My friend got married. His mother carried two bags of cotton from the countryside by bus and train to his city. After arriving at the city, there was still a long way to his house without any bus passing by the house. His mother walked to his home breathlessly for 40 minutes without taking a taxi in order to save money.
My friend felt bitter as well as funny at his mother’s deeds. He pointed to the cashmere and silk quilts and said, “So long as you have money, you can buy anything in the supermarket. There is no need for you to carry so much cotton here in such a long way.”
But his mother insisted and said, “The cotton of this year is light and warmth-keeping. Have a try and you will know!”
Maybe every parent is the same, caring for their children with stubborn love without caring about whether they know or like it.
This early spring, I went to visit my grandmother. We had dry beans stew （炖菜）, eggplant salad bar, sauce radish （酱萝卜条）for our dinner, all of which were dried by my grandmother last autumn and tasted wonderful. I loved the dishes to my heart’s content and could not help praising them again and again.
After a few days, my grandmother, who seldom visited us, came to my home and unpacked her bag, smilingly taking out bags of dried eggplants, dried beans and dried vegetable. She told me that I left so hastily last time that she forgot to give me some of these foods, so she took this chance to bring me what I liked.
I was speechless at that time. Due to my casual complimentary her food, my grandmother, a nearly 70-year-old lady, by taking three buses from the west of the city to the east, came to my home with the food I liked. But she was bus-sick in life and even seldom went strolling in the street.
My pretty girlfriend had a failed marriage in the past. After divorce, her parents shed the deepest protection and care to her by helping her attend to the child and offering financial aids. Her parents’ love made her pull herself together and forgot the man who had hurt her before.
Nonetheless, her father, an honest and upright old man, after hearing his ex-son-in-law got promoted in his company, felt terrifically irritated and went to his company to question his boss why a philandering man with corrupt conducts could get promoted. The whole office fell into a mess immediately and many staff just watched on the sidelines. Some people even whispered lightly, "It is a new era now and the relationship between men and women is very open. No one would care about that anymore!"
The old man stood silently in the office with his hands shivering and eyes tearing.
That night, my girlfriend cried heavily in front of me. I asked her whether it was her father’s stupid deeds that made her feel humiliated. But she said that she felt guilty for her dad and that though the rest of the whole world betrayed her, her old father would still back her up and help her get the justice she deserved, just as when she was young and the neighboring boy grabbed her ball, her father would get it back for her. However, this changed world was no longer the stage for her old father and his deeds became funnily obsolete. No one managed to see the real and ever-lasting love to his daughter behind his seemingly rude behaviors.
Now we have grown up so much so that we could support our family and have our own children. But in our parents’ heart, they are still worried that we do not have sufficient quilts and dried vegetables. They would not feel troubled to bring all these to us regardless of long tough journey. They even would not like us to suffer a bit and try all means to protect us without caring about whether what they do is awkward and stupid or not.
Who in the world would love us so deeply and relentlessly without asking for any repay? Only our parents!What does the author want to tell us?
| A．The love from our parents is real and deep though sometimes it doesn't appear so. |
| B．The love from our parents is awkward sometimes, which is rather annoying. |
| C．Children should appreciate parents' love because their life is so hard. |
| D．The world is changing so the love of parents should change too. |
The underlined world "humiliate" in the eleventh paragraph means ________.
| A．guilty | B．moved | C．happy | D．ashamed |
How many examples of older generation’s love are mentioned in the passage?
| A．One | B．Two | C．Three | D．four |
After the author's girlfriend's former husband got promoted, her father _____.
| A．congratulated him |
| B．made his daughter marry him again |
| C．had a quarrel with him |
| D．argued with his boss |
From the passage we can learn the author's grandmother is ___________.
| A．upright and honest | B．loving and troublesome |
| C．thoughtful and careful | D．generous and active |
Creativity(创造性)is the key to a brighter future, say education and business experts. Here is how schools and parents can encourage this important skill in children.
If Dick Drew had listened to his boss in 1925, we might not have a product that we now think of as very important: a new type of tape. Drew worked for the Minnesota Mining Company. At work he developed a kind of material strong enough to hold things together. But his boss told him not to think more about the idea. Finally, using his own time, Drew improved the tape, which now is used everywhere by many people. And his former company learned from its mistake. Now it encourages people to spend 15 percent of their work time just thinking and developing new ideas.
Creativity is not something one is just born with, nor is it necessarily an indicator of high intelligence. Just that a person is highly intelligent does not mean that he uses it creatively. Creativity is the matter of using the resources one has to produce new ideas that are good for something.
Unfortunately, schools have not tried to encourage creativity. With strong attention paid to test results and the development of reading, writing and mathematical skills, many educators give up creativity for correct answers. The result is that children can give back information but can’t recognize ways to use it in new situations. They may know the rules correctly, but they are unable to use them to work out practical problems.
It is important to give children choices. From an early age, children should be allowed to make decisions and understand their results. Even if it’s choosing between two food items for lunch, decision-making helps thinking skills. As children grow older, parents should let their children decide how to use their time or spend their money, but not help them too much if they make the wrong decision. The child may have a hard time, but that is all right. This is because the most important characteristic of creative people is a very strong desire to find a way out of trouble.What did the company where Dick Drew worked learn from its mistake?
| A．They encouraged people to work longer. |
| B．They discouraged people to think freely. |
| C．They asked people to spend all their work time developing new ideas. |
| D．They encouraged people to spend some of their work time considering and |
improving new ideas. Creativity is something ______.
| A．that people are born with |
| B．that depends on intelligence |
| C．that is a way of using what one has learnt to work out new problems |
| D．that is not important |
Why don’t schools try to encourage creativity?
| A．They don’t understand the importance of education. |
| B．They don’t want their students to make mistakes. |
| C．They pay too much attention to examination marks and language skills. |
| D．They think it more important to remember information. |
What should the parents do when their children decide how to spend their money?
| A．Try to help them as much as possible. |
| B．Take no notice of whatever they do. |
| C．Help them if their decision is wrong, but not too much. |
| D．Leave them as they are. |
IELTS: international English language testing system
Introduction: The IELTS is jointly managed by the University of Cambridge Local Examination Syndicate (剑桥大学考试委员会), the British Council (英国文化委员会) and IDP Education Australia (澳洲教育国际开发署)
Why more and more people are taking the IELTS test?
The IELTS test is widely recognized by the colleges, universities and other academic institutions of Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United Kingdom. More and more universities and colleges in the US are also accepting an IELTS result as a language requirement for application to degree courses.
IELTS is accepted by many important organizations, such as the New Zealand Immigration Bureau, the Australian Immigration and Cultural Department, the Canadian Immigration Bureau, the Australian Medical Council and the British Medical Association (总会).
Choice of two test types
There are two test models: Academic and General Training. The candidate must select the one suitable to his/here purpose for taking the test.
Academic: for candidates who want to apply for undergraduate or postgraduate courses.
General Training: for candidates who take IELTS for immigration purpose, training programmes, or work experience.
If you have any questions about which type to take, consult the Examinations Services staff at the British Council offices.
Content
The test is composed of four papers: Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking. The first three papers must be taken at one sitting on one day, and the speaking paper may be taken up to two days later. Usually in China, the Listening paper is taken on a Saturday morning, followed by the Reading paper, and then Writing paper. The Speaking test is usually taken on the Saturday afternoon or on the following Saturday. Candidates must complete all four papers in order to obtain an overall score.How many organizations is IELTS managed by?
| A．6. | B．5. | C．4. | D．3. |
Why are more and more people taking the IELTS test?
| A．It is widely accepted by many countries. |
| B．It is widely recognized by many colleges, institutions and many important organizations. |
| C．It’s proof for people’s ability. |
| D．It’s interesting and acceptable. |
What kind of candidates should choose Academic test?
| A．Candidates who want for immigration. |
| B．Candidates who want for training. |
| C．Candidates who want for work experience. |
| D．Candidates who want for undergraduate or postgraduate courses. |
In China, what’s the test order?
| A．Reading, writing, speaking, listening. |
| B．Reading, speaking, listening, writing. |
| C．Listening, reading, writing, speaking. |
| D．Speaking, reading, listening ,writing |
Flying over a desert in an airplane, two scientists looked down with trained eyes at trees and bushes．After an hour’s flight, one of the scientists wrote in his notebook, "Look here for probable metal." Walking across hilly ground, four scientists reported, "This ground should be searched for metals." From an airplane over a hilly wasteland a scientist sent back by radio one word "Uranium".
None of the scientists had X-ray eyes: they had no magic powers for looking down below the earth’s surface．They were merely putting to use one of the newest methods of locating minerals in the ground -- using trees and plants as signs that certain minerals may lie under the ground on which the trees and plants are growing.
This newest method of searching for minerals is based on the fact that minerals deep in the earth may affect the kind of bushes and trees that grow on the surface.
At Watson Bar Creek, a mineral search group gathered bags of tree seeds．Boxes were filled with small branches from the trees．Roots were dug and put into boxes．Each bag and box was carefully marked．In a scientific laboratory the parts of the forest trees were burned to ashes and tested．Each small part was examined to learn whether there were minerals in it.
Study of the roots, branches and seeds showed no silver．But there were small amounts of gold in the roots and a little less gold in the branches and seeds．The seeds growing nearest to the tree trunk had more gold than those growing on the ends of the branches.
If the trees indicated that there was no gold in the ground, the scientists wouldn’t spare money to pay for digging into the ground.Scientists were flying over a desert or a hilly wasteland or a mountain region to _____.
| A．train their eyes | B．study the trees |
| C．look for gold | D．search for minerals |
The study of trees, branches and roots indicated that ______.
| A．there were larger amounts of gold in the branches far from the tree trunk than in the seeds |
| B．there were smaller amounts of gold in the tree roots deep in the ground than in the branches |
| C．there were larger amounts of gold in the seeds growing closer to the tree trunk than in the seeds farther from it |
| D．there were larger amounts of gold in the branches than in the leaves on the ends of the branches |
Which of the following is NOT mentioned as part of a tree that can help the searchers?
| A．leaves | B．roots | C．branches | D．seeds |
Which of the following might be the best title for this passage?
| A．Scientists searching for treasure with special equipment. |
| B．New methods of doing geological study. |
| C．Gold could be found in trees and plants. |
| D．A new method of searching for minerals. |
I made a pledge (发誓) to myself on the way down to the vacation beach cottage. For two weeks I would try to be a loving husband and father. Totally loving. No ifs, ands or buts.
The idea had come to me as I listened to a talk on my car radio. The speaker was quoting a Biblical (圣经) passage about husbands being thoughtful of their wives. Then he went on to say, “Love is an act of will. A person can choose to love.” To myself, I had to admit that I had been a selfish husband. Well, for two weeks that would change.
And it did. Right from the moment I kissed Evelyn at the door and said, “That new yellow sweater looks great on you.”
“Oh, Tom, you noticed,” she said, surprised and pleased. Maybe a little puzzled.
After the long drive, I wanted to sit and read. Evelyn suggested a walk on the beach. I started to refuse, but then I thought, “Evelyn’s been alone here with the kids all week and now she wants to be alone with me.” We walked on the beach while the children flew their kites.
So it went. Two weeks of not calling the Wall Street firm where I am a director; a visit to the shell museum though I usually hate museums. Relaxed and happy, that’s how the whole vacation passed. I made a new pledge to keep on remembering to choose love.
There was one thing that went wrong with my experiment, however. Evelyn and I still laugh about it today. On the last night at our cottage, preparing for bed, Evelyn stared at me with saddest expression.
“What’s the matter?” I asked her.
“Tom,” she said in a voice filled with distress, “do you know something I don’t?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well… that checkup I had several weeks ago… our doctor… did he tell you something about me? Tom, you’ve been so good to me… am I dying?”
It took a moment for it all to sink in. Then I burst out laughing.
“No, honey,” I said, wrapping her in my arms. “You’re not dying; I’m just starting to live.”In the first paragraph, “No ifs, ands or buts” probably mean ________.
| A．unnecessarily | B．unconditionally | C．impossibly | D．unintentionally |
From the story we may infer that Tom drove to the beach cottage ________.
| A．alone | B．with his family | C．with Evelyn | D．with his children |
During the two weeks on the beach, Tom showed more love to his wife because ________.
| A．she looked lovely in her new clothes |
| B．she was seriously ill |
| C．he was determined to be a good husband |
| D．he had made a lot of money in Wall Street |
By saying “I’m just starting to live,” Tom means that ________.
| A．he is beginning to feel regret for what he did to his wife before |
| B．he lived an unhappy life before and is now starting to change |
| C．he is just beginning to understand the real meaning of life |
| D．he is just beginning to enjoy life as a loving husband |
Professor Reason recently persuaded 35 people to keep a diary of all their absent-minded actions for two weeks. When he came to analyze their embarrassing errors, he was surprised to find that nearly all of them fell into a few groups.
One of the women, for instance, on leaving her house for work one morning threw her pet dog her earrings and tried to fix a dog biscuit on her ear. “The explanation for this is that the brain is like a computer,” explains the professor. “People programme themselves to do certain activities regularly.” It was the woman’s custom every morning to throw her dog two biscuits and then put on her earrings. “But somehow the action got reversed（颠倒）in the programme.” About one in twenty of the incidents the volunteers reported were these “programme assembly failures.”
Twenty percent of all errors were “test failures” — mainly due to not verifying the progress of what the body was doing. A man about to get his car out of the garage passed through the back yard where his garden jacket and boots were kept, put them on — much to his surprise. A woman reported, “I got into the bath with my socks on.”
The commonest problem was information “storage failures”. People forgot the names of people whose faces they knew, went into a room and forgot why they were there, mislaid something, or smoked a cigarette without realizing it.
The research so far suggests that while the central processor of the brain is liberated from second-to-second control of a well-practiced routine, it must repeatedly switch back its attention at important decision points to check that the action goes on as intended. Otherwise the activity may be gotten by another frequently and recently used programme, resulting in embarrassing errors.The purpose of the professor’s research is to __________.
| A．show the difference between men and women |
| B．sort and explain some errors in human actions |
| C．find the causes which lead to computer failures |
| D．compare computer functions with brain working |
Which of the following might be grouped under “programme assembly failures”?
| A．A woman went to a shop and forgot what to buy. |
| B．A man returning home after work left his key in the lock. |
| C．A lady fell as she was paying attention to each step her feet were taking. |
| D．An old man, with his shoes on, was trying to put on his socks. |
The underlined word “verifying” (in paragraph 3) can be replaced by “_______”.
| A．improving | B．changing | C．checking | D．stopping |
According to the passage, the information “storage failure” refers to “_______”.
| A．information collecting system being destroyed |
| B．one’s total memory being removed |
| C．the loss of part of one’s memory for a time |
| D．the separation of one’s action from words |