The other day I heard a few local musicians talking: "I hate all the pianos in this town and I hate that rubbish they play on the radio. They cannot even understand rhythm (韵律).""Nobody wants to pay musicians anything. I’m sick of all the people who want you to play without paying you."...
One younger musician said, "There are a couple of clubs who want me to play for a few nights a month, and I’m trying to find other places to play. I’m also planning to join in several summer festivals this year."
I really liked what the younger musician said so I made friends with him. Attitudes are important. Whether they’re positive or negative (消极的), they’re all rubbing off on you. If you’re around people who are always complaining or blaming (责备) others, it is possible that you will start doing the same as well. If you spend lots of time with people who don’t support your dreams, it is time to take a look at the people you call "friends".
There is an easy exercise you can try. Make a list of the people who you often stay with, and simply stop spending time with the negative people on your list. Set a new standard for yourself and don’t become friends with people who fall below that standard. The choice is always yours to make. Of course, this exercise is entirely different from making friends only for the good of oneself. We really should try to help and spend time with those who are working towards a goal or dream.The musicians’ conversation at the beginning is to show that ______.
| A．musicians’ living conditions are not good |
| B．people in that town have poor taste in music |
| C．different people have different attitudes |
| D．young people are more likely to succeed |
The underlined part "they’re rubbing off on you" in Paragraph 3 means ______.
| A．they’ll push you ahead |
| B．they’ll have an influence on you |
| C．they’ll keep you from moving on |
| D．they’ll help you realize your dreams |
Why did the author want to make friends with the younger musician?
| A．He is more active than the others. |
| B．He can earn more than the others. |
| C．He has more things to do than the others. |
| D．His attitude is more positive than the others. |
By doing the exercise mentioned in Paragraph 4, you can ______.
| A．make the right kind of friends |
| B．improve your ability to make friends |
| C．develop a better relationship with your friends |
| D．make some new friends with the same interests as you |
We can get the following information from the passage EXCEPT ______.
| A．the younger musician is a positive person and would be a good friend |
| B．one will start complaining if one spends too much time with negative people |
| C．the exercise can help you keep close to really helpful friends |
| D．one should avoid making friends with people who have lots of difficulties |
Our need to communicate with each other has been a driving force in the development of technology. In the 20th century we have seen the invention of the radio, television, telephone and fax, and today the Internet has opened up a whole new way of communicating. We now have instant messaging services such as ICQ or China's QQ and chat rooms where people can join group discussions. They mean increasing choices for when, where and how to communicate, and more importantly, with whom.
While most people use the Internet to keep in touch with friends and family, a growing number of people use QQ and chat rooms to meet and chat with strangers. Because the Internet allows a certain amount of anonymity, users can be more open making it easier to make new friends. One user said that everyone is equal online, and age and appearance become unimportant. This makes it easier for people to communicate with each other.
Finding new friends is not the only reason people use chat rooms. The Internet can bring together like-minded people who want to discuss their favourite topics. There are chat rooms for certain sports, types of music, styles of art, in fact, just about any interest you can imagine, and many that you can't! Whatever unusual interest you might have, if you search on the Internet, there is a good chance that you will find someone, somewhere in cyberspace, willing to talk to you about it-right now.
However, there are problems with going online. It is possible for cyber-criminals to steal information such as credit card details while you are online, and there is always the chance that a new friend is not who he or she claims to be. One girl was really disappointed when she discovered that her new cyberfriend who wrote poems for her, was actually copying all the poems from magazines. But for all the problems that might come up, instant messaging services and chat rooms are here to stay, putting in touch with friends, family and strangers of similar interests.People use the Internet to.
A. chat to friends and meet family
B. meet strangers and write poems
C. chat to friends, family and strangersWhat does anonymity (para. 2) mean?
A. The state of being unknown.
B. The state of being friendly.
C. The state of being online.What types of topics will people discuss on the Internet?
A. Sports, types of music, styles of art.
B. All kinds of topics.
C. Only topics that the Internet allows.What is an example of problems with going online?
A. Some people may send you poems copied from magazines.
B. Your credit card details could be stolen.
C. There might be no one to chat with.
In many cultures white is often associated with something positive. A white-collar job, for instance, is the kind of job many people look for, working with your brain and not your hands.
White has a clean and pure image. That is why doctors, dentists, and nurses usually wear white uniforms. Babies are dressed in white at baptisms（洗礼）and brides wear white wedding gowns at weddings. White in these cases is the symbol of innocence or purity.
Sometimes white is used in expressions that are not good. “Whitewash” is one such expression. At first, “whitewash” meant to paint over something with white paint to make it look better. However, it means something different today: to hide or to cover up mistakes or failures.
A “white elephant” is another example of white used in a negative way. In ancient Thailand, a white elephant was regarded as a sacred animal, but it was very expensive to keep. The kings of those days presented a white elephant to the people they wanted to ruin. Once they received this holy, royal animal as a gift, they were not allowed to sell or kill it. Today, a “white elephant” means something that is big, useless, and unwanted. In America, when people want to get rid of their furniture or clothes, they often have a “white elephant sale”.The text is mainly about________.
| A．the history of some English idioms |
| B．the meanings of white in English culture |
| C．some interesting customs in English culture |
| D．some useful English words and expressions |
Which expression has a historical background?
| A．White elephant. | B．White-collar. |
| C．White-wash. | D．White elephant sale. |
In which statement does “white” have a negative meaning?
| A．A boy is dressed in white at baptisms. |
| B．A bride wears a white wedding gown. |
| C．A girl finds a white collar job. |
| D．A man whitewashes his crime. |
The author develops the text mainly by ______.
| A．analyzing its cause and effect |
| B．comparing different ideas |
| C．providing typical examples |
| D．following the time order |
After years of research and testing, the hybrid car was developed and put on the market. It’s an interesting and exciting new improvement in today’s world as we look for better ways to protect the quality of the air we breathe and conserve our natural resources.
The quality of our air is affected by many different things. But one of the largest sources of air pollution is the burning of fossil fuels such as coal and gasoline which are used to power a car’s engine. The EPA has set national standards to help control the level of harmful pollutants sent off into the air, and the automobile industry has acted by producing a hybrid car that uses less gas and therefore causes less pollution.
A hybrid car is a combination of a regular car that runs on gasoline and an electric car that is battery powered. Some people tend to think that since the hybrid car is partially electric, you have to plug it in to charge it. But that’s not how it works. The 144 volt battery pack is actually recharged( 充电 ) through the energy that is produced when the car’s brakes are used. This is referred to as “regenerative braking”, because it generates electricity.
Although the hybrid car still runs on gasoline most of the time, this helps it use less gas than a regular car. When the driver stops at a traffic light, the engine automatically ( 自动地；机械地 )shuts off to save fuel. Then, as soon as the driver puts the car in gear and touches the gas pedal, the engine starts back up.
Have you ever ridden in a car with someone who ran out of gas? That probably wouldn’t happen if you were riding in a hybrid car. It flashes a warning on its computer screen that says, “I am low on gas”. When it completely runs out, the warning reads, “YOU ARE NOW OUT OF GAS!” Then the electric power supply kicks in to let the driver travel a few more miles to a gas station.According to the passage, the word “hybrid” refers to ________.
| A．a high tech discovery | B．energy saving |
| C．a new invention | D．a combination of two things |
“Regenerative braking” is an important process of the hybrid car because ________.
| A．it allows the car to come to a quick stop |
| B．it gives the driver a smoother ride |
| C．it produces energy to charge the battery |
| D．it can control the speed of the car |
Which of the following is right about the EPA?
| A．They designed hybrid cars. |
| B．They outlawed (宣布……为不合法) the burning of fossil fuels. |
| C．They set important guidelines that help control pollution. |
| D．Their main purpose is to protect endangered plants and animals. |
Which of the following is the reason for developing hybrid cars?
| A．They use less gas than regular cars. |
| B．They’re safer to drive than most cars. |
| C．They’re more modern than other cars. |
| D．They cost less than regular cars |
HOUSTON (AP) --- A 10-year-old boy fatally(致命地) shot his father Friday, striking him several times as he sat in the front seat of a SUV to pick up the boy from his mother's home for a weekend visit.
The incident happened about 3pm on a cul-desac（死胡同）in the 1700 block of Cedar Cove Court, said Sgt. Williams of the Harris County Sheriff's Department.
An investigation found that Rick James Lohstroh, 41, was shot by his son, who was sitting in the back seat of the man's Toyota 4-Runner, said Sgt. Williams. The shooting took place outside the home of Lohstroh's ex-wife, where the boy lives with his mother and a 7-year-old brother.
"We're not certain of anything until we finish our investigation," Williams said. "The information we have at this time is that the 10-year-old did fire the weapon."
The mother and the 7-year-old were inside the house when the shooting occurred, said Williams.
Williams said the gun belonged to the boy's mother. After firing shots through the back seat, the boy exited (离开) the back of the vehicle and continued to fire at the car.
The man died on the way to Memorial Herman Hospital.
Lohstroh was a doctor at the University of Texas Medical Branch.
The man and woman shared custody（监护）of the children.
Williams said the mother and the boy were still in the home talking to investigators Friday night.
Neighbors described the family as being quiet and keeping to themselves.
Justin Gray, 17, was walking in the neighborhood when he heard gunshots. "We've had a suicide in this neighborhood once, but never anything like this," Gray said.The best title for the news should be __________.
A. A Boy Shot His Father
B. Shooting Kill a Father
C. An Unbelievable Tragedy(悲剧)
A Ten-Year-Old Boy's CrueltyWhat can we infer from the text?
| A．The tragedy happened because the boy had seen too many films showing violence. |
| B．The boy killed his father because he hated it that he deserted his mother. |
| C．Such things often occurred in this neighbourhood. |
| D．The boy's parents got divorced(=separated). |
The reason why the boy shot his father __________.
| A．is clear | B．can't be made out |
| C．is unknown | D．is quite simple |
The underlined word "suicide" most probably means __________.
| A．the act of killing the lives of a whole family |
| B．an instance ( example ) of deliberately killing oneself |
| C．the situation of getting on smoothly with others |
| D．the peaceful surroundings |
What makes one person more intelligent than another? What makes one person a genius, like the brilliant Albert Einstein, and another person a fool? Are people born intelligent or stupid, or is intelligence the result of where and how you live? These are very old questions and the answers to them are still not clear.
We know, however, that just being born with a good mind is not enough. In some ways, the mind is like a leg or an arm muscle. It needs exercise. Mental (done with the mind) exercise is particularly important for young children. Many child psychologists (心理学家) think that parents should play with their children more often and give them problems to think about. The children are then more likely to grow up bright and intelligent. If, on the other hand, children are left alone a great deal with nothing to do, they are more likely to become dull and unintelligent.
Parents should also be careful with what they say to young children. According to some psychologists, if parents are always telling a child that he or she is a fool or an idiot, then the child is more likely to keep doing silly and foolish things. So it is probably better for parents to say very positive (helpful) things to their children, such as “That was a very clever thing you did.” or “You are such a smart child.” The words “intelligent” and “brilliant” in the first paragraph probably mean _______ while “dull” in the second paragraph means _______.
| A．bright and splendid; slow in thinking and understanding |
| B．pretty and handsome; ordinary-looking |
| C．great and important; common |
| D．hopeful and helpful; careless |
According to the context we can guess that a genius is ______ while an idiot is _______.
| A．a normal person; a funny person |
| B．a strong person; a weak person |
| C．a highly intelligent person; a foolish or weak-minded person |
| D．a famous person; an ordinary person |
A person ________ is more likely to become a genius.
| A．whose parents are clever |
| B．often thinking about difficult problems |
| C．often helped by his parents and teachers |
| D．born with a good brain and putting it into active use |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the article?
| A．Parents play an important part in their children’s growth. |
| B．The less you use your mind the duller you may become. |
| C．Intelligence is obviously the result of where and how you live. |
| D．What makes a person bright or stupid is still under discussion. |