We were driving on the right road when, all of a sudden, a black car pulled out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver stepped on his brake, skidded(打滑), and missed the black car’s back end by just inches! The driver of the black car, who almost caused a major accident, turned his head angrily and started shouting bad words at us.
My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. I mean, my taxi driver was friendly. So, I said, “Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to hospital!” And the following is what my taxi driver told me, which I now call “the law of the Garbage Truck”.
“Many people are like garbage(垃圾) trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump(倾卸)it. And if you let them, they dump it on you. When someone wants to dump on you, don’t take it personally. Just smile, wave, wish him well, and move on. Believe me. You’ll be happier.”
So this is “The Law of the Garbage Truck”. I started thinking: How often do I let “Garbage Trucks” run right over me? And how often do I take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets? It was then that I said, “I’m not going to do it any more.”
I began to see “Garbage Trucks”. I see the load they’re carrying. I see them coming to drop it off. And like my taxi driver, I don’t make it a personal thing; I just smile, wave, and move on.
Good leaders know they have to be ready for their next meeting. Good parents know that they have to welcome their children home from school with hugs and kisses. What about you? The mark of a successful person is how quickly he can get back his focus on what’s important.Who acted like a garbage truck in the accident described in the first two paragraphs?
| A．The author. | B．The driver of the black car. | C．The taxi driver. | D．Both drivers. |
The reason why the taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy is that ______.
| A．the black car was full of garbage |
| B．the driver of the black car didn’t cause any damage to the taxi |
| C．the taxi driver didn’t want his mood ruined |
| D．the driver of the black car was angry and the taxi driver felt a little frightened |
The underlined part “the load” in Paragraph 5 refers to _____.
| A．waste materials | B．excitement | C．new products | D．bad mood |
What is the main idea of the last paragraph?
| A．Always be kind and hardworking. |
| B．Try to be good leaders as well as good parents. |
| C．Ignore unpleasantness and stick to(坚持) your tasks. |
| D．Do things quickly so as to be ready for the next. |
Growing mushrooms(蘑菇) is probably the easiest thing you can do if you are new to mushroom growing. Mushroom growing is becoming more and more common as restaurants are creating more dishes that include mushrooms.
Mushroom growing is easy. To start with you need to have a growing space where you are going to grow these mushrooms. It does not have to be too big enough for you to grow as many mushrooms as you need. When you have found the space that is perfect for you, you can start to research what kind of mushrooms you want to grow. There are hundreds of kinds to choose from but not all mushrooms are edible, which is an important fact you need to remember before you start. Don’t grow mushrooms you can’t use or sell.
When you figure out what kind of mushrooms you want to grow, you can make some preparations. Sometimes you need to hire some workers to help you if you have a large mushroom farm, or if you are trying to start a professional mushroom growing business. Trying to start a business by yourself can be stressful. If you don’t have time to take care of everything yourself, to hire a worker is the best bet.
After you have started the mushroom growing, you should regularly check and make sure that your mushrooms are growing properly and that they are not being attacked by any pesticides(杀虫剂) or any other animals that are potentially dangerous for them. That is the worst situation of mushroom growing. Protect your mushroom farm well with a fence or a gate so that only you and your workers can get in an out.
Mushroom growing is not difficult and is a really easy way to get started in the field of farming. You will possibly supply some of the great chefs(厨师) of the world with high-quality mushrooms that will be enjoyed by thousands of people around the world. Many people are beginning to plant mushrooms probably because _______.
| A．they are too common |
| B．they look very beautiful |
| C．there are more restaurants |
| D．they are in great need |
The underlined word “edible” (in paragraph 2) probably means “________”.
| A．easy to find | B．expensive to buy |
| C．suitable to eat | D．difficult to grow |
Which of the following is the right order of planting mushrooms?
a. Choose the suitable mushrooms.
b. Protect your mushrooms well.
c. Find some people to help you.
d. Start to grow mushrooms.
e. Find a place to plant mushrooms.
| A．b, d, a, e, c | B．e, a, c, d, b |
| C．e, c, a, b, d | D．d, c, b, a, e |
What is the main topic of the passage?
| A．It is easy to grow mushrooms. |
| B．You should hire other people to help you. |
| C．Growing mushrooms is not easy. |
| D．Tips for mushroom growing |
American parents generally can choose any name they want for their children. They may choose a name because it honors a family member. Or they may choose a name just because they like it.
A website called Baby Center lists some unusual names given to American babies born last year. Some were named for characters in old stories, such as Hero, Thor and Ulysses. Other people named their babies after kinds of food, like actress Gwyneth Paltrow. She named her daughter Apple. Other people named their babies Banana, Pumpkin and Cookie.
Still some babies were named for places. These included Brazil, India and Rome. Some parents used names of famous people from history such as Newton and Hannibal. Other parents named their babies after flowers or the weather. These babies were named Buttercup, Iris, Sunshine and Thunder.
Recording artists and movie actors influence some parents’ choices of names. Babies were named Beyonce, Charlize, Reda, Pierce, Shajira and Whitney. Movie actors themselves often give their babies unusual names. For example, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt named their baby daughter Shiloh. Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes named their little girl Suri.
Some American parents do not want unusual names. They want their baby’s name to honor their religious faith. Such names include Abraham for boys or Sarah for girls. And many people give their babies the same name as a family member or good friend.
The United States Social Security Administration once published a list of the most popular names for American girls and boys born. Many of the top ten boys, names are from the Jewish and Christian Bibles.How did American parents usually name their children?
| A．In a way they please. | B．In a scientific way. |
| C．In a careless way. | D．In a common way |
From the second paragraph, we can infer that _______.
| A．Ulysses is a main person in an old story book. |
| B．the meaning of Gwyneth Paltrow is a kind of fruit |
| C．American parents expect their children to be a hero. |
| D．a girl was named Apple because she liked eating apples. |
What can we know from American children’s name?
| A．American children’s names express American history. |
| B．A foreign place may become a name of an American child. |
| C．American parents’ favorite names are those of famous actors. |
| D．American parents expect their children to be different from others. |
If a girl is named Sarah, the name reflects her parents’ _______.
| A．love | B．career | C．expectation | D．religion |
Neumann was the oldest of 3 children of a banker, and his speed of learning new ideas and of solving problems stood out early. At 17, his father tried to persuade him not to become a mathematician because he may lead a poor life being a mathematician, and so Neumann agreed to study chemistry as well. In 1926, at 23, he received a degree in chemical engineering and a Ph. D. in mathematics. From then on, mathematic provided well enough for him, and he never had to turn to chemistry.
In 1930, Neumann visited Princeton University for a year and then became a professor there. His first book was published in 1932. In 1933, the Institute for Advanced Study was formed, and he became one of the 6 full-time people in the School of Mathematics (Einstein was one of the others).
World War II hugely changed Neumann’s areas of interest. Until 1940 he had been a great pure (纯粹的) mathematician. During and after the war, he became one of the best mathematicians who put mathematics theories into practice. During the last part of the war he became interested in computing machines and made several contributions. After the war, Neumann continued his work with computers, and was generally very active in government service. He received many awards, was president of American Mathematical Society and was a member of the Atomic Energy Commission. He died in 1957 of cancer.
Neumann really was a legend(传奇) in his own time, and there are a number of stories about him. His driving ability is a part of this legend. He reported one accident this way: “I was driving down the road. The trees on the right were passing me in an orderly fashion at 60 miles per hour. Suddenly one of them stepped in my path.”According to the text, Neumann’s father believed that __________.
| A．a mathematician needed a good memory |
| B．a mathematician couldn’t earn a lot of money |
| C．Neumann has a gift for solving problems at a high speed |
| D．Neumann had the ability to learn two subjects at the same time |
How did World War II affect Neumann?
| A．He lost interest in chemistry. |
| B．He realized the importance of engineering. |
| C．He began to research how to put mathematics into practice. |
| D．He left college and served at the government department. |
Which of the following is true of Neumann?
| A．He had three children. |
| B．He died from an accident. |
| C．He received many awards in his life. |
| D．He and Einstein were classmates in Princeton University. |
From the last paragraph, we can infer Neumann was ________.
| A．humorous | B．calm | C．intelligent | D．brave |
In a movie, a woman reads a storybook to her friend’s daughter. As they approach the last page, she reads, “… and Cinderella and the prince lived happily ever after.” She closes the book and looks at the young girl, adding, “ You know, things don’t always happen like this in real life, I just think you should know that now.”
We were all raised on fairy tales with glass slippers, brave princes and magic! It didn’t take too long to realize that stories like that aren’t necessarily true. In real life, you learn that glass slippers are really uncomfortable, no prince is perfect and magic doesn’t always work.
So what do you do when the way you planned things is not the way they turned out?
Know that parts of your fairy tale have already been written, and sadly, there’s not much you can do about those first few chapters. You didn’t get the best start. Your trust was unexpectedly betrayed (背叛). You didn’t get the job. Whatever falls and failures happened in your past, there’s still more to the story.
Your life has a lot of contributors (投稿者), and you are the editor-in-chief. You take what’s there and create the masterpiece (杰作). All the good pages and the bad can come together to make a beautiful adventure.
When you find yourself wishing your life was more like the fairy tales, remember that in some ways it already is. There will be dragons, bad witches, great romances, winding roads and friends to help you along the way. Live your life carefully and positively as if you are writing a long story. Whether it’s a comedy, tragedy or a little of both, the pen is in your hand. How it ends is all up to you.According to the first paragraph, we know the woman is __________.
| A．wise | B．cruel | C．brave | D．patient |
Why does the author raise the question in Paragraph 3?
| A．To compare different ideas |
| B．To express the doubts of life. |
| C．To introduce points for discussion. |
| D．To describe the conditions in real life |
Which of the following may NOT often appear in fairy tales?
| A．Glass slippers | B．Winding roads |
| C．Sad endings | D．Bad witches. |
What is the message expressed in the passage?
| A．Be positive about life |
| B．Write your own stories. |
| C．Parents should tell fairy tales to their kids |
| D．There are many problems in school education |
Oldest , Youngest , or in the Middle ?
Were you the first or last child in your family? Or were you a middle or the only child? Some people think it matters where you were born in your family. But there are different ideas about what birth order means.
Some people say that oldest children are smart and strong-willed. They are very likely to be successful. The reason for this is simple. Parents have a lot of time for their first child. They give him or her a lot of attention. So this child is very likely to do well. An only child will succeed for the same reasons.
What happens to the other children in a family? Middle children don’t get so much attention. So they don’t feel that important. If a family has many children, the middle ones sometimes get lost in the crowd. The youngest child, though, often gets special treatment. He or she is the “baby”. Often this child grows up to be funny and charming.
Do you believe these ideas about birth order? A recent study saw things quite differently. This study found that the first children believed in family rules. They didn’t take many chances in their lives. They usually followed their own ideas . They took chances. And they often did better in life.
Which theory about birth order do you believe? Look at your own family or you friends’ families. Decide which idea fits what you see.This passage is about __________.
| A．why the oldest children in a family usually succeed |
| B．why some children refuse to follow orders |
| C．ways in which birth order may affect how children grow up |
| D．how people have a lot of trouble agreeing about ideas |
The statement that middle children “ sometimes get lost in the crowd” means that _________.
| A．they have a poor sense of direction |
| B．they don’t get a lot of attention |
| C．they have a strong desire to be leaders |
| D．they can’t get along with others |
The underlined word “ theory “ means ________.
| A．idea | B．comparison | C．evidence | D．surprise |