Like every other Olympics, the London 2012 Olympics will depend upon thousands of volunteers to help with the smooth running of the event. To show the importance of the role, London 2012 volunteers are to be called ‘Game Makers’. Lord Coe has said recently: “London 2012 is relying on brilliant Game Makers to help us create a great Olympic and Paralympic Games. ”
London 2012 Olympics volunteers will provide the face of London 2012, working behind the scenes and making sure the games are as well organized, efficient and, most importantly, as enjoyable as possible.
Despite the hard-work and often unsociable hours required of volunteers, applications to be considered as a Game Maker were unprecedented（空前的） with all the 70, 000 available positions applied within days. But, for those still interested in helping out during 2012 and being in the middle of the action, there are still a lot of opportunities available.
If you were one of those who missed out on the chance of becoming London 2012 volunteers, you can now apply to be one of the 8, 000 London Ambassadors（大使）. This important role involves greeting fans from all over the world, welcoming them to the fantastic capital city of London and providing a friendly face as well as help, advice and a good old traditional warm British welcome. The view of London most visitors take away with them after the 2012 Olympics will mostly be down to the volunteers and ambassadors, so these roles play a very important part in the process of making the UK a great place to travel to.
Becoming a London Ambassador is a brilliant way to be involved with the London 2012 volunteers scheme and become a part of what should be an historic summer. Why are London 2012 volunteers called “Game Makers”?
| A．They’ll decide whether the London 2012 Olympics are a success. |
| B．They play an important role in the London 2012 Olympics. |
| C．The London 2012 Olympics won’t be organized without them. |
| D．They will work hard and effectively. |
Which of the following can replace the underlined part “be down to” in Paragraph 4?
| A．be the responsibility of |
| B．be under the control of |
| C．be in harmony with |
| D．be in charge of |
What’s the purpose of the passage?
| A．To appeal to more volunteers. |
| B．To introduce the London 2012 Olympics. |
| C．To show the importance of volunteers. |
| D．To guide how to spend the historic summer. |
Life is full of change, and this leads to growth. Change is what keeps our lives moving, and allows us to achieve what we desire and deserve. Like it or not, we need to be willing to go with the flow, and be adaptable when something doesn’t go according to plan. A catalyst is a person that causes something else to happen, and if you’re not currently a catalyst for change, here are some things you can do to become one.
Take a look at what you’ve got going on in your life right now. Write down everything that comes to mind. Is there anything that jumps out at you that you're not content with? Is there something that isn't moving forward as quickly as you would like it to? Identifying what you want to change is the first step to getting somewhere with it.
Take the initiative to make change happen. Once you have identified what you want to work on changing, write down several possible "next steps" you can take to realizing that change. Whatever it is you want to change, you won't get very far without having specific actions in mind to carry out. Start small, and then focus on items that are a bit more involved or difficult and just keep going!
When carrying out a change, it’s great if you’re able to bounce ideas off other people, particularly if they can help you implement that change in some way. Be receptive to feedback, but realize that others’ opinions are not golden. Also remember to give feedback when asked for it. Be sure it's genuine and that you are able to stand behind it.
Create an environment for change. There is nothing more discouraging than trying to create change in an environment that is not conducive to it. It’s like trying to stick to a diet in a house that is filled with chips, cookies, ice cream and chocolate; you are just making it more difficult for yourself.
Change is good, and often leads to process improvement, increased productivity and efficiency. Take the initiative, and make changes to your life to get to where you want to go faster than you are going right now.If you decide to change, you should start by _________.
| A．going with the flow |
| B．changing from day to day |
| C．writing down good ideas |
| D．making sure you know what to change |
Which of the following is TRUE, according to the fourth paragraph?
| A．One should accept others’ opinions uncritically. |
| B．One should be cautious about the opinions of others. |
| C．It’s more important to get than to give feedback. |
| D．Change may not happen without ideas from other people. |
The underlined words “bounce ideas off other people” in the fourth paragraph probably mean
“_________”.
| A．get approval from others |
| B．get your ideas across to other people |
| C．get others’ feedback about your ideas |
| D．carry out your ideas without the help of others |
What can we infer from the text?
| A．Change benefits us in different ways. |
| B．Creating a good environment is the most important step. |
| C．It’s discouraging to try to change one’s environment. |
| D．Being a catalyst for change is risky but rewarding. |
Which would be the best title for the text?
| A．How to achieve what you desire. |
| B．How to be a catalyst for change. |
| C．How to act according to your plans. |
| D．How to move in the right direction. |
My mother, Marisol Torres, came with her family to Australia in the early 1960s. Then my parents’ marriage ended and Mum began the study of precious stones. Her interest in opals (猫眼石) took her to the New South Wales remote town of Lightning Ridge. There were no luxuries (奢华的享受), but she was closer to nature and had a chance to find black opals and make some money.
My mother was beautiful with dark hair and brown eyes, but she was also quiet and shy. Early in the Ridge years, she kept to herself, but later, she started going to the neighbourhood centre to make friends.
It was her dream to mine, but her get-rich-quick thinking was unrealistic. She was cheated and she was never very successful. But she kept a sense of humour and a charming smile.
Then, just as friendships began to blossom, she was diagnosed with cancer and had to return south for treatment. She had the intention of cooking Spanish food as special treat for her Ridge friends, but died too soon. In her honour, my aunt, Marisa, and I fulfilled her desire when we visited the Ridge in March last year.
People who mine the Ridge come from a cross section of society, from lawyers to travels. Looks don’t mean much: it can be hard to tell who is millionaire and who is poor. Opals attracted Sebastian and Hanna Deisenberger to Lightning Ridge. They planned a two-year stay, but became permanent residents.
Then there’s Neil Schellnegger, 45, who moved to the area with his parents when he was a child. He lives with his son, Luke. Luke is a shy 19-year-old boy who enjoys helping his dad. They haven’t had much luck over the past couple of years, but their passion for opals conquers disappointment. They love the peaceful lifestyle.
Danny Hatcher, 38, is a second-generation miner and president of the Lightning Ridge Miners’ Association. He is an optimistic man, driven by the desire to find the perfect opal. “It’s magic,” he explains. “Once you start opal mining you don’t want to do anything else… There is always the potential for finding a million dollars. Nothing beats it.”
It’s a place where dreams --- spiritual or material --- can be fulfilled; a place, for one last bet in life. What made the author’s mother go to Lightning Ridge?
| A．The luxurious life there. | B．Her new marriage there. |
| C．Her interest in opals. | D．Her passion for nature. . |
After the author’s mother died, she fulfilled her desire by __________.
| A．treating her mother’s Ridge friends with Spanish food |
| B．writing a biography about her whole life |
| C．decorating her house in Lightning Ridge |
| D．finding a lot of black opals in Lightning Ridge |
We know from the passage that _________.
| A．the rich and the poor can be distinguished by their looks |
| B．Luke is a successful miner, just like his father |
| C．Sebastian is planning to leave Lightning Ridge |
| D．Danny Hatcher’s parents were miners in Lightning Ridge |
Lightning Ridge is a place where dreams can be fulfilled because __________.
| A．there are precious stones and life is peaceful |
| B．there are people from all walks of life |
| C．there are rich people who can help poor people |
| D．there is a lot of gold hidden in the ground |
What is the author’s purpose of giving Neil Schellnegger and Danny Hatcher as examples?
| A．To show the magic power of opal mining. |
| B．To tell people it isn’t always hard to mine opals. |
| C．To warn people not to take up this kind of job. |
| D．To persuade people to look for more resources for the country. |
阅读下面短文并回答问题，然后将答案写到答题卡相应的位置上(请注意问题后的词数要求)。
[1] Weeks after his wife died, Rao Pingru started to paint pictures of her. From the first time he saw her putting on makeup in a mirror, to their wedding at which they promised “to love and cherish”, to her lying in bed on her final days – all the images of their nearly 60 – year marriage have been food for his art.
[2] “ When I create her with brushstrokes, she is there, and our story doesn’t perish,(死亡)” said Rao, 91, a retired military man and former editor. He has filled 18 albums of drawings in the past four years, which he called Our Story.
[3] At first, the Jiangxi native was only trying to pass time and leave something so his grandchildren could “know about their grandparents” who have been through war, poverty, sickness and, perhaps most importantly, love.
[4] Rao met Meitang as a blind date when he came back from war in 1946. “ It’s a strange thing. You just have to meet the right person to have that feeling,” he said, thinking of how lovely she was. During their early dates, Rao _________________ “the three words”. Instead, he sang a pop song of the time, Rosemary, I love you, to express his feelings, on a park bench in Nanchang, Jiangxi province.
[5] The first two years of their marriage was “ the sweetest time” of Rao’s life, as he recalled, in spite of the turbulence following the war. The couple adopted a happy – go – lucky policy wherever they traveled, worked and lived. They managed to escape robbery by hiding their possessions in tires while Rao was working in Guizhou province.What is the main idea of the passage? (no more than 12 words)
__________________________________________________________________What does the underlined word “ food”(Para 1) refer to? (no more than 9 words)
__________________________________________________________________Why did Rao begin his drawings? (no more than 16 words)
__________________________________________________________________Please fill in the blank (Para 4)with proper words to complete the sentence. (no more than 5 words)
___________________________________________________________________What is Rao and his wife’s attitude towards life? (no more than 4words)
___________________________________________________________________
Once in a blue moon,(极为罕见) there is one on New Year's Eve. Revelers ringing in 2010 will be treated to a so-called blue moon. According to popular definition, a blue moon is the second full moon in a month. But don't expect it to be blue - the name has nothing to do with the color of our closest celestial(天空的) neighbor. A full moon occurred on December 2. It will appear again on Thursday in time for the New Year's countdown.
The New Year's Eve blue moon will be visible in the United States, Canada, Europe, South America and Africa. For partygoers in Australia and Asia, the full moon does not show up until New Year's Day, making January a blue moon month for them.
A full moon occurs every 29.5 days, and most years have 12. On average, an extra full moon in a month - a blue moon - occurs every 2.5 years. The last time there was a lunar double take was in May 2007. New Year's Eve blue moons are rarer, occurring every 19 years. The last time was in 1990; the next one won't come again until 2028.
“Blue moons have no astronomical significance,” said Greg Laughlin, an astronomer at the University of California. “`Blue moon' is just a name in the same sense as a `hunter's moon'(a full moon in octorber) or a `harvest moon,'” Laughlin said in an e-mail.
The popular definition of blue moon came about after a writer for Sky & Telescope magazine in 1946 misinterpreted the Maine Farmer's Almanac and labeled a blue moon as the second full moon in a month. In fact, the almanac(年历) defined a blue moon as the third full moon in a season with four full moons.What’s the color of blue moon?
| A．blue | B．golden | C．green | D．red |
If you are in China, in which month can you see the blue moon?
| A．December, 2009 | B．November, 2009 |
| C．January, 2010 | D．February, 2010 |
Compared with the hunters moon, the blue moon ________ .
| A．is more beautiful | B．is rarer | C．is larger | D．is brighter |
Which full moon should be called blue moon according to the original definition?
| A．The second full moon in a month with two full moons. |
| B．The third full moon in a month with three full moons. |
| C．The second full moon in a season with four full moons. |
| D．The third full moon in a season with four full moons. |
What would be the best title for the passage ?
| A．Rare New Year’s Eve Blue Moon to Ring in 2010 |
| B．Blue Moon to Take Us Good Fortune |
| C．The Best Time to Observe Blue Moon |
| D．The Reason for Blue Moon’s Appearing |
Teenagers are under a lot of pressure to be thin. They resort to starving, vomiting and eating only diet foods to try and be thin. Television is a big influence on them. They watch shows like Beverly Hills 90210 andMelrose Place and feel they need to look as thin as the actresses on these shows. Society is brainwashing young people into believing that being thin is important and necessary.
Diet commercials are constantly appearing on our television screens telling us that once we lose weight, we will be happy. While you’re standing at the grocery store you are surrounded by magazines claiming to have the newest and best diet. Each month another new diet appears claiming to be the diet to end all diets. If diets really worked, then why are there so many of them? The reason a new diet pops up each month, is that last’s month’s diets did not work. The truth of the matter is that DIETS DON’T WORK.
The diet and fashion industries are not totally to blame for society’s obsession with thinness. We are the ones keeping them in business. We buy into the idea that we can attain the “ideal” body image. We allow ourselves to believe the lies being thrown at us constantly. We are throwing away our hard earned money trying to live up to the standards that society has set for us. It’s unfortunate, but in today’s society, people have forgotten that it’s what’s inside a person that counts, not what’s on the outside. We need to start loving and accepting each other for who we are, not what we look like.
Once again, I would like to stress the fact that diets don’t work. Eating three healthy meals a day, a few snacks and doing moderate exercise, will allow your body to go to its natural set point. Next time you decide that you are going to start another diet because you feel you are too fat, stop, sign up for a self-esteem class instead. That would be money well spent.What are Beverly Hills 90210 and Meltrose Place ?
| A．Fashion shows. | B．Two famous place in America. |
| C．Popular TV shows. | D．Two TV channels. |
According to the author, which of the following statements is NOT true ?
| A．Our society is flooded with diet commercials. |
| B．The latest diet is necessarily better than all the previous ones. |
| C．People in North America become crazy over Dieting. |
| D．All diets are useless in fact |
Why are there so many diets popping up according to the second paragraph?
| A．Because teenagers are under a lot of pressure to be thin. |
| B．Because there are more and more fat teenagers. |
| C．Because the diets have no effect. |
| D．Because teenagers are fascinated by the newest and best diet. |
We can infer from this passage that __________ .
| A．if your diet doesn’t work, the only thing you can do is to accept your body image . |
| B．attending a self-esteem class will help you keep fit. |
| C．we shouldn’t pay attention to the size of our body. |
| D．what’s inside a person is much more important than his/her appearance. |
What’s the function of the last paragraph in the whole text ?
| A．persuasion | B．summarization | C．argumentation | D．description |