We live in a very competitive world. Everybody seems to be competing with someone at some level. Each week we spend hours playing or watching others compete in sporting activities all over the world. We cannot help being impressed by the level of excellence that these people achieve.
In sport and business, competition encourages excellence in performance. Where there is no competition, improvement in performance is less likely. Some level of competition is a have-to in all aspects of life.
The following story makes this point.
As two friends are hiking in the forest they come across a huge, ferocious and obviously hungry bear. Its next meal has just come into sight, and they are it! The first friend calculates that the bear will catch them in 27.3 seconds. At that point, she panics, realizing there is no escape. She faces her friend, with the fear of death in her eyes. To her amazement, she observes that her friend is not scared at all. On the contrary, her friend is quickly but calmly taking off her hiking boots and putting on running shoes. “What do you think you’re doing?” the first hiker says to her companion. “You’ll never be able to run faster than that bear”. “That’s true,” says the companion, “but all I have to do is escape, faster than you.”
We all compete when the motivation is strong enough. However, competition is not the real purpose of life. Fulfilling the measure of our creation can only be achieved individually.
Most of time, we are not in competition with any other person, so we do not have to compare ourselves with others. There is only one person that can fulfill our role and that is us. This means that others cannot beat us to the finish line because there is no race. This is not to say that others do not have a similar role to us, but it is never the same. This is important to understand if we are going to enjoy life. Every human being is unique and cannot be cloned. In this, I am not referring to the body, only to the spirit, soul, or the essence of a person.The first four paragraphs tell us that competition .
| A．is necessary though harmful | B．only exists in sports and business |
| C．is a fight against oneself | D．is unavoidable and beneficial |
Why is the story of two friends told in the passage?
| A．To advise friends to be loyal even in competition. |
| B．To expose the weak side of friendship when tested. |
| C．To support the author’s own argument on competition. |
| D．To persuade people to beat others, even friends. |
From the last two paragraphs we learn that .
| A．there is more to life than just competition |
| B．we don’t have to compete since we are all different |
| C．we have to beat others in order to survive |
| D．competition plays an important role in social development |
As a whole the passage advises the readers to .
| A．realize we are living in a world of competition |
| B．face competition in a balanced state of mind |
| C．have a strong sense of being a possible winner |
| D．value friendship however fierce competition may be |
The quality of drinking water in Shanghai will meet European Union standard by 2010 and, a decade later, citizens in Shanghai will drink the best water in the world.
These were the goals set out by the Shanghai Water Authority. With the city’s population expected to increase only slightly and the economy to boom by 2020, Chen Yin, and official with the water authority, said Shanghai’s water consumption will not increase from its present amount.
Zhang Yue, director of the Urban Construction Division under the Ministry of Construction, said, “Shanghai is the first city in the country to publicize these ambitions. They will not be easy to achieve.”
He said water saving will help keep the sustainable development of China’s economy.
Saving one cubic meter of water means saving the city’s infrastructure（基础设施）costs by 10,000 Yuan. Last year, Shanghai saved 300 million cubic meters of water either from readjustment of industrial structure or the employment of new technology.
“The aim is to arouse public awareness of the seriousness of water shortages,” Chen said. “The abundant surface water and amount of rain of the city are so misleading that they result in improper use of water.”
Shanghai lacks drinkable water. The Huangpu River, which supplies 80 percent of the city’s drinkable water, is nearing exhaustion.
The city, therefore, has been exploring new sources from the Yangtze River and growing forests along it to conserve quality water.
Besides penning regulations, the authority is popularizing technology among the public to efficiently cut the amount of water used.
At present, the city has 600，000 family toilets, each using 13 liters of water per flush. These are to be renovated（整修）to use only 9 liters of water per flush.
The authority is renovating the first 200 toilets for households – at a cost of 40 Yuan each.
In three years, all the toilets will be renovated, which saves the city nearly 15 million Yuan every year in water conservation.
Another task the city is engaged in is the treatment of sewage（污水）to improve the water environment.
At present the city can only treat 44 percent of its daily 5.04 million tons of waste water. To meet the total demand, 27 more sewage treatment factories are to be established with an estimated investment of 18 billion Yuan.People in Shanghai get their daily water mainly fromnow.
| A．the underground | B．the rain |
| C．the Yangtze River | D．the Huangpu River |
According to the passage, some people have the wrong opinion of using water
because.
| A．the renovating of family toilets will save plenty of water |
| B．about half of waste water has been treated already |
| C．advanced technology makes people use water as much as possible |
| D．there is plenty surface water and large amount of rain at present |
The authority is renovating the first 200 toilets for households to .
| A．make people’s living more convenient |
| B．improve people’s living standards |
| C．ease employment pressure |
| D．meet the total demand of water |
Which group of measures are all mentioned in the passage to save water?
a．improve drinking water quality b．change some industrial structure
c．introduce or use some new technology d．speed the economic development of Shanghai
e．renovate some family toilets f．build more sewage treatment factories
| A．a, b, c, d | B．b, c, e, f | C．b, c, d, e | D．a, b, e, f |
We can infer from the passage that.
| A．the boom of economy will need a larger amount of water in the future |
| B．citizens today in Shanghai drink the best quality of water in the world |
| C．not everyone today in Shanghai is aware of water shortage |
| D．all the family toilets will be renovated to save water within 3 years |
I’m sure your parents love you and would love you even if you didn’t live up to their expectations, They are probably setting the bar as high as possible, so that you will aim high , That’s right, but you need some confidence that they’ll be there to catch you—and love you just the same—if you try and fail to achieve all their goals, Because what they’re doing now could lead to some unexpected results .and not good ones.
Giving you a lecture for achieving an A is a big mistake, Your parents might think they’re giving you the motivation for succeeding , but all this pressure is making you feel like you can never be good enough ,The risk is that you’ll stop trying anything unless you are sure you’ll be the best at it .And that can actually cause your grades to fall downwards, creating the opposite effect than you parents indeed.
Show your parents this letter that you wrote to me ,Tell them that you love them so much ,and you worry they won’t love you if you don’t achieve what they want, and how you suspect you may not be up to the challenge , Explain that you have other qualities that you wish they would value you for—such as your kindness, your sense of humor, your willingness to try and try again, and so on.
Have an honest talk with your parents about how all this pressure to be perfect is affecting you , If he talk doesn’t go the way you hope , you might want to schedule a meeting between you , your parents and a counselor（顾问）at school , The counselor can certainly help your parents understand how this kind of unhealthy pressure can lead to negative results, and give them advice about how to better encourage you to be all that you can be , at school and outside of it.Who does the author intend to write to?
| A．A boy/girl whose school work is not good enough |
| B．A boy/girl who has difficulty in getting along with parents |
| C．A boy/girl whose parents expect too much of him/her |
| D．A boy/girl who needs love from his/her parents |
According the text, why some parents have high expectations to their children?
| A．Because they hope their children will aim high |
| B．Because they love their children very much |
| C．Because their children are lack of confidence |
| D．Because their children seldom achieve their goals |
What kind of feeling may a child have if his parents ask him to achieve an A?
| A．He may be more confident about himself |
| B．He may feel that he can never be good enough |
| C．He may feel natural to cheat in the exam |
| D．He may hate his parents and try to make more mistakes |
What is the advice given by the author?
| A．To apologize to his/her parents for disappointing them |
| B．To let his/her parents know unhealthy pressure can lead to negative results |
| C．To invite his/her teachers to help him/her to get rid of unhealthy pressure |
| D．To try his/her best to achieve what his/her parents expect |
What does the underlined word “them” in the last paragraph refer to?
| A．Counselors | B．Results | C．Parents | D．Classmates |
Earning a black belt in martial arts and being issued a pilot’s license are both impressive accomplishments that take year of effort to achieve, but 30-year-old Jessica Cox has done both despite being born without arms.
In spite of all difficulties , but with strong faith and the help of her family ,Cox put herself through high school and then college, typing papers with her toes, She became the first armless black belt in American Taekwondo （跆拳道）Association and now has two black belts, She got her driver’s license and then, astonishingly, her pilot’s license in 2008, The achievement earned her a place in the Guinness Would Records, which recognized her for becoming the first person without arms to fly an airplane.
Now Cox is the subject of a new documentary, Rightfooted, Which Cox says the hopes will inspire disabled young people around the world, “Had I watched a film similar to this one earlier, in my life ,I know it would have make a difference.” Cox says in a trailer (预告片) for the documentary.
The young woman says her current goal is to become a motivational speaker, particularly for chileren born without arms , She says she believes her message can reach millions of people working to overcome a variety of disabilities.
As the next step, she has been invited by non-governmental organization Handicap International to work with disabled children in Ethiopia Cox is extremely excited for the opportunity, She hopes that sharing her story will inspire children with disabilities and encourage Ethiopians to include all children in school because in Ethiopia only one percent of children with disabilities are educated and their parents do not think they can benefit from going to school, She also hopes to meet with government officials to inspire change.What does the second paragraph mainly tell us?
| A．Cox earned a place in the Guinness World Record |
| B．Cox can type papers as a common person does |
| C．Cox has little difficulty in doing things by herself |
| D．Cox has made some great achievements |
What’s the purpose of the documentary Rightfooted?
| A．To inspire all young people with disabilities |
| B．To tell the story of Cox’s life and her desire |
| C．To show how important one’s foot is |
| D．To show how Cox works in Ethiopia |
Why does Cox want to be a speaker?
| A．To give her message |
| B．To prevent children born without arms |
| C．To help people overcome disabilities |
| D．To prove she can also be a successful speaker |
The goal of Handicap International in Ethiopia is to .
| A．meet the government officials |
| B．help disabled children find jobs |
| C．run education projects for children with disabilities |
| D．help Cox realize her dream of becoming a speaker |
What is true of Jessica Cox?
| A．She is the first woman pilot |
| B．She is a disabled Taekwondo champion |
| C．She is the director of a documentary |
| D．She is an armless woman with strong faith |
In 1883. John Roebling was inspired by an idea to build a spectacular bridge connecting New York with the Long Island. However, bridge building experts throughout the world thought this was an impossible feat and told Roebling to forget the idea, but Roebling could not ignore the vision he had in his mind of this bridge. After much discussion and persuasion he managed to convince his son Washington, an up and coming engineer, that the bridge in fact could be built.
The project started well, but when it was only a few months underway a tragic accident on the site took the life of John Roebling. Washington was injured and left with a certain amount of brain damage, which resulted in him not being able to walk or talk or even move.
"We told them so." "Crazy men and their crazy dreams.'' "It's foolish to chase wild visions." Everyone had a negative comment to make and felt that the project should be scrapped since the Roeblings were the only ones who knew how the bridge could be built. In spite of his handicap, Washington was never discouraged.
One day he was lying on his bed in hospital, seeing the sky and the tops of the trees outside for just a moment with the sunlight streaming through the windows, and a gentle breeze bowing the flimsy white curtains apart when an idea hit him. He decided to make the best use of the only finger he could move. Thus, he slowly developed a code of communication with his wife.
He touched his wife's arm with that finger, indicating to her that he wanted her to call the engineers again. Then he used the same method of tapping her arm to tell the engineers what to do. It seemed foolish but the project was under way again.
For 13 years Washington tapped out his instructions with his finger on his wife's arm until the bridge was finally completed.Which of the following is true of Washington and his father?
| A．They are hardworking and courageous. |
| B．They are stubborn and bold. |
| C．They are creative and persistent. |
| D．They are curious and modest. |
In the third paragraph, the underlined phrase ''wild vision" refers to______.
| A．the tragic accident | B．the building of the bridge |
| C．the brain damage | D．the discussion and persuasion |
What can we learn about Washington's wife?
| A．She could understand Washington and helped him a lot. |
| B．She couldn't understand him but took good care of him. |
| C．She didn't like Washington's idea about building the bridge. |
| D．She took the responsibility to continue building the bridge. |
From the passage, we know that_______ when Roebling proposed building the bridge.
| A．people all over America supported him |
| B．almost no bridge experts in the world supported him |
| C．his friends were strongly in favor of his idea |
| D．many people considered it would be a great feat |
The passage suggests that______.
| A．NO pains, no gains. | B．Many hands make light work. |
| C．A lighted heart is a good medicine. | D．Passion creates wonder. |
Directions: Read the following passage. Fill in the numbered blankets by using the information from the passage. Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.
Like our body, our memory needs regular exercise to be in good condition. Like the sportsman who must train to allow the body to respond to difficult times, the memory needs its own special training in order to stay in “shape” and improve.
There are many factors that can cause poor memory like insomnia (失眠), depression and alcohol. However, there are simple ways which you can follow to keep your memory in shape and actually help you to improve your memory’s condition and performance.
Never stop learning. Look for topics that interest you and really get involved in learning new information about them. Reading and attending lectures or programs are sources of continuous education of your brain with beneficial results to your memory.
Develop your social and family relationships. The more social you are, the better it is for your brain. Studies have shown that the brain and heart have a lot to gain from good family and social relationships.
Exercise your mind with games. The more you use your brain, the more you help your memory stay in shape. There are many games that can make you an intelligent person as well as entertain you such as chess, puzzles and board games.
Exercise physically can improve your memory. This type of exercise improves the circulatory （血液循环的） system. Even the simple but regular daily exercise such as fast walking can improve the heart and oxygenation（供氧） of the brain. The benefits of exercise affect positively many body systems, as well as our memory and other cognitive（认知的） capabilities.
Eat more fruit and vegetables. What we eat every day affects the performance and long-term condition of our memory. Fruit and vegetables are an excellent source of antioxidants（抗氧化剂） and vitamins that can help and benefit the nervous system.
So our memory is like a sportsman. The more we practice our brains and memory, the better their performance will be.
Title: How to improve memory
Topic |
||
Ways to improve memory |
Never stop learning |
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| Develop social and family relationships |
Good family and social relationships are beneficial to your brain and contribute to |
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| Exercise mind with games |
Play chess, puzzles or board games, which is of great benefit to your intelligence and also offers you |
|
| Take |
Physical exercise improves the |
|
| Eat more fruit and vegetables. |
Fruit and vegetables are |
|
| If we practice brains and memory more, they will |