My father had returned from his business visit to London when I came in, rather late, to supper. I could tell at once that he and my mother had been discussing something. In that half-playful, half-serious way I knew so well, he said, "How would you like to go to Eton?"
"You bet," I cried quickly catching the joke. Everyone knew it was the most expensive, the most famous of schools. You had to be entered at birth, if not before. Besides, even at 12 or 13, I understood my father. He disliked any form of showing off. He always knew his proper station in life, which was in the middle of the middle class, our house was medium-sized; he had avoided joining Royal Liverpool Golf Club and went to a smaller one instead; though once he had got a second-hand Rolls-Royce at a remarkably low price, he felt embarrassed driving it, and quickly changed it for an Austin 1100.
This could only be his delightful way of telling me that the whole boarding school idea was to be dropped. Alas! I should also have remembered that he had a liking for being different from everyone else, if it did not conflict(冲突) with his fear of drawing attention to himself.
It seemed that he had happened to be talking to Graham Brown of the London office, a very nice fellow, and Graham had a friend who had just entered his boy at the school, and while he was in that part of the world he thought he might just as well phone them. I remember my eyes stinging(刺痛) and my hands shaking with the puzzlement of my feelings. There was excitement, at the heart of great sadness.
"Oh, he doesn't want to go away," said my mother, "You shouldn't go on like this.” “It's up to him," said my father. "He can make up his own mind."The house the writer's family lived in was ________.
| A．the best they could afford | B．right for their social position |
| C．for showing off | D．rather small |
His father sold his Roils-Royce because ________.
| A．it made him feel uneasy | B．it was too old to work well |
| C．it was too expensive to possess | D．it was too cheap |
The writer's father enjoyed being different as long as ________.
| A．it drew attention to him | B．it didn't bring him in arguments |
| C．it was understood as a joke | D．there was no danger of his showing off |
What was the writer's reaction to the idea of going to Eton?
| A．He was very unhappy. | B．He didn't believe it. |
| C．He was delighted. | D．He had mixed feelings. |
We can know from the passage that ________.
| A．Children who can go to Eton are very famous |
| B．Children can go to Eton if they will |
| C．It is very difficult for a child to get admitted by Eton |
| D．Children don't have the right to decide whether they will go to Eton |
My parents influenced us with the concepts of family, faith and love for one’s motherland when l was young．Even though we struggled to make ends meet, they stressed how fortunate we were to live in a great country with limitless opportunities．
I got my first real job when l was ten．My dad, Benjamin, injured his back working in a cardboard - box factory and was retrained as a hairstylist．He rented space in a little mall and gave his shop the fancy name of Mr．Ben's Coiffure．
The owner of the shopping center gave Dad a discount on his rent for cleaning the parking lot three nights a week, which meant getting up at 3 a.m. to pick up rubbish. Dad used a little machine that looked like a lawn mower．Mom and I emptied rubbish cans and picked up rubbish by hand．It took two to three hours to clean the lot．I'd s1eep in the car on the way home. I did this for two years, but the lessons I learned have lasted a lifetime, I acquired discipline(自制力) and a strong work morality(道德), and learned at an early age the importance of balancing life's competing interests---in my case, school, homework and a job．This really helped during my senior year of high school, when l worked 40 hours a week flipping hamburgers at a fast–food joint while taking a full load of college-prepared courses．The hard work paid off．I attended the U．S．Military Academy and went on to receive graduate degree in law and business from Harvard．Later, I joined a big Los Angeles law firm and was elected to the California state committee．In these jobs and in everything else I’ve done, I have never forgotten those nights in the parking lot．The experience taught me that there is dignity in all work and that if people are working to provide for themselves and their families, that is something we should honor．According to the text, the author thinks .
| A．he is lucky to have many chances to get a job |
| B．it is difficult to find a job to make ends meet |
| C．his parents are full of complaint about their life |
| D．it is not acceptable to live in such bad conditions |
In order to get a discount on rent, .
| A．his father had to work as a hairstylist |
| B．his father had to work in a cardboard - box factory |
| C．they had to clean the-parking lot three nights a week |
| D．his father had to pick up litter by hand three hours a day |
Which of the following is NOT true of the author?
| A．He got the graduate degrees from Harvard． |
| B．He took a college - prep courses at high school． |
| C．He took a part-time job during his senior year． |
| D．He regretted having worked in the parking lot． |
What does the underlined sentence "The hard work paid off" mean?
| A．The author got a high pay by working hard． |
| B．The author complained of the hard work． |
| C．The effort which he made had no effect． |
| D．The hard work was worthwhile for the author． |
We can learn from the text that _
| A．it is unimaginable for a child to help his family |
| B．it is honored to work for one's family as a member |
| C．it is unnecessary to keep work rules-of behavior |
| D．the harder the work is, the more interest one shows |
When my family moved to America from a small village in Guangdong, China, we brought not only our luggage, but also our village rules, customs and culture. One of the rules is that young people should always respect elders. Unluckily, this rule led to my very first embarrassment in the United States.
I had a part-time job as a waiter in a Chinese restaurant. One time, when I was serving food to a middle-aged couple, the wife asked me how the food could be served so quickly. I told her that I had made sure they got their food quickly because I always respect the elderly. As soon as I said that, her face showed great displeasure. My manager, who happened to hear what I said, took me aside and gave me a long lecture about how sensitive(敏感) Americans are and how they dislike the description “old”. I then walked back to the table and apologized to the wife. After the couple heard my reason, they understood that the problem was caused by cultural differences, so they laughed and were no longer angry.
In my village in China, people are proud of being old. Not so many people live to be seventy or eighty, and people who reach such an age have the most knowledge and experience. Young people always respect older people because they know they can learn from their rich experience.
However, in the United States, people think “growing old” is a problem since “old” shows that a person is going to retire or that the body is not working well. Here many people try to keep themselves away from growing old by doing exercises or jogging, and women put on makeup, hoping to look young. When I told the couple in the restaurant that I respect the elderly, they got angry because this caused them to feel they had failed to stay young. I had told them something they didn’t want to hear.
After that, I changed the way I had been with older people. It is not that I don’t respect them any more; I still respect them, but now I don’t show my feelings through words. Jack brought the couple their food very fast because[_______________.
| A．the manager asked him to do so | B．he respected the elderly |
| C．the couple wanted him to do so | D．he wanted more pay |
When Jack called the couple “elderly”, they became[____________.
| A．nervous | B．satisfied |
| C．unhappy | D．excited |
In Jack’s hometown,______________.
| A．people dislike being called “old” |
| B．people are proud of being old |
| C．many people reach the age of seventy or eighty |
| D．the elderly are the first to get food in restaurants |
After this experience, Jack___________.
| A．lost his job in the restaurant |
| B．made friends with the couple |
| C．no longer respected the elderly |
| D．changed his way with older people |
Which of the following is TRUE?
| A．The more Jack explained, the angrier the couple got. |
| B．Jack wanted to show his feelings through words after his experience. |
| C．The manager went back to the table and apologized to the couple. |
| D．From this experience, Jack learned more about American culture. |
Attention STARBUCKS
Owners of Stainless Steel Travel Mug
Mug lid Recall---16 oz Stainless Steel Travel Mug
We’ve recognized a fault at the cup. The fault might cause some lids to lift slightly from the body of the mug, and could possibly account for injury from hot liquid leaking(漏). So, we have given a lid recall notice immediately. The notice is only about STARBUCKS 16 oz Stainless Steel Travel Mugs which were sold between November 2012 and February 2013. The bottom of the mug is printed with “ThermoSServ”, the distributor’s name. There is not any printing on the mug handle.
At STARBUCKS, customers’ safety is valued above anything else. Therefore, no matter whether your lid is leaking , for your safety, we request you bring your mug to your nearest STARBUCKS ( NOT including Esso STARBUCKS), where they are sure to exchange the lid for a new lid that fits well and safely. The new lids are going to arrive March 1, 2013.
Don’t use your mug until you exchange the lid, please.
Here’s what you do:
* Please do not use your mug until you have exchanged the lid for a new one.
* New lids will arrive March 1, 2013.
* Return your travel mug to a STARBUCKS store.
* Your lid will be exchanged for a new lid.
If you’d like to return the entire mug, bring it back at any time for a full repayment.
If you have any questions about this recall, please call us at:
Toll Free Number: 1-999-701-1717
9:30 am - 6:00 pm Eastern Standard Time STARBUCKS The passage is written in order to ________.
| A．warn against the danger of using the mug |
| B．tell people to exchange a lid |
| C．persuade people to buy a new lid |
| D．introduce a new type of mugs |
The passage is mainly aimed at those who ________.
| A．have 16 oz stainless steel mugs |
| B．often travel around |
| C．want to buy 16 oz stainless steel mugs |
| D．are selling the mugs |
According to the passage, which of the following statements is NOT true?
| A．People should stop using the mug immediately. |
| B．People can get the money back if they return the mug. |
| C．People with questions can call the company free of charge. |
| D．People can return the lid between November 2012 and February 2013. |
We can learn that STARBUCKS from the passage ________.
| A．is a club for travelers |
| B．wants to make more money |
| C．is an organization helping customers |
| D．cares about the customers’ safety |
The passage is most likely taken from a(n) ________.
| A．news report | B．advertisement | C．tour-guide book | D．novel |
Many facts suggest that children are overweight and the situation is getting worse, according to the doctors. I feel there are a number of reasons for this.
Some people blame(责备) the fact that we are surrounded by shops selling unhealthy, fatty foods, such as fried chicken and ice cream, at low prices. This has turned out a whole generation（一代人）） of grown-ups who don’t often cook a meal for themselves. If there were fewer of these restaurants, then probably children would buy less take-away food.
There is another argument that blames parents for allowing their children to become overweight. I agree with this, because good eating habits begin early in life, long before children start to visit fast food shops. If children are given fried chicken and chocolate rather than healthy food, or are always allowed to choose what they eat, they will probably choose sweet and salty foods every time, and this will carry on throughout their lives. There is a third reason for this situation. Children these days take very little exercise. They do not walk to school. When they get home, they sit in front of the television or their computers and play computer games. Not only is this an unhealthy pastime(消遣), it also gives them time to eat more unhealthy food. What they need is to go outside and play active games or sports. The above are the main reasons for this problem, and therefore we have to encourage young people to be more active, as well as steering them away from fast food shops and bad eating habits.According to the text, what kind of children may eat more unhealthy food?
| A．Those who often take exercise. |
| B．Those who often watch television |
| C．Those who often have meals at home. |
| D．Those who often walk to school. |
The author thinks that children are becoming overweight because _______.
| A．their parents often cook meals for them. |
| B．they are too busy to go out and play. |
| C．they can't choose what to eat. |
| D．there are too many fast food shops around. |
The underlined word "steering" in the last sentence most probably means ____.
| A．forcing | B．guiding | C．driving | D．moving |
According to the author, which of the following is WRONG?
| A．We should encourage children to be more active. |
| B．Children ought to keep away from fast food shops. |
| C．Parents needn't cook meals for their children. |
| D．Parents should help their children form a good eating habit. |
The main purpose of the text is to _______.
| A．tell a story | B．provide facts | C．give advice | D．compare opinions |
Jimmy is an automotive mechanic, but he lost his job a few months ago. He has good heart, but always feared applying for a new job.
One day, he gathered up all his strength and decided to attend a job interview. His appointment(约会) was at 10 am and it was already 8:30. While waiting for a bus to the office where he was supposed to be interviewed, he saw an elderly man wildly kicking the tyre(轮胎) of his car. Obviously there was something wrong with the car. Jimmy immediately went up to lend him a hand. When Jimmy finished working on the car, the old man asked him how much he should pay for the service. Jimmy said there was no need to pay him; he just helped someone in need, and he had to rush for an interview. Then the old man said, “Well, I could take you to the office for your interview. It’s the least I could do. Please. I insist.” Jimmy agreed.
Upon arrival, Jimmy found a long line of job hunters waiting to be interviewed. Jimmy still had some grease(油渍) on him after the car repair, but he did not have much time to wash it off or have a change of shirt. One by one, the job hunters left the interviewer’s office with disappointment. Finally his name was called. The interviewer was sitting on a large chair facing the office window. Rocking the chair back and forth, he asked, “Do you really need to be interviewed?” Jimmy’s heart sank. “With the way I look now, how could I possibly pass this interview?” he thought to himself.
Then the interviewer turned the chair and to Jimmy’s surprise, it was the old man he helped earlier in the morning. It turned out he was the General Manager of the company.
“Sorry I had to keep you waiting, but I was pretty sure I made the right decision to have you as part of our workforce before you even stepped into the office. I just know you’d be a worker who is worth trusting. Congratulations!” Jimmy sat down and they shared a cup of well-deserved coffee as he landed himself a new job. Why did Jimmy apply for a new job?
| A．He was out of work | B．He was bored with his job |
| C．He wanted a higher position | D．He hoped to find a better boss |
What did Jimmy see on the way to the interview?
| A．A friend’s car had a flat(瘪的) tyre |
| B．a wild man was pushing a car |
| C．a terrible accident happened |
| D．an old man’s car broke down |
How did Jimmy feel on hearing the interviewer’s question?
| A．He was sorry for the other job hunters |
| B．There was no hope for him to get the job |
| C．He regretted （后悔）helping the old man |
| D．The interviewer was very rude |
Why did the old man offer Jimmy a ride?
| A．He was also to be interviewed |
| B．He needed a traveling companion |
| C．He always helped people in need |
| D．He was thankful to Jimmy |
What can we learn from Jimmy’s experience？
| A．Where there is a will, there’s a way |
| B．A friend in need is a friend indeed |
| C．Good is rewarded with good. |
| D．Two heads are better than one |