John Steinbeck once said, “All Americans believe they are born fishermen. For a man to admit to a distaste in fishing would be like denouncing (公开指责) mother – love or hating moonlight.”
I can’t say that I’m the biggest John Steinbeck fan. Actually, the only thing I can ever remember reading by him was “The pearl” when I was in middle school, but I couldn’t agree more with the man when it comes to fishing. Whether I am on a boat in the middle of the Lay Lake, fishing off the shores of the Florida Keys for tarpon or catching rainbow trout in the Shoshone River of Wyoming, fishing is my life.
According to the American Sports Fishing Association, the fishing industry brings in more than $ 116 billion per year from fishermen across the country.
Though a beautiful picture to imagine, fishing is much more than that. Fishing is a way of life for many people and a way to escape everyday stress. Being a fisherman makes me a member of a wonderful group of people extending to all walks of life. Even President Obama can be found fishing on his farm in Texas with his good friend Roland Martin when the job gets too stressful.
I can remember fishing with my grandfather when I was 5 years old on his boat at Lake Mitchell. Although I didn’t understand what I was doing, I did know that my grandfather was happy and that made me happy. Since then I’ve spent the past 16 years on the rivers and lakes of Alabama.
After days of practice, before and after work, I slowly developed an understanding of fishing. My boss, Ric Horst, took me back to the Shoshone, and I managed to bring in a 19–inch cutthroat trout. Fishing with Ric was a life–changing experience for me. He not only showed me how to fish correctly, but also told me how fishing could be a way to escape your problems.
Since then, prime–time season seems to take forever to arrive.
Now, with the ending of February and beginning of March in sight, the excitement of heading out Lake Tuscaloosa or Lake Lurleen before classes and catching something has finally returned.What John Steinbeck said in the first paragraph implies that ______________.
| A．Americans are believed to be the offspring of fishermen |
| B．it is unthinkable for an American to admit his dislike of fishing |
| C．all Americans are expert at fishing |
| D．those who dislike fishing would not love their mother |
．The writer came to understand the real meaning of fishing ______________.
| A．when he was reading “The pearl” by John Steinbeck |
| B．when he went fishing with his grandfather at Lake Mitchell |
| C．after he had spent 16 years on the rivers and lakes of Alabama |
| D．after he went fishing with his boss, Ric Horst on the Shoshone |
What can be inferred from the text?
| A．The author is at most 21 years old. |
| B．The author regards fishing as a very important part in his life. |
| C．The author agreed with John Steinbeck the most when he was in middle school. |
| D．President Obama often goes fishing in public in order to collect idea for his job. |
．According to the author, __________________.
| A．people can get to know VIPs when fishing. |
| B．people can smooth away all the troubles by fishing |
| C．Fishing is a way of communication |
| D．Fishing is a way to make a living for most American people |
．What is the purpose of the writing?
| A．To describe the writer’s experience and understanding of fishing. |
| B．To explain the reason why so many Americans like fishing. |
| C．To make others understand the industry of fishing. |
| D．To express his opinions about fishing in different time of the year. |
How Much to Tip
You’re out to dinner. The food is delicious and the service is fine. You decide to leave a big fat tip. Why? The answer may not be as simple as you think.
Tipping, psychologists have found, is not just about service. Instead, studies have shown that tipping can be affected by psychological reactions to a series of different factors from the waiter’s choice of words, to how they carry themselves while taking orders, to the bill’s total. Even how much waiters remind customers of themselves can determine how much change they pocket by the end of the night.
“Studies before have shown that mimicry (模仿) brings into positive feelings for the mimicker,” wrote Rick van Baaren, a social psychology professor. “These studies show that people who are being mimicked become more generous toward the person who mimics them.”
S
o Rick van Baaren divided 59 waiters into two groups. He requested that half serve with a phrase such as, “Coming up!” Those in the other half were instructed to repeat the orders and preferences back to the customers. Rick van
Baaren then compared their take-home. The results were clear — it pays to mimic your customer. The copycat(模仿者) waiters earned almost double the amount of tips to the other group.
Leonard Green and Joel Myerson, psychologists at 
Washington University in St. Louis, found the generosity of a tipper may be limited by his bill. After research on the 1,000 tips left for waiters, cabdrivers, hair stylists, they found tip percentages in these three areas dropped as customers’ bills went up. In fact, tip percentages appear to plateau (达到稳定水平) when bills topped $100 and a bill for $200 made the worker gain no bigger percentage tip than a bill for $100.
“That’s also a point of tipping,” Green says. “You have to give a little extra to the cab driver for being there to pick you up and something to the waiter for being there to serve you. If they weren’t there, you’d never get any service. So part of the idea of a tip is for just being there.” Apart from service, how many other factors affecting the customers’ tipping are mentioned in the passage?
| A．1. | B．2. | C．3. | D．4. |
These studies show that _________.
| A．tipping can be affected by physical reactions to many different waiter’s factors |
| B．people who are being mimicked usually tip less to the person who mimics them |
| C．the mimic waiters can get almost twice as much money as the other group |
| D．mimicry makes the mimicker feel bad |
According to the passage, which of the following will be likely to show the right change of the tip percentages?
 |
A B C D We know from the passage that the writer seems to __________.
| A．object to Mr. Green’s idea about tipping |
| B．think part of Mr. Green’s explanation is reasonable |
| C．give his generous tip to waiters very often |
| D．support the opinions of Mr. Green and Rick van Baaren about tipping |
My father was a foreman of a sugar-cane plantation in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico. My first job was to drive the oxen that ploughed the cane fields. I would walk behind an ox, guiding him with a broomstick. For $ 1 a day, I worked eight hours straight, with no food breaks.
It was very tedious work, but it prepared me for life and taught me many lasting lessons. Because the plantation owners were always watching us, I had to be on time every day and work as hard as I could. I’ve never been late for any job since. I also learned about being respectful and faithful to the people you work for. More important, I earned my pay; it never entered my mind to say I was sick just because I didn’t want to work.
I was only six years old, but I was doing a man’s job. Our family needed every dollar we could make because my father never earned more than $ 18 a week. Our home was a three-room wood shack with a dirty floor and no toilet
. Nothing made me prouder than bringing home money to help my mother, father, two brothers and three sisters. This gave me self-esteem(自尊心), one of the most important things a person can have.
When I was seven, I got work at a golf course near our house. My job was to stand down the fairway and spot the balls as they landed, so the golfers could find th
em. Losing a ball meant you were fired, so I never missed one. Some nights I would lie in bed and dreamt of making thousands of dollars by playing golf and being able to buy a bicycle.
The more I dreamed, the more I thought. Why not? I made my first golf club out of guava limb(番石榴树枝) and a piece of pipe. Then I hammered an empty tin can into the shape of a ball. And finally I dug two small holes in the ground and hit the ball back and forth. I practiced with the same devotion and intensity. I learned working in the field — except now I was driving golf balls with club, not oxen with a broomstick. The writer’s first job was _______.
| A．to stand down the fairway at a golf course |
| B．to watch over the sugar-cane plantation |
| C．to drive the oxen that ploughed the cane fields |
| D．to spot the balls as they landed so the golfers could find them |
T
he writer learned that_______ from his first job.
| A．he should work for those who he liked most |
| B．he should work longer than what he was expected |
| C．he should never fail to say hello to his owner |
| D．he should be respectful and faithful to the people he worked for |
_______ gave the writer self-esteem.
| A．Having a family of eight people |
| B．Owning his own golf course |
| C．Bringing money back home to help the family |
| D．Helping his father with the work on the plantation |
Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
| A．He wanted to be a successful golfer. |
| B．He wanted to run a golf course near his house. |
| C．He was satisfied with the job he got on a plantation. |
| D．He wanted to make money by guiding oxen with a broomstick. |
For a girl who's interested in fashion, what would be the dream job? Being a model? Probably
no–-that's for a pencil thin who doesn't eat. 
One answer is, fashion stylist.
Girls can find it hard to ignore this attractiveness and the field is opening up to normal girls,
not only style or fashion design majors(某专业的学生). "It looked too high before, but now I find it more approachable," said Xue Rui, 22, a Fudan University Chinese literature graduate who works as an assistant stylist at Hermès in Shanghai. "There is no certain principle in dressing up models, and you can try every way with your own distinct taste to make them pretty and attractive." Some professionals said that Xue's not mistaken.
The attractiveness of this work is not only in the wonderful clothes. Now it's a career with a bright future and pay packet. The income can allow you to buy expensive clothes and, with your name and photo appearing on pages, readers will remember your fashion tips.
A stylist at a fashion magazine can have some unique rights. You have a chance to contact famous pesons and dress them up in a style you like. You need to cooperate with top photographers and select places around the w
orld to take photos in. You might also be invited to fashion shows of top brands and can select some of the favorite clothes.
"You have to be ‘all-round’:from hair and make up to clothes, shoes, and accessories (配饰) to the event," said He Qing, 21, a junior in fashion design at the Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology. "You have to know everything, and handle several things at the same time. It's challenging. That's why I love it."
So, remember girls, you've been warned.The underlined phrase “ pay packet” (paragraph 3) means________.
| A．a large bag | B．large amout of money | C．chances | D．choices |
Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
| A．There are certain principles in dressing up models. |
| B．The only attractiveness of this work is in the wonderful clothes. |
| C．Only style or fashion design majors can work as a fashion stylist. |
| D．A stylist knows how to make a person beautiful, from head to toe。 |
What is the unique right a stylist at a fashion magazine can have?
| A．You have a chance to contact celebrities and dress them up in a style you like. |
| B．You need to cooperate with top photographers and select places around the world to take photos in. |
| C．You might also be invited to fashion shows of top brands and can select some of the favorite clothes. |
| D．All of above |
What will the author write in the 6th paragraph?
| A．Top brands that fashion stylists like best. |
| B．Various fashion shows |
| C．Difficulities that fashion stylists may meet |
| D．Other dream jobs |
In America,drivers’ education is part of the regular high school curriculum(课程). Every student in his or her second year of high school is required to take a class in driver’s education. However, unlike other courses,it is not given during the regular school year.Instead it is a summer course.
The course is divided up into two parts:class time for learning laws and regulations, and driving time to practise driving.Class time is not unlike any other class. The students study the basic traffic laws from a text to pass the written driving test that is given to anyone who wants to get a driver’s license.
Driving time is a chance for the students to get behind the wheel (steering wheel) and practise starting steering,backing up,parking,switching lanes,turning corners,and all the other maneuvers (操作) required to drive a car.Each student is required to drive a total of six hours.The students are divided up into groups of four.The students and the instructor go out driving for two hour blocks of time.Thus,each student gets half an hour driving time per outing.The instructor and “driver” sit in the front seats and the other three students sit in the back.
After the student has passed the driver’s education course and reached the appropriate age to drive(this age differs in every state but in most cases the person must be 16 years old),they can go to a designated(指定的) state office to take their driver’s test,which is made up of an eye examination,a written test,and a road test.The person must pass all three tests in order to be given a driver’s license.If the person did well in his or her driver’s education class,he or she will pass the test with flying colors and get a driver’s license.
.In America,the driver’s course mentioned above .
| A．is considered as part of the advanced education |
| B．is given to anyone wanting to get a driver’s license |
| C．is carried on at the same time as other courses |
| D．is offered to all the students of Grade 2 in high schools |
We can infer that the students are required to_________in their whole driving practice.
| A．spend at least six hours driving | B．get half an hour driving |
| C．drive for two hour blocks of time | D．go out driving for tweleve times |
Which of the following is Not True for the students wanting to get their driver’s license?
| A．They must have their eyes examined. |
| B．They must be 16 years of age. |
| C．They should go to have their driver’s test. |
| D．They ought to do well in their driver’s course. |
In the last sentence,“with flying colors” means .
| A．happily | B．quickly | C．colorfully | D．successfully |
Most people feel lonely sometimes, but it usually only lasts between a few minutes and a few hours. This kind of loneliness is not serious. In fact, it is quite normal. For some people, though, loneliness can last for years. Now researchers say there are three different types of loneliness.
The first kind of loneliness is temporary(暂时的). This is the most common type. It usually disappears quickly and does not require any special attention. The second kind, situational loneliness, is a natural result or a particular situation---- for example, a family problem, the death of a loved one, or moving to a new place. Although this kind of loneliness can cause physical problems, such as headaches and sleeplessness, it usually does not last for more than a year.
The third kind of loneliness is the most severe. Unlike the second type, chronic(长期的) loneliness usually last more than two yeas and has no specific cause. People who experience habitual loneliness have problems socializing and becoming close to others. Unfortunately, many chronica
lly lone people think there is little or nothing they can do to improve their condition.
Psychologists (心理学家)agree that one important fact in loneliness is a person’s social contacts, e.g, friends, family members, co-workers, etc. We depend on various people for different reasons. For instance, our families give us emotional support, our parents and t
eachers give us guidance, and our friends share similar 
interests and activities. However, psychologists have found that, though lone people may have many social contacts, they sometimes feel they should have more. They question their own popularity.
Psychologists are trying to find ways to help habitually lonely people for two reasons: they are unhappy and unable to socialize and there is a connection between chronic loneliness and serious illness such as heart disease. While temporary and situational loneliness can be a normal, healthy part of life, chronic loneliness can be a very sad, and sometimes dangerous condition.
How would you treat temporary loneliness according to the passage?
| A．Talk to friends | B．Just ignore it |
| C．Go to see a doctor | D．Ask your teachers for guidance |
The topic of the 4th paragraph is that _______________.
| A．lonely people don’t have many friends |
| B．lonely people don’t have many social problems |
| C．one problem of loneliness is a person’s social contacts |
| D．we depend on various people for different reasons |
Why do psychologists want to help chronically lonely people?
| A．Chronic loneliness can cause family problems |
| B．Chronic loneliness can cause serious illness |
| C．Chronic loneliness cannot be overcome |
| D．A, B, and C are all correct |
What is the best title of the passage?
| A．Three kinds of Loneliness | B．Loneliness and Diseases |
| C．Loneliness and Social Contacts | D．Chronic Loneliness |