To err is human. To blame（责备） the other guy is even more human.
Common sense is not all that common.
Why tell the truth when you can come up with a good excuse?
These three popular misquotes（戏谑的引语）are meant to be jokes, and yet they tell us a lot about human nature. To err, or to make mistakes, is indeed a part of being human, but it seems that most people don’t want to accept the responsibility for the problem. Perhaps it is the natural thing to do. The original quote about human nature went like this: “To err is human, to forgive, divine（神圣的）.” This saying mirrors an ideal: People should be forgiving of others’ mistakes. Instead, we tend to do the opposite – find someone else to pass the blame on to. However, taking responsibility for something that went wrong is a mark of great maturity（成熟）.
Common sense is what we call clear thought. Having common sense means having a good general plan that will make things work well, and it also means staying with the plan. Common sense tells you that you take an umbrella out into a rainstorm, but you leave the umbrella home when you hear a weather forecast for sunshine. Common sense does not seem to be common for large companies, because there are so many things going on that one person cannot be in charge of everything. People say that in a large company, “the right hand does not know what the left hand is doing.”
And what is wrong with a society that thinks that making up a good excuse is like creating a work of art? One of the common problems with making excuses is that people, especially young people, get the idea that it’s okay not to be totally honest all the time. There is a corollary（直接推论）to that: if a good excuse is “good” even if it isn’t honest, then where is the place of the truth?Which of the following is NOT based on common sense?
| A．A secretary works to a timetable. |
| B．A company’s next move follows a good plan. |
| C．A girl goes out with an umbrella in stormy weather. |
| D．A man tries to manage everything in a large company. |
What can we infer from the last paragraph according to the writer?
| A．A good excuse is the same as honesty. |
| B．Inventing a good excuse needs creative ideas. |
| C．Unpleasant truth is better than a good excuse. |
| D．Making a good excuse is sometimes a better idea. |
What would be the best title for this passage?
| A．A Mirror of Human Nature |
| B．To Blame or to Forgive |
| C．A Mark of Maturity |
| D．Truth or Excuse |
North American back bears are shy animals. They are fearful by nature, and will usuallyrun away if they see or hear people. Because of this, it can be difficult for scientists to learnabout these animals.
In order to study black bears, researchers from New Jersey, USA, catch bears and usedrugs to help them go to sleep. Researchers then work out the size and the weight of the bear,take blood to test for diseases(疾病), remove a tooth and take it to the lab to find out its age. Fromthese studies, researchers want to find out how many bears live in New Jersey, how long theylive, and how many babies they produce.
But in Minnesota, USA, researchers study bears that are completely awake. The bears knowthe researchers' voices and they are not afraid of die research team. With the help of a few grapesto keep the bears busy, researchers can touch them to check their hearts, look at theirteeth, and do other jobs.Researchers can also walk or sit with bears for hours and make videos to learn about their everyday lives.
In both places, the main purpose is the same—to make sure there is a healthy population of black bears. But theresearch methods and the kinds of information that researchers, are able to collect arc quite different.
| A．shy and fearful animals | B．not found today |
| C．well known to scientists | D．not afraid of people |
| A．拔下 | B．移植 | C．清洗 | D．修补 |
| A．The age. | B．The way of their communication. |
| C．The weight. | D．The number of babies they produce. |
| A．can never get close to the bears |
| B．study the bears while they are asleep |
| C．use grapes to make the bears full |
| D．learn a lot about the bears' everyday lives |
| A．Research places. | B．The main purpose. |
| C．Research methods. | D．Collected information. |
An old scientist recently made several tests with different animals to find out which was cleverer than other animals.
In one test the old scientist put a monkey in a room where there were several boxes. Some boxes were inside other boxes. One small box had some food in it. The scientist wanted to watch the monkey and to find out how long it would take the monkey to find the food. The scientist left the room. He waited a few minutes outside the door. Then he got down on his knees and put his eyes to the keyhole(锁孔). What did he see? To his surprise, he found himself looking into the eye of the monkey. The monkey was on the other side of the door and looked at the scientist through the keyhole.
| A．if the monkey would steal (偷) the food |
| B．if the monkey would look for the food |
| C．if the monkey was cleverer than other animals |
| D．if some boxes were inside other boxes |
| A．into a small box |
| B．into several small boxes |
| C．into a box where there was some food |
| D．in a room |
| A．began to eat food |
| B．began to look for food |
| C．looked at the scientist through the keyhole |
| D．came into the boxes one after another |
| A．got down on his knees and waited outside the door |
| B．got down on his knees and heard with his ears |
| C．left the room for a long time |
| D．looked at the monkey through the keyhole with his eyes |
| A．the monkey got down on its knees |
| B．the monkey came out of the room |
| C．the monkey looked at the scientist through the window |
| D．the monkey put its eye to the keyhole |
| J&M Music Store • Rock, pop and country music • Buy CDs new or used • Listen before you buy • Guitar lessons offered |
Peth Market • Fresh fruit and vegetables • Open Friday to Sunday mornings • Free ice cream for children under 12 |
| Times Coffee Shop • The best coffee in town • Sandwiches, cakes, pies •Open 10:00a.m__11:00 p.m.daily •Jazz music( Wednesday to Sunday) |
Macon's B&B • Feel like home when you're away from • We have different kinds of rooms • Delicious homemade breakfast |
| A．receive guitar lessons |
| B．borrow new or used CDs |
| C．learn pop music history |
| D．buy all kinds of music books |
| A．8:30 a.m. | B．9:30 a.m. |
| C．10:30 p.m. | D．11:30 p.m. |
A. In J&M Music Store.B. In Peth Market
.C. At Times Coffee Shop.D. At Macon's B&B.
| A．There is no breakfast at Macon's B& |
| B．You can't listen to the CD before you buy it. |
| C．Times Coffee Shop offers Jazz music every day. |
| D．Kids under 12 can get free ice cream in Peth Market |
| A．A dictionary. | B．A newspaper. |
| C．A story book. | D．A science report. |
Everybody can suffer from stress. No matter what your age is, you can feel stressed out by things that are happening in your life.
Teenagers, however, have many more opportunities to get stressed than people in any other age group. Being a teenager is hard. You are not a child any more, but you are not an adult, even though you have to deal with some very grown-up problems and decisions.
Families can be one of the biggest causes of stress, such as problems with parents arguing at home or problems with brothers and sisters. Teenagers also have a lot of stress from school, either from their teachers or from their friends. Some teenagers also feel stressed about choosing their education after high school. Getting a place at university can be very difficult and some cannot afford to go to university. The stress about getting a job when finishing school is hard for some teenagers. There are so many young people finishing school and not enough jobs for them.
Sadly, there is nothing we can do to remove these causes of stress from the 1ives of teenagers, but you can learn the best way to deal with it. Talking to people is one of the best ways to deal with stress. It may sound simple, but it is true. A problem shared is a problem halved.Why is being a teenager often difficult?
| A．Because even though you are not an adult, you must deal with adult problems. |
| B．Because even though you are an adult, you must deal with children's problems. |
| C．Because even though you are a teenager, you must do a lot of homework. |
| D．Because adults often make them feel stressed. |
Families can add to the stress a teenager might experience _____.
| A．by asking them to go to university |
| B．by helping them with their homework |
| C．as teenagers quarrel with their parents, and their brothers or sisters |
| D．as families never support their children enough |
Why can leaving school be a stressful time for teenagers?
| A．Because they will be leaving their favorite teachers. |
| B．Because many people's favorite memories are at school. |
| C．Because they may worry about getting a place at university. |
| D．Because they may worry about becoming an adult. |
Why can finding a job after finishing school be difficult?
| A．Because there is a lot of competition for jobs. |
| B．Because there are no jobs. |
| C．Because a job is more difficult than school work. |
| D．Because there is a lot of competition for places at university. |
We can deal with the stress in our life _____.
| A．by not trying to find a job |
| B．by forgetting about our problems |
| C．by getting a place at university |
| D．by sharing our problems with our friends |
No one can change the weather. Nobody can control the weather. But if we read correctly the signs around us, we can tell what the more important changes in the weather will be. This way of telling what the weather will be like on the following day or two is called weather forecasting. For many centuries and in all countries, people have studied the weather and tried to make weather forecasting. Rings around the sun are a sign of coming rain. Many people feel their joints hurt in their bones if wet weather is coming. Some birds fly high if fine weather is coming, but they fly near the ground if rainy or stormy weather is on the way. It is probably because of the insects (昆虫) which they are hunting that they fly low. If you see a rainbow (彩虹) during rainy weather, this is a sign that the weather will become clear and fine. Such rainbows come in the evening. If the stars twinkle clearly at night, then fine weather will continue. If a fog appears in the morning just above a river, then the day will be warm. If the sunset is mostly red in color, then the following day will be fine. If a rainbow appears in the morning, rainy weather will probably come. Most of the above sayings have been made by the people who have used their eyes and brains to make weather forecasting.According to the passage, people's joints ache ______.
| A．is a sign of coming rain |
| B．without any reason |
| C．because they are ill |
| D．because of the insects |
Which is true about weather forecasting?
| A．Weather forecasting is a recorder about the weather on the following day or two. |
| B．Weather forecasting is a way of telling what the weather will be like. |
| C．Weather forecasting is a sign of coming rain. |
| D．People can change the weather. |
The birds fly high and the stars twinkle clearly is a sign that the weather will ______.
| A．be warm | B．be rainy |
| C．become clear and fine | D．be cold |
A rainbow is a ______ of the weather.
| A．sign | B．way | C．method | D．road |
We must ______ to make weather forecasting.
| A．use our eyes and brains | B．study the weather hard |
| C．read correctly the signs | D．All of the above |