In modern society there is a great deal of argument about competition.Some value it highly, believing that it is responsible for social progress and prosperity.Others say that competition is bad, that it sets one person against another, that it leads to unfriendly relationship between people.
I have taught many children who held the belief that their self-worth relied on how well they performed at tennis and other skills.For them, playing well and winning are often, life-and-death affairs.In their single-minded pursuit of success, the development of many other human qualities is sadly forgotten.
However, while some seem to be lost in the desire to succeed, others take an opposite attitude.In a culture which values only the winner and pays no attention to the ordinary players, they strongly blame competition.Among the most vocal are youngsters who have suffered under competitive pressures from their parents or society.Teaching these young people, I often observe in them a desire to fail.They seem to seek failure by not trying to win or achieve success.By not trying, they always have an excuse: "I may have lost, but it doesn't matter because I really didn't try."What is not usually admitted by themselves is the belief that if they had really tried and lost, that would mean a lot.Such a loss would be a measure of their worth. Clearly, this belief is the same as that of the true competitors who try to prove themselves.Both are based on the mistaken belief that one's self-respect relies on how well one performs in comparison with others.Both are afraid of not being valued.Only as this basic and often troublesome fear begins to dissolve (缓解) can we discover a new meaning in competition .What does this passage mainly talk about?
A.Competition helps to set up self-respect. |
B.Opinions about competition are different among people. |
C.Competition is harmful to personal quality development. |
D.Failures are necessary experiences in competition. |
Why do some people favor competition according to the passage?
A.It builds up a sense of duty. |
B.It pushes society forward. |
C.It improves personal abilities. |
D.It encourages individual efforts. |
The underlined phrase "the most vocal" in Paragraph 3 means ____.
A.those who try their best to win |
B.those who value competition most highly |
C.those who are against competition most strongly |
D.those who rely on others most for success |
What is the similar belief of the true competitors and those with a "desire to fail"?
A.One's worth lies in his performance compared with others'. |
B.One's success in competition needs great efforts. |
C.One's achievement is determined by his particular skills. |
D.One's success is based on how hard he has tried. |
Which point of view may the author agree to?
A.Every effort should be paid back. |
B.Competition should be encouraged. |
C.Winning should be a life-and-death matter. |
D.Fear of failure should be removed in competition. |
The global financial crisis is likely to cause increased mental health problems as people struggle to deal with poverty and unemployment, the World Health Organization warned Thursday.
Hundreds of millions of people worldwide are already affected by mental problems such as depression and bipolar disorders (带躁狂的抑郁症) and the current market meltdown (崩溃) could worsen feelings of despair among people who can't stand such illnesses.
The United Nations agency said the impact could be especially marked for those living in low and middle income countries where access to treatment is often limited.
"We should not be surprised at the turbulence (动荡) and likely consequences of the current financial crisis.Now we are seeing a huge gap in taking care of people in great need," WHO director general Margaret Chan told at a meeting of mental health experts.
"It should not come as a surprise that we continue to see more stresses, suicides and mental disorders," Chan warned.
Benedetto Saraceno, director of WHO's mental health, said mental health disorders affected one in four people at some point in their lives.
Mental and neurological disorders are often chronic (慢性) and disabling, he said.Nearly 1 million people commit suicide worldwide every year, a large part of them are young adults.
Asked about the financial crisis, Saraceno said, "Poverty can be the consequence of such events, the debts, despair and sense of loss that may reach middle and lower classes.Even the poor can be affected by this crisis."
"There is clear evidence that suicide is linked to financial disasters.I am not talking about the millionaire's jumping out of the window but about poor people," he said.The global crisis could be expected to affect the "stability of communities and families", according to Saraceno.
60.According to the passage, the chief result of the worldwide financial crisis is that.
A.more people will be poorer
B.more people will be out of jobs
C.more people will suffer from mental problems
D.more people will commit suicide
61.The United Nations agency worried that.
A.more rich people would commit suicide
B.the financial crisis might especially influence developing or underdeveloped countries
C.the current market meltdown could worsen feelings of despair
D.hundreds of millions of people in the world were already affected by mental problems
62.It can be inferred that.
A.far more work should be done to help those who are mentally ill
B.it will be surprising to see more people commit suicide
C.a mental disorder is a chronic disease
D.many more young adults commit suicide worldwide than people of other ages
63.The best title for the passage is.
A.Global Financial Crisis.
B.Mental Disorders Resulting From Global Financial Crisis.
C.Suicides as a Result of Market Meltdown.
D.Chronic Mental Disorders.
第三部分:阅读理解(共20小题;每小题2分,满分40分)
阅读下列短文,从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中,选出最佳选项。
“Dad! He took a book without paying!” I yelled .
My father looked surprised. Before the boy could say anything, his mother grabbed his arm and shook it. “Is it true? You stole? Tell me!”
Everyone was quiet. The boy began to cry, and he nodded his head. He pulled out the comic book (漫画书) from under his shirt.
“Oh, Mr. Kim. I am sorry! My Ted made a big mistake!” Mrs. Diaz told my father. She tried to take the comic book, but Ted wouldn’t let go.
“It’s OK. He can keep it,” my father said with a smile.
“Oh no,” Mrs. Diaz said. “Let me pay right now ...” She dug in her purse. “How much?”
“Three seventy-five.”
Mrs. Diaz’s eyes widened, and she dug deeper. I saw her mouth make a small line. “Three seventy-five?” she asked.
“It’s OK. You can pay later,” my father said.
“No,” Mrs. Diaz said. She kept looking in her purse. “I have money here.”
I felt bad for yelling, for I realized that Ted had tried to steal the comic book because he didn’t have the money. Maybe the boy could have a job, I thought.
I had an idea.
“What if he worked with me?” I asked. They turned to me.
I said, “He can work with me to pay for the comic book.”
“Good,” my father said smiling at me. Mrs. Diaz nodded. She turned to her son, “You hear? You will work and buy the comic book!”
“Yes, Mama,” Ted said, hanging his head.
As they left, Ted looked back, and though he still seemed sad, he stuck out (伸出) his tongue at me.
Ted has been working here for two weeks. He has paid for the comic book, but my father says he is such a good worker that he can work with me as long as he wants. We are friends now.
56. Where did the story most probably take place?
A. In a classroom. B. In a supermarket.
C. At a bookstore. D. At a library.
57. By saying “but Ted wouldn’t let go” in Paragraph 4, the author means Ted ______.
A. took the book by mistake B. wanted to keep the book
C. didn’t want to go home D. didn’t think he was wrong
58. From the underlined sentences in the eighth paragraph, we may infer that Mrs. Diaz ______.
A. didn’t think her son stole the book
B. had been out of work for a long time
C. forgot to take money with her that day
D. couldn’t afford to pay for the book
59. In the last paragraph, what does the author mainly tell?
A. His idea was successful. B. Ted didn’t like the job.
C. He liked Ted very much. D. Ted was a naughty boy.
A water bearer in India had two large pots, each hung on each end of a pole which he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack(裂缝) in it, and while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water at the end of the long walk from the stream to the master’s house, the cracked pot arrived only half full.
This went on daily. The perfect pot was proud of its accomplishment. Of course, the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection. After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream.
“I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologise to you.”
“Why?” asked the bearer. “What are you ashamed of?”
“I have been able, for these past two years, to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back. And you do no get full value for your efforts” the pot explained.
The water bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot, and in his compassion he said, “As we return to the master’s house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path.”
As they went up the hill, the cracked pot took notice of the sun warming the beautiful wild flowers on the side of the path, and this cheered it a little.
The bearer said, “Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of the path, but not on the other pot’s side?” That is because I have known about you, and I took advantage of it. I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walked back from the stream, you have watered them. For two years, I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my master’s table. Without you being just the way you are, he would not have this beauty to grace his house.”Why did the cracked pot feel ashamed?
A.Because it didn’t hold water. |
B.Because the water bearer didn’t like it. |
C.It couldn’t water the flowers well. |
D.Because it could only accomplish half of its load. |
How would the cracked pot feel at the end of the story?
A.Delighted with itself. | B.Disappointed with itself. |
C.Prouder than the other pot. | D.Still ashamed of itself. |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A.There were flowers on both sides of the path. |
B.The cracked pot was more useful than the perfect one. |
C.We sometimes don’t have to mind too much the way we are. |
D.The water bearer preferred the perfect pot to the cracked one. |
Your chair is your enemy. That is the conclusion of several recent studies. Among people who sit in front of the television for more than three hours each day, those who exercise are as fat as those who don’t.
So what’s wrong with sitting? The answer seems to have two parts. The first is that sitting is one of the most passive things you can do. Compared to sitting, standing in one place is hard work. To stand, you have to tense your leg muscles, and engage the muscles of your back and shoulders; while standing, you often shift from leg to leg. All of this burns energy.
You may think you have no choice about how much you sit. But this isn’t true. Suppose you sleep for eight hours each day, and exercise for one. That still leaves 15 hours of activities. Even if you exercise, most of the energy you burn will be burnt during these 15 hours, so weight gain is often the cumulative(累积的) effect of a series of small decisions: Do you take the stairs or the elevator? Do you walk to the corner store, or drive?
But it looks as though there’s a more sinister aspect to sitting. Some evidence suggests that when you spend long periods sitting, your body actually does things that are bad for you.
Lipoprotein lipase(蛋白脂酶) is a molecule that plays a central role in how the body processes fats. Low levels of lipoprotein lipase are associated with a variety of health problems. Studies in rats show that leg muscles only produce this molecule when they are actively being moved. The result is that when you sit, an important part of your metabolism(新陈代谢) slows down. You may also have a higher risk of suffering from diabetes(糖尿病).
Some people have advanced radical solutions to the sitting syndrome(综合症): replace your sit-down desk with a stand-up desk, or watch television in a rocking chair. But whatever you choose, know this. The data is clear; look out for your chair.What would be the best title of this passage?
A.Become an Athlete to Be Healthy. |
B.Choose a Better Chair for You. |
C.How to Speed Up Your Metabolism. |
D.Stand Up While You Read This. |
Paragraphs 2 and 3 tell us that.
A.taking too much exercise harms people’s health |
B.sitting a lot reduces the benefits of taking exercise |
C.people needn’t depend on exercise to keep healthy |
D.healthy people are those who sit less and stand more |
Which of the following is the best advice on how to control our weight?
A.Exercising at least an hour a day. |
B.Standing as long as possible. |
C.Using our energy actively in daily life. |
D.watching TV in a rocking chair. |
The author mentions lipoprotein lipase mainly to.
A.show that it plays a big part in keeping us healthy |
B.tell us that it isn’t produced while we are sitting |
C.suggest that we should take less exercise to be healthy |
D.prove sitting for long is bad for our body |
Alomada Racraotion and Fork Deportment (510)747-7529
2010 TEEN TRIP TO
THE LELAND HIGH SNOW PLAY
FOR Teens Currently in 6th to 12th Grades
LELAND HIGH SNOW PLAY-Class #8389
Friday, December3, 2010 (Non-Public School Holiday) 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Cost per person: $50 ($ 60 after January 22,2011)-Includes
Lunch, Admission and Transportation
With a 4,000 sq. ft. day use lodge, the Leland High Snow Play has a huge
supply of tubes to choose from, along with awesome tows(拖车) that will
tow you up to the top of the hill! Our varied terrains(地形) have something
for everyone, while the lodge provides a snack bar, video games, pool tables,
five indoor restrooms, a warm fire, and a sun deck with plenty of tables and
chairs over looking the play area outside.
ADDTTIONAL LIABILTTY FORM REQUIRED FOR THIS TRIP.Be sure to bring warm clothing and prepare for the cold, but dress in layers in case it warms up. Wear dry boots, socks, and sunscreen. If possible, bring a mobile phone in case of emergency, as well as money for snacks and a light dinner; or bring your own food and drinks. Meet at The Underground (Veteran’s Building-2203 Central Avenue) – don’t be late!
Do not bring electronic or fragile items during the trip. The ARPD is not responsible for your personal belongings or money. REFUNDS ARE ISSUED ONLY IF THE ARPD CANCELS THIS TRIP DUE TO WEATHER CONDTTIONS.
Click here to download registration form and “Leland High Sierra Snowplay Liability Form.”
◆Register in person, or mail the completed form to Leland High Sierra Snow Play, Inc. Send the liability form and payment to the ARPD Office, 2226 Santa Clara Avenue, Alameda.
◆Faxed registration and liability form accepted with VISA, (510)747-7566.
◆Online registrations available at www.arpdeplay. com. Make sure you bring your completed liability form on the trip.The purpose of the passage is to.
A.explain the details of a school activity |
B.introduce a famous tour agency |
C.urge teenagers to climb a snowy mountain |
D.advertise a trip to the Leland High Snow Play |
People who want to take part in the activity need to.
A.pay for dinner themselves |
B.climb the hill themselves |
C.wear hats to protect themselves from the sun |
D.pay for tows individually |
From the passage it can be inferred that.
A.the weather at the hills is changeable |
B.the activity is very dangerous |
C.12-year-old children are not allowed on the trip |
D.the trip will involve outdoor activities only |
Among the following items, what do the participants have to take?
A.Their filled -in liability forms. |
B.ID cards and a small amount of cash. |
C.Their agreements with the tour agency. |
D.Their registration forms downloaded from the Internet. |