Humans are naturally drawn to other life forms and the worlds outside of our own. We take delight in the existence of creatures and even whole societies beyond our everyday lives.
This sense of wonder is universal. Look at the efforts that scientists have made to find out whether life of some kind exists on Mars, and the popularity of fantasy(幻想) literature or movies like The Lord of the Rings. This sense of wonder draws us to each other, to the world around us, and to the world of make-believe(虚假). But have we gone so far in creating worlds of fantasy that we are missing the pleasure of other worlds that already exist all around us?
Human beings, as biologists have suggested, possess an inborn desire to connect with and understand other life forms. However, people, especially in big cities, often lead rather isolated(隔离的) lives. In a study of British schoolchildren, it was found that children by age eight were much more familiar with characters from television shows and video games than with common wildlife. Without modern technology, a small pond could be an amazing world filled with strange and beautiful plants, insects, birds, and animals. When we lack meaningful interaction(交互) with the world around us, and sometimes even with our families and friends, we seek to understand and communicate with things that exist only in our imaginations or on a computer screen。
The world of make-believe is not necessarily bad. But when the world of fantasy becomes the only outlet(出路) for our sense of wonder, then we are really missing something. We are missing a connection with the living world. Other wonderful worlds exist all around us. But even more interesting is that if we look closely enough, we can see that these worlds, in a broad sense, are really part of our own.The popularity of The Lord of the Rings proves .
| A．the close connection between man and the fantasy world |
| B．the wonderful achievements of fantasy literature |
| C．the general existence of the sense of curiosity |
| D．the fine taste of moviegoers around the world |
What can we infer from the underlined sentence in Paragraph 3?
| A．The world around us could serve as a source of wonder. |
| B．People are far less familiar with the world of fantasy. |
| C．The world of fantasy can be mirrored by a small and lively pond. |
| D．Modern technology prevents us from developing our sense of wonder. |
If our sense of wonder relies totally on the world of make-believe, we will
| A．be confused by the world of make-believe |
| B．fail to appreciate the joy in our lives |
| C．miss the chance to recognize the fantasy world |
| D．be trapped by other worlds existing all around us |
What is the main purpose of the passage?
| A．To show us the hidden beauty in our world. |
| B．To discuss the influence of the world of make-believe. |
| C．To argue against the misuse of the sense of wonder. |
| D．To warn us not to get lost in the fantasy world. |
Restaurants in the USA
Steve’s Pizza
So many pizza chains compete for the attention of tourists in South Beach, but ask a Miami Beach local where to get the best pizza and they’ll tell you about Steve’s. This is New York–style pizza, handmade with care and good ingredients(成份). New branches of Steve’s are opening elsewhere in Miami, all in non-tourist areas.
Opening hours: 11am-3am
Cattleman’s Steakhouse
This place is 20 miles east of the city, but local folks would probably drive 200 miles to eat here. The food is good, and the scenery is even better. Come early and wander around the grounds of Indian Cliffs Ranch, where you’ll see everything from rabbits to buffalo (水牛), then catch the sunset either before or after your meal.
Opening hours: 5pm-10pm
Absolute Baking & Cafe
The screen door is always swinging open at this town hot spot with giant breakfasts. Try the green chili on eggs – it’s made from scratch, as are the organic(有机的) breads. Lunch includes salads, big sandwiches and local grass-fed beef burgers. Don’t miss a square of soft, fresh carrot cake.
Opening hours: 7am-2pm
Walt’s Wharf
Everybody’s favorite for fresh fish (some drive in from LA), Walt’s packs them in on weekends. You can’t make reservations for dinner (though they’re accepted for lunch), but it’s worth the wait for the tree fire–grilled seafood and steaks in the many-windowed ground floor or upstairs in captain’s chairs.
Opening hours: 11am-3:30pmThe new branches of Steve’s Pizza are mainly intended for_________.
| A．New Yorkers | B．tourists |
| C．the locals | D．foreigners |
Cattleman’s Steakhouse offers the wonderful _________as well as good food.
| A．wine | B．view | C．discount | D．service |
Which restaurant serves both breakfast and lunch?
| A．Steve’s Pizza. |
| B．Walt’s Wharf. |
| C．Absolute Baking & Café. |
| D．Cattleman’s Steakhouse. |
The word proactivity is fairly common in management literature, but you won't find it in the dictionary. It means that as a human being you take responsibility for your own life．
Look at the word responsibility: ability to choose your response, response-ability. Effective people are proactive because they take responsibility. Their behavior is a product of their own decisions, based on values, rather than being a product of their own conditions, based on feelings．For instance, you are planning a picnic with your family．You're excited．You have all the preparations．You've decided where to go, and then it becomes stormy, killing your plan．Proactive people carry weather within them. They realize what their purpose really was, and they creatively have a picnic elsewhere even if it's in their own basement with some special games, and make the best of that situation．The opposite of being proactive is to be reactive．Reactive people would say, "What's the use?" "We can't do anything．" "Oh this is so upsetting after all of our preparations and arrangements." They try to persuade the people around them and usually the picnic will be cancelled．
Being proactive is really just being true to your human nature. Your basic nature is to act, and not to be acted upon．That's true, despite widely accepted theories of determinism used to explain human nature. Determinism says that you don't really choose anything and that what you call choices are nothing more than automatic responses to outside conditions．
The language of reactive people is like: " I can't．" " Don't have time．" " I have to．" " I must．" The whole spirit of that language is the transfer of responsibility．They think things are determined by their environment, or by their conditions, or by their conditioning or their genetic makeup．Psychologically, people who believe they are determined will produce the evidence to support the belief, and they increasingly feel victimized and out of control．They're not in charge of their life at all．
On the contrary, a proactive person exercises free will, the freedom to choose the response that best applies to his values．In that way, he gains control over the circumstances, rather than being controlled by them．According to the passage, a proactive person's behavior can result from ______．
| A．the environment | B．an inner belief |
| C．the genetic makeup | D．a temporary feeling |
When a picnic plan is threatened by a sudden storm, reactive people will probably ____．
| A．have the picnic as planned |
| B．make the best of the picnic |
| C．complain and give up the picnic |
| D．find somewhere else for the picnic |
What does "carry weather within them" in the second paragraph probably mean?
| A．Manage to improve the weather． |
| B．Give in to the weather passively． |
| C．Stress the influence of the weather． |
| D．Find a solution to the weather problems． |
It can be concluded from the passage that determinists (宿命论者) ______．
| A．accept things passively |
| B．are in charge of themselves |
| C．are similar to proactive people |
| D．respond to outside conditions actively |
In summer, some people avoid outdoor activities because they don't want to get hot and sticky or sun burnt．Luckily, there are some outdoor activities which don't involve breaking sweat．
River rafting
Hot summer weather and cool water-what a perfect match! River rafting can be both scenic and exciting．When the raft follows a gentle stream, the views of the countryside or valley is like a traditional Chinese painting．And when you enter white water where the riverbed creates a natural roller coaster, you feel a rush of adrenaline （肾上腺素）．Paddle your raft to the riverbank to have a picnic or barbecue which will taste best when you are starving．
Where to find: River rafting trips are usually on offer in mountainous or valley regions such as the Three Gorges．
Tips: Wear a helmet and life jacket at all times; bring enough sunscreen; and bring lots of water．
Caving
People say that the only naturally air-conditioned place in summer is a big cave．It is true．Cave tours featuring light shows are old hat．Now it's time to wear a lamp on your helmet like a mineworker to explore caves in darkness．Exploring unknown caverns and navigating underground rivers is what makes caving so thrilling．Plus, caving can be a very healthy sport, for the oxygen level is usually higher so basically you are having an oxygen spa as the bonus．
Where to find: caving can be very risky, so consult local travel agents and go in groups with professional cavers．
Tips: Follow your guides; drink enough water to avoid dehydration（脱水） ; and wear strong and not easily damaged hiking boots．
Coastal walking/cycling and beach activities
For those who live far away from mountains, coastal regions and beaches are good places to spend time in the summer．With sea breezes in your hair, it is nice to take a hike or cycle ride while enjoying the coastline．If you want to be sportier, try beach games, such as soccer and volleyball．It's a totally different experience from playing on hard courts or grass．
Where to find: Just go to the beach or find an urban artificial beach such as the one in Chatoyant Park in Beijing or the man-made lake beach in Wuhan．
Tips: Loads of sunscreen needed; water and snacks are necessary; be aware of jellyfish and garbage floating in the water．What does the underlined words "old hat" in paragraph 5 mean?
| A．Out of fashion． | B．Out of the way． |
| C．A particular fashion． | D．A unique style． |
If you love river rafting trips, you can _____．
| A．go to the beach | B．explore caves |
| C．do some outdoor activities | D．drift the boat downstream |
What is specially needed to explore caves?
| A．An oxygen spa． | B．A professional caver． |
| C．A lamp． | D．A helmet． |
Helen lives in a big city, where is the best place for her to spend weekends?
| A．A riverbank． | B．Underground rivers． |
| C．An urban artificial beach． | D．Mountainous areas． |
Beer and fried chicken — Thanks to a South Korean drama currently on air, Man From the Stars, this new mix-and-match junk food trend has become popular among young audiences, despite its unhealthy nature. Indeed, South Korean TV dramas, or K-drama for short, have been a major force in the South Korean pop-culture wave that has captured the hearts of young Chinese audiences. According to iQiyi, a video website that features Man From the Stars, by Feb 15, the number of views for the TV drama hit 370 million in China.
“It is interesting to explore what elements of those dramas appeal to audiences. It’s obviously more than just pretty faces,” says Yan Feng, a professor of Chinese literature at Fudan University. Reflected by audiences, culture critics and insiders of the industry, youth fantasy, creative storylines, cultural proximity in East Asia, and well-organized production all add up to K-drama’s success, along with, of course, those handsome and cute faces dressed in the latest fashion trends.
“Everyone fancies a perfect partner, handsome or beautiful,” says Zhou Ying, a professor at Chongqing Technology and Business University. “The South Korean TV industry is feeding this need.” After Lee Min-ho appeared on CCTV’s annual Spring Festival gala, he became the most famous South Korean in China. Only weeks later, Kim Soo-hyun, lead actor in Man From the Stars, swept the country. Apart from pretty faces, fashion is another highlight of the series. Each time actors from the series wear a new set of outfits, similar clothes experience a sales boom online, according to Xiao Yi, a Taobao store owner.
As is known, with love triangles, incurable diseases, and Cinderella tales, storylines in South Korean dramas may seem a bit commonplace. While The Man From the Stars challenges this by putting aliens and time travel into these existing stories, Peng Sanyuan, a screenwriter, says a focus on detail is a key factor in the success of these dramas. “In order to accurately target audiences and find emotional reflections with them, more and more female writers are working in the industry,” says Peng about her experience of exchanging ideas with South Korean colleagues. According to the experts, South Korean writers somehow make sense of these plots, no matter how unlikely it seems. Why has beer and fried chicken become so popular among Chinese young people at present?
| A．Because the food tastes very great. |
| B．Because they want to change the trend. |
| C．Because the food is good for their health. |
| D．Because they are deeply affected by the Korean TV drama. |
What’s the meaning of the underlined word “proximity” in paragraph 2?
| A．similarity | B．difference |
| C．conflict | D．curiosity |
According to the whole passage, how many elements can lead to the appeal of Korean dramas?
| A．Two | B．Four | C．Six | D．Seven |
What makes Man From the Stars different from other K-dramas according to the last paragraph?
| A．Female writers | B．Creative stories |
| C．Pretty faces | D．Fashionable clothes |
On Nov. 18, 1995, Itzhak Perlman, the violinist, came on stage to give a concert at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center in New York City．
If you have ever been to a Perlman concert，you know that getting on stage is no small achievement for him．He was stricken with polio (小儿麻痹症) as a child，and so he has braces (支架) on both legs and walks with the aid of two crutches (双拐)．
He walks painfully, yet majestically, until he reaches his chair．Then he sits down，slowly, puts his crutches on the floor, undoes the clasps on his legs，tucks one foot back and extends the other foot forward．Then he bends down and picks up the violin, puts it under his chin，nods to the conductor and proceeds to play．
But this time，something went wrong．Just as he finished the first few bars (小节)，one of the strings on his violin broke. You could hear it snap (嘣断) --- it went off like gunfire across the room. There was no mistaking what that meant. There was no mistaking what he had to do．
We figured that he would have to get up, put on the clasps again, pick up the crutches and limp his way off stage——to either find another violin or else find another string for this one. But he didn’t. Instead, he waited a moment, closed his eyes and then signaled the conductor to begin again.
The orchestra began, and he played from where he had left off. And he played with such passion and such power and such purity as they had never heard before．
When he finished, there was an awesome silence in the room. And then people rose and cheered．He smiled，wiped the sweat from this brow, raised his bow to quit us，and then he said in a quiet tone．“You know, sometimes it is the artist’s task to find out how much music you can still make with what you have left.’’By saying “getting on stage is no small achievement for him”, the author really means.
| A．it’s very difficult for Itzhak Perlman to play the violin with three strings |
| B．it’s not easy for Itzhak Perlman to get on the stage because he is disabled |
| C．it’s not easy for ltzhak Perlman to face such a large audience |
| D．it’s really great achievements for ltzhak Perlman to play the violin with three strings |
Itzhak Perlmanwhen one of the strings of the violin broke．
| A．gave up playing |
| B．didn’t know what to do |
| C．went on playing the same piece of music |
| D．went on playing a different piece of music |
Itzhak Perlman can be best described as a man who is．
| A．clever | B．strong willed |
| C．humorous | D．quite skilled |