In China, many people are leaving the countryside to find jobs in the cities, because the countryside is much poorer than the city, and often there isn't much work there. Services such as hospital and transport are usually much better in the city than in the countryside. They hope that their lives will improve when they move to the city.
But in the big cities of Europe like London or Paris, people are moving out of the city. These rich families want to live a quieter life. They are tired of the noise and the dirt of the city, and they are tired of the crowded streets, crowded trains and buses. They don't want to live in the cities any more. They want a house with a garden in the countryside, and breathe the fresh air there.
So they move out of the cities. Some don't go very far, just a little way out of the city, to the towns near the cities. Other people move to the real countryside with sheep, cows and green fields. There, they start new lives and try to make new friends.
Not all those who move from the city to the countryside are happy. After two or three years, many people who have done this feel that it was a big mistake. They don't make so much money and there isn't much work to do. People in the countryside are very different and aren't always very friendly.
As a result, quite a lot of people who have moved to the countryside move back to the city. "It's wonderful to see crowds in the streets and cinema lights," they say.Which is NOT the reason for people moving to the cities in China?
| A．The countryside is much poorer than the city. |
| B．People in the countryside have nothing to eat. |
| C．People in the countryside don't have much work to do there. |
| D．Services in cities are usually much better than those in the countryside. |
Why do some rich families in Europe move to the countryside?
| A．Because they will find good jobs. |
| B．Because they are tired of living in the city. |
| C．Because they can make more money there. |
| D．Because they like feeding sheep and cows in the green fields. |
After moving to the countryside, some people in Europe feel unhappy because ___________
| A．they can't make much money |
| B．there isn't much work for them to do in the countryside |
| C．some people in the countryside aren't always very friendly to them |
| D．A, B and C |
The underlined sentence in the last paragraph shows __________
| A．they are happy to move back to the city |
| B．they miss their friends in the countryside |
| C．they still want to move to the countryside |
| D．they are tired of the noise and the crowded streets in the city |
The best title of this passage may be “__________”
| A．A happy life! | B．Living in the city! |
| C．Moving out or moving back ? | D．Living in the countryside! |
Concern with money, and then more money, in order to buy the conveniences and luxuries of modern life, has brought great changes to the lives of most Frenchmen. More people are working harder than ever before in France. In the cities the traditional leisurely midday meal is disappearing. Offices, shops, and factories are discovering the great efficiency of a short lunch hour in company lunch rooms. In almost all lines of work emphasis now falls on ever increasing output. Thus the “typical” Frenchman produces more, earns more, and buys more consumer goods than his counterpart(对应的事物) of only a generation ago. He gains in creature comfort and ease of life. What he loses to some degree is his sense of personal uniqueness, or individuality.
Some say that France has been Americanized. This is because the United States is a world symbol of the technological society and its consumer products. The so-called Americanization of France has its critics. They fear that “assembly line(装配线)life” will lead to the disappearance of the pleasures of the more graceful and leisurely (but less productive) old French style. What will happen, they ask, to taste, elegance, and the cultivation of the good things in life—joy in the smell of a freshly picked apple, a walk by the river, or just happy hours of conversation in a local café?
Since the late 1950s life in France has indeed taken on qualities of rush, tension, and the pursuit(追求) of material gains. Some of the strongest critics of the new way of life are the young, especially university students. They are concerned with the future, and they fear that France is threatened by the achievements of this competitive culture. At times, they have reacted against the trend with considerable violence.
In spite of the critics, however, countless Frenchmen are committed to keeping France in the forefront of the modern economic world. They find that the present life brings more rewards, conveniences, and pleasures than that of the past. They believe that a modern, industrial France is preferable to the old.Which of the following is a feature of the old French way of life?
| A．Leisure, elegance, and efficiency. |
| B．Elegance, efficiency, and taste. |
| C．Leisure, elegance, and taste. |
| D．Efficiency, taste, and convenient. |
Which of the following is NOT true about Frenchmen?
| A．Many of them prefer the modern life style. |
| B．They actually enjoy working at the assembly line. |
| C．They are more concerned with money than before. |
| D．They are more competitive than the old generation. |
The passage suggests that_______.
| A．great changes have occurred in the life style of all Frenchmen |
| B．it’s now unlikely to see a Frenchman enjoying a walk by the river |
| C．the French are fed up with the smell of freshly picked apples |
| D．in pursuing material gains the French are suffering losses elsewhere |
The main idea of the passage is “_______”.
| A．Changes in the French Way of Life |
| B．Criticism of the New Life Style |
| C．The Americanization of France |
| D．Features of the New Way of Life |
Babysitter Wanted
I am seeking a babysitter for my 6-month-old son. A few hours on Saturdays and Sundays to help me and then other times as needed. He or she should be over 18, responsible, loving, warm, and have some experience in caring for babies. This position also suits a college student with experience looking for a part-time job. The pay is $10 an hour.
If this sounds like a good job to you, please reply to rebecharv@aol.com or call 800-4964.
Office Manager Wanted
Our company is looking for a full-time experienced manager to run the business. Strong skills in organization and business management are required for this position. The office manager will be responsible for keeping financial records, so he or she should be familiar with computers.
Please reply to jim@californiaaquatics.com or call 800-6978 to apply.
Waiter/ Waitress Wanted
A restaurant is looking for an experienced waiter / waitress. Knowledge of wines and experience in dining are necessary. Must work well under pressure and understand the basics of fine dining and customer service.
If you’re interested, please contact us at job-tkupe-1329358152@craigslist.org to apply.
This is a part-time job.
Office Cleaner Wanted
Looking for a part-time job? A position in the Mississauga area needs an office cleaner! Part-time 4 hours a day from 10:00 am - 2:00 pm.
Duties include:
●Cleaning the washrooms ●Cleaning the furniture
●Sweeping the floors ●Other general cleaning experience is necessary. Pay: $20 per day
Reply to: job-p3b7u-1365632206@craigslist.org or call 800-8197.If a college girl with some experience caring for children wants to apply for a job, where should she send an email?
| A．job-p3b7u-1365632206@craigslist.org |
| B．job-tkupe-1329358152@craigslist.org |
| C．jim@californiaaquatics.com |
| D．rebecharv@aol.com |
We learn from the passage _______.
| A．the office cleaner has to work three hours each day |
| B．one can apply for a waiter or waitress by telephone |
| C．a babysitter earns $5 less than an office cleaner per hour |
| D．experience is necessary for all these four jobs |
_______ is necessary for a waiter / waitress.
| A．Being familiar with computers |
| B．Having knowledge of wines |
| C．Knowing more about menus |
| D．Working well with others |
The summer I was ten, my mother decided to bring us to the world of art. My brother and I were not very excited when we realized what my mother meant. What she meant was not that we could take drawing classes or painting classes but that we would have to spend one afternoon a week with her at the Fine Arts Museum. Before each visit to the museum, she made us read about artists and painting styles. It was almost as bad as being in school. Who wants to spend the summer thinking about artists when you could be with your friends at the swimming pool?
First we had to read about ancient Egyptians and their strange way of painting faces and then go to look at them at the museum. My 12-year-old brother thought this was so funny, but I was not interested. Later we had to learn about artists in the Middle Ages who painted people wearing strange long clothing. We had to look at pictures of fat babies with wings and curly (鬈曲的) hair and with no clothes on flying around the edges of paintings. I certainly couldn’t see what was so great about art.
On our last visit to the museum, something happened when I saw a painting by a woman called Mary. In it, a woman was reading to a child. The colors were soft and gentle, and you could tell by the mother’s expression how happy she was just to be with the child. I couldn’t stop looking at this painting! I wanted to see every painting Mary had ever made! It was really worth looking at so many paintings to find a painter who could interest me so much.The aim of the mother’s plan was to _______.
| A．take them to visit the museum |
| B．introduce them to the world of art |
| C．ask them to read about artists |
| D．show them different painting styles |
What was the writer’s experience in the museum before the last visit?
| A．She came to feel her mother’ s love. |
| B．She liked many paintings. |
| C．She hardly enjoyed herself. |
| D．She could understand the pictures of fat babies. |
What made the writer go through a change that summer?
| A．One of Mary’s paintings. |
| B．A strange way of painting. |
| C．Artists in the Middle Ages. |
| D．Her mother’s instruction. |
From the text, we can see_______.
| A．the importance of curiosity |
| B．the effect of art |
| C．the value of learning |
| D．the power of family education |
A group of graduates, successful in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life.
Before offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and a variety of cups—porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain looking and cheap, some exquisite and expensive—telling them to help themselves to the coffee.
When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said: “If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the best cups… And then you began eyeing each other’s cups.
Now consider this: Life is the coffee; the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain Life, and the type of cup we have does not define, nor change the quality of life we live. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee God has provided for us.”
God brews the coffee, not the cups. Enjoy your coffee!
"The happiest people don't have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything. "[Z
Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.Why did the professor offer his students coffee with varieties of cups?
| A．To give his students many more choices. |
| B．To teach his students how to enjoy coffee. |
| C．To show the students his collection of cups. |
| D．To tell his students the right attitude to life. |
According to the professor, the happiest people are the ones who _____.
| A．get the best type of coffee cups |
| B．make the best of what they have |
| C．have a wide range of coffee cups |
| D．care about social status and wealth |
The best title for the passage would be _____.
| A．God's Coffee | B．The Pressure of Life |
| C．The Happiest People | D．Professor's Coffee Cups |
No one has enough, but everyone has all there is. We each have just twenty-four hours in a day. Time is not our problems, but what we do with the limited time we have is the issue. Many people spend their days on dozens of activities, but achieve very little because they aren’t concentrating on right things. The Pareto Principle, also known as the 80:20 Rule shows us that typically eighty percent of unfocused effort generates only twenty percent of the results. The remaining eighty percent of the results are achieved with only twenty percent of the effort. To effectively manage your time, you need to change where you are spending your time. We all have the same amount of time every day. How you spend your time is how you spend your life. Here are time management strategies, which may be helpful.
Learn to say no
Politely say no should become a habit. Saying no frees up time for the things that are most important.
Make a “to-do” list
List the tasks that need to be done in order of their importance. Save other less important things for when you have time.
Minimize interruption(打扰)
Plan ahead. Think through projects. Look for ways to “block” interruptions. For example, close your door, don’t answer the phone or work in a different space.
Combine several activities
Try to do several activities at one time. While going to school, listen to taped notes. This allows up to an hour or two a day of good study review. While showering, make a mental list of the things. Above all, be creative, and let it work for you.According to the Pareto Principle, we can know that _____. .
| A．people can’t achieve a lot even though they concentrate on right things |
| B．people should focus more effort on right and important things and finish them first |
| C．people are certain to succeed if they spend twenty percent of their time |
| D．eighty percent of effort spent on one matter is useless |
According to the passage, if you want to do several things on Sunday, you should _____.
| A．do them while listening to the music |
| B．do all of them at one time |
| C．do the most important one first |
| D．put some of them off till next Monday |
The underlined word “block” in the passage means “_____”.
| A．accept | B．prevent | C．arrange | D．defend |
What would be the best title of the passage？
| A．Time Management | B．The Pareto Principle |
| C．How to Make a “To-do” List | D．Time and Habits |