Men can be beautiful too, right?
CHINA is going to host the 18th World University Student Beauty Contest in Guangzhou this December. This year for the first time the contest will include a male section. Students from over 130 countries will compete for Mr. and Miss Beauty. The contest is one of the most respected beauty contests in the world. It was copied by the United Nations University (an international university belonging to the United Nations) in 1986.
Stick to studying
LI Yining, an economics professor at Peking University, said that he would not encourage students to try their luck in the stock market (股市). “They should stress study,” Li said, in his speech at Beijing Foreign Studies University. When asked, the professor said he expected house prices in Beijing to continue to rise. Li thinks the government should provide more affordable houses for low-level income people.
Campus cinema
Students at over 100 universities will have a digital cinema on campus after the National Day holiday. The 21st Century Digital Film on Campus Project was launched at the end of September. The ticket will cost 3-8 yuan, rather than 30-40 yuan at cinemas in town. Students often download movies online or watch DVDs. Now they can enjoy original films in the digital cinema. The digital cinema will show a variety of films other than Hollywood blockbusters (好莱坞大片).
Getting practical
All 12,000 graduates from vocational school in Shanxi Province have landed a job, according to the provincial government. In the past five years, it is estimated that over 95 percent of the professional school graduates have found jobs. However, the number for university graduates is 70 percent. Some employers said that they prefer professional school graduates who learned something more practical in school and expected lower salaries than university students. In the third part, the underlined word “launched” may mean ______.
| A．started | B．ended | C．told | D．mentioned |
Where can the material be chosen from?
| A．A novel. | B．A newspaper. | C．An advertisement. | D．A fashion magazine. |
. Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．More than 130 countries will take part in the 18th World University Student Beauty Contest. |
| B．The ticket for digital film will cost 3-8 yuan. |
| C．In the past five years, over 95 percent of the university graduates have found jobs in Shanxi. |
| D．Over 100 universities took part in the 21st Century Digital Film on Campus Project. |
. Professor Li thinks that ______.
| A．the house prices in Beijing will keep going up. |
| B．the students should try their luck in the stock market. |
| C．the government can do nothing about housing problem. |
| D．the students should not only pay attention to study. |
. What can we infer from the passage?
| A． In Shanxi, the professional school graduates are less popular with employers than university graduates recently. |
| B．The digital cinema will only show Hollywood blockbusters. |
| C．The graduates from universities can put what they learned into practice more easily. |
| D．No men competed in the World University Students Beauty Contest before this year. |
The younger daughter of former New York Mayor Richard White has moved her wedding from New Year’s Eve to this Thursday so her mother, who has been fighting against cancer for 11 years, can take part in the ceremony, a family spokesman said on Wednesday, Oct, 12, 2013. Elizabeth Lally White, who turns 28 on Thursday, will marry Sam Peterson in Spiaggia, a restaurant on North Michigan Avenue. The reception also will be held at the restaurant, which had been previously scheduled to host the couple’s engagement party on Thursday. 
Lally White’s mother, Maggie, 68, was reported to have caught breast cancer in 2002. She had an operation in her leg in April and she was hospitalized twice in the weeks following the procedure for treatment of flu-like symptoms that doctors said were not related to the cancer. Maggie, who has used a walker or a wheelchair during most public appearances in recent years, is well beyond the average survival time for someone with breast cancer.
“As the mayor himself has said, she had a pretty difficult summer.” said Jacquelyn Heard, who served Mayor White’s press secretary for years and followed him to the same international law firm that he joined after leaving office in May. “She was not able to get around the way that she normally would do. This year, she has had quite a few setbacks and they’ve been pretty well documented. Lally White decided to reschedule the wedding so that her mom can participate in the festivities (庆祝活动).” Heard said. Lally White is a doctoral candidate at De-Paul University and plans to work with autistic (孤独症) children, and Sam Peterson works in insurance, Heard said.
Richard and Maggie White married in 1972 and had three children in addition to Lally — Nora, Patrick and Kevin. But Kevin was born with a disease and died in 1981 at 33 months.When was Elizabeth Lally White born?
| A．In 1983. | B．In 1987. | C．In 1985. | D．In 1984. |
What can we infer from Paragraph 2?
| A．Maggie, 68, is recovering now. |
| B．Maggie caught breast cancer in 2002. |
| C．The cancer caused some flu-like symptoms on Maggie. |
| D．Average breast cancer patients lived a life shorter than Maggie. |
Why did Lally White reschedule her wedding?
| A．She was afraid that her mother couldn’t participate her wedding on New Year’s Eve. |
| B．She was eager to work with autistic children after wedding. |
| C．Her family will move out of New York. |
| D．Her mother will accept operation because of her disease. |
How many children did the former mayor and his wife give birth to?
| A．3. | B．4. | C．5. | D．6. |
What does the passage mainly talk about?
| A．The political life of former Mayor. |
| B．The brave wife of former Mayor. |
| C．The wedding of former Mayor’s daughter. |
| D．The family life of former Mayor. |
It is generally believed that we are getting cleaned when we step under a shower. We are, but we’re also giving a home to lots of tiny little creatures we didn’t even know about. A showerhead carries thousands of bacteria called Mycobacterium．These can cause problems like coughs and tiredness, and a general feeling of poorliness (身体不舒服). When you turn on the water, the bacteria go from the showerhead onto and into your body.
This is a finding of Norman R. Pace and his team at the University of Colorado, in the US. The scientists investigated bacteria in all kinds of human environment, including showers．Pace's team looked at 45 showerheads in nine American cities. They discovered that 30 percent of them had large amounts of flying Mycobacterium.
But Pace said that they pose few threats to the health．Only those with a weak immune system might need to worry．He told the New York Times that the bacteria are not as unpleasant as might be thought．He said that having a shower is no more dangerous than anything else we do in the morning．
But for those who feel sick about the idea of all those microorganisms (微生物), he had some advice. Let the water run for 30 seconds before getting into the shower. Why? The number of bacteria is smaller than that when the water is just turned on. If that seems like a waste of water, he added that you could also change your showerhead every few months.
However, Pace had good news too. He has also been testing the air in US subways. Apart from iron particles (粒子), which are ground off the track by the wheels of trains, subway air is fresh. The reason is that a train’s movement pumps fresh outdoor air into the tunnels.
Pace explained that he wanted to understand the natural microbial environments of public places. This kind of knowledge might help discover the microbes to be used in a bioterrorist (生物恐怖分子) attack.From the finding of Norman R. Pace, after taking a shower, we might cough or feel tired because.
| A．it’s easy to get a cold when taking a bath |
| B．the showerhead carries many bacteria causing illness |
| C．we don’t get cleaned while showering |
| D．we don’t get a weak immune system |
According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?
| A．Hot water could kill most of bacteria in showerheads. |
| B．Of 45 showerheads surveyed in nine cities, 30 carried large amounts of Mycobacterium. |
| C．Changing showerheads is the only way to avoid microorganisms. |
| D．Shower water contains much less bacteria after being left to run for 30 seconds. |
We can learn from the third paragraph that .
| A．having a shower in the morning is more dangerous than at other time |
| B．the bacteria always threat people’s health |
| C．there is no reason to fear microorganisms for people with strong immune system |
| D．it is better to do some exercise in the morning than have a shower |
The underlined word “pose” in the third paragraph probably means “______”．
| A．cause | B．avoid | C．describe | D．promise |
What contributes to fresh air in US subways?
| A．The train’s movement. | B．Iron particles． |
| C．Train wheels. | D．Air conditioners on the trains． |
One of the greatest sources of unhappiness，in my experience，is the difficulty we have in accepting things as they are．
When we see something we don’t like，we wish it could be different．We cry out for something better．That may be human nature，or perhaps it’s something ingrained(根深蒂固的) in our culture．The root of the unhappiness isn’t necessarily that we want things to be different．However, it’s that we decided we didn’t like it in the first place．We’ve judged it as bad，rather than saying, “It's not bad or good，and it just is it．”
In one of my books，I said“You should expect people to mess up and expect things to go differently than you planned”．Some readers said it's too sorrowful to expect things to go wrong．However, it’s only negative if you see it as negative and judge it as bad．Instead，you could accept it as the way the world works and try to understand why that is．
This can be applied to whatever you do：how other people act at work，how politics works and how depressing the news media can be．Accept these things as they are，and try to understand why they’re that way．It will save you a lot of sadness，because you’ll no longer say,“Oh．1 wish bad things didn’t happen!’’
Does it mean you can never change things? Not at a11．But change things not because you can’t accept things as they are，but because you enjoy the process of changing，learning and growing．
Can we make this world a better place? You can say that you’11 continue to try to do things to help others，to grow as a person，to make a difference in this world．That’s the correct path you choose to take，because you enjoy that path．Therefore，when you find yourself judging and wishing for difference，try a different approach：accept，and understand．It might lead to some interesting results．The author believes that we feel unhappy maybe because ___________.
| A．it is our natural emotion in the life |
| B．culture asks us to be different from others |
| C．everyone has their own opinions on things |
| D．we dislike something in the beginning |
Some readers think the words in the author’s book is too ______________.
| A．depressing | B．frightening | C．delighting | D．idealistic |
In Paragraph 4，the underlined word "it" refers to ____________．
| A．acting well at work and in politics |
| B．feeling depressed for the news media |
| C．accepting and understanding what has happened |
| D．saying something negative when bad things come |
In the last paragraph，you are advised _____________．
| A．to help others and make a difference |
| B．to enjoy what you have to do in the work |
| C．to judge yourself and make a wish for you |
| D．to try a new way when making the world better |
What is the main theme of the passage?
| A．Expecting things to be different gives us hope． |
| B．Accepting can make our life happier and better． |
| C．Traditional culture becomes root of unhappiness． |
| D．Judging good or bad is important for our world． |
Celebrities(名人) are more in love with themselves than the average person，according to a new study．
In case anyone needed proof, a new study supports the widely held perception：Famous people are more narcissistic(自我陶醉的)，which means they are more in love with themselves than the average person is．That is the conclusion drawn by Drew Pinsky and S．Mark Young of the University of Southern California，whose study of 200 celebrities will appear in the Journal Of Research in Personality．
It is not the entertainment industry that turns stars into narcissists，the study found．Rather, it suggests，the self-adoring(自恋的)people seek jobs in show business．The study, whose subjects were a11 celebrities from Pinsky’s‘Loveline’radio show, found that reality TV stars were the most narcissistic of all celebrities．Female stars were also more likely than the male stars to exhibit narcissistic characteristics．
It’s “common sense” that celebrities are narcissists，said Jeremy Ritzlin，a longtime Hollywood psychologist who has not seen the study．“Everyone knows famous people are really in love with themselves，”he said．“So it would be natural for narcissists to be attracted toward the stage and spotlight，where other people will also think highly of them．”
Pinsky, an assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at USC’S Keck School of Medicine，said narcissists desire attention，are overconfident，behave strangely and lack sympathy．“However, they are easily-liked，especially on first meeting，are outgoing and perform well in public，” added Pinsky, who has hosted the radio show“Loveline”for 20 years．
Celebrity guests appearing on the program were randomly chosen to participate in the study．They anonymously(匿名地)took the Narcissistic Personality Inventory test．which rates self-love levels based on seven components：superiority, exhibitionism，entitlement，vanity，authority, exploitativeness，and self-sufficiency．Who are most likely to be self-adoring in the study?
| A．The women stars． | B．The men stars |
| C．The average people． | D．It is not mentioned in the passage． |
According to the forth paragraph．the fact “celebrities are narcissists” .
| A．is common in the entertainment industry |
| B．is a misunderstanding of Jeremy Ritzlin |
| C．is known to most of the people |
| D．is unreal on the stage |
According to Pinsky, narcissists may NOT .
| A．hope to attract attention |
| B．be kind to poor people |
| C．believe in themselves |
| D．be liked by others easily |
How were the celebrities surveyed in the study?
| A．They were interviewed by Drew Pinsky and S．Mark Young． |
| B．They were invited to the University of Southern California． |
| C．They appeared on Pinsky’s‘Loveline’radio show． |
| D．They took the Narcissistic Personality Inventory test． |
The author of this passage wants to tell US．
| A．how psychologists make a study |
| B．how entertainment industry produces celebrities |
| C．how people think of the famous stars |
| D．how celebrities feel about themselves |
Do you know of anyone who uses the truth to deceive(欺骗)?When someone tells you something that is true，but leaves out important information that should be included，he can give you a false picture．
For example，someone might say, ''I just won a hundred．dollars on the lottery(彩票)．It was great．I took that dollar ticket back to the store and turned it in for one hundred dollars!"．This guy's a winner，right? Maybe，maybe not．We then discover that he bought$200 worth of tickets, and only one was a winner．He’s really a big loser! He didn't say anything that was false，but he left out important information on purpose．That's called a half-truth．Half truths are not technically lies，but they are just as dishonest．
Some politicians often use this trick．Let’s say that during Governor Smith’s last term，her state lost one million jobs and gained three million jobs．Then she seeks another term．One of her opponents says, “During Governor Smith’s term，the state lost one million jobs!” That’s true．However，an honest statement would have been，“During Governor Smith’s term, the state had a net gain of two million jobs.”
Advertisers will sometimes use half-truths．It's against the law to make false statements so they try to mislead you with the truth．An advertisement might say，''Nine out of ten doctors advised their patients to take Yucky Pills to cure toothache．'' It fails to mention that they only asked ten doctors and nine of them work for the Yucky Company．
This kind of deception happens too often．It’s a sad fact of life：Lies are lies，and sometimes the truth can 1ie as well．The underlined word“opponents”in Paragraph 3 means．
| A．enemy | B．partner | C．cooperator | D．assistant |
We may infer that the author believes people should．
| A．buy lottery tickets if possible |
| B．make use of half-truths |
| C．be careful about what they are told |
| D．not trust the Yucky Company |
How many examples does the writer give to show how the truth is used to deceive?
| A．One． | B．Two． | C．Three． | D．Four． |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．Using half truths is against the law． |
| B．Technically，half truths are in fact lies． |
| C．Yucky Pills is a very good medicine for toothache． |
| D．Governor Smith did a good job during her last term． |
M1ich of the following best expresses the main idea of the passage?
| A．He’s really a big loser! |
| B．Sometimes the truth can lie as well． |
| C．Advertisers will sometimes use half truths． |
| D．It’s against the law to make false statements． |