There is a wide and deep choice of a career. Whether he’s a hand in construction or sitting behind the desk working on a computer, everyone has some ideas of what is an attractive career. However, making a career choice is not simply a matter of following a dream; for most people it means a lot of research and soul searching. Choosing the right career becomes one of the most important decisions of an individual’s life.
It used to be that one followed in the footsteps of their father or grandfather or took over the family’s business when it came to making a career choice. These days, a career path can start anywhere and then veer off into something totally different.
Career choices must be realistic and well thought out. It is not uncommon for persons to start a career path and realize they have made a terrible mistake, feeling as if it may be too late to turn around. Not only does a career choice concern your strongest skills and interest, it is also something that you will be doing continuously to bring in income. This is why a career choice can be such a personal decision. Formerly it used to be unusual for someone to change occupations or careers more than once or twice in a lifetime; it is now even more unusual to keep the same career during someone’s working life.
There are a great many measures in helping one choose the right profession. A number of websites offering tools such as career tests and information, educational resources, resume services and the kind can be found. It is important for one to research one’s career in this changing economy situation, and choose the best from several related career choices.According to the author choosing the right career _________.
A.is not difficult at all | B.needs a lot of dreams |
C.is an interesting thing | D.needs a lot of thoughts |
The underlined phrase “veer off” in the second paragraph probably means _________.
A.set out to do the same job | B.change the former course |
C.compare two different things | D.dream of getting an easy job |
Nowadays it is common for one to _________.
A.change his job often | B.do the same job all his life |
C.find a few good jobs at a time | D.live without a job for many years |
All of the following are the tools on profession offered by websites EXCEPT _________.
A.tests and information | B.training courses |
C.employer’s phone numbers | D.instructions on resume |
Beginning college is exciting: new ideas to explore, new challenges to be met and many decisions to be made; your future begins here.
However, you will find college life is different from your previous school environment. Many of us can be easily defeated by the details of running a well-balanced life. While some of us may have the know-how, I guess there are more of us who can benefit from learning about the experiences of others who have walked the college halls before you.
The following you may find useful about life on campus:
• Plan well. There are so many new things to do at a new college or university. Give yourself time to make new friends and became familiar with the campus, but don’t forget why you are there. Give some time for social activities and manage your time wisely.
• If you don’t have a “system” for planning your time now (like a day timer, a computer data book), get one. Most of all, don’t depend on your memory.
• Don’t miss the guidelines. The restrictions, rules and regulations of all kinds can usually be found in your student’s handbook. Consider them well-balanced food for thought. What dates are important? What pieces of paper need to be handed in? What can / can’t you do in your student residence(住处)? Who has the right for what? What do you need to complete to graduate?
• Write the word “STUDY” on the walls of your bedroom and bathroom, and maybe it will help to write it on a piece of paper and stick it on the telephone, TV and the kitchen table. Consider this — you are paying thousands of dollars for your course. You pay every time you have to repeat or replace a course.
• Build your identity. This is the time for you to decide what to do and what not to do. Take as much time as you need to explore new ideas. Do not be afraid of the beyond. This is learning to make good choices.What is the main purpose of the passage?
A.To offer advice on college life. |
B.To explain why college life is exciting. |
C.To describe the importance of college life. |
D.To persuade you to go to college. |
According to the passage, why is it exciting to begin college life?
A.Because you will have more freedom at college. |
B.Because you will no longer be afraid of the beyond. |
C.Because you prepare for your future career and life there. |
D.Because professors there will provide you with many new ideas. |
The underlined word “know-how” refers to _________.
A.an understanding of college communities |
B.practical knowledge concerning college life |
C.college halls where rules and regulations are presented |
D.an environment completely different from the one you’re used to |
According to the passage, college students _________.
A.needn’t learn from those who went to college before them |
B.should spend as much time as possible on social activities |
C.should know what they have rights for on campus |
D.are supposed to repeat or replace at least one course |
An 80-year-old man was sitting on the sofa in his house along with his 45-year-old highly educated son. Suddenly a crow(乌鸦) rested on their window.
The father asked his son, “What is this?”
The son replied “It is a crow.”
After a few seconds the father asked his son the second time, “What is this?”
The son said, “Father, I just now told you; it is a crow.”
After a little while, the old man again asked his son the third time, “What is this?”
At this time some expression of anger was felt in the son’s tone when he said to his father, “It is a crow, a crow.”
A little later, the father again asked his son the fourth time, “What is it?”
This time the son shouted at his father, “Why do you keep asking me the same question again and again? Although I have told you so many times? It is a crow. Are you not able to understand this?”
A little later the father went to his room and came back with an old diary which he had kept since his son was born. On opening a page, he asked his son to read that page. The following words were written in it:
Today my little son aged three was sitting with me on the sofa. When a crow was sitting on the window, my son asked me 23 times what it was, and I replied to him all 23 times that it was a crow. I hugged him lovingly each time he asked me the same question again and again for 23 times. I did not at all feel angered. I rather felt affection for my innocent(单纯的) child.
So ……
If your parents reach old age, do not look at them as a burden, but be kind to them. Be considerate to your parents.How many times did the father asked his son the same question?
A.Twice. | B.Three times. |
C.Tour times. | D.Twenty-three times. |
What was written in the diary mainly shows_________.
A.the son’s foolishness | B.the father’s loneliness |
C.the father’s love for his son | D.the son’s curiosity |
After reading the diary, the son most probably felt_________.
A.very disappointed | B.even angrier |
C.rather happy | D.deeply ashamed |
What lesson should we learn from the passage?
A.We should be considerate to our parents. |
B.It’s important to be a great father. |
C.We should form the habit of keeping a diary. |
D.Old diaries have extraordinary values. |
The morning had been a disaster. My tooth was aching, and I’d been in an argument with a friend. Her words still hurt: “The trouble with you is that you won’t put yourself in my place. Can’t you see things from my point of view?” I shook my head stubbornly(固执地)and felt the ache in my tooth. I’d thought I could hold out till my dentist came back from holiday, but the pain was really unbearable. I started calling the dentists in the phone book, but no one could see me immediately. Finally, at about lunchtime, I got lucky.
“If you come by right now,” the receptionist said, “the dentist will fit you in.”
I took my purse and keys and rushed to my car. But suddenly I began to doubt about the dentist. What kind of dentist would be so eager to treat someone at such short notice? Why wasn’t he as busy as the others?
In the dentist’s office, I sat down and looked around. I saw nothing but the bare walls and I became even more worried. The assistant noticed my nervousness and placed her warm hand over my ice-cold one.
When I told her my fears, she laughed and said, “Don’t worry. The dentist is very good.”
“How long do I have to wait for him?” I asked impatiently.
“Come on, he is coming. Just lie down and relax. And enjoy the artwork,” the assistant said.
“The artwork?” I was puzzled.
The chair went back. Suddenly I smiled. There was a beautiful picture, right where I could enjoy it: on the ceiling. How considerate the dentist was! At that moment, I began to understand what my friend meant by her words.
What a relief!Which of the following best describes the author’s feeling that morning?
A.Upset. | B.Nervous. | C.Satisfied. | D.Cheerful. |
What made the author begin to doubt about the dentist?
A.The laughing assistant of the dentist. |
B.The dentist’s being as busy as the other dentists. |
C.The surroundings of the dentist’s office. |
D.The dentist’s agreeing to treat her at very short notice. |
What did the author learn from her experience most probably?
A.Strike while the iron is hot. |
B.Put oneself in others’ shoes. |
C.Have a good word for one’s friend. |
D.A friend in need is a friend indeed. |
When a starving man gets a meal, he begins to think about an overcoat; when an executive gets a new sports car, visions of country clubs and pleasure beats dance into view.
The many wants of mankind might be regarded as making up several levels. .
The first and most basic level of wants involves food. Once this want is satisfied, a second level of wants appears: clothing and some sort of shelter. By the end of World War II these wants were satisfied for a great majority of Americans. It included such items as automobiles and new houses.
By 1957 or 1958 this third level of wants was fairly well satisfied. Then, in the late 1950s a fourth level of wants appeared: the “life-enriching” level. While the other levels involve physical satisfaction-the feeding, comfort, safety, and transportation of the human body-this level stresses mental needs for recognition, achievement and happiness. It includes a variety of goods and services, many of which could be called “luxury” items. Among them are vacation trips, the best medical care, and entertainment.
On this level, a greater percentage of consumer spending goes to services, while on the first three levels more is spent on goods. Will consumers raise their sights to a fifth level of wants as their income increases, or will they continue to demand luxuries and personal services on the fourth level?
A fifth level probably would involve wants that can be achieved best by community action. Consumers may be spending more on taxes to pay for government action against disease, ignorance, crime and prejudice. In this way, we can enjoy more fully the good things on the first four levels.
A.Then a third level appeared. |
B.Human wants seem endless. |
C.When there is money enough to satisfy one level of wants, another level appears. |
D.There are several levels of wants in one’s life. |
E. At this stage, we now may seek to ensure the health, safety, and leisure.
F. Also included here are fancy foods and the latest styles in clothing.
G. Different people have different wants on each level.
What will power your house in the future?Nuclear,wind,or solar power?According to scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the US,it might be leaves — but artificial (人造的) ones.
Natural leaves are able to change sunlight and water into energy. It is known as photosynthesis (光合作用).Now researchers have found a way to imitate this seemingly simple process.
The artificial leaf developed by Daniel Nocera and his colleagues at MIT can be seen as a special silicon chip with catalysts (催化剂).Similar to natural leaves,it can split water into hydrogen and oxygen when put into a bucket of water. The hydrogen and oxygen gases are then stored in a fuel cell,which uses those two materials to produce electricity,located either on top of a house or beside the house.
Though the leaf is only about the shape of a poker card,scientists claimed that it is promising to be an inexpensive source of electricity in developing countries. “One can imagine villages in India and Africa not long from now purchasing an affordable basic power system based on this technology,” said Nocera at a conference of the American Chemical Society.
The artificial leaf is not a new idea. The first artificial leaf was invented in 1997 but was too expensive and unstable for practical use. The new leaf,by contrast,is made of cheap materials,easy to use and highly stable. In laboratory studies,Nocera showed that an artificial leaf prototype (原型) could operate continuously for at least 45 hours without a drop in activity.
The wonderful improvements come from Nocera's recent discovery of several powerful,new and inexpensive catalysts. These catalysts make the energy transformation inside the leaf more efficient with water and sunlight. Right now,the new leaf is about 10 times more efficient at carrying out photosynthesis than a natural one. Besides,the device can run in whatever water is available;that is,it doesn't need pure water. This is important for some countries that don't have access to pure water.
With the goal to “make each home its own power station” and “give energy to the poor”,scientists believe that the new technology could be widely used in developing countries,especially in India and rural China.Which of the following orders correctly shows how the artificial leaf is used to produce electricity?
a.artificial leaves split water into hydrogen and oxygen
b.the hydrogen and oxygen gases are stored in a fuel cell
c.the artificial leaves are put in water
d.the fuel cell uses hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity
A.c,a,b,d | B.c,b,a,d |
C.b,c,a,d | D.c,a,d,b |
The purpose of the scientists at MIT in developing the new artificial leaf is to________.
A.build up more power stations in the world |
B.provide cheaper energy for developing countries |
C.offer people in developing countries access to pure water |
D.gain a deeper understanding of the photosynthesis process |
The main idea of this passage is ________.
A.an introduction to the history of artificial leaves |
B.a mixture of water power and solar energy |
C.giving energy to the poor |
D.an invention copying photosynthesis |