Martha had been working for Miller Laboratories for two years, but she was not happy there. Nothing significant had happened in the way of promotions or salary increases. Martha felt that her supervisor, a younger and less experienced person than she, did not like her. In fact, the supervisor often said unpleasant things to her.
One day, while talking with her friend Maria, she mentioned how discouraged she was. Maria gave her the name of a cousin of hers who was director of Human Resources Department for a large chemical company. Martha called him the next day and set up an interview on her lunch hour.
During the interview, Mr. Petri said, “You’re just the kind of person we need here. You’re being wasted in your other job. Give me a call in a day or two. I’m sure we can find a place for you in our organization.” Martha was so happy she almost danced out of the building.
That afternoon, Ruth Kenny, her supervisor, saw that Martha had come in ten minutes late from her lunch hour and she said, “Oh, so you finally decided to come back to work today?”
This was the last straw. She could not take another insult. Besides, Mr. Petri was right: she was being wasted in this job.
“Look,” she said angrily, “if you don’t like the way I work, I don’t need to stay here. I’ll go where I’m appreciated! Good-bye!” She took up her things and stormed out of the office.
That night she called Maria and told her what had happened and then asked Maria, “What do you think?”
“Well,” said Maria carefully, “are you sure about the other job?”
“Well, not exactly, but…”
Maria continued, “Will you be able to get a recommendation from Mrs. Kenny if you need one?”
“A recommendation?…from Mrs. Kenny?” hesitated Martha, in a worried tone.
“Martha, I hope you didn’t burn your bridges.” Maria said. “I think I would have handled it differently.”Martha is unhappy in her job because _____.
| A．she has not advanced |
| B．the work is not significant |
| C．her supervisor is younger than she |
| D．there is too much work with little payment |
Which of the following statement is NOT true?
| A．At her supervisor’s criticism, Martha lost her temper. |
| B．Mr. Petri felt Martha was not valued in her present job. |
| C．Martha’s interview with the director was on her lunch hour. |
| D．Martha got the name of the director through her cousin. |
The phrase “the last straw” probably refers to _____.
| A．the last opportunity |
| B．the straw that saves Martha’s life |
| C．the last reminder |
| D．the final unpleasant thing |
What does Maria think of Martha’s decision?
| A．Martha has handled the matter properly. |
| B．Martha shouldn’t have set the bridge on fire. |
| C．Martha should have found a new job before leaving. |
| D．Martha shouldn’t have lost her temper with her supervisor |
The shocking disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 has captured the attention of millions around the world as the search for the airplane and its passengers and crew continues. What happened to the flight’s 239 passengers and crew after the plane left Kuala Lumpur on Saturday? It is becoming an increasingly desperate question as the days pass.
But it’s hardly the first mystery of its kind. Here are some half-solved and unsolved airline mysteries that kept investigators clueless for years.
Air France Flight 447:An Airbus A330 flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris plunged into the Atlantic Ocean in 2009, killing all 228 passengers and crew on board. But it took a full five days for search and rescue teams to find the wreck（残骸）and another three years for investigators to report that ice crystals had caused the autopilot (自动驾驶仪) to disconnect. The bodies of 74 passengers remain unrecovered.
Amelia Earhart:Ace (王牌) pilot Amelia Earhart disappeared in her twin-engine monoplane Electra over the Pacific Ocean in 1937 in an attempt to circumnavigate the globe. No trace of her plane was ever found even after a multi-million dollar search effort, and Earhart was officially declared dead in 1939.
Flying Tiger Line Flight 739:A U.S. military flight left Guam in 1962 with more 90 personnel headed for the Philippines, but it never arrived. The pilots never issued a distress call, and 1,300 people involved in the U.S. military search never found any trace of wreckage.
British South American Airways:It took more than 50 years to find any trace of the 11 people aboard a 1947 flight that disappeared in the Andes Mountains. A pair of Argentineans rock climbers discovered engine wreckage in the Andes in 1998, and an army expedition later found human remains as well.
Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571:A flight headed to Santiago, Chile carrying 45 passengers and crew crashed into the Andes Mountains in poor weather in 1972, killing twelve people. In the meantime, eight were killed in an avalanche (雪崩) that hit the plane’s wreckage where they were taking shelter, and the rest stayed alive by eating the flesh of the dead before they were finally found more than two months after disappearing out of the sky.The underlined word “plunged” in Paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to _____.
| A．jumped | B．broke |
| C．flew | D．dived |
What can we learn from Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571? _____.
| A．12 people were lost until now. |
| B．25 people were rescued instantly. |
| C．The rest who stayed alive killed 8 people. |
| D．8 were killed by a fall of a large mass of snow down a mountainside. |
From the passage, what could have led to British South American Airways crash? _____.
| A．The bad weather. | B．Not mentioned. |
| C．The ice crystals. | D．The lightening. |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage? _____.
| A．Earhart was declared dead by the authorities two years later. |
| B．The bodies of Flight 447 had all been found after three years. |
| C．Two Argentineans rock climbers discovered the dead in the Andes. |
| D．Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 was regarded as the largest air crash. |
The passage has been written to _____.
| A．introduce the loss of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 |
| B．explain how to avoid airplane disappearances as a pilot |
| C．tell readers mysterious airplane disappearances in Aviation History |
| D．call on people to protect themselves |
“It’s So Good” in French, was one of Eartha Mae Kitt’s first hit songs. But her childhood wasn’t so good. She was born into a poor family in South Carolina in nineteen twenty-seven. When Eartha was eight, her mother remarried. Her stepfather did not like her so she was sent to New York City to live with an aunt, who helped pay for her piano and dance lessons.
Eartha Kitt worked in a factory as a young teenager. But she kept up her dance lessons. One day she tried out for a famous African-American dance company. Soon, Eartha was performing in shows around the world with the Katherine Dunham Dance Troupe.
In Paris, Eartha left the dance company to sing in a nightclub. Her voice was very attracting. She learned French quickly and gained French fans. Soon the film director Orson Welles discovered Eartha Kitt singing in Paris. Welles asked her to play a lead part in a play he was directing. The play made her find her acting talent for the first time.
After that Eartha Kitt returned to New York and appeared in the Broadway show with “Monotonous”, a song about a bored woman, and it became famous. She soon signed with a record company.
Then Eartha Kitt acted her first role in a film in nineteen fifty-seven in “Mark of the Hawk”. Kitt was very careful about choosing her roles in films. She refused parts that were not respectful to black people. In nineteen sixty-seven, Eartha Kitt got the part of Catwoman on the popular television series “Batman”. Fans loved the special way she said her “r”s to create a sound like a cat, which made her an unforgettable Catwoman.
She was strongly against the Vietnam War and in nineteen sixty-eight she became blacklisted (列入黑名单) in America. For about ten years, she could only find work in other countries. But that brought her a greater international achievement.What did Eartha Kitt do when she first performed around the world?_____.
| A．Sing | B．Dance |
| C．Direct | D．Act |
Who helped Eartha Kitt find her acting talent? _____.
| A．Her mother | B．Her aunt |
| C．Her stepfather | D．Orson Welles. |
What is the order of the things that happened to Eartha Kitt? _____.
a. playing in her first film b. winning some French fans
c. living with an aunt d. playing a role in a play
e. singing “Monotonous” f. receiving dance training
| A．cfbdea | B．fcbdea |
| C．fcdeab | D．cfbaed |
What made Eartha Kitt an unforgettable Catwoman in “Batman”? _____.
| A．Her walking steps. | B．The looks on her face. |
| C．Her way of speaking “r”. | D．Her good singing skills. |
What might be talked in the following paragraph? _____.
| A．Eartha Kitt’s bings. |
| B．Eartha Kitt’s families in America. |
| C．Eartha Kitt’s international success. |
| D．Eartha Kitt’s hard life after being blacklisted. |
Like any good mother, when Karen found out that another baby was on the way, she did what she could to help her three-year-old son, Michael, prepare for a new sibling. They find out that the new baby is going to be a girl, and day after day, night after night, Michael sings to his sister in Mommy's tummy.
The pregnancy progresses normally for Karen. But complications arise during delivery. Finally, Michael's little sister is born. But she is in serious condition. With siren howling in the night, the ambulance rushes the infant to the intensive care unit at St. Mary's Hospital.
The little girl gets worse. The doctor tells the parents, "There is very little hope. Be prepared for the worst." Karen and her husband have fixed up a special room in their home for the new baby — now they plan a funeral.
Michael, keeps begging his parents to let him see his sister, "I want to sing to her," he says. But kids are never allowed in Intensive Care. However, Karen makes up her mind. She will take Michael whether they like it or not.“If he doesn't see his sister now, he may never see her alive.” She dresses him in an oversized scrub suit and marches him into ICU. The head nurse recognizes him as a child and bellows, "Get that kid out of here now! " The mother, the usually mild-mannered lady glares steel-eyed into the head nurse's face, her lips a firm line. "He is not leaving until he sings to his sister!" Karen tows Michael to his sister's bedside. He gazes at the tiny infant losing the battle to live. And he begins to sing.
"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me happy when skies are gray”
Instantly the baby girl responds. The pulse rate becomes calm and steady.
"You never know, dear, how much I love you. Please don't take my sunshine away "
The ragged, strained breathing becomes as smooth as a kitten's purr.
Keep on singing, Michael. Tears conquer the face of the bossy head nurse as well as Karen.
Funeral plans are scrapped. The next, day — the very next day — the little girl is well enough to go home!
NEVER GIVE UP THE ONE WE LOVE!How did Michal’s feel when he knew that he was going to have a sister?
| A．indifferent. | B．worried. |
| C．expectant. | D．disappointed. |
The doctor recommended the family ___________.
| A．get ready for the worst result. |
| B．wait for the hope in the near future. |
| C．prepare much more money for the infant. |
| D．prepare for another chance in other hospitals. |
Which word can best replace the underlined word in Paragraph 4?
| A．pointed. | B．yelled. |
| C．whispered. | D．ignored. |
What happened when Michael sang to his little sister?
| A．The little baby responded to his song and woke up immediately. |
| B．The baby heard the song and burst into tears. |
| C．The baby’s physical signs disappeared eventually. |
| D．The baby recovered from the dangerous state of coma gradually. |
Telepathy: Mind-to-mind Contact
Telepathy is the ability to communicate without the use of the five senses (sight, hearing, touch, smell, taste). It’s an instinct (本能) which can be woken up in times of emergency or need. When we feel that something is happening or about to happen by instinct, we’re using resources within the unconscious mind. When the resources of two persons’ unconscious minds link together into the same frequency, we call it Telepathy.
We can either send or receive Telepathy. If you know who is calling before you answer the ringing phone, you are probably a good receiver. If you think of a person and he/she calls you, you are most likely to be better at sending.
You can easily put your abilities to the test. Think of somebody and will him or her to contact you. Be patient. The other person may not be a good receiver, but they should contact you much earlier than would normally be expected. Or whenever the phones rings, but try “feeling” who is contacting you. Don’t guess, but try to feel it with your mind. However, if neither of these work for you, that doesn’t mean that you have no ability of telepathy. As mentioned earlier, telepathy is most likely to turn up in case of emergency.
Telepathy dreams often contain telepathic messages. Two people may both dream of the other and find that their dreams had a clear connection. These people are probably linking to each other’s unconscious mind.
Telepathy & Relationships. The more people spend time together, the more likely they are to be able to link up to the other’s mind, especially when separated. There are two reasons for this. One is that they understand the other’s mind through time spent together; the other is that there is usually a strong desire to communicate. A mother will often sense that her child is in danger. This is due to the child’s eagerly wanting his or her mother, knowing that this person who would always want to be there for them, and the mother’s deep desire to protect her child from harm.Telepathy turns up when we ____.
| A．think of a stranger |
| B．use the five senses together |
| C．recall things from our memory |
| D．sense a close friend in danger |
You’re better at sending than receiving Telepathy if you ____.
| A．can tell who knocks at your door |
| B．can feel your mom is in danger |
| C．receive a friend’s call as you wish |
| D．dream of a friend dreaming of you |
Which is not the way to help people gain Telepathy?
| A．Help them have a strong desire to communicate. |
| B．Separate them all the time. |
| C．Help them link up their unconscious minds. |
| D．Let them spend much time together. |
A small piece of fish each day may keep the heart doctor away. That’s the finding of a study of Dutch men in which deaths from heart disease were more than 50 percent lower among those who consumed at least an ounce of salt-water fish per day compared to those who never ate fish.
The Dutch research is one of three human studies that give strong scientific support to the long held belief that eating fish can provide health benefits, particularly to the heart.
Heart disease is the number-one killer in the United States, with more than 550,000 deaths occurring from heart attacks each year. But previous research has shown that the level of heart disease is lower in cultures that consume more fish than Americans do. There are fewer heart disease deaths, for example, among the Eskimos of Greenland, who consume about 14 ounces of fish a day, and among the Japanese, whose daily fish consumption averages more than 3 ounces.
For 20 years, the Dutch study followed 852 middle-aged men, 20 percent of whom ate no fish. At the start of the study, average fish consumption was about two-thirds of an ounce each day, with more men eating lean fish than fatty fish.
During the next two decades, 78 of the men died from heart disease. The fewest deaths were among the group who regularly ate fish, even at levels far lower than those of the Japanese or Eskimos. This relationship was true regardless of other factors such as age, high blood pressure, or blood cholesterol（胆固醇）levels.In which section of a newspaper can we read this passage?
| A．Ads | B．Movies |
| C．Briefs | D．Health and Diet |
The passage is mainly about _________.
| A．the high incidence of heart disease in some countries |
| B．the changes in people’s diet |
| C．the effect of fish eating on people’s health |
| D．the daily fish consumption of people in different cultures |
The phrase “this relationship” in paragraph 6 refers to the connection between ____ and the level of heart disease.
| A．the amount of fish eaten | B．regular fish-eating |
| C．the kind of fish eaten | D．people of different areas |
From the passage we know the author is most probably ___________.
| A．a heart doctor | B．a science researcher |
| C．a supporter of healthy eating | D．a university student |