When middle-aged Alex quit his job and made up his mind to become a self-employed writer， no one could tell for sure whether he would succeed or not. He found a cold storage room in a building, set up a used typewriter and settled down to work.
After a year or so, however, Alex began to doubt himself. He found it was difficult to earn his living by selling what he wrote. But Alex determined to put his dream to the test—even though it meant living with uncertainty and fear of failure. This is the shadowland (虚幻世界) of hope, and anyone with a dream must learn to live there.
One day Alex got a call,“We need an assistant, and we’re paying $6,000 a year.” $6,000 was real money in 1960. It would enable Alex to get a nice apartment ,a used car and more. Besides, he could write in his spare time. As the dollars were dancing in Alex’s head, something cleared his senses. He had dreamed of being a writer--full time. “Thanks, but no,” Alex said firmly and swiftly, “I’m going to stick it out and write.”
After Alex got off the phone, he pulled out everything he had: two cans of vegetables and 18 cents. Alex put the cans and cents into a paper bag, saying to himself, “There’s everything you’ve made of yourself so far. I’m not sure I ever felt so low.”
Finally his work was published in 1970.Instantly he had the kind of fame and success that few writers ever experience. The shadows had turned into focus of attention.
Then one day, Alex found a box filled with things he had owned years before. Inside was a paper bag with two cans and 18 cents. Suddenly he pictured himself working in that cold storage room. It reminds Alex, and anyone with a dream, of the courage and persistence(坚毅) it takes to stay the course(持续到底) in the shadowland.Why did Alex give up his job?
| A．Because he didn’t like the working conditions. |
| B．Because he couldn’t earn enough to make a living. |
| C．Because he wanted to be a full-time writer. |
| D．Because he felt he had no potential in his job. |
What did Alex express when he answered the call?
| A．He refused the job offer. |
| B．He was willing to give them a hand. |
| C．He expected them to pay him more money. |
| D．He would write in his spare time. |
What kind of person is Alex?
| A．determined | B．modest | C．shy | D．brave |
Which of the following can summarize the passage best?
| A．Look before you leap |
| B．Two heads are better than one. |
| C．Hold on to your dream, and it will come true. |
| D．A bird in hand is worth two in the bush. |
For thousands of years, the most important two buildings in any British village have been the church and the pub. Traditionally, the church and the pub are at the heart of any village or town, where the people gather together to socialize and exchange news.
As a result, British pubs are often old and well preserved. Many of them have become historic sites. The most famous example is the pub in the city of Nottingham called “The Old Trip to Jerusalem”, which dates back to the year 1189 AD and is probably the oldest pub in England.
However, British pubs are not just for kings and queens; they welcome people from all classes and parts of society. On a cold night, the pub’s landlord or landlady can always find a warm place for you by the fire. There is always honest and hearty food and plenty of drink available at an affordable price.
That’s how things used to be. Things are beginning to change. It is said that the credit crunch(信贷紧缩) is causing 39 British pubs a week to go out of business. People do not have enough spare money to spend on beer. Recently, the UK government banned smoking in all pubs, and that may also have affected the number of customers going to pubs.
This decline is happening despite the fact that in 2005 the UK government started to allow pubs to stay open after 1l pm. Previously, with 1l pm as closing time, customers would have to drink quite quickly, meaning they sometimes got more drunk than they would if allowed to drink slowly. The British habit of drinking a lot very quickly is known as “binge drinking”, and it causes long-term health problems for people and problems with violent crime for communities.
In order to save their businesses, pubs are trying to change with the market. British pubs now offer something for everyone. A lot of pubs used to be “Working Men’s Clubs”, meaning that women could not usually enter. Today, however, women can freely enter 99% of pubs without experiencing any problems. Perhaps things are changing for the better after all. The passage mainly tells us something about ______.
| A．the importance of British pubs |
| B．the decline of British pubs |
| C．the long history of British pubs |
| D．the past and present of British pubs |
Which may not be the cause of the decline of British pubs?
| A．The present closing time. |
| B．The ban of smoking. |
| C．The lack of enough spare money. |
| D．The credit crunch. |
We can infer from the passage that ______.
| A．binge drinking means drinking less beer |
| B．closing the pubs early will reduce social problems |
| C．British people used to like drinking slowly |
| D．British government aims to discourage people from binge drinking |
We can see from the last paragraph that the author _______.
| A．holds an optimistic attitude towards the British pubs |
| B．thinks that British pubs should offer everything you need |
| C．thinks that women in the pubs will cause less social problems |
| D．is against the admission of too many women to the pubs |
Are you single or married? Are you a cat or a dog owner? Do you exercise, or are you a “couch potato”? These questions and many others are about your lifestyle.
People in the United States feel that they can choose their lifestyles and even shape their own identities. In newspapers, lifestyle issues are discussed in the features or style section. In the Chicago Tribune this section is called “Tempo”. People turn to this section for lively discussion on lifestyle choices they face with regard to their personal identities, their families, and their social lives.
Many American people believe that they can make their lives happy and satisfying despite their problems. If they lack confidence or tend to feel anxious, shy, angry, or depressed, they believe that they can change themselves. Self-help books, magazines, and feature articles are filled with advice from experts about steps to take to become a happier or more satisfied person and to improve one’s self-respect. Part of this research for self-improvement is a belief that even one’s own appearance can be controlled.
Lifestyle choices also involve moral and social issues. How should children be raised? How should people behave on a date? How should elderly people be treated? How can people stay happily married? All these kinds of issues are constantly discussed and are constantly changing.
Not only are experts such as psychologists consulted, but stars from the political and entertainment worlds are held up as lifestyle leaders as well. In the newspaper, some articles discuss in detail the personal lives or public work of famous movie stars, authors and artists. The lifestyle choices these people make contribute to the public discussion of all the issues that people think about.
A well-known advertising slogan is “Just do it.” In the culture of the United States, people believe that they can take action and become the kind of people they want to be and live the way they want to live.The section “Tempo” in the Chicago Tribune mainly discusses ______.
| A．current affairs |
| B．lifestyle choices |
| C．experts’ opinions on life |
| D．one’s self-respect |
According to the author, Americans are pretty sure that they can ______.
| A．control their own appearance |
| B．solve all the problems in their life |
| C．live a happy life in spite of their problems |
| D．improve their life by following the elders’ advice |
According to the passage, people’s opinions on moral or social issues can be influenced by ______.
| A．their teachers |
| B．family members |
| C．experts and famous people |
| D．friends and colleagues |
What does the passage mainly talk about?
| A．Lifestyles in the United States |
| B．Americans’ opinions on happiness. |
| C．Advice on shaping Americans’ identities |
| D．A famous advertising slogan —“Just do it.” |
An artist in Oakland, California is using his skills to help the homeless. Greg Kloehn builds very small shelters that make life on the streets more comfortable. The structures offer the homeless some safety and protection from bad weather. Each little house also has wheels on the bottom so it can go wherever its owner goes.
Greg Kloehn has given away at least 20 tiny houses to the homeless on the street. On a recent day, Mr. Kloehn stops to visit his homeless friends. One of them is Oscar Young. The two men hug when they see each other. Inside his little shelter Mr. Young gets relief from cold nights on the streets. Mr. Kloehn also visits Sweet-Pea, another friend who also lives in one of the little homes the artist built. She says it keeps her safe and protects her belongings.
In the mornings, Mr. Kloehn searches the streets for building materials. He gathers what he can and takes it to his studio. There, he puts the houses together. Empty coffee bags become roof material. A washing machine door and refrigerator part become windows. Nails, screws and the sticky glue hold all the pieces together. The artist also attaches a small electrical device(装置) to the house. The device is powered by the sun.
Some of the people living on the streets once had normal houses of their own. But some of the people say they have learned to live with less and they are thankful to that man.
Mr. Kloehn says his work is not a social project. He says he is just someone using his skills to help his homeless neighbors. The passage is likely to be taken from ________.
| A．a textbook | B．a book review |
| C．a science magazine | D．a news report |
The followings are the advantages of the small shelters EXCEPT________.
| A．saving power and energy |
| B．protecting belongings of the homeless |
| C．decorating the streets where they are |
| D．keeping the homeless safe and comfortable |
We can learn from the passage that ________.
| A．the shelters can’t be removed |
| B．the homeless don’t like the shelters |
| C．Greg Kloehn has sold at least 20 tiny houses |
| D．an act of kindness has made people simple and grateful |
What’s the main idea of the passage?
| A．A successful social project in Oakland. |
| B．An artist creates homes for the homeless. |
| C．A more comfortable shelter on the streets. |
| D．An artist makes a living by designing small shelters. |
For my brother and I, mowing(割草) yards during the summer is a good way to earn pocket change. Dad was our salesman. He traded our service to neighbors at a low price they could not refuse. My brother and I got $10 per yard. However, I later found out our competitors were charging $ 20 or more for the same amount of work.
One afternoon we were cutting our neighbor’s yard. When I was finishing up, I was tired and sweaty. I pictured the tall glass of icy drink I would have to cool down soon. I was just about to cut off the lawn mower when I saw Dad pointing to one piece. I thought about the poor change I was getting paid for cutting grass so high that it almost broke the mower. I ignored him and kept walking. Dad called me out, “You missed a piece.”
I frowned (皱眉), hoping he would let me slide and go home. He kept pointing. So angry, I went back to cut that piece of grass. I said to myself, “That one piece isn’t hurting anyone. Why won’t he just let it go?”
But when I became an adult, I understood his message: When you are running a business, the work you do says a great deal about you. If you want to be seen as a businessman with honesty, you must deliver a quality product. That single piece of grass meant the job was not done.
Other neighbors took notice of the good work we did and we soon got more business. We started out with one client(客户), but by the end of the summer we had five.
The lesson my dad taught me stayed with me: If you say you are going to perform a job at a certain time, keep your word. Give your customers the kind of service you would like to receive. It shows how sincere you are and how much pride you take in your work.Which of the following statement is true?
| A．His father was not a good businessman. |
| B．His father charged more for his service. |
| C．His father’s service was good but cheap. |
| D．His neighbors thought their service was poor. |
When Dad asked the writer to go back, the writer felt ___________.
| A．doubtful | B．surprised |
| C．terrified | D．annoyed |
What did Dad teach the writer?
A. To do your work as well as possible.
B. To earn as much money as possible.
C. To get as more business as possible. The best title for the passage may be ___________.
| A．The Memory of My Childhood |
| B．The Lesson from My Dad |
| C．The Yard of Our Neighbor |
| D．The Grass Cutting days |
A new study suggests that the more teenagers watch television, the more likely they are to develop depression (抑郁) as young adults. But the extent to which TV may be to blame is a question that the study leaves unanswered.
The researchers used a national long term survey of adolescent health to investigate the relationship between media use and depression. They based their findings on more than 4, 000 adolescents who were not depressed when the survey began in 1995.
As part of the survey, the young people were asked how many hours of television or videos they watched daily. They were also asked how often they played computer games and listened to the radio.
Media use totaled an average of 5 and one half hours a day. More than 2 hours of that was spent watching TV.
7 years later, in 2002, more than 7 percent of the young people had signs of depression. The average age at that time was 21.
Brian Primack at the University of Pittsburgh Medical School was the lead author of the new study. He says every extra hour of television meant an 8 percent increase in the chances of developing signs of depression.
The researchers say they did not find any such relationship with the use of other media such as movies, video games or radio. But the study did find that young men were more likely than young women to develop depression given the same amount of media use.
Doctor Primack says the study did not explore why watching TV causes depression. But one possibility, he says, is that it may take time away from activities that could help prevent depression, like sports and socializing. It might also interfere with sleep, he says, and that could have an influence.
The study was just published in the Archives of General Psychiatry.
In December, the journal Social Indicators Research published a study of activities that help lead to happy lives. Sociologists from the University of Maryland found that people who describe themselves as happy spend less time watching television than unhappy people. The study found that happy people are more likely to be socially active, to read, to attend religious services and to vote.According to the first paragraph, what remains unsolved in the new study?
| A．Who is more likely to be influenced by TV. |
| B．How much teenagers are depressed by TV. |
| C．Whether teenagers are influenced by TV. |
| D．What should be done to help the teenagers. |
What can be inferred from the seventh paragraph?
| A．Depression is not related to the use of other media than TV. |
| B．Every extra hour of media use increases the chance of depression. |
| C．Longer use of media other than TV doesn't increase the chance of depression. |
| D．The influence of movies, video games and radio on depression varies respectively. |
The study done by the sociologists from the University of Maryland was mainly intended to __________.
| A．tell the difference between happy and unhappy people |
| B．prove the relationship between TV and depression |
| C．stress the importance of being socially active |
| D．provide a happy recipe (秘方) for all people |