr．David Holmes of the University of Kansas in the journal “American psychologist” said that simply sitting in an armchair has just as many beneficial characteristics for the body as meditation （冥想） does．Researchers of other relaxation techniques disagree．These experts believe that more structured techniques, such as meditation, lead to a condition of deep relaxation．
The debate goes on, but one thing appears to be clear: the relaxation response can be reached by a number of methods, and the methods themselves are not as important as getting there．One day, one method may work best; on another day, an alternative method may be more appropriate．Once you are aware of all the methods, you can find the one that works best on you．
Some of the relaxation techniques are meditation, auto analysis and progressive muscle relaxation response．More than just sitting quietly in a chair, they have the added benefit of structure and discipline, and for these reasons appear to be more effective for most individuals．According to the passage, which of the following statements is NOT true when a person is in a state of deep relaxation?
| A．The body takes in less oxygen． |
| B．The heart beats less frequently． |
| C．Muscles become tense and the body sweats easily． |
| D．The consciousness becomes more or less calmed． |
People seem to agree that ____．
| A．sitting in an armchair benefits a person as meditation does |
| B．structured relaxation techniques are more beneficial for a person |
| C．to achieve a state of deep relaxation is possible through various means |
| D．what people are all struggling for is a state of deep relaxation |
In the third paragraph, the phrase “getting there” means _____．
| A．arriving at one’s destination |
| B．getting what one wants most |
| C．finding out a suitable relaxation technique |
| D．reaching a state of deep relaxation |
The author’s attitude toward relaxation discussed in the passage is best described as ______．
| A．sceptical | B．objective | C．optimistic | D．critical |