I was being interviewed by a senior manager for a big company, I told him honestly that the principal reason that I was interviewing with them was my need to keep my family in Boston. My wife had recently died of a heart attack. A job in Boston would help me reduce some pain for my 16-year-old daughter and me. It was important to me to keep her present high school.
Bruce, the interviewer, was politely kind, but he didn’t search any further. He acknowledged(承认) my loss and, with great respect, moved on to another subject. After the next round of interviews, Bruce took me to lunch with another manager. Then he asked me to take a walk with him. He told me that he had lost his wife. And, like me, he had also been married 20 years and had 3 children. I realized that he had experienced the same pain as I had and it was almost impossible to explain to someone who had not lost a loved one. He offered his business card and home phone number and suggested that, should I need help or just want someone to talk to, I should feel free to give him a call. Whether I got the job or not, he wanted me to know that he was there if I ever needed help.
From that one act of kindness, when he had no idea if we could ever see each other again, he helped our family deal with one of life’s greatest losses. He turned the normally cold business interview process into an act of caring and supporting for another person in a time of extreme need.According to the passage, the interviewer, Bruce, was very _______.
| A．generous | B．kind | C．happy | D．mean |
The underlined word "principal" in the first paragraph probably means _____.
| A．main | B．unimportant | C．necessary | D．possible |
Which of the following statement is NOT true?
| A．The writer’s daughter was studying in Boston at that time. |
| B．Both the writer and the interviewer experienced the same pain. |
| C．Bruce was a senior manager of a big firm. |
| D．Bruce wanted to make friends with him because he gave him his business card and home phone number. |
What makes a gift special? Is it the price you see on the gift receipt? Or is it the look on the recipient's face when they receive it that determines the true value? What gift is worth the most?
This Christmas I was debating what to give my father. My dad is a hard person to buy for because he never wants anything. I pulled out my phone to read a text message from my mom saying that we were leaving for Christmas shopping for him when I came across a message on my phone that I had locked. The message was from my father. My eyes fell on a photo of a flower taken in Wyoming. and underneath a poem by William Blake. The flower, a lone dandelion standing against the bright blue sky, inspired me. My dad had been reciting those words to me since I was a kid. That may even be the reason why I love writing. I decided that those words would be my gift to my father.
I called back. I told my mom to go without me and that I already created my gift. I sent the photo of the cream-colored flower to my computer and typed the poem on top of it. As I was arranging the details another poem came to mind. The poem was written by Edgar Allan Poe; my dad recited it as much as he did the other. I typed that out as well and searched online for a background to the words of it. The poem was focused around dreaming, and after searching I found the perfect picture. The image was painted with blues and greens and purples, twisting together to create the theme and wonder of a dream. As I watched both poems passing through the printer, the white paper coloring with words that shaped my childhood.， I felt that this was a gift that my father would truly appreciate.
Christmas soon arrived. The minute I saw the look on my dad's face as he unwrapped those swirling black letters carefully placed in a cheap frame, I knew I had given the perfect gift.The idea for a special gift began to form when the author was______.
| A．doing shopping | B．having a debate |
| C．reading a message | D．leaving for Wyoming |
The author's inspiration for the gift came from_____.
| A．a photo of a flower | B．a story about a kid |
| C．a call from the mother | D．a text about Christmas |
The underlined word "it" in Paragraph 3 refers to a poem by_____.
| A．the father | B．the author |
| C．William Blake | D．Edgar Allan Poe |
What is the main purpose of the passage?
| A．To show how to design images for gifts. |
| B．To suggest making gifts from one’s heart |
| C．To explain how computers help creat gifts. |
| D．To describe the gifts the author has received |
For kids and many adults, a San Diego vacation means theme parks and other attractions. Before heading to a park, call or check its website for updated hours of operation; many parks have seasonal or holiday hours. Ticket prices listed here are for general admission, single-day use only.
Sea World San Diego
A 6-minute ride called Journey to Atlantis, which is to open in late May, tells the legend of the island nation. After the ride of Greek fishing boats, folks can visit a new exhibit of dolphins, which have not been on display at the park since 1998.
DETAILS: General admission is $46.95 for adults, $37.95 for children aged 3-9, free for children 2 and younger. 1-800-380-3230 or www.seaworld.
San Diego Zoo
There’s not much in the way of new attractions. The zoo has a baby panda, Mei Sheng. Nighttime Zoo, a program popular with families, starts June 26.
DETAILS: General admission is $21 for adults, $14 for children aged 3-11, free for children 2 and younger. 1-(619)-234-3153 or www.sandiegozoo,org.
Maritime (海的) Museum of San Diego
The HMS Surprise, the 18th-century British warship featured in the film Master and Commander, is on exhibit through Nov. 30.
DETAILS: The ship is in use for tours from 9 am to 8 pm daily. Admission is $8 for adults, $6 for seniors and children aged 13-17, $5 for kids aged 6-12, and free for kids 5 and younger. 1-(619)-234-9153 or www.sdmaritime.org.
Old Town Trolley Tours
Visiting relatives or friends in San Diego? They can get a hometown pass and ride for free with your paid admission.
DETAILS: The main ticket booth (售票厅) is in Old Town at 4010 Twiggs. Hours are from 9 am to 5 pm, daily $25. www.historictours/sandiego.The purpose of this passage is to _____.
| A．warn | B．amuse | C．persuade | D．guide |
If you want to enjoy the performance of dolphins, you should go to _____.
| A．Sea World San Diego | B．San Diego Zoo |
| C．Maritime Museum of San Diego | D．Old Town Trolley Tours |
If a couple visits San Diego Zoo with their children, one aged 3 and the other 2, the admission will be _____.
| A．$ 35 | B．$ 49 | C．$ 56 | D．$ 70 |
Let children learn to judge their own work. A child learning to talk does not learn by being corrected all the time; _________________, he will stop talking. He notices a thousand times a day the difference between the language he uses and the language those around him use. Bit by bit, he makes the necessary changes to make his language like other people’s. In the same way children, learning to do all the other things without being taught to walk, run, climb, whistle, ride a bicycle, compare their own performances（表现）with those of more skilled people, and slowly make the needed changes. But in school we never give a child a chance to find out his mistakes for himself, let alone correct them. We do it all for him. We act as if we thought that he would never notice a mistake unless it was pointed out to him, or correct it unless he was made to. Soon he became dependent on the teacher.
Why should we teachers waste time on such tiring work? Our job should be to help the child when he tells us that he can’t find the way to get the right answer. Let’s end all this nonsense（荒谬的）of grades, exams and marks. Let us throw them all out, and let the children learn what all educated persons must someday learn, how to measure their own understanding, how to know what they know or do not know.
We should, of course, offer help to them just as they ask for it. The idea that there is a body of knowledge to be learnt at school and used for the rest of one’s life is nonsense in a world as complicated（复杂的）and rapidly changing as ours. Don’t worry! If something is basic, they will go out into the world and learn it. What is the main idea of the passage? (No more than 8 words.)
_____________________________________________________________________________Which sentence in the passage can be replaced by the following one?
Teachers seem to think that a child can’t find out a mistake or correct it without their help.
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________Please fill in the blank in the first paragraph with proper words or phrases to complete the sentence.
(No more than 10 words.)
_____________________________________________________________________________According to the passage, what should a teacher do? (No more than 15 words.)
A teacher should ______________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________What is the author’s attitude towards grades, exams and marks at school?
(No more than 5 words.)
The author thinks _____________________________________________________________
“Find a job you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life.” Do you agree with this old saying? Joanne Gordon does. She is the author of Be Happy at work and other books about careers(职业). Gordon believes that about 30% of employees in North America do not like their jobs, and she thinks that is terrible. She wants to help people who do not feel satisfied with their jobs find work that is good for them. Joanne says, “There are no happy jobs, only happy workers.” She believes that happy workers share three main characteristics（特点）.
First, happy workers enjoy the daily activities of their jobs, and they look forward to the workday. Take Tony Hawk, for example. At age 14, he became a professional skateboarder. Now he is a businessman working on projects related to skateboarding—films and video games, but he still skates every day. He once said, “My youngest son’s pre-school was recently asked what their dads do for work. My son said, ‘I’ve never seen my dad do work.’” Tony agrees that his job doesn’t look like work. He has found a way to spend each day doing a job he enjoys.
Second, happy workers like the people they work with. Sally Ayote says, “I work with the coolest people in the world.” She and her group cook for almost 1,200 people in Antarctica. Most of these people are scientists who are doing research. Sally loves to sit and talk with them. She says, “There is no television here, no radio, so I get to know the scientists and what they’re studying.” Sally thinks she has a great job, and the best part about it is the people.
Third, happy workers know that their work helps others. Caroline Baron’s work helps people who have had to leave their home countries because of war or other dangers. She is a filmmaker who started an organization called FilmAid, which shows movies in refugee(难民) camps around the world. Caroline believes that movies can be very helpful in these camps. For one thing, entertaining movies let refugees forget their troubles for a little while. Movies can also teach important subjects like health and safety. For example, in one camp, thousands of refugees saw a movie about how to get clean water. Caroline knows that is helping other people, and this makes her feel proud and happy about her work.
Tony Hawk, Sally Ayote, and Caroline Baron all get great satisfaction from their work. Tony Hawk says, “Find the thing you love. If you are doing what you love, there is much more happiness there than being rich or famous.” Joanne Gordon would agree. She encourages people to find something they enjoy doing, find people they like to work with, and find ways to help others. Then they can be proud of what they do, and they will probably be happy at work.Who is the book, Be Happy at Work, written for?
| A．Joanne Gordon herself. |
| B．Tony Hawk, Sally Ayote, and Caroline Baron. |
| C．People who do not feel satisfied（满意的）with their jobs. |
| D．The workers who agree with the author’s ideas. |
Why did Tony Hawk’s son say, “I’ve never seen my dad do work.”?
| A．Because Tony Hawk’s job doesn’t look like work. |
| B．Because Tony Hawk always finds something enjoyable in his job. |
| C．Because Tony helps people forget their troubles while skating. |
| D．Because the best part about his job is to spend each day skating. |
Tony Hawk, Sally Ayote, and Caroline Baron are good examples that show us __________.
| A．how to be a successful businessman |
| B．how to help people in difficulties |
| C．how to get along with the coolest people |
| D．how to become a happy worker |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Some people believe that only a few kinds of jobs can really make people feel happy. |
| B．The writer of the passage tells us that many different kinds of work can be enjoyable. |
| C．The author of Be Happy at Work thinks that happiness at work is really important. |
| D．Joanne Gordon believes that people will probably be happy at work when they are proud of what they do. |
If you want to attend the hottest events of 2014, don’t waste your time looking through dozens of hotel options（选择）or vacation packages. Instead, look to cruise ships（坐航游）that can ferry you to and from the most expected holiday, sporting, and cultural events of the year.
Here’s a look at the some of the most popular:
Australian Open in Melbourne (January 13–26, 2014)
Tennis fans worldwide are eager for the tickets to matches at any one of the four annual Grand Slam events: the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and the U.S. Open. In January 2014, luxury cruise line Silversea will offer fans a three-night pre-cruise package to the 109th Australian Open in Melbourne. Silversea passengers will attend third round singles matches at Rod Laver Arena on January 17 and 18 before taking the 382-passenger Silver Shadow for a special 15-night Melbourne to Bali voyage.
Carnival in Rio de Janeiro (February 28–March 4, 2014)
Rio de Janeiro’s Carnival is one of the most popular celebrations of its kind in the world, drawing two million visitors each and every day of the festivities that include parades, street fairs, and costume balls. Holland America’s Maasdam will spend three days in Rio during Carnival as part of its 26-day Amazon & Carnival Explorer journey.
2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil (June 12–July 13, 2014)
If you’re a soccer fan that came up empty in the search for a hotel room for the 2014 FIFA World Cup finals in Rio de Janeiro, there’s still hope. Book MSC Cruises’ 18-night Miami to Rio voyage aboard Divina. The ship departs Miami on May 24 and arrives in Rio just in time for the World Cup.
New Year’s Eve in Hong Kong (December 31, 2014)
Hong Kong is a magical destination（目的地）and New Year’s Eve festivities and fireworks pull out all the stops to make a holiday trip to that city even more attractive. Crystal Cruises’ all-inclusive luxury ship, Symphony, will spend two nights in Hong Kong-- and celebrate New Year’s Eve Chinese-style—during its 15-night holiday voyage that leaves Bangkok on December 21. This roundtrip voyage also calls on Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi in Vietnam.According to the passage, which of the following ships will take the longest time of voyage?
| A．Silver Shadow. | B．Maasdam. | C．Divina. | D．Symphony. |
The events that will take place in Rio de Janeiro in 2014 are ___________.
| A．Carnival and FIFA World Cup |
| B．New Year’s Eve fireworks and Carnival |
| C．the Australian Open and Grand Slam events |
| D．New Year's Eve fireworks and FIFA |
Where does this passage probably come from?
| A．In a sports magazine. | B．In a textbook. |
| C．In a science report. | D．In a travel brochure. |
The main purpose of the passage is to ___________.
| A．give information about the hottest events of 2014 |
| B．introduce cruise ships to some big events of 2014 |
| C．describe the most popular tourist destinations in 2014 |
| D．persuade readers to take cruise ships for 2014 holiday |