There is a famous story about British poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge. He was writing a poem when he was interrupted by a knock at the door.
This was an age before telephones. Someone was delivering a message. When Coleridge got back to his poem, he had lost his inspiration. His poetic mood had been broken by the knock on his door. His unfinished poem, which could otherwise have been a masterpiece, would now never be more than a fragment.
This story tells how unexpected communication can destroy an important thought, which bring us to the cellphone.
The most common complaint about cellphones is that people talk on them to the annoyance of people around them. But more damaging may be the cellphone’s interruption of our thoughts.
We have already entered a golden age of little white lies about our cellphones, and this is by and large(大体上)a healthy, protective development. “I didn’t hear it ring” or “I didn’t realize my phone had shut off” are among the lies we tell to give ourselves space where we’re beyond reach.
The notion of being unreachable is not a new concept—we have “Do Not Disturb” sign on the doors of hotel rooms. So why must we feel guilty when it comes to cellphones? Why must we apologize if we decide to shut off the phone for a while?
Now time alone, or a conversation with someone next to us which cannot be interrupted by a phone, is something to be cherished. Even cellphone devotees（信徒）, myself usually included, can’t help at times wanting to throw their phone away, or curse the day they were invented.
But we don’t and won’t, and there really is no need. All that’s required to take back our private time is a general social recognition that we have the right to it. In other words, we have to develop a healthy contempt for the rings of our own phones.
A cellphone call deserves no greater priority than a random word from the person next to us，though the call on my cellphone may be the one-in-a-million from Steven Spielberg—who has finally read my novel and wants to make it his next movie. But most likely it is not, and I’m better off thinking about the idea I just had for a new story, or the slice of pizza I’ll eat for lunch.What is the point of the anecdote(轶事)about the poet Coleridge in the first three paragraphs?
| A．To direct readers’ attention to the main topic. |
| B．To show how important inspiration is to a poet. |
| C．To emphasize the disadvantage of not having a cellphone. |
| D．To encourage readers to read the works of this poet. |
What does the writer think about people telling “white lies” about their cellphones?
| A．It is a way of signaling that you don’t like the caller. |
| B．It is natural to tell lies about small things |
| C．It is basically a good way to protect one’s privacy. |
| D．We should feel guilty when we can’t tell the truth. |
According to the author, what is the most annoying problem caused by cellphones?
| A．People get so obsessed (着迷) with the cellphone rings that they fail to notice anything else. |
| B．People feel guilty when they are not able to answer their cellphones. |
| C．Cellphones interrupt people’s private time. |
| D．With cellphones it is no longer possible to be unreachable. |
What does the last paragraph suggest?
| A．A person who calls us from afar deserves more of our attention. |
| B．Steven Spielberg once called the author to talk about the author’s novel. |
| C．You should always finish your lunch before you answer a call on the cellphone. |
| D．Never let cellphones disturb your life too much. |
A typical lion tamer（驯兽师）in people’s mind is an entertainer holding a whip( 鞭) at a chair. The whip gets all of the attention, but it’s mostly for show. In reality, it’s the chair that does the important work. When a lion tamer holds a chair in front of the lion’s face, the lion tries to focus on all four legs of the chair at the same time. With its focus divided, the lion becomes confused and is unsure about what to do next. When faced with so many options, the lion chooses to freeze and wait instead of attacking the man holding the chair.
How often do you find yourself in the same position as the lion? How often do you have something you want to achieve (e.g. lose weight, start a business, travel more)—only to end up confused by all of the options in front of you and never make progress?
This upsets me to no end because while all the experts are busy debating about which option is best, the people who want to improve their lives are left confused by all of the conflicting information. The end result is that we feel like we can’t focus or that we’re focused on the wrong things, and so we take less action, make less progress, and stay the same when we could be improving.
It doesn’t have to be that way. Anytime you find the world waving a chair in your face, remember this: All you need to do is focus on one thing. You just need to get started. Starting before you feel ready is one of the habits of successful people. If you have somewhere you want to go, something you want to accomplish, someone you want to become…take immediate action. If you’re clear about where you want to go, the rest of the world will either help you get there or get out of the way.Why does the lion tamer use a chair?
| A．To entertain the audience. |
| B．To show off his skills. |
| C．To get ready for a fight. |
| D．To trick the lion. |
In what sense are people similar to a lion facing a chair?
| A．They feel puzzled over choices. |
| B．They hold on to the wrong things. |
| C．They find it hard to make changes. |
| D．They have to do something for show |
What is the author’s attitude towards the expert mentioned in Paragraph3?
| A．Tolerant. | B．Doubtful. |
| C．Respectful. | D．Supportive. |
When the world is “waving a chair in your face”, you’re advised to _____
| A．wait for a better chance |
| B．break your old habits |
| C．make a quick decision |
| D．ask for clear guidance |
EDGEWOOD — Every morning at Dixie Heights High School, customers pour into a special experiment: the district’s first coffee shop run mostly by students with special learning needs.
Well before classes start, students and teachers order Lattes, Cappuccinos and Hot Chocolates. Then, during the first period, teachers call in orders on their room phones, and students make deliveries.
By closing time at 9.20 a.m., the shop usually sells 90 drinks.
“Whoever made the chi tea, Ms. Schatzman says it was good,” Christy McKinley, a second year student, announced recently, after hanging up with the teacher.
The shop is called the Dixie PIT, which stands for Power in Transition. Although some of the students are not disabled, many are, and the PIT helps them prepare for life after high school.
They learn not only how to run a coffee shop but also how to deal with their affairs. They keep a timecard and receive paychecks, which they keep in check registers.
Special-education teachers Kim Chevalier and Sue Casey introduced the Dixie PIT from a similar program at Kennesaw Mountain High School in Georgia.
Not that it was easy. Chevalier’s first problem to overcome was product-related. Should schools be selling coffee? What about sugar content?
Kenton County Food Service Director Ginger Gray helped. She made sure all the drinks, which use non-fat milk, fell within nutrition (营养) guidelines.
The whole school has joined in to help.
Teachers agreed to give up their lounge (休息室) in the mornings. Art students painted the name of the shop on the wall. Business students designed the paychecks. The basketball team helped pay for cups.What is the text mainly about?
| A．A special educational program. |
| B．A best-selling coffee. |
| C．Government support for schools. |
| D．A new type of teacher-student relationship. |
The Dixie PIT program was introduced in order to_________．
| A．raise money for school affairs |
| B．develop students’ practical skills |
| C．do some research on nutrition |
| D．supply teachers with drinks |
How did Christy McKinley know Ms. Schatzman’s opinion of the chi tea?
| A．She met her in the shop. |
| B．She heard her telling others. |
| C．She went to her office to deliver the tea. |
| D．She talked to her on the phone. |
We know from the text that Ginger Gray ___________ ．
| A．manages the Dixie P1T program in Kenton County |
| B．teaches at Dixie Heights High School |
| C．sees that the drinks meet health standards |
| D．owns the school’s coffee shop |
Mauritius, an island country, lies 1, 200 miles off the southeastern coast of Africa, and just east of Madagascar, another African island country, which is larger by far than Mauritius. It covers 788 square miles and has a population of 1, 100, 000, about 750, 000 Indians, 300, 000 Clioers, 30, 000 Chinese and 20, 000 Whites included. They are living together peacefully.
The country can be divided into many parts with different climates all because of its special terrains（地形）. In the center there are volcanoes several thousand feet high, and 90 percent of its arable land is covered with sugarcane.
There were no people living on the island before the Dutch landed on it in 1638. The Dutch abandoned it in 1710, and five years later, the French came and succeeded in planting sugarcane there. It was conquered by Britain in 1810.
Mauritius was extremely poor when it declared its independence in 1968. In the past ten years, obvious economic prosperity（繁荣）has shown itself in this island country.The underlined words “abandoned it” in third paragraph means______ .
| A．took its place | B．left for it |
| C．gave it up | D．held it out |
The right order that shows the history of Mauritius should be .
a. seized by the French
b. became its master
c. ruled by the Dutch
d. conquered by the British
| A．b, a, c, d | B．c, a, d, b |
| C．d, c, a, b | D．a, c, d, b |
According to the passage all of the following statements are true except .
| A．Arable land covers 90 percent of the country’ s total area |
| B．It was the rule of foreigners that made the Mauritius people live in poverty |
| C．More than half of Mauritius population are Indians |
| D．Britain ruled the island longer than French and Holland |
Einstein was born in 1879 in Germany. As a child, he was slow to learn to talk. As a pupil, he was backward. But when he was fourteen years old, he became clever. He taught himself maths from textbooks. He studied hard because he wanted to be a physicist.
In 1901, Einstein began teaching. In 1902 he continued his studies at the University of Zurich. Several years later, he formulated(系统地阐述)his famous Theory of Relativity(相对论).To most people the law of relativity is difficult to explain. But once Einstein explained it very well to a group of young students. He said, "When you sit with a good girl for two hours, you think it is only a minute. But when you sit on a hot stove for a minute, you think it's two hours. That is relativity."
After Hitler came into power in Germany, Einstein went to America. In 1940 Einstein became an American citizen. In 1955, Einstein's life ended at the age of seventy-six.When Einstein was a pupil of twelve, he _______ .
| A．was not quick in learning to talk |
| B．studied very hard |
| C．was poor in his studies |
| D．hardly lagged behind |
The law of relativity is_______ .
| A．very hard for most people to understand |
| B．too hard for Einstein himself to explain |
| C．too hard to explain to anybody except Einstein |
| D．easy to understand only for the young students |
When did Einstein become an American citizen?
| A．He was an American citizen until 1940. |
| B．He became an American citizen in the year when Hitler came into power. |
| C．He did not become an American citizen until 1955. |
| D．Not until he had reached the age of 61 did he become an American citizen. |
Which of the following do you think is true?
| A．The Germans owed their scientific progress to Einstein. |
| B．Einstein made a very great contribution to modern science. |
| C．Einstein owed a great deal to the modern world. |
| D．The Americans owed all their economic development to Einstein. |
Ask any group of teenagers in the UK what they most like to eat, and foods like pizza, burgers and chips are always mentioned.
But what teenagers like to eat is not necessarily what they should be eating. According to the National Diet and Nutrition (营养) Survey, far too many young people in the UK between the ages of 4 and 18 eat too much fat, sugar and salt in their diet and take in too many calories. And their intake of starchy carbohydrates (含淀粉的碳水化合物), fiber, iron, vitamins and calcium (钙) is too low.
For a growing body, eating foods containing plenty of calcium, such as milk, yoghurt and cheese, is very important as calcium is essential for the development of healthy, strong bones. Similarly, foods that are rich in iron are good for young rapidly developing bodies, so red meat, bread, green vegetables, and dried fruit are also good to eat.
It is during our teenage years that lifestyle habits can become entrenched (根深蒂固的), so it is important that young people are educated about what foods are good for them. In 2005, in order to change eating habits and open teenagers' minds to new tastes, chef Jamie Oliver started a "Feed Me Better" project. As part of a television series, "Jamie' s School Dinners", he worked with teachers and cooks in a number of schools across the UK to provide more nutritious school meals. Although some teenagers and parents refused to have a try at first, the project went very well and helped to influence governmental policy on nutritional standards for school meals.
No one expects to end the teenage love affair with fast and junk food but, hopefully, if projects like "Feed Me Better" continue to give out the right messages, more young people will understand the importance of eating healthily.
What problem do teenagers in the UK have?
| A．Most of them are too fat. |
| B．Most of them eat too little. |
| C．Many of them don' t eat healthily. |
| D．Many of them are short of exercise. |
The underlined word "essential" in Paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to" "
| A．difficult | B．possible | C．common | D．necessary |
According to the text, the "Feed Me Better" project _ _
| A．proved to be a success |
| B．taught teachers how to cook |
| C．was started by the government |
| D．was started at Jamie's school first |
Which of the following opinions does the author probably agree to?
| A．Lifestyle habits are difficult to change. |
| B．Too much red meat is also bad for health. |
| C．Teenagers should learn to feed them better. |
| D．Teenagers should stop eating fast and junk food. |