For thousands of years, the most important two buildings in any British village have been the church and the pub. Traditionally, the church and the pub are at the heart of any village or town, where the people gather together to socialize and exchange news.
As a result, British pubs are often old and well preserved. Many of them have become historic sites. The most famous example is the pub in the city of Nottingham called “The Old Trip to Jerusalem”, which dates back to the year 1189 AD and is probably the oldest pub in England.
However, British pubs are not just for kings and queens; they welcome people from all classes and parts of society. On a cold night, the pub’s landlord or landlady can always find a warm place for you by the fire. There is always honest and hearty food and plenty of drink available at an affordable price.
That’s how things used to be. Things are beginning to change. It is said that the credit crunch(信贷紧缩) is causing 39 British pubs a week to go out of business. People do not have enough spare money to spend on beer. Recently, the UK government banned smoking in all pubs, and that may also have affected the number of customers going to pubs.
This decline is happening despite the fact that in 2005 the UK government started to allow pubs to stay open after 1l pm. Previously, with 1l pm as closing time, customers would have to drink quite quickly, meaning they sometimes got more drunk than they would if allowed to drink slowly. The British habit of drinking a lot very quickly is known as “binge drinking”, and it causes long-term health problems for people and problems with violent crime for communities.
In order to save their businesses, pubs are trying to change with the market. British pubs now offer something for everyone. A lot of pubs used to be “Working Men's Clubs”, meaning that women could not usually enter. Today, however, women can freely enter 99% of pubs without experiencing any problems. Perhaps things are changing for the better after all.The passage mainly tells us something about ______.
| A．the past and present of British pubs |
| B．the decline of British pubs |
| C．the long history of British pubs |
| D．the importance of British pubs |
Which may not be the cause of the decline of British pubs?
| A．The credit crunch. |
| B．The present closing time. |
| C．The ban of smoking. |
| D．Having no spare money. |
We can infer from the passage that ______.
| A．British people used to like drinking slowly |
| B．closing the pubs early will reduce social problems |
| C．binge drinking means drinking less beer |
| D．British government aims to discourage people from binge drinking |
We can see from the last paragraph that the author _______.
| A．is against the admission of too many women to the pubs |
| B．holds an optimistic attitude towards the British pubs |
| C．thinks that women in the pubs will cause less social problems |
| D．thinks that British pubs should offer everything you need |
Do you want to love what you do for a living? Follow your passion. This piece of advice provides the foundation for modern thinking on career satisfaction. But this can be a problem.
I've spent the past several years researching and writing about the different strategies we use to seek happiness in our work. It became clear early in the process that the suggestion to “follow your passion” was flawed (有缺陷), for it lacks scientific evidence. However, it doesn't mean you should abandon the goal of feeling passionate about your work. The reality emphasizes that things are quite complicated.
Passion is earned. Different people are looking for different things in their work, but generally, people with satisfying careers enjoy some combination of the following features: autonomy，respect, competence, creativity, and a sense of impact. In other words，if you want to feel passionate about your livelihood，don't seek the perfect job，but seek to get more of these features in the job you already have.
Passion is elusive (难捉摸的). Many people develop the rare and valuable skills leading to passion, but still end up unhappy in their work. The problem is that the features leading you to love your work are more likely to be useful to you than your organization. As you become increasingly “valuable”，for example, your boss might push you toward traditional promotions that come with more pay and more responsibility, as this is what is most useful to your company. However, you might find more passion by applying your value to gain autonomy in your schedule or project selection.
Passion is dangerous. I've watched too many of my peers fall into anxiety and chronic(慢性的) job-hopping (跳槽) due to the “follow your passion” advice. The issue is expectations. If you believe we all have a pre-existing passion, and that matching it to a job will lead to instant workplace happiness, reality will always pale in comparison.
Work is hard. Not every day is fun. If you're seeking a dream job, you'll end up frustrated, again and again. Don't set out to discover passion. Instead, set out to develop it. This path might be longer and more complicated than what most cheerful career guides might advocate, but it's a path much more likely to lead you somewhere worth going.People satisfied with their careers are _______.
| A．autonomous and passionate | B．creative and passionate |
| C．respectable and sensitive | D．creative and competent |
What is the author's advice on achieving career satisfaction?
| A．Figuring out early what one will do in the future. |
| B．Matching the pre-existing passion to one's work. |
| C．Developing passion for what one is doing. |
| D．Discovering skills that lead to interesting careers. |
The underlined sentence in Para. 5 probably means that _______.
| A．it is not easy to match our passion with our jobs |
| B．we shouldn't think everyone has a pre-existing passion |
| C．workplace happiness does not require a pre-existing passion |
| D．high expectations of passion in jobs bring disappointment |
What's the author's attitude towards the advice of “following your passion”?
| A．Disapproving. | B．Supportive. | C．Cautious. | D．Unclear. |
Self-employed private physicians who charge a fee for each patient visit are the foundation of medical practice in the United States. Most physicians have a contract relationship with one or more hospitals in the community. They send their patients to this hospital, which usually charges patients according to the number of days they stay and the facilities (operating room, tests, medicines that they use). Some hospitals belong to a city, a state or, in the case of veteran's hospitals, a federal government agency. Others are operated by religious orders (教会) or other non-profit groups.
Some medical doctors are on salary. Salaried physicians may work as hospital staff members, or residents, who are often still in training. They may teach in medical schools, be hired by corporations to care for their workers or work for the federal government’s Public Health Service.
Physicians are among the best paid professionals in the United States. In the 1980s, it was not uncommon for medical doctors to earn incomes of more than $ 100,000 a year. Specialists, particularly surgeons, might earn several times that amount. Physicians list many reasons why they deserve to be so well rewarded for their work. One reason is the long and expensive preparation required to become a physician in the United States. Most would-be physicians first attend college for four years, which can cost nearly $ 20,000 a year at one of the best private institutions. Prospective physicians then attend medical school for four years. Tuition alone can exceed $ 10,000 a year. By the time they have obtained their medical degrees, many young physicians are deeply in debt. They still face three to five years of residency (实习阶段) in a hospital, the first year as an apprentice physician. The hours are long and the pay is relatively low.
Setting up a medical practice is expensive, too. Sometimes several physicians will decide to establish a group practice, so they can share the expense of maintaining an office and buying equipment. These physicians also take care of each other’s patients in emergencies.
Physicians work long hours and must accept a great deal of responsibility. Many medical procedures, even quite routine ones, involve risk. It is understandable that physicians want to be well rewarded for making decisions which can mean the difference between life and death.According to the passage, it is very unlikely that an American hospital is owned by _____.
| A．a church | B．a city | C．a corporation | D．a state |
According to the passage, how long does it take for a would-be physician to become an independent physician in the USA?
| A．About twelve years. | B．Eight years. |
| C．Ten years. | D．About seven year. |
Sometimes several physicians set up a group medical practice mainly because _______.
| A．there are so many patients that it is difficult for one physician to take care all of them |
| B．they can take turns to work long hours |
| C．no one wants to assume too much responsibility |
| D．facilities may be too much of a burden for one physician to shoulder |
Which of the following statements could fully express the author’s view towards physicians’ payment in the USA?
| A．It is reasonable for physicians to have a large income because their work is very dangerous. |
| B．For their expensive education and their responsibility, they deserve a handsome pay. |
| C．Physicians should be better paid because they work long hours under bad conditions. |
| D．Physicians have great responsibility, so it is understandable that they should be well rewarded. |
The quality of drinking water in Shanghai will meet European Union standard by 2010 and, a decade later, citizens in Shanghai will drink the best water in the world.
These were the goals set out by the Shanghai Water Authority. With the city’s population expected to increase only slightly and the economy to boom by 2020, Chen Yin, and official with the water authority, said Shanghai’s water consumption will not increase from its present amount.
Zhang Yue, director of the Urban Construction Division under the Ministry of Construction, said, “Shanghai is the first city in the country to publicize these ambitions. They will not be easy to achieve.”
He said water saving will help keep the sustainable development of China’s economy.
Saving one cubic meter of water means saving the city’s infrastructure（基础设施）costs by 10,000 Yuan. Last year, Shanghai saved 300 million cubic meters of water either from readjustment of industrial structure or the employment of new technology.
“The aim is to arouse public awareness of the seriousness of water shortages,” Chen said. “The abundant surface water and amount of rain of the city are so misleading that they result in improper use of water.”
Shanghai lacks drinkable water. The Huangpu River, which supplies 80 percent of the city’s drinkable water, is nearing exhaustion.
The city, therefore, has been exploring new sources from the Yangtze River and growing forests along it to conserve quality water.
Besides penning regulations, the authority is popularizing technology among the public to efficiently cut the amount of water used.
At present, the city has 600，000 family toilets, each using 13 liters of water per flush. These are to be renovated（整修）to use only 9 liters of water per flush.
The authority is renovating the first 200 toilets for households – at a cost of 40 Yuan each.
In three years, all the toilets will be renovated, which saves the city nearly 15 million Yuan every year in water conservation.
Another task the city is engaged in is the treatment of sewage（污水）to improve the water environment.
At present the city can only treat 44 percent of its daily 5.04 million tons of waste water. To meet the total demand, 27 more sewage treatment factories are to be established with an estimated investment of 18 billion Yuan.People in Shanghai get their daily water mainly fromnow.
| A．the underground | B．the rain |
| C．the Yangtze River | D．the Huangpu River |
According to the passage, some people have the wrong opinion of using water
because.
| A．the renovating of family toilets will save plenty of water |
| B．about half of waste water has been treated already |
| C．advanced technology makes people use water as much as possible |
| D．there is plenty surface water and large amount of rain at present |
The authority is renovating the first 200 toilets for households to .
| A．make people’s living more convenient |
| B．improve people’s living standards |
| C．ease employment pressure |
| D．meet the total demand of water |
Which group of measures are all mentioned in the passage to save water?
a．improve drinking water quality b．change some industrial structure
c．introduce or use some new technology d．speed the economic development of Shanghai
e．renovate some family toilets f．build more sewage treatment factories
| A．a, b, c, d | B．b, c, e, f | C．b, c, d, e | D．a, b, e, f |
We can infer from the passage that.
| A．the boom of economy will need a larger amount of water in the future |
| B．citizens today in Shanghai drink the best quality of water in the world |
| C．not everyone today in Shanghai is aware of water shortage |
| D．all the family toilets will be renovated to save water within 3 years |
I’m sure your parents love you and would love you even if you didn’t live up to their expectations, They are probably setting the bar as high as possible, so that you will aim high , That’s right, but you need some confidence that they’ll be there to catch you—and love you just the same—if you try and fail to achieve all their goals, Because what they’re doing now could lead to some unexpected results .and not good ones.
Giving you a lecture for achieving an A is a big mistake, Your parents might think they’re giving you the motivation for succeeding , but all this pressure is making you feel like you can never be good enough ,The risk is that you’ll stop trying anything unless you are sure you’ll be the best at it .And that can actually cause your grades to fall downwards, creating the opposite effect than you parents indeed.
Show your parents this letter that you wrote to me ,Tell them that you love them so much ,and you worry they won’t love you if you don’t achieve what they want, and how you suspect you may not be up to the challenge , Explain that you have other qualities that you wish they would value you for—such as your kindness, your sense of humor, your willingness to try and try again, and so on.
Have an honest talk with your parents about how all this pressure to be perfect is affecting you , If he talk doesn’t go the way you hope , you might want to schedule a meeting between you , your parents and a counselor（顾问）at school , The counselor can certainly help your parents understand how this kind of unhealthy pressure can lead to negative results, and give them advice about how to better encourage you to be all that you can be , at school and outside of it.Who does the author intend to write to?
| A．A boy/girl whose school work is not good enough |
| B．A boy/girl who has difficulty in getting along with parents |
| C．A boy/girl whose parents expect too much of him/her |
| D．A boy/girl who needs love from his/her parents |
According the text, why some parents have high expectations to their children?
| A．Because they hope their children will aim high |
| B．Because they love their children very much |
| C．Because their children are lack of confidence |
| D．Because their children seldom achieve their goals |
What kind of feeling may a child have if his parents ask him to achieve an A?
| A．He may be more confident about himself |
| B．He may feel that he can never be good enough |
| C．He may feel natural to cheat in the exam |
| D．He may hate his parents and try to make more mistakes |
What is the advice given by the author?
| A．To apologize to his/her parents for disappointing them |
| B．To let his/her parents know unhealthy pressure can lead to negative results |
| C．To invite his/her teachers to help him/her to get rid of unhealthy pressure |
| D．To try his/her best to achieve what his/her parents expect |
What does the underlined word “them” in the last paragraph refer to?
| A．Counselors | B．Results | C．Parents | D．Classmates |
Earning a black belt in martial arts and being issued a pilot’s license are both impressive accomplishments that take year of effort to achieve, but 30-year-old Jessica Cox has done both despite being born without arms.
In spite of all difficulties , but with strong faith and the help of her family ,Cox put herself through high school and then college, typing papers with her toes, She became the first armless black belt in American Taekwondo （跆拳道）Association and now has two black belts, She got her driver’s license and then, astonishingly, her pilot’s license in 2008, The achievement earned her a place in the Guinness Would Records, which recognized her for becoming the first person without arms to fly an airplane.
Now Cox is the subject of a new documentary, Rightfooted, Which Cox says the hopes will inspire disabled young people around the world, “Had I watched a film similar to this one earlier, in my life ,I know it would have make a difference.” Cox says in a trailer (预告片) for the documentary.
The young woman says her current goal is to become a motivational speaker, particularly for chileren born without arms , She says she believes her message can reach millions of people working to overcome a variety of disabilities.
As the next step, she has been invited by non-governmental organization Handicap International to work with disabled children in Ethiopia Cox is extremely excited for the opportunity, She hopes that sharing her story will inspire children with disabilities and encourage Ethiopians to include all children in school because in Ethiopia only one percent of children with disabilities are educated and their parents do not think they can benefit from going to school, She also hopes to meet with government officials to inspire change.What does the second paragraph mainly tell us?
| A．Cox earned a place in the Guinness World Record |
| B．Cox can type papers as a common person does |
| C．Cox has little difficulty in doing things by herself |
| D．Cox has made some great achievements |
What’s the purpose of the documentary Rightfooted?
| A．To inspire all young people with disabilities |
| B．To tell the story of Cox’s life and her desire |
| C．To show how important one’s foot is |
| D．To show how Cox works in Ethiopia |
Why does Cox want to be a speaker?
| A．To give her message |
| B．To prevent children born without arms |
| C．To help people overcome disabilities |
| D．To prove she can also be a successful speaker |
The goal of Handicap International in Ethiopia is to .
| A．meet the government officials |
| B．help disabled children find jobs |
| C．run education projects for children with disabilities |
| D．help Cox realize her dream of becoming a speaker |
What is true of Jessica Cox?
| A．She is the first woman pilot |
| B．She is a disabled Taekwondo champion |
| C．She is the director of a documentary |
| D．She is an armless woman with strong faith |