London, Dec.17 (Xinhua) “Drivers on London Underground trains have started reading out sayings from great thinkers like Mahatma Gandhi , Frindrich Engels, and Albert Einstein in a bid to cheer up passengers ,” officials said. As well as the usual announcements urging passengers to “mind the steps” and warning of delays, the sayings such as “ an ounce ( 盎司) of action is worth a ton of theory” have taken the place of commercial ad in the underground carriages .
New York, Oct.8 (Xinhua) Once as a famous actor, now the governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger wants to abandon textbooks in favor of digital ones. He plans to launch this program in August next year when California’s high-school pupils will have access to online math and science text. But some teachers wonder whether his idea of getting rid of textbooks might end up costing more not less, with digital textbook going for $300.
Amsterdam, Nov.30 (Xinhua) A few cups of coffee a day may not only help to put off the disease—dementia(痴呆) but also can treat it, according to Dr. Arendash, who led the research. After giving mice with memory damage water containing caffeine, he found the mice developed better memories and quick thinking. The reason is that caffeine is a safe drug for most people. It easily enters the brain and directly affects the disease process. He suggested people should drink five eight–ounce cups of ordinary coffee, two cups of strong ‘coffee shop’ coffee, 14 cups of tea, or 20 cola drinks to get the same amount of 500 milligrams of caffeine.What’s the purpose of putting up sayings on the underground carriages in London?
| A．to help passengers to kill time. |
| B．to encourage passengers to learn. |
| C．to lift the spirits of passengers. |
| D．to make money as a commercial ad. |
What can we conclude from the second news?
| A．digital textbooks will replace traditional textbooks. |
| B．online math is already available to high-school pupils . |
| C．digital textbooks are convenient to carry anywhere. |
| D．Not all the teachers support their governor’s idea. |
Which of the following statements is true from the third news?
| A．The more coffee you drink, the less chance there will be for dementia. |
| B．Caffeine can make mice become more and more intelligent and energetic. |
| C．Caffeine can affect the process of the disease—dementia and treat it. |
| D．Caffeine is a safe drug for all the people for everyday use so enjoy it. |
Every Saturday or Sunday night my family and I go out and feed the homeless people in the city of Orlando. There are thousands of people across the United States without any food or shelter. My family and I have been doing this for several months.
We all get together in the kitchen and prepare the food. Some of the meals are sandwiches, cookies and a bottle of water. Sometimes my mom prepares a steaming hot delicious meal. We then bag them all up to feed 30 or more people.
I like to write special notes on the bags like “God loves you.” Before my family and I get into the car we ask God for protection in a family prayer. A lot of people misunderstand homeless people. Not all homeless people are drug addicts or bad people. Some are really nice. Some of them just had bad things that happened to them.
At first when my family and I went out on the street we had to earn their trust. A lot of people are unkind to them for no good reason. But now that they see us every week, they trust us. We even know some of their names. We all have to remember that these are people that have feelings. Some of them shake our hands for giving them food, and thank us. Some of them do really funny dances because they are happy.
We have become really close with this man named Tony and his wife. They have all of their personal belongings in shopping carts. After meeting with them several times he has told us a lot about his life. He graduated from Harvard University and has a PHD. He used to teach French and Spanish. He lost his job after the economic crisis began.
After we get done feeding the homeless, it makes me appreciate what I have at home. Sometimes it makes me sad, and makes my mom cry. I love feeding the homeless, and making a difference in someone’s life.The following statements are all right except _________.
| A．we feed the homeless every Saturday or Sunday night |
| B．I write some encouraging words on the food |
| C．we offer food for about 30 or more people every Saturday or Sunday night |
| D．my family and I have been feeding the poor for several months |
What do many people think of the homeless in America?
| A．They are homeless because of taking drugs. |
| B．They are bad people against the society. |
| C．They must have done something bad. |
| D．All of above. |
Why do the homeless believe in the author and his family?
| A．They don’t ask the homeless to do something bad. |
| B．They always bring more food every time. |
| C．They often give food to them at fixed time. |
| D．They never ask about the names of the homeless. |
What made Tony lose his job?
| A．The falling economy across the whole country. |
| B．He hasn’t got a suitable university degree. |
| C．He graduated from a common university. |
| D．He doesn’t like the teaching of the French language. |
The underlined word “it” in the last paragraph most probably refers to _________.
| A．the loss of the job of Tony |
| B．the poverty of the author’s family |
| C．the feeding of the homeless |
| D．the leaving from the homeless |
An experiment was carried out at British school into the performance of new pupils. At the start of the year, the pupils were each given a rating, ranging from “excellent prospect” to “unlikely to do well”. These were totally untrue ratings and did not reflect how well the pupils had previously performed. However, these ratings were given to the teachers. At the end of the year, the experimenters compared the pupils’ performance with the ratings. Despite their real abilities, there was an astonishingly high connection between performance and ratings. It seems that people perform as well as we expect them to.
The Self-fulfilling Effect is also known as the Pygmalion Effect. This comes from an old Greek story. The story was also the basis of George Bernard Shaw’s play “Pygmalion”, later turned into the musical “My Fair Lady”. In Shaw’s play, Professor Henry Higgins claims he can turn a Cockney flower girl, Eliza Doolittle into a duchess. But, as Eliza herself points out to Higgins’ friend Pickering, it isn’t what she learns or does that determines whether she will become a duchess, but how she’s treated.
The implication (含义) of the Pygmalion Effect for leaders and managers is massive. It means that the performance of your team depends less on them than it does on you. The performance you get from people is no more or less than what you expect, which means you must always expect the best. As Goethe said, “Treat a man as he is and he will remain as he is. Treat a man as he can and should be and he will become as he can and should be.”The underlined word in Paragraph 1 can be replaced by “_________”.
| A．program | B．regulation | C．correction | D．classification |
What’s the passage mainly about?
| A．A new scientific experiment. |
| B．The Self-fulfilling Effect. |
| C．Shaw’s play “Pygmalion”. |
| D．An improved teaching method. |
The experiment was made in order to _________.
| A．try out a new teaching method |
| B．pick out the most excellent pupils |
| C．learn if expectations affect performance |
| D．give each pupil a proper rating |
What made Eliza change into a duchess according to Eliza herself?
| A．Strict training from Higgins. |
| B．Her own strong will and hard work. |
| C．The proper way she was regarded. |
| D．Warm encouragement from Pickering. |
According to the Pygmalion Effect, if you want a man to finish a hard task in a short time, you should say, “_________”.
| A．I’m sure you can make it | B．I will help you any time |
| C．It is as easy as pie | D．It doesn’t matter if you fail |
Lots of people are unhappy with their present weight, but most aren't sure how to change it. You may want to look like the models or actors in magazines and on TV, but those goals might not be healthy or realistic (现实的) for you. Being healthy is really about being at a weight that is right for you. The best way to find out if you are at a healthy weight or if you need to lose or gain weight is to talk to a doctor or dietitian（营养学家）. If it turns out that you can benefit from weight loss, then you can follow a few of the simple suggestions listed below to get started.
_______________________. Ask your mom or dad to lend help and support and to make lifestyle changes that will benefit the whole family, if possible. Those who have the support of their families tend to have better results with their weight-management programs.
Watch your drinks. It’s amazing how many extra calories can be in the sodas, juices and other drinks that you take in every day. Simply cutting out a can of soda or one sports drink can save you 150 calories or more each day. Slake yourself with water or other sugar-free drinks when you’re thirsty and stay away from sugary juices and sodas.
Stop eating when you’re full. Lots of people eat when they’re full. Try to pay attention as you eat and stop when you are full.
Avoid diet pills. They can be dangerous to your health; besides, there’s no evidence that they help keep weight off over the long term.
Get moving. You don’t have to play a team sport or go to the gym. Try different kinds of activities from hiking to cycling, or to dancing until you find what you like.According to the passage, before you decide to lose or gain weight you must know _________.
| A．how you will do it |
| B．how long it should last |
| C．whether you have a healthy weight |
| D．what your realistic goal is |
Which of the following would be the best to be put in the blank in the second paragraph?
| A．Find a partner. |
| B．Make weight loss a family behavior. |
| C．Don’t give up easily. |
| D．Small changes make a difference. |
The underlined part ‘Slake yourself’ in the third paragraph means “__________”
| A．Stop yourself feeling thirsty. |
| B．Make yourself feel less tired. |
| C．Make yourself feel comfortable. |
| D．Stop yourself feeling less hungry. |
We can learn from the passage that __________.
A. exercising is harmful to one’s health
B. diet pills may not help one lose weight in the long term
C. having eating trouble is the No.1 cause of being overweight
D. all models or actors in magazines and on TV have weight problems
If you are interested in western education, you might call _________.
A.010- 100125B. 800 819 0260 C. 021-5158 1658 D. 6465 7788If you would like to organize a large meeting or conference, you should contact __________.
| A．Office General | B．Apollo Business Center |
| C．Canadian International School | D．None of the above |
You may _________ to get more information about any of the three ads（广告）.
| A．send an email | B．use a fax(传真) machine |
| C．go by yourself | D．visit some websites |
It was a quiet village in which there was a military camp (军营). It was far from the towns and cities and there were some high mountains around. Of course it was a good place for training the new soldiers. But it was difficult for the young men to go outside. Mr. White, an officer of forty, was strict with them and he hardly let them leave the camp.
Once Mr. White was ill in bed. He couldn’t work and a young officer, Mr. Hunt, began to train the new soldiers instead of him. He knew the young men well and let nine soldiers go to the nearest town to have a holiday. But night fell and none came back to the camp. He was worried about it and stood at the gate. It was five to twelve when Mr. Hunt decided to go to the town and see what was happening to the young men. He started the car quickly and set off. At that moment the nine soldiers came back. It seemed they drank wine. Of course they found the officer was angry.
“I’m sorry, sir,” said the first soldier. “I left the town on time. But something was wrong with my bus on my way here. I had to buy a horse and made it run fast. Bad luck! It died and I had to run back.”
And the other seven soldiers said they were late for the same reasons. It was the last soldier’s turn. He said, “I’m sorry, sir. I got on a bus on time, but....”
Having heard this, the officer became even angrier and stopped him at once. He called out, “If you say something was wrong with your bus, I’ll punish you at once!”
“No, no, sir,” said the young man. “My bus was all right, but the dead horses were in its way!”The military camp was built in the village to ________.
| A．stop the soldiers from going to towns |
| B．stop the soldiers from meeting their friends |
| C．train the new soldiers |
| D．make the young men live quietly |
Mr. Hunt let the nine soldiers have a holiday because ________.
| A．he was kind to them | B．they felt lonely |
| C．they had something important to do | D．they were the best of all |
The young officer was worried because ________.
| A．a traffic accident had happened |
| B．he was afraid something happened to the nine soldiers |
| C．the nine soldiers would come back |
| D．the nine soldiers drank too much in the town |
Which of the statements do you think is true?
A. You’ll believe only the last soldier.
B. The officer believed the nine soldiers.
C. You’ll believe none of the nine soldiers.
D. The officer wouldn’t punish his soldiers.