Have you heard of the saying, “If anything is worth doing, it is worth doing well”? The proverb is a piece of advice to make effects towards perfection in whichever job one does. It could be a small task like folding up your clothes, or a major one like organizing a business meeting in your later life.
Perfection just needs paying attention to details. If it is your job to dust the furniture at home, dust it so that not a single spot of dirt shows from any direction. If your task is to make the beds, make them so that not a single crease(皱纹)shows on the bed-covers.
There are only two ways to do a job: either sloppily, or well. If you choose the latter, you need to realize that any job that qualifies as (取得…的资格)“your” work deserves your best. Perfection is an attitude that can be developed with just a little effect. It is a habit that is helpful to a person in later life. Let us prove with an example: you may be asked to turn in an essay on, for example, wildlife, for a school project. Instead of writing carelessly a few facts that you already know, you could make the project more effective by looking up a reference books, encyclopedias(百科全书)or websites for additional information. You could then go over the finished essay for slips(疏漏)and errors, and provide pictures where necessary. If you make it a habit to put in extra effort in your school homework, will it not help you to handle more difficult projects at the college or university level?
As Michelangelo, the famous 16th century sculptor and painter, once put it: Trifles(琐事)go to make perfection, and perfection is no trifle.According to the passage, to achieve perfection is _______.
A.to realize the quality of the work |
B.to pay attention to details of one’s work |
C.to do as many jobs as possible |
D.to form the habit of doing things ahead of time |
The underlined word “sloppily” in paragraph 3 may mean _______
A.badly | B.patiently | C.carefully | D.slowly |
What can be inferred from the third paragraph?
A.It is necessary to provide pictures for your essay. |
B.Websites are the sources of information you want. |
C.Perfection is a habit that promises a good future. |
D.You should make much effort to develop perfection. |
The purpose of writing this passage is to _______.
A.introduce the famous painter Michelangelo |
B.advise us to do the things that are worth doing |
C.explain to us the meaning of the perfection |
D.expect us to give our best to our work |
Tom was going home at five yesterday. He got on a bus. A mother with her little boy was sitting nearby. Suddenly the boy cried. His mother tried her best to make the boy stop crying. But the boy would not do so. At last Tom said angrily, “Oh, how that boy cried! Why don’t you give him what he wanted?” “I would if I could." answered the mother quietly,“But he wanted your cap.”What time was Tom going home yesterday?
A.At four | B.At five | C.At six | D.At seven |
Who was sitting near Tom on the bus?
A.An old man with his little girl | B.A young woman |
C.A woman with her little boy | D.A young man |
The mother tried her best to make the boy ______.
A.wake up | B.go to sleep | C.not talk much | D.stop crying |
When the boy cried, Tom ______
A.was very angry | B.was very hungry |
C.was very happy | D.did not hear this |
Why was the boy crying?
A.Because he wanted something to eat |
B.Because he wanted to get off the bus. |
C.Because he wanted to go home |
D.Because he wanted Tom's cap |
On New Year’s Eve, people in Italy throw out all the old things. So there are chairs, beds, clothes and plates in the trees. In Spain, the New Year comes in more quietly. In the evening people come together to the streets. Each holds a bag of grapes. When twelve o’clock comes, people start eating the grapes. In Japan, people eat noodles on New Year’s Eve. This food is said to bring long life. Early the next morning, some families climb Mount Fuji(富士山). There they watch the first sunrise(日出) of the New Year.This story is about New Year’s Eve in_______
A.Italy | B.Spain |
C.Japan | D.All of the above |
People in Spain welcome New Year by _______after twelve.
A.eating grapes | B.eating noodles |
C.throwing the old things | D.watching the sunrise |
People in both Spain and Japan _______ to bring in the New Year.
A.throw things away | B.get together |
C.eat some food | D.climb a mountain |
Japanese climb Mount Fuji to _______
A.look at the stars | B.look for New Year’s wishes |
C.see the sun coming up | D.have a rest |
The people in _______ hope to get long life from their New Year’s food
A.Japan | B.China | C.Spain | D.Italy |
The Homeless World Cup is an international football event, where teams made up entirely of people who are homeless compete. The event has been held annually since 2003.
It was at the end of 2001 that Mel Young, a famous expert in the media industry, came up with the idea of the Homeless World Cup. 18 months later the first event took place in Austria. It was such a success that people decided to do more.
There are some interesting and special rules of the event. For example, players (male or female at least 16 years old) must have been homeless at some time after the previous year’s World Cup or make their main living income by selling newspapers in the street or be asylum (政治避难) seekers . Anyone can take part, regardless of his or her abilities.
There are at most 4 players per team to compete in the field. Games are 14 minutes long.
In 2007, 48 nations, 500 players took a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to represent their countries for true spirit and glory in Copenhagen, Denmark. The winner in 2007 was Scotland. The 2008 Homeless World Cup took place in Melbourne, Australia. And in 2009 it was held in Milan. The latest Homeless World Cup was held in Rio deJaneiro, Brazil in September 2010. Paris 2011 Homeless World Cup takes place August followed by the México City 2012 Homeless World Cup.
The success of the competition has been in two aspects — to attract the world’s attention to the problems of homelessness and also to help participants live a better life.
According to a survey by the Homeless World Cup Organization after 2006 Homeless World Cup, 92% of the players had a new motivation for life, 93 players successfully got rid of their dependency on drugs and alcohol, 44% improved their housing situation and 72% continued to play football. The aim of the Homeless World Cup is to __________.
A.promote the cause of football |
B.help the homeless live a better life |
C.draw attention to those living in poverty |
D.call on homeless people to unite and compete for honor |
What can we learn from the last paragraph?
A.Most players moved out of poverty. |
B.Homeless players became professional footballers. |
C.93% of the players were independent of drugs and alcohol. |
D.The Homeless World Cup helped homeless people change their lives. |
What would be the best title for this passage?
A.To End Homelessness. |
B.Football For Everyone. |
C.Hope For The Homeless. |
D.Beating Homelessness Through Football. |
“People are ruder today because they are rushed and more ‘time poor’ than ever before,” says Patsy Rowe, “ Manners have fallen off the radar(雷达).” Due to our strong attraction to electronic equipment it is a wonder more people don’t wake up each morning and greet the singing birds with a complaint(抱怨)about the noise. Here are some examples of rudeness.
Some people prefer to do almost everything over the internet. To them, dealing with an actual human is like an evolutionary step backward. It feels very slow because humans don’t work at 4G speeds. When you have dinner with friends, you will often notice someone paying more attention to his mobile phone. We have programmed ourselves to think that every new message brings life-changing news, so taking calls and checking our texts are more important than talking to the people we are with. What is worse, some people even tend to send anonymous(匿名的)rude messages by email.
However, rudeness is never acceptable. Don’t assume it is OK to be rude if the person you’re in touch with won’t recognize you. If you have something awful to say, have the courage to face the person and say it, write a letter or email and sign it, or forget it. Upsetting people with unsigned messages is cruel and disgusting.
We shouldn’t blame technology for our shortcomings. Technology is here to help us, but we should not allow it to take over our lives. An important step is acknowledging our shortcomings. People spend a lot of time pointing out bad manners but it would be even more helpful if we’d publicly acknowledge good manners when we see them.What can be inferred from the underlined sentence in Paragraph 1?
A.People can tell good from bad behavior. |
B.Radar is able to observe human behavior. |
C.People care little about their behavior. |
D.Radar can be used to predict human behavior. |
Some people are less willing to deal with humans because________.
A.they are becoming less patient |
B.they are growing too independent |
C.they have to handle many important messages |
D.they have to follow an evolutionary step backward. |
The author thinks sending unsigned awful messages is ________.
A.ridiculous | B.disgusting | C.acceptable | D.reasonable |
You can’t always predict a heavy rain or remember your umbrella. But designer Mikhail Belyaev doesn’t think that forgetting to check the weather forecast before heading out should result in you getting wet. That’s why he created Lampbrella, a lamp post with its own rain sensing umbrella.
The designer says he came up with the idea after watching people get wet on streets in Russia. “Once, I was driving on a central Saint Petersburg street and saw the street lamps lighting up people trying to hide from the rain. I thought it would be appropriate to have a canopy(伞蓬)built into a street lamp,” he said.
The Lampbrella is a standard-looking street lamp fitted with an umbrella canopy. It has a built-in electric motor which can open or close the umbrella on demand. Sensors(传感器)then ensure that the umbrella offers pedestrians (行人) shelter whenever it starts raining.
In addition to the rain sensor, there’s also a 360° motion sensor on the fiberglass street lamp which detects whether anyone is using the Lampbrella. After three minutes of not being used the canopy is closed.
According to the designer, the Lampbrella would move at a relatively low speed, so as not to cause harm to the pedestrians. Besides, it would be grounded to protect from possible lightning strike. Each Lampbrella would offer enough shelter for several people. Being installed at 2 meters off the ground, it would only be a danger for the tallest of pedestrians.
While there are no plans to take Lampbrella into production, Belyaev says he recently introduced his creation to one Moscow Department, and insists this creation could be installed on any street where a lot of people walk but there are no canopies to provide shelter. For what purpose did Belyaev create the Lampbrella?
A.To predict a heavy rain. |
B.To check the weather forecast. |
C.To protect people from the rain. |
D.To remind people to take an umbrella. |
What do we know from Belyaev’s worlds in Paragraph 2?
A.His creation was inspired by an experience. |
B.It rains a lot in the city of Saint Petersburg. |
C.Street lamps are protected by canopies. |
D.He enjoyed taking walks in the rain. |
Which of the following show how the Lampbrella works?
A.motor→canopy→sensors | B.sensors→motor→canopy |
C.motor→sensors→canopy | D.canopy→motor→sensors |
. What can be inferred from the last paragraph?
A.The designer will open a company to promote his product. |
B.The Lampbrella could be put into immediate production. |
C.The designer is confident that his creation is practical. |
D.The Lampbrella would be put on show in Moscow. |