As the pace of life continues to increase, we are fast losing the art of relaxation. Once you are in the habit of rushing through life, being on the go from morning till night, it is hard to slow down. But relaxation is essential for a healthy mind and body.
Stress is a natural part of everyday life and there is no way to avoid it. In fact, it is not the bad thing it is often supposed to be. A certain amount of stress is vital to provide motivation and give purpose to life. It is only when the stress gets out of control that it can lead to poor performance and ill health．
The amount of stress a person can withstand depends very much on the individual. Some people are not afraid of stress, and such characters are obviously prime material for managerial responsibilities, others lose heart at the first sign of unusual difficulties. When exposed to stress, in whatever form, we react both chemically and physically. In fact we make choice between “flight or fight” and in more primitive days the choices made the difference between life or death. The crises we meet today are unlikely to be so extreme, but however little the stress, it involves the same response. It is when such a reaction lasts long, through continued exposure to stress, that health becomes endangered. Since we can't remove stress from our lives (it would be unwise to do so even if we could), we need to find ways to deal with it．People are finding less and less time for relaxing themselves because ________.
| A．they regard working as their greatest enjoyment |
| B．they believe that work is superior to relaxation |
| C．they are traveling fast all the time |
| D．they are becoming busier with their work than ever before |
According to the author, the most important character for a good manager is his________.
| A．strong will to hold out stress |
| B．knowing the art of relaxation |
| C．high sense of responsibility |
| D．having control over performance |
Which of the following statements is TRUE, according to the passage?
| A．We can find quite a few ways to avoid stress． |
| B．Stress is always harmful to people's health |
| C．It’s easy to change the habit of keeping oneself busy with work． |
| D．Different people can bear different amount of stress． |
In the last sentence of the passage, “do so” refers to ________.
| A．“expose ourselves to stress” |
| B．“find ways to deal with stress” |
| C．“remove stress from our lives” |
| D．“establish links between diseases and stress” |
Should you spend your money on a home security system? A look inside a burglar’s mind might help you decide.
1. Of course I look familiar. I was here just last week cleaning your carpets, painting your shutters, or delivering your new refrigerator.
2. Hey, thanks for letting me use the bathroom when I was working in your yard last week. While I was in your home, I unlatched the back window to make my return a little easier.
3. To you, leaving that window open just a crack during the day is a way to let in a little fresh air. To me, it’s an invitation which I am more than happy to accept.
4. If it snows while you’re out of town, get a neighbor to create car and foot tracks into the house, or it will be a dead giveaway. By the way, loud dogs and nosy neighbors are the two things I hate most.
5. It’s raining. You’re fumbling with your umbrella, and you forget to lock your door---understandable. But understand this: I don’t take a day off because of bad weather.
6. Do you really think I won’t look in your sock drawer? I always check dresser drawers, the bedside table, and the medicine cabinet. Here’s a helpful hint: I almost never go into kids’ rooms.
7. You’re right: I won’t have enough time to break into that safe where you keep your valuables. But if it’s not fastened, I’ll take it with me.
8. Avoid announcing your vacation on your Facebook.com page. It’s easier than you think to look up your address.Money and valuables might be the safest if kept in your______.
| A．kids’ room | B．sock drawer |
| C．medicine cabinet | D．safe |
The underlined words “a dead giveaway” here may probably be something that______.
| A．throws away useless things at home |
| B．warns a burglar that someone is dead |
| C．tells a burglar the truth |
| D．frightens a burglar away |
We can draw a conclusion from the text that______.
| A．burglars seldom steal in bad weather |
| B．if you do housework yourself, you’ll stay away from burglars |
| C．you yourself are sometimes to blame for a theft |
| D．you can always count on your neighbors when you are out |
The main purpose of the article is to _____.
| A．summarize when burglars steal most frequently |
| B．encourage people to spend money on home security systems |
| C．explain why burglars take up stealing |
| D．teach people how to protect their homes |
Once Dr. Mellinkoff invited me to join him at the hospital to discuss interesting cases with his students. The case at hand was a Guatemalan man, aged 34, who had a fever and many other medical problems. His condition was not improving, and there was not much hope he would live.
Dr. Mellinkoff asked to see the patient. He introduced himself in Spanish and, in a very gentle voice, asked how he felt. The patient smiled and said everything was all right. Then the doctor asked if he was able to eat. The patient said that he had no desire to eat.
“Are you getting food you like?”
The patient said nothing.
“Do you get the kind of food you have at home?”
The answer was no.
The doctor put his hand on the man’s shoulder and his voice was very soft.
“If, you had food that you liked, would you eat it?”
“Yes, yes.” the patient said.
The change in the patient’s appearance couldn’t have been more obvious. Nothing was said, but it was easy to tell that a message had been sent and had also been received.
Later, the doctor asked why the Guatemalan man wasn’t getting food he could eat. One of the students said, “We all know how difficult it is to get the kitchen to make special meals.”
“Suppose,” the doctor replied, “you felt a certain medicine was absolutely necessary but that our hospital didn’t carry it, would you accept defeat or would you insist the hospital meet your request?”
“I would probably insist,” the student said.
“Very well,” the doctor said. “You might want to try the same method in the kitchen. It won’t be easy, but I can help you. Meanwhile, let’s get some food inside this man as fast as possible, and stay with it. Or he’ll be killed by hunger. By the way, there must be someone among you who can speak Spanish. If we want to make real progress, we need to be able to talk with him. ”
Three weeks later, Dr. Mellinkoff told me that the Guatemalan man had left the hospital under his own power. It takes more than medicine to help sick people; you also have to talk to them and make them comfortable.The patient had no desire to eat because __________.
| A．he was not hungry |
| B．he was seriously ill |
| C．he was given special meals |
| D．he was not satisfied with the food |
According to the passage, we can conclude that __________.
| A．the patient was from another country. |
| B．the patient’s illness was caused by hunger |
| C．Dr. Mellinkoff performed an operation on the patient |
| D．the hospital failed to provide the right medicine for the patient |
Which of the following words can be used to describe Dr. Mellinkoff ?
| A．Cold. | B．Considerate. |
| C．Curious. | D．Confident. |
What do you think Dr. Mellinkoff wanted to tell his students in this case?
| A．Doctors should know their patients’ real problems. |
| B．Doctors should be able to speak foreign languages. |
| C．Doctors should try to improve their medical skills. |
| D．Doctors should give more medicine to patients. |
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中选出最佳选项。
Barack Obama，Lady Gaga and Steve Jobs－what do they have in common？They are，of course，all Americans. And according to a survey by social networking site badoo.com，they all best illustrate(举例说明)the word “cool”．
But just what does it mean to say someone is “cool”？ Most would answer that it is something to do with being independent-minded and not following the crowd.
Yale University art professor Robert Farris Thompson says that the term “cool” goes back to 15th century West African philosophy(哲学)．“Cool” relates to ideas of grace (优雅)under pressure.
“in Africa，”he writes，“coolness is a positive quality which combines calmness，silence，and life.”
The modern idea of “cool” developed largely in the US in the period after World War Ⅱ. “Postwar ‘cool' was in part an expression of warweariness...it went against the strict social rules of the time，”write sociologists Dick Pountain and David Robins in Cool Rules：Anatomy of an Attitude.
But it was the American actor James Dean who became the symbol for “cool” in the hugely successful 1955 movie Rebel Without a Cause. Dean plays a tough guy who disobeys his parents and the authorities. He always gets the girl，smokes cigarettes，wears a leather jacket and beats up bullies (欺凌弱小者)．In the movie，Dean showed what “cool” would mean to American young people for the next 60 years.
Today the focus of “cool” has changed to athletics stars. Often in movies about schools，students gain popularity on the athletics field more than in the classroom. This can be seen quite clearly in movies like Varsity Blues and John Tucker Must Die.
But many teenagers also think being smart is cool. Chess and other thinking games have been becoming more popular in schools.
“Call it the Harry Potterization of America－a time when being smart is the new cool，”writes journalist Joe Sunnen.Barack Obama，Lady Gaga and Steve Jobs are mentioned in the first paragraph to ________.
| A．introduce the topic |
| B．draw our attention |
| C．tell us what they have in common |
| D．tell us what is “cool” |
If you were considered “cool” in Africa in the 15th century，you________.
| A．thought and acted differently from the majority |
| B．had a calm and quiet attitude towards life |
| C．didn't observe rules and authorities |
| D．had all kinds of “bad” manners |
The heroes in Varsity Blues and John Tucker Must Die are likely to be those who ________.
| A．do very well in their studies |
| B．are very skilled at sports |
| C．are good at chess and other thinking games |
| D．have supernatural powers like Harry Potter |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the article?
| A．It is generally considered “cool” to be independent-minded and not to follow the crowd. |
| B．“Cool” was used as early as the 15th century. |
| C．Disobeying one's parents and the authorities is considered “cool” among American young people nowadays. |
| D．Getting the first place in an exam can also be considered “cool”． |
What does the article mainly talk about?
| A．The origin of the word “cool”． |
| B．The kinds of people who are “cool”． |
| C．The changing meaning of the word “cool”． |
| D．How to be a “cool” person. |
The website “FarmersOnly. com” calls itself an online dating and friendship finder. The idea started in the mind of a man，Jerry Miller in Ohio. He wondered how farmers could meet new people who understand the life of a farmer. Jerry Miller is not a farmer but he represents a lot of farmers.
As he tells it，the idea for the site was planted when a farmer told him one day that she was recently divorced and would like to date. But someone would invite her to meet for coffee at nine o'clock at night，when she had to start her day at five the next morning.
So，in 2005，Jerry Miller launched his website. “You don't have to be a farmer to be on ‘FarmersOnly. com’，but you do have to have the good old-fashioned traditional values of America's heartland.”
You also have to live in the United States or Canada to be a member of the site. Some services are free，but a full membership costs fifty dollars for a year. As of last week the site listed more than 58,000 members. Many of them are farmers in the United States. Others are students or workers involved in some way with agriculture. Jerry Miller tells us about thirty marriages in the last year have resulted from his website.
Some farmers have also found love through a group，Singles in Agriculture，which was formed as a nonprofit organization in 1986.It organizes gatherings that usually end with a dance，but is not a dating service. The purpose is to support educational and social activities that offer people a chance for friendship. Its website，“singlesinag.org”，says there are more than 1,000 members across the nation and as far away as France.Jerry Miller started “FarmersOnly.com” in order to ________.
| A．help farmers |
| B．support traditions |
| C．understand farmers |
| D．represent farmers |
Which of the following is true of “singlesinag.org”？
| A．Its services are free. |
| B．It provides dating services. |
| C．Only farmers can become its members. |
| D．Farmers in France can't benefit from it. |
The author of the text intends to ________.
| A．advertise for the two websites |
| B．introduce two websites |
| C．encourage social activities |
| D．urge readers to help farmers |
It can be inferred from the text that ________.
| A．all farmers desire marriage |
| B．farmers are easy to meet new people |
| C．more farmers get divorced in the USA |
| D．the Internet helps improve farmers' social life |
Why do human beings still risk their lives under ground and doing one of the dirtiest and most dangerous jobs in the world？A small group of engineers and robotics experts envision(展望) a day in the not-too-distant future when robots and other technology do most of the dangerous mining work.
One of the first mining robots was developed five years ago at Carnegie Mellon University's Robotics Institute. It was called Groundhog and it looked like a golf cart. It used lasers(激光) to “see” in dark tunnels and map abandoned mines－some of the most dangerous work in the business.
The latest prototype is called Cave Crawler. It's a bit smaller than Groundhog，and even more advanced. It can take photos and videos and has sensors that can detect the presence of dangerous gases. Incredibly，the robot has a real sense of logic. If it comes across an obstacle it gets momentarily confused. It has to think about what to do and where to go next. Sometimes it throws_a_fit just like a real person.
Myles and his colleagues hope that robots like Cave Crawler will one day be used in rescue operations. “A robot could speed up the rescue process by doing reconnaissance(侦察)，” says Chuck Whittaker，a robotics engineer at Carnegie Mellon. “The robot can go ahead and，with its sensors，report what it has found and whether it is safe for humans to proceed.”
Using robots in rescue operations，though，is problematic. The lasers that guide the robots don't work in smoky environments so the engineers at Carnegie Mellon have experimented with sonar(声呐)and radar guidance systems，and with some success.
Some experts predict that robots in mines will serve much of the same function that they do in the automotive industry. The robots do the most repetitive and dangerous jobs，but won't get rid of the need for human workers.The underlined phrase “throws a fit” in Paragraph 3 probably means ______.
| A．gets angry |
| B．gets shocked |
| C．becomes confused |
| D．becomes cheerful |
The latest robot is more advanced than Groundhog mainly because ________.
| A．it can map abandoned mines |
| B．it can see in the dark tunnels |
| C．it's smaller than Groundhog |
| D．it has a real sense of logic |
We can infer from the last paragraph that ________.
| A．the mining robots will have a very bright future |
| B．robots in the automotive industry must be improved |
| C．there will be no need for human workers in mines |
| D．robots in mines will cost a lot |
What can guide the robots in smoky environments?
| A．The lasers. |
| B．Sonar and radar guidance systems. |
| C．Command guidance systems. |
| D．Image matching guidance systems. |