The common cold is the world’s most widespread illness, which is plagues(疫病) that flesh receives.
The most widespread fallacy(谬误) of all is that colds caused by cold. They are not. They are caused by viruses passing on from person to person. You catch a cold by coming into contact, directly or indirectly, with someone who already has one. If cold causes colds, it would be reasonable to expect the Eskimos(爱斯基摩人) to suffer from them forever. But they do not. And in isolated arctic regions explorers have reported being free from colds until coming into contact again with infected people from the outside world by way of packages and mail dropped from airplanes.
During the First World War soldiers who spent long periods in the trenches(战壕), cold and wet, showed no increased tendency to catch colds.
In the Second World War prisoners at the notorious Auschwitz concentration camp(集中营), naked and starving, were astonished to find that they seldom had colds. At the Common Cold Research Unit in England, volunteers took part in Experiments in which they gave themselves to the discomforts of being cold and wet for long stretches of time. After taking hot baths, they put on bathing suits, allowed themselves to be with cold water, and then stood about dripping wet in drafty room. Some wore wet socks all day while others exercised in the rain until close to exhaustion. Not one of the volunteers came down with a cold unless a cold virus was actually dropped in his nose.
If, then, cold and wet have nothing to do with catching colds, why are they more frequent in the winter？Despite the most pains-taking research, no one has yet found the answer. One explanation offered by scientists is that people tend to stay together indoors more in cold weather than at other times, and this makes it easier for cold viruses to be passed on.
No one has yet found a cure for the cold. There are drugs and pain suppressors(止痛片) such as aspirin, but all they do is relieve the symptoms(症状). The writer offered _______ examples to support his argument.
| A．4 | B．5 | C．6 | D．3 |
Which of the following does not agree with the chosen passage?
| A．The Eskimos（爱斯基摩人） do not suffer from colds all the time. |
| B．Colds are not caused by cold. |
| C．People suffer from colds just because they like to stay indoors. |
| D．A person may catch a cold by touching someone who already has one. |
Arctic explorers may catch colds when _______.
| A．they are working in the isolated arctic regions |
| B．they are writing reports in terribly cold weather |
| C．they are free from work in the isolated arctic regions |
| D．they are coming into touch again with the outside world |
Volunteers taking part in the experiments in the Common Cold Research Unit ______.
| A．suffered a lot | B．never caught colds |
| C．often caught colds | D．became very strong |
The passage mainly discusses _______.
| A．the experiments on the common cold |
| B．the cures about the common cold |
| C．the reason and the way people catch colds |
| D．the continued spread of common colds |
ANIMALS have always been used to represent certain human characteristics. Countries also use animals as symbols. From eagles to lions, many countries use an animal to show its national spirit and character.
The image of an eagle is on the US President’s flag, and on the one-dollar bill. The bald eagle is a large, powerful, brown bird with a white head and tail. The term “bald” does not mean that this bird lacks feathers. Instead, it comes from the old word piebald, that menas, “marked with white”.
The US declared that the eagle was its national bird in 1782. It was chosen because of “its long life, great strength, and noble looks”.
A few eagles have even become American heroes. An eagle named “Old Abe”, the mascot of a Wisconsin troop of soldiers during the Civil War, traveled 14,000 miles with its men. He was often shot at by the enemy, but survived 42 battles.
But, one of the Founding Fathers, Benjamin Franklin didn’t agree with the choice. “The bald eagle … is a bird of bad moral character, like those among men who live by robbing, he is generally poor, and often very messy,” he argued. Franklin wanted the turkey as the country’s national bird.
If Americans chose their national symbol deliberately, the symbol of England arose out of history.
King Herry Ⅰ(1068-1135) was a brave warrior but also wise. His appreciation for the rule of law earned him the nickname the Lion of Justice. He was the first English King to use a lion as a royal symbol, which is popularly known as the “king of the jungle”. By the year Richard Ⅰ, known as “The Lionheart” for his bravery, came to the throne in 1189, the famous Three Lions badge had been formed. Now it can be seen on the shirts of England’s sports teams.
Although people might not think of lions when they think of England, everyone knows about the Australian kangaroo. Legend has it that the kangaroo gets its name from an early meeting between local aborigines and white settlers. When asked by the Europeans what these strange-looking animals were, a native replied “kangaroo”, meaning “I don’t understand you.”
The kangaroo is an individualistic animal. Although it does gather in groups, the kangaroo is not a herd animal. If a group is attacked, individuals run off in different directions. Australians think the kangaroo represents positive values, such as individual responsibility and pride.The general idea of this passage should probably be __________ .
| A．animals are friends of human beings |
| B．nearly all the countries have an animal as their national animal |
| C．animals’ good values are always used to show a country’s national spirit and character |
| D．certain human characteristics are the same as some animals, so some countries love animals |
Which is NOT true about the animal of the “bald eagle”?
A. It was Benjamin Franklin who made the bald eagle as the national animal of the USA.
B. The term “bald” means “marked with white”.
C. The bald eagle can show American national spirit and character.
D. “Old Abe” was even an American hero.The reason why the lion was made as the national animal of the United Kingdom was that ______ .
| A．it could always be used to represent certain human characteristics of England |
| B．the Kings of England loved lions |
| C．there are many lions in England |
| D．lions are “king of the jungle” |
What good values can the kangaroo show as national spirits?
| A．Group. | B．Respect of others. |
| C．Not understanding | D．Positive values. |
I remember the first time that I was extremely happy, I was about 8 years old when for the first time, there was a computer in the classroom. I remember that my teacher allowed each student to take turns to play various educational games on the computer. One day, I found the source code for one of these games. Without knowing or being taught any programming language, I was able to figure out some of the BASIC code. I just gave myself a limitless number of lives in the game, so I could continue playing it forever. This was also my first introduction to algebra, and I didn’t even know it at the time. This was a decisive moment in my life. I was quite excited because of what I was learning and what I was able to do. As a result, I was enthusiastic for the rest of my life about self-learning and computers, and I was quite happy doing them too.
I’ve noticed that people who are truly content with life are enthusiastic about what they do. This enthusiasm, along with good health, is the key to being happy. It also leads to self-confidence and content in life too. It may also lead to success, wealth and achievements.
Success, wealth or achievements can also bring some people happiness, yet I know plenty of rich people who are unhappy. I know many people with successful businesses that are not happy with what they are doing. I know people who continuously buy themselves new toys, such as cars, computers, and televisions, yet never seem content for too long. Please remember, happiness is the journey of life, not the destination.What can we know from Paragraph 1?
| A．The author has a great talent for algebra. |
| B．Creative thinking is necessary for every child. |
| C．The BASIC code of the computer is not difficult. |
| D．The author’s experience in his childhood changed his life. |
The author wants to tell us through the first paragraph that____.
| A．interest is the best teacher |
| B．children are the hope of the future |
| C．young people are fearless |
| D．where there’s a will , there’s a way |
What is the secret of happiness in the author’s opinion?
| A．Success and wealth. |
| B．Gifts and self-confidence. |
| C．Enthusiasm and good health. |
| D．Knowledge and achievements. |
We can infer from the last paragraph that ______.
| A．rich people generally feel unhappy |
| B．wealth can’t bring people any happiness |
| C．one will feel unhappy once he has gained all the things he wants |
| D．being enthusiastic about what you are doing is more important than wealth |
Whether in the workplace or on the football field, effective teamwork can produce amazing results. However, working successfully as a team is not as easy as it may seem. Effective teamwork certainly does not just happen automatically; it takes a great deal of hard work and compromise. There are a number of factors that must be in place to make a good team.
Effective leadership is one of the most important components of good teamwork. The team’s leader should possess the skills to create and preserve a positive working environment and motivate and inspire the team members to take a positive approach to work and be highly committed. An effective team leader will promote a high level of spirit and make them feel supported and valued.
Communication is a vital factor of all interpersonal relationship and especially that of a team. Team members must be able to articulate their feelings, express plans and goals, share ideas and see each other’s opinions.
Conflicts will arise no matter how well a team functions together. The best way to deal with conflicts is to have some organized methods of handling conflicts. Team members should be able to voice their concerns without fear of offending others. Instead of avoiding conflict issues, a hands-on approach that settles them quickly is much better. It is often advised that the team leader sit with the conflicting parties and help work out their differences without taking sides and trying to remain objective if possible.
The team leader must set a good example to create good teamwork. In order to keep team members positive and committed and motivated, the team leader herself / himself needs to show these qualities. The team turns to the leader for support and guidance. So any negative words or behaviors on the leader’s part can be disastrous.+X+K]
Regardless of what type of work you are in, knowing how to effectively work on and with a team is going to be extremely important to your success and that of your team.Effective leadership is important partly because _________.
| A．it helps a leader to develop lots of skills |
| B．it makes a leader feel supported and valued |
| C．it creates a positive working environment |
| D．it depends on interpersonal relationship of a team |
The underlined word “articulate” probably means _________.
| A．hide | B．feel | C．express | D．plan |
When conflicts arise among team members, the team leader should ________.
| A．worry about the team members | B．ignore the team members’ voices |
| C．try to avoid conflict issues | D．work out their differences |
To become a good team leader, you have to __________.
| A．be positive and committed | B．set up a good team |
| C．look for support from the team | D．avoid natural disasters |
Which is the best title for the passage?
| A．Football And Teamwork | B．What Makes Effective Teamwork |
| C．Handle Conflict In A Team | D．Communication And Teamwork |
Most American schools have boys and girls in the same classroom. But a public high school in the small, rural town of Boonsboro, Maryland, offers a special program called the Academy. Top students in the ninth and tenth grades can attend single-sex classes for math, science, English and social studies.
The aim is to help teenagers keep their mind on their work by keeping males and females apart. What they really want to do is take that top group of kids and take them to the very highest level they can achieve there, so that they’re prepared for college.
Students are invited to enter this program after they finish middle school, and placement in the Academy is voluntary. However, they need high marks and test scores and strong teacher recommendations. They also need to be involved in activities.
Almost 350 students have taken part in the Academy. It began as an experiment in 2010.
Michael Bair has been at Boonsboro High for twenty years and directs the Academy. His ninth-grade English class for boys centers on books that he believes boys find interesting. He says that the novels the students are reading now are very manly (男子气概的) novels. These novels deal with the arrogance (傲慢) of man and the pride of man which finally leads to man’s downfall.
One of those books, for example, is The Call of the Wild by Jack London. This classic story tells of a dog stolen from his home and sold to work as a sled dog in Canada’s Klondike Gold Rush.
Morgan Fleet, a senior at Boonsboro High, likes being in the Academy. She says boys and girls act differently when they are together in a classroom. She believes this difference seems to prevent her from developing herself because she’s more focused on thoughts like “Oh, I wish they would shut up. Oh, what do they think of me?’’ instead of focusing on “What’s the homework? What’s going on in this class? What’s the lesson?”.
There is one activity that girls and boys in the Academy do together. At the end of the day, many of them stay and help tutor students who are having trouble in school.What is the purpose of the Academy program?
| A．To offer a special program in high school. |
| B．To help students concentrate on study. |
| C．To strengthen sex education for teenagers. |
| D．To start learning college courses earlier. |
To enter the Academy program, students are NOT required to _________.
| A．do well in their study | B．be recommended by teachers |
| C．take part in some activities | D．have worked as volunteers |
The Call of the Wild is given as an example to show that male students ___.
| A．should learn more about literature |
| B．should have a sense of protecting the wildlife |
| C．are reading more manly novels |
| D．are interested in stories on animals |
Which is likely to be Morgan Fleet’s opinion?
| A．A girl cares about the boys’ opinions of her. |
| B．Single-sex classes should be stopped. |
| C．Girls are more focused when studying with boys. |
| D．Boys and girls act the same in separate classrooms. |
The passage is intended to _________.
| A．introduce the single-sex class project |
| B．explain the differences between boys and girls |
| C．persuade students to enter the Academy program |
| D．urge students to work hard in their study |
With large and small keyboards everywhere, neither children nor adults need to write much of anything by hand. That’s a big problem. Study after study suggests that handwriting is important for brain development — helping kids get fine motor skills and learn to express and create ideas. Yet the time devoted to teaching penmanship in most schools has shrunk to just one hour a week. Is it time to give up handwriting? Have a look at the link between the brain and penmanship, and you may get the answer.
A test among students in grades 2, 4 and 6 found that they not only wrote faster by hand than by keyboard, but also created more ideas when composing essays with handwriting. And other research shows that the finger movements required to write by hand activate brain areas involved with thought, language, and short-term memory.
A recent Indiana University study had one group of children practice writing letters by hand while a second group just looked at those letters. Then, both groups of kids entered a functional MRI (核磁共振) that scanned their brains as the researchers showed them the same letters. Researchers found that the brain activity in the first group was far more advanced and “adult-like”.
Handwriting also affects other people’s way they think of adults and children. Several studies have shown that the same average essay will score much higher if written with good penmanship and much lower if written out in poor handwriting. These studies have also found that people judge the quality of a person’s ideas based on his or her handwriting. And the consequences are real: On standardized tests with handwritten sections, like the SAT, all essay that is considered hard to recognize gets a big zero.
Studies show that this isn’t only an English-language phenomenon. Chinese and Japanese youths are suffering from “character amnesia”. They can’t remember how to write characters, thanks to computers and text messaging. Some experts fear that Chinese writing and reading are so closely linked in the brain that China’s reading ability as a nation could suffer.According to the passage, it can be learned that ________________.
| A．many researches have been done on handwriting |
| B．essays can’t be composed without handwriting |
| C．all children write faster by keyboard than by hand |
| D．most schools are trying to teach more handwriting |
What does the Indiana University study imply?
| A．Children should practice writing letters |
| B．Handwriting can increase brain activity |
| C．It’s good for children to enter a functional MRI. |
| D．Letters should often be shown to children |
What does the 4th paragraph mainly talk about?
| A．Handwriting affects both adults and children. |
| B．Handwriting helps a person write better essays. |
| C．SAT should be done with good handwriting. |
| D．Good handwriting makes a person seem smarter. |
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A．Essays written with keyboards will get lower scores. |
| B．The quality of your ideas depends on your handwriting. |
| C．Chinese and Japanese youths don’t know how to write. |
| D．Less handwriting may affect China’s reading ability. |
The passage tries to tell us that __________________.
| A．keyboards are more popular than handwriting |
| B．we shouldn’t judge people by their handwriting |
| C．handwriting is of great importance |
| D．it’s time to give up using keyboards |