A group of graduates, well established in their careers, were talking at a reunion and decided to visit their old university professor, now retired. During their visit, the conversation turned to complaints about stress in their work and lives.
Offering his guests hot chocolate, the professor went into the kitchen and returned with a large pot of hot chocolate and other things including cups-porcelain(瓷杯子), glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some elegant -- telling them to help themselves to the hot chocolate.
When they all had a cup of hot chocolate in hand, the professor said: "I notice that all the nice looking and expensive cups were taken, 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. The cup that you're drinking from adds nothing to the quality of the hot chocolate. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was hot chocolate, not the cup; but you consciously went for the best cups... And then you began eyeing each others cups. Now consider this: Life is the hot chocolate; your job, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain life. The cup you have does not define, nor change the quality of life you have. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the hot chocolate we have. The happiest people don't have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything that they have. Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Thank the Lord for your blessings in 2011. And enjoy your hot chocolate in 2012!” When did they decide to go to see their professor?
| A．After the reunion. | B．During the get-together. |
| C．Before they graduated. | D．Just after the professor retired. |
Why did the professor offer them different cups?
| A．Because cups were not enough for everyone. |
| B．Because cups were beautiful. |
| C．Because the professor wanted to teach them something. |
| D．Because hot chocolate should be contained in different cups. |
What caused the professor to say those words?
| A．Their graduation. | B．Their reunion. | C．Their visit. | D．Their complaints. |
What does the word “cup” in this passage refer to?
| A．Life | B．happy things in life |
| C．hot chocolate | D．tools to hold and contain life |
What is the purpose of the professor’s words?
| A．To tell them life is not easy, so try their best to be happy. |
| B．To educate them that the happiest people don't have the best of everything. |
| C．To wish them to be grateful to their life and make the best of everything that they have. |
| D．To use different cups to tell them they should try different things in life. |
The surprising experiment I am about to describe proves that air is all aroud you and that it proves down upon you．Air pressure is a wonderful force．When you swim underwater, you can feel water push down your body．The air all around you does the same．However, your body is so used to it that you do not notice this ．The pressure is caused by a layer of air called the atmosphere．This layer surrounds the Earth , extending to about five kilometers above the Earth’s surface．
The following experiment is an easy one that you can do at home．But make sure that you are supervised , because you will need to use matches．Now for the experiment！
What you need
·A hard-boiled egg without the shell
·A bottle with a neck slightly smaller than the egg
·A piece of paper
·A match
Metheod
1) Check that the egg will sit firmly on the neck of the bottle．
2) Tear the paper into strips and put the strips into the bottle．
3) Light the paper by dropping a burning match into the bottle．
4) Quickly sit the egg on the neck of the bottle．
Result
Astonishingly,the egg will be sucked into the bottle．Your friends will be amazed when you show them the experiment．But be careful when you handle matches．
Why it happened
As the paper burns,it needs oxyen and uses up the oxygen(air) in the bottle．The egg acts as a seal in the neck of the bottle,so no more air can get inside ．This reduces the air pressure inside the bottle．The air pressure must equalize,so more air from outside must enter the bottle．The outside air pressure against the egg and then the egg is pushed into the bottle!The proves that air is all around and that it is pressing down on it．
1．When you do the experiment, why need you a person beside you?
A．You couldn’t place the egg on the bottle by yourself．
B．The egg needs to be shelled．
C．You need to use matches．
D．The bottle can’t sit firmly on the desk．
2．The purpose of doing this experiment is to prove ______．
A．air pressure is a wonderful force
B．water can push down your body when you swim underwater
C．the air pressure is not equalized around us
D．the earth is surrounded by a layer of air called the atmosphere
3．How did the egg put into the bottle？
A．The oxygen inside the bottle suckde the egg in．
B．It became solt without the shell．
C．The neck of the bottle was wide enough．
D．The outside air pressure forced it into the bottle．
4．The passage is ______．
A．an experiment reportB．a scientific story
C．a research report D．an interesting novel
The amazing image shows the world’s largest ever cruise ship, complete with beach pool, shopping mall, rock-climbing walls, outdoor amphitheater（圆形剧场）and New York-style loft suites（套间）．The “traveling city” is being built on dry-docks in Finland by Royal Caribbean International, and she is named Oasis of the Seas．
Almost 1,200 feet long, 154 feet wide and rising 213 feet above the water line, the Oasis of the Seas will be able to host 3,000 crew to service every passenger’s need．In addition to the size, the Oasis of the Seas will also be the first ship that attracts people by the cruise line’s new
neighborhood concept: 7 distinct themed areas, including Central Park, Boardwalk, the Royal Promenade, the Pool and Sports Zone, Vitality at Sea Spa and Fitness Center, Entertainment Place and Youth Zone．Of all these areas, the excellent zone will be “Central Park”．
Protected from the weather by a clear screen to let in the light, the Central Park area will be themed on Caribbean plants and leaves reflecting the area which the ship will eventually cruise in．And the park zone will have different restaurants, bars and boutique shops, bringing the idea of “floating city” to reality．
In addition, Oasis of the Seas will also include a rock wall, over 15 restaurants and bars, a casino(娱乐场), a theatre, two night-clubs and the largest freshwater pool on any cruise liner．
“Royal Caribbean is proud to introduce a number of ‘firsts’ that the world has never seen before,” said Adam Goldstein, “Oasis of the Seas is the ultimate expression of the creativity and imagination found on all of our ships, providing guests with a collection of experiences that will offer an incredible cruise vacation．”
1．In the passage, Oasis of the Seas refers to ______．
A．a traveling city B．a cruise ship
C．a deserted island D．an ocean park
2．It can be inferred from the passage that ______．
A．the Oasis of the Seas hasn’t been built well so far
B．7 distinct themed areas are being built on dry-docks
C．the “traveling city” can hold 3,000 passengers
D．the “traveling city” is a beauty spot
3．The main idea of the third paragraph would be _____．
A．what the Central Park is B．the location of the Central Park
C．the features of the Central Park D．the theme of the Central Park
4．The Oasis of the Seas includes a number of ‘firsts’ EXCEPT _____．
A．the world’s largest ever cruise ship
B．its way of attracting tourists
C．the largest freshwater pool on any cruise liner
D．its most delicious food in the world
What kind of life do you want? And what would you do if you were born with an illness like Cystic Fibrosis (囊胞性纤维症)?Charley was such a man．He was born with Cystic Fibrosis, a serious disease of the muscles．Without properly functioning muscles, eventually you’re unable to breathe．However,Charley was fortunate to have many care- givers, including his wife who helped him a lot．He became an engineer and helped plan structures that would allow streets and buildings to give better access to the disabled．Charley couldn’t live without a wheelchair, and could only use one hand to move it．His speech was also difficult to understand．However, Charley had a sharp mind．He could see, hear, use a few fingers and think, and that was enough to allow him to make an important contribution to his city．He made those around him more aware of their physical health．
In the movie JackandJillvs．theWorld, Jill is a 25-year-old girl who has just arrived in New York City．She has Cystic Fibrosis, but she doesn’t let it control her life．She’s happy, in fact! She meets a young man, Jack, and changes his life forever．One day she has to tell him about her illness．He’s angry and disappointed, but later he realizes that it’s their relationship that matters．They decide to be together, and live as happily as possible．
Charley’s story is true．Jack and Jill’s story is made up．How do you want to live your life? Use your imagination, and enjoy your life and all its wonders．Create your picture of a happy life．
1．The writer uses the two questions at the beginning of the passage to _____．
A．test the readers’ attitude about life
B．draw the readers’ attention to the topic
C．invite the readers to answer them
D．tell readers how to make a living
2．About Charley, which of the following is TRUE?
A．He is a father of two boys．
B．He can live well without wheelchair．
C．He is a lucky because many people give him care．
D．He can speak as others do．
3．From the passage, we can infer that _____．
A．health is the origin of happiness
B．the attitude to life decides your happiness
C．Cystic Fibrosis a serious disease of the muscles
D．Charley’s story is made up
4．The film JackandJill vs．theWorld is set in _____．
A．three young people B．New York City
C．ParisD．a place that we don’t know
When I was going home to India last year, I called up my mother to ask if she wanted anything from China．
When India had not opened up its markets to the world, I carried suitcase loads of dark glasses and jeans．Thankfully, we can get all these anywhere in India now．
Still, her answer surprised me: “Green tea．”
As long as I can remember she didn’t even drink Indian tea ．
I dutifully bought a big packet of Longjing and headed home to hear the story．My mother and her brother, both regular newspaper readers, believed that Chinese green tea was the wonder drug for all illnesses．
At the turn of the century, China was not really familiar to the average Indian．It was a strange country．
How things change! And how soon!
Now every town of any size seems to have a “China Market”．And everyone is talking about China．
The govemment of Indin has planned to send a team to China to see how things are done．A minister once said that India must open the doors for more foreign investment(投资)and such a step would “work wonders as it did for China”．
But it’s a two-way street．I just heard about a thousand Shenzhen office workers who have gone to Bangalore to train in software．Meanwhile, all the Indian IT majors are setting up a strong presence in China．
No wonder that trade, which was only in the millions just ten years ago, is expected to hit about US $15 billion for last year and US $20 billion by 2008, a goal set by both governments．
No wonder, my colleague wrote some weeks ago about this being the Sino-Indian(中印)century as the two countries started on January 1 the Sino-Indian Friendship Year．
But what is still a wonder to me is my mother drinking Chinese tea．
1．According to the passage, the author left _____ for ______．
A．India; China B．China; India
C．China; Longjing D．India; Shenzhen
2．The reason why the writer’s mother asked for Chinese green tea is that_____．
A．she had a son working in China B．she believed it had a curing effect
C．she enjoyed Chinese products D．she was tired of Indian tea
3．The underlined part “it’s a two-way street” in Paragraph 10 probably means ____．
A．The exchanges between Indian and China benefit both．
B．China and India have different traffic rules．
C．Tea trade works wonders in both India and China．
D．Chinese produces are popular in both China and India．
4．It can be inferred from the passage that _______．
A．the author was concerned for his mother’s health
B．the author was in favor of drinking Chinese green tea
C．the author was surprised at China’s recent development
D．the author was curious about the growth of India’s IT industry
CARDIFF, Wales Poets, singers and musicians from across the globe gathered in Wales to celebrate the tradition(传统) of storytelling.
“It might seem strange that people still want to listen in age of watching television, but this is an unusual art form whose time has come again,” said David Ambrose, director of Beyond the Border, an international storytelling festival(节) in Wales.
“Some of the tales, like those the Inuit from Canada, are thousands years old. So our storytellers have come from distant lands to connect us with the distance of time,” he said early this month.
Two Inuit women, both in their mid 60s, are among the few remaining who can do Kntadjait, or throat singing, which has few words and much sound. Their art is governed by the cold of their surroundings, forcing them to say little but listen attentively.
Ambrose started the festival in 1993, after several years of working with those reviving (coming back into use or existence) storytelling in Wales.
“It came out of a group of people who wanted to reconnect with traditions. and as all the Welsh are storytellers, it was in good hands here.” Ambrose said.
1. Ambrose believes that the art of storytelling _______.
A. will be more popular than TV
B. will be popular again
C. started in Wales
D. are in the hands of some old people
2. From the tales told by the Inuit, people can learn _______.
A. about their life as early as thousands of years ago
B. why they tell the stories in a throat-singing way
C. how cold it has been where the Inuit live
D. how difficult it is to understand the Inuit
3. According to the writer, which of the following is NOT true?
A. Storytelling once stopped in Wales.
B. Storytelling has a long history in Wales.
C. Storytelling is always well received in Wales.
D. Storytelling did not come back until 1993 in Wales.
4. The underlined phrase in good hands means _______.
A. controlled by rich people B. grasped by good storytellers
C. taken good care of D. protected by kind people