It doesn’t matter when and how much a person sleeps , but everyone needs some rest to stay alive. That’s what all doctors thought , until they heard about Herpin. Herpin, it was said , never slept. Could this be true? The doctors decided to see this strange man themselves.
Herpin was 90 years old when the doctors came to his home in New Jersey. They thought for sure that he got some sleep of some kind. So they stayed with him and watched every movement he made. But they were surprised. Though they watched him hour after hour and day after day, they never saw him sleeping. In fact, he did not even own a bed. He never needed one.
The only rest that Herpin sometimes got was sitting in a comfortable chair and reading newspapers. The doctors were puzzled by this strange continuous sleeplessness. They asked him many questions, hoping to find an answer. They found only one answer that might explain his condition. Herpin remembered some talk about his mother having been injured several days before he was born. But that was all. Was this the real reason? No one could be sure. Herpin died at the age of 94.The main idea of this passage is that_____
A.large numbers of people do not need sleep |
B.a person was found who actually didn’t need any sleep |
C.everyone needs some sleep to stay alive |
D.people can live longer by trying not to sleep |
The doctors came to visit Herpin, expecting_____
A.to cure him of his sleeplessness |
B.to find that his sleeplessness was not really true |
C.to find out why some old people did not need any sleep |
D.to find a way to free people from the need of sleeping |
After watching him closely, the doctors came to believe that Herpin_____
A.needed some kind of sleep |
B.was too old to need any sleep |
C.needed no sleep at all |
D.often sleep in a chair |
One reason that might explain Herpin’s sleeplessness was _____
A.his mother’s injury before he was born |
B.that he had gradually got rid of the sleeping habit |
C.his magnificent physical condition |
D.that he hadn’t got a bed |
Herpin’s condition could be regarded as ______
A.a common one | B.one that could be cured | C.very healthy | D.a rare one |
Academy Awards The Academy Awards are the most prominent film award in the United States. The Awards are granted bythe Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Academy Awardsare nicknamed " Oscars " ,which is also the nickname of the statuette(小雕像). The name is said to have been born in 1931 when Margaret Herrick saw the statuette on a table and said:" It looks justlike my uncle Oscar!"
Berlin Film Festival One of the “A " festivals in Europe. TheBerlin International Film Festival, also called the " Berlinale " ,is heldannually in February and started in 1951 after an initiative of theAmerican, who occupied part of the city after World War II. The jury(评奖团)always placed special emphasis on representing films fromall over the world, from the former Eastern Bloc Countries(东方阵营)as well as from Western countries. The awards are called Golden andSilver Bears (as the bear is the symbol of Berlin).
Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival takes placeevery year in late August/early September on the Lido in the historic Palazzo del Cinema, in Venice, Italy since 1932; its main award isthe" Lion d, Or " ( Golden Lion). Recently, a new award has beenadded, the San Marco Award for the best film.
Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival is a famousinternational film festival. It has been held annually in Cannes, inthe south of France, since 1946 with a few exceptions. Given massive media exposure, the Festival is attended by many movie starsand is a popular venue for movie producers to launch their newfilms and attempt to sell their works to the distributors who comefrom all over the globe.
The most famous award given out at Cannes is the " PalmedOr " ( Golden Palm) for the best film ;this is sometimes shared bymultiple films in one year. Which award can be shared by multiple films in one year?
A.Golden Lion. | B.Golden Palm. |
C.Academy Awards. | D.San Marco Award. |
Which of the following statements about “Oscars " is not true?
A.It's the nickname of Academy Awards. |
B.It's also the nickname of the statuette. |
C.It got its name because Margaret said the statuette lookedlike her uncle. |
D.It's an award in France. |
Which award has the shortest history?
A.Golden Lion. | B.Golden Palm. |
C.Academy Awards. | D.San Marco Award. |
Why is the award for Berlin Film Festival called " Golden andSilver Bears " ?
A.It looks like a bear. |
B.It is made up of bear fur. |
C.The bear is the symbol of Berlin. |
D.Bears are rare in Berlin. |
In recent years many countries have been faced with the problem of how to make their workers more productive. Some experts believe that the answer is to make jobs more varied. Do more variedjobs lead to greater productivity? There is something to suggest thatwhile variety certainly makes the worker's life more enjoyable, itdoes not make him work harder. So variety is not important.
Other experts feel that giving the worker freedom to do his jobin his own way is important and there is no doubt that this is true. The problem is that this kind of freedom cannot easily be given inthe modern factory with its complicated machinery which must beused in a fixed way. Thus while freedom of choice may be important, there is very little that can be done to achieve this.
Another important consideration is how much each worker contributes to the product he is making. In most factories the workersees only one small part of the product. Some car factories are saidto be experimenting with having many small production lines ratherthan a large one, so that each worker contributes more to the production of the cars on his line. It would seem then that the degree ofworkers' contribution is important.
To what extent does more money lead to greater productivity?The workers themselves certainly think this is important, but perhaps they want more money only because the work they do is soboring. Money just lets them enjoy their spare time more. A similarargument may explain demands for shorter working hours. Perhaps ifcompanies succeed in making workers' jobs more interesting, theywill neither want more money, nor will shorter working hours be soimportant to them. Which of the following things will not increase productivity?
A.Making jobs more varied. |
B.Giving workers freedom to do their jobs in their own way. |
C.Increasing workers' contribution to production. |
D.Longer working hours. |
The last sentence in this passage means that if companiesmanage to make workers, jobs more interesting, __________.
A.they will want more money |
B.they will demand shorter working hours |
C.more money and shorter working hours are important |
D.more money and shorter working hours will not be so important to them |
In this passage, the writer tells us __________.
A.how to make workers more productive |
B.possible factors leading to greater productivity |
C.more money leads to greater productivity |
D.how to make workers' jobs more interesting |
The writer of this passage is probably a __________.
A. teacherB. worker
C. managerD, physicist
Do you know about a series of books that say they are fordummies? These American self-help books have been translated intomore than thirty-nine languages including Chinese, Arabic, Russian, French, German, Greek and Spanish.
“Dummy " is a word for a stupid person. The dummy books arenot really for stupid people. They are designed to show people howto do something they may never have tried before, like painting ahouse or learning a language. The books all say in a funny way thatthey are for dummies, such as World History for Dummies, Rabbitsfor Dummies, Chinese Cooking for Dummies, and Wedding Planningfor Dummies. The first such book, DOS for Dummies, was publishedin 1991. It helped people learn how to use the DOS operating system for computers. Since then, more than one hundred and fiftymillion dummy books have been sold.
The dummies, com website explains the idea behind the books. It says that they show that people can be taught to do anything. Firstthey can make fun of ideas that are difficult to understand. Thenthey show how the information can be interesting and easy. Thepublishers say that the books do not provide more information thannecessary. They give readers just enough information to do whatthey want. They say that the dummy books give the best and easiestway to do something. And the books use simple and easy language.
There are more than one thousand different dummy books. Areport in New York Times says that the top-selling dummy books arethose that explain technology and personal finance.
The publishers say that the best-selling dummy books are thoseproviding information many people need—like information aboutdiseases, education and cooking. People interested in opera, car re-pair and wine can also find dummy books to help them. And thereare even more dummy books to come. The publishers say that theypublish about two hundred new dummy books every year. Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?
A.Books for Dummies |
B.The Easiest, the Best |
C.Books for Stupid People |
D.New Ideas behind the Books |
According to the dummies, com website, people can __________ withthe help of dummy books.
A.do some personal things |
B.learn any foreign language |
C.become expert in cooking |
D.do anything they want |
The dummy books have been popular because __________.
A.they provide just what is needed and are easy to understand |
B.they provide abundant information on the concerning subject |
C.people can learn to do anything with just one copy |
D.people can save lots of money through self-teaching |
According to New York Times, we know that books on __________ sell best.
A.diseases and education |
B.opera and car repairing |
C.technology and personal finance |
D.cooking and world history |
EVERYBODY in this world is different from one another. Butdo you know that understanding differences can help you bettermanage your money?
As we grow up, we gradually develop a set of our own values orbeliefs. These are influenced by society, our family, the educationwe receive and so on. Once this value system is set up, it's not easyto change later in life.
Financial experts say that everyone also has their own belief ofhow to manage their finances. This is part of our value system and ithas a great impact on the way we look after our money.
According to our different values, experts put us in three categories. They are:the ant, the cricket and the snail. The ant—works first
Just like ants who work heart and soul in summer in order tostore food for winter, these people don't care about enjoying the moment. They work very hard and save money they earn so that theycan enjoy life when they get old and retired, The ant loves to savebut they could make more out of their money if they were willing toinvest in some funds and stocks with low risk. The cricket——fun first
The cricket wants to enjoy everything now and doesn't think toomuch about the future. They even borrow money when they really wantsomething. Many young people now belong to this group. These peoplehave little savings. When they get old, they might have problems. They should learn to save and buy insurance. The snail—lives under pressure
The snail refers to people who make life difficult for them-selves. They take big long-term loans from the bank in order to buythings such as luxury houses. They are happy to take big loans eventhough they are not sure whether they can afford it. This can causeproblems in the future. They should plan more carefully. People with character of the snail would like to __________.
A.enjoy life at the moment without thinking much about the future |
B.put work before everything else |
C.live a luxury life at all costs |
D.take the risk of investing a large sum of money |
Our beliefs and values are affected by the following except __________.
A.society | B.our family |
C.education | D.money |
This passage mainly talks about __________.
A.the spending nature of people |
B.the relation between man and insects |
C.the insects in nature |
D.the problems with dealing with money |
Which of the following has the character that the author prefers?
A.The ant. | B.The cricket. |
C.The snail. | D.None of the above. |
Chile is a country of southwest South America with a longPacific coastline. Santiago is the capital and the largest city. Thepopulation of the country is about 11,329,736.
A long time ago, Chile belonged to Spain, a European country, because it was colonized by Spain in 1541,Many of Chileans, how-ever, did not want to be ruled by Spain.
Led by Bernardo O'Higgins, some of them formed a smallarmy. They attacked the Spanish soldiers at different times and different places.
This made the King of Spain very angry. He sent more soldiersto Chile to deal with them.
Although there were far more Spanish soldiers than freedomfighters, they refused to surrender and fought bravely.
At last, however, in 1814,they were forced to retreat to thetown of Rancagua near Santiago. There, O'Higgins and his men weresurrounded by the Spanish army and O'Higgins was wounded by anenemy bullet.
It seemed as if their fight for freedom were over. But O'Higginsrefused to surrender. Even though he was wounded, he ordered hismen to collect as many mules, cows, sheep and dogs as possible. Shouting at the top of his voice, he rode into the animals. Frightened, they began to run. They ran straight at the Spanishsoldiers. Now it was the Spaniards' turn to be frightened. Theyturned and run away from the animals as fast as they could, allowingO'Higgins and his men to escape to the mountains.
There he built up his army, and in 1818 he defeated the Spanish and the country declared its independence. He then became thefirst president of the new, free nation in the same year. The first paragraph is written mainly to __________.
A.show the location of Chile |
B.offer supporting details |
C.stress the importance of capital |
D.give a general introduction and lead to the topic |
According to the passage, Spanish governed Chile for about __________ years.
A.1541 | B.273 |
C.277 | D.400 |
Which description about Chile is NOT right?
A.Spain ruled Chile at one time. |
B.Chile borders on the Pacific. |
C.Chile lies in the southwest of South America. |
D.Chile is one colony which belongs to Spain. |
We can infer from the passage that __________.
A.Bernardo O'Higgins became the first president of the new Chile |
B.Bernardo O'Higgins was not only brave but also intelligent |
C.Bernardo O'Higgins was good at raising animals |
D.Rancagua is far from Santiago |
What doesn't happened in 1818?
A.O'Higgins broke through the enemy by using terrible animals. |
B.Eventually, O'Higgins defeated the Spanish army, |
C.Chile broke away from the rule of the King of Spain. |
D.O'Higgins turned the first president of the free country. |