Four Simple Keys to Transform Your Life
The Power of Choice．Every one of us makes countless choices every day．Every choice we make has an impact on our lives．Even insignificant choices can affect what we experience and how we feel．When hunger strikes, we can reach for a healthy, nutritious snack, or we can choose the sugar high of junk food．The more important the decision, the greater its effect．For instance, how do I act towards that person who treated me badly? Do I generally choose to be passive, or do I actively set clear intentions and create what I want in my life? Every choice we make, however big or small, affects us in some way．
How Do You Make Choices? If you are interested in living a richer, fuller life, there is a foundation upon which you can base all of your decisions which can make life better not only for you, but also for those around you．This foundation is to choose based on what's best for all．Imagine a world where every parent, spouse（配偶）, friend, teacher, business person, and politician truly did their best to choose what's best for all involved in every decision they made. We would certainly live in a more caring, supportive world．
It's the Intention．"But how do I know what is really best?" you might ask．The answer is simple．It doesn't matter．What matters is not the choice you make, but rather the intention beind your choice．What matters is that whatever decision you make, you are clear in your intention of choosing based on what's best for all．If it later turns out that you made what appears to have been a bad choice, there's no need for guilt．Knowing that you did your best to choose with a sincere desire for what's best for all, your conscience stays clear and open．This then allows you to more easily learn from your mistakes, and to live with a clear heart and mind．
What's Best for Me, Too! Choosing what's best does not mean you have to always sacrifice yourself for others．An overly(过度的) exhausted mother can lose her temper easily．Some time off for this mother might seem selfish, yet in the long run, it can help her to be a better mother to her children．So as we move through each day of our lives, let us remember to include ourselves as we do our best to choose what's best for all．Which of the following is FALSE?
| A．Whenever hunger strikes, we will reach for a junk snack |
| B．Every choice, however big or small, has an influence on us． |
| C．Even small choices affect how we feel．． |
| D．We make choices every day． |
How should we make choices?
| A．To be interested in a richer, fuller life． |
| B．To make life better for ourselves． |
| C．To imagine a world where everyone did their best． |
| D．To choose based on what's best for all． |
Why does the author say, "What matters is not the choice you make, but rather the intention behind your choice．"?
| A．Because the choice you make is not important． |
| B．Because you may have made a bad choice． |
| C．Because this allows you to stay clear and improve． |
| D．Because there is no need for guilt． |
How to choose what is best for us?
| A．We need to devote all our life to others． |
| B．We need to put away some time for ourselves． |
| C．We need to sacrifice ourselves for others． |
| D．We need to be selfless every minute． |
C
Hank Viscardi was born without legs. He had no legs but stumps(残肢) that could be fitted with a kind of special boots. People stared at him with cruel interest. Children laughed at him and called him ‘Ape Man’ because his arms practically dragged on the ground.
Hank went to school like other boys. His grades were good and he needed only eight years to finish his schooling instead of the usual twelve. After graduating from school, he worked his way through college. He swept floors, waited on table, or worked in one of the college offices. During all this busy life, he had been moving around on his stumps. But one day the doctor told him even the stumps were not going to last much longer. He would soon have to use a wheel chair.
Hank felt himself got cold all over. However, the doctor said there was a chance that he could be fitted with artificial legs(假腿). Finally a leg maker was found and the day came when Hank stood up before the mirror. For the first time he saw himself as he has always wanted to be--- a full five feet eight inches tall. By this time he was already 26 years old.
Hank had to learn to use his new legs. Again and again he marched the length of the room, and marched back again. There were times when he fell down on the floor, but he pulled himself up and went back to the endless marching. He went out on the street. He climbed stairs and learned to dance. He built a boat and learned to sail it.
When World War II came, he talked the Red Cross into giving him a job. He took the regular training. He marched and drilled along with the other soldiers. Few knew that he was legless. This was the true story of Hank Viscardi, a man without legs.
44. It can be inferred from the story that five feet eight inches tall is _______.
A. an average height for a fully grown person
B.too tall for an average person
C. too short for an average person
D. none of the above
45. The sentence “he talked the Red Cross into giving him a job” implies that the Red Cross _______.
A. was only glad to give him a job
B. gave him a job because he was a good soldier
C.gave him a job after he talked to someone whom he knew in the organization
D. was not willing to give him a job at first
46. When Hank marched and drilled along with the other soldiers, he _______.
A. did everything the other soldiers did
B. did most of the things the other soldiers did
C. did some of the things the other soldiers did
D. took some special training
47. The writer suggests that Hank Viscardi _______.
A. had no friends B. never saw himself as different from others
C. was very shy D. was too proud to accept help from others
B
The fiddler crab (蟹) is a living clock. It indicates the time of day by the colour of its skin, which is dark by day and pale by night. The crab’s changing colour follows a regular twenty-four hour plan that exactly matches the daily rhythm of the sun.
Does the crab actually keep time, or does its skin simply answer to the sun’s rays, changing colour according to the amount of light which strikes it? To find out, biologists kept crabs in a dark room for two months. Even without daylight, the crab’s skin colour continued to change exactly on time.
This characteristic probably developed gradually in answer to the daily rising and setting of the sun, to help protect the crab from sunlight and enemies. After millions of years it has become completely controlled inside the living body of the crab.
The biologists noticed that once each day the colour of the fiddler crab is especially dark, and that each day this happens fifty minutes later than on the day before. From this they discovered that each crab follows not only the rhythm of the sun but also that of the tides (潮水). The crab’s period of greatest darkening is exactly the time of low tide on the beach where it was caught!
40. The crab’s changing colour _______.
A. tells the crab what time it is
B. protects the crab from the sunlight and enemies
C. keeps the crab warm
D. is of no real use
41. When the fiddler crabs were kept in the dark, they _______.
A. did not change colour B. changed colour more quickly
C. changed colour more slowly D. changed colour on the same timetable
42. The crab’s colour—changing ability was probably developed _______.
A. in the process of evolution (进化) B. over millions of years
C. by the work of biologists D. both A and B
43. The best title for this selection would be _______.
A. The Sun and the Tides B. Discoveries in Biology
C. A scientific Study D. A Living Clock
第二部分阅读理解(共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分
A
Sam and Joe were astronauts. There was once a very dangerous trip and the more experienced astronauts knew there was only a small chance of coming back alive. Sam and Joe, however, thought it would be exciting though a little dangerous. “We’re the best men for the job,” they said to the boss. “There may be problems, but we can find the answers.” “They’re the last people I’d trust,” thought the boss. “But all the other astronauts have refused to go.”
Once they were in space, Joe had to go outside to make some repairs. When the repairs were done, he tried to get back inside the spaceship. But the door was locked. He knocked but there was no answer. He knocked again, louder this time, and again no answer came. Then he hit the door as hard as he could and finally a voice said, “Who’s there?” “It’s me! Who else could it be?” shouted Joe. Sam let him in all right but you can imagine that Joe never asked to go on a trip with Sam again!
36. Most of the astronauts were unwilling to go on a trip because _______.
A.there was little chance of being selected B.they weren’t experienced enough
C. they thought they might get killedD. it wasn’t exciting enough
37. Why were Sam and Joe chosen?
A. The boss wanted them to get more experience.
B. The boss trusted them more than anyone else.
C. They were the last people who wanted to go.
D. They were the only men who offered to go.
38 Joe didn’t want to work with Sam again probably because he thought Sam _______.
A. was very slow and possibly deaf B.didn’t know how to operate the door
C. was less experienced than he wasD. didn’t know how to do repairs
39. The writer tells this story to _______.
A. show the dangerous side of the astronauts’ life B. make people laugh
C. show the funny side of the astronauts’ life D. make people think
E
In the old days, children were familiar with birth and death as part of life. Now this is perhaps the first generation of American youngsters who have never been close by during of the birth a baby and have never experienced the death of a family member.
Nowadays when people grow old, we often send them to nursing homes. When they get sick, we send them to a hospital, where children are forbidden to visit patients— even when those patients are their parents. This deprives（剥夺）the dying patient of family members during the last few days of his life and it deprives the children of an experience of death, which is an important learning experience.
Some of my colleagues and I once interviewed and followed about 500 in order to find out what they could teach us and how we could be of more benefit, not just to them but to the members of their families as well. We were most impressed by the fact that even those patients who were not told of their serious illness were quite aware of its potential outcome.
It is important for family members, and doctors and nurses to understand these patients’ communication in order to truly understand their needs, fears and fantasies. Most of our patients welcomed another human being with whom they could talk openly, honestly, and frankly about their trouble. Many of them shared with us their reat need to be informed, to be kept up-to-date on their medical condition and to be told when the end was near. We found out that patients who had been dealt with openly and frankly were better able to deal with the coming of death and finally to reach a true stage of acceptance before death.
82.The elders of today's Americans________ .
A. are often absent when a family member is born or dying
B. usually see the birth or death of a family member
C. are unfamiliar with birth and death
D. have often experienced the fear of death as part of life
83.Children in America are deprived of the chance to________.
A. visit a patient at hospital B. visit their family members
C. look after the patients D. learn how to face death
84.The need of a dying patient for people to accompany him shows________.
A. his wish for communication with other people
B. his fear of death
C. his unwillingness to die
D. he feels very upset about his condition
85.It may be concluded from the passage that________.
A. dying patients should be truthfully informed of their condition
B. dying patients are afraid of being told of the coming of death
C. most patients are unable to accept death until it can’t be avoided
D. dying patients are not likely to be informed about their condition
D
Sydney—Mobile phone has become a problem for middle schools. Some middle schools in Australia have banned students from carrying mobile phones during school hours.
Mobile phone use among children has become a problem for the school this year. Several children have got mobile phones as Christmas gifts, and more students want them.
Mary Bluett, an official, said mobile phone use is a distraction (分心的事) to students during school hours and it also gives teachers so much trouble in their classrooms. Teachers were also saying that sometimes students might use phone messages to cheat during exams.
She said some schools had tried to ban mobile phones. Some parents felt unhappy because they couldn’t get in touch with their children.
Many teachers said students should not have mobile phones at school, but if there was a good reason, they could leave their phones at school offices. They also said there were many reasons why the students should not have mobile phones at school: they were easy to lose and were a distraction from studies.
Many people say that they understand why parents would want their children to have phones, but they think schools should let the students know when they can use their mobile phones.
78. We know from the passage that some children get mobile phones from .
A. the makers and sellers B. their parents and friends
C. some other strangers D. some mobile phone users
79. Some parents felt unhappy because they couldn’t_________during school hours.
A. use their mobile phones B. leave their mobile phones
C. help the teachers with their work D. get in touch with their children
80. The underlined word “they” in the fifth paragraph refers to_______.
A. mobile phones B. some messages
C. many teachers D. some students
81. The topic mainly talked about in the text is___________.
A. when the students of some Australian schools can use their mobile phones
B. why the students should not use mobile phones in some Australian schools
C. whether the Australian students can have mobile phones at school
D. how some parents feel when their children should not carry mobile phones