The Spanish poet Juan Ram said, “If they give you ruled paper, write the other way.” Turning the paper sideways is like looking at situations from different angles.
Henry L. Mencken said it first: “For every complex problem, there is a solution that is simple, neat and wrong.” And how often I am determined to keep pounding on that simple and neat solution until I make it work, or else I finally give up altogether. But success will surprisingly come when I decide to look at the thing from a wholly different perspective (视角).
Several all night convenience stores in New York City had a problem with teenagers hanging out in their parking lots late into the night. Not that they didn’t like kids; but customers complained (抱怨) that they were afraid to approach them in the dark and push through them to enter the store. Neighbors complained that they couldn’t sleep with the noise.
Managers tried various methods to solve the problem. They asked the kids to move away from the doors so customers didn’t have to push through them. They asked them to throw their cigarette butts and trash (垃圾) in outdoor dustbins and not litter the parking lot. Each solution was simple, neat and completely ineffective. It seemed that any of them should have worked. But none of them did.
Finally, one man came up with an unusual idea. Finding that asking the teens to change their behavior didn’t work, he tried something different. He just piped easy-listening music into the parking lot especially suited for mature listeners.
No more loitering (闲逛).What might be the author’s purpose in writing the text?
| A．To give advice. | B．To make us laugh. |
| C．To analyze a problem. | D．To tell us an interesting story. |
The managers failed to solve the problem because _____.
| A．the kids didn’t like them |
| B．their solutions were too complex |
| C．they were not polite enough to the kids |
| D．they asked the kids to change their behavior |
Why did the kids leave the parking lots?
| A．They didn’t like the music. |
| B．They got bored of playing there. |
| C．They came to know it was unsafe. |
| D．They were moved by the manager. |
By telling the story, the author intends to tell us _____.
| A．kids today are tough to deal with |
| B．a simple solution is usually better |
| C．it’s better to calm down teenagers |
| D．we should look at a problem in different perspectives |
Why does a large education nation like China have so few world renowned scientists as the US? Educationists from China and the US try to find out the answer to questions like this at a forum on the basic education strategy.
The forum, held recently, was jointly organized by the Education Development Research Center of the Ministry of Education in China and the Postgraduate School of the University of Pennsylvania in the US. It aims to find out similarities and differences that exist between two countries in their educational system.
While some educationists in China keep a doubtful eye to the country’s educational system in recent years. Their American counterparts give a positive answer to the basic education in China, saying that it is still one of the best in the world.
An American educationist told reporters that the basic education in the US was criticized in recent years due to its political tendency. On the contrary, Chinese government’s stress on basic education and qualified teachers has set a good example.
At primary and middle school, pupils in China did better in math and science lessons than the US pupils. However, few grow to be world “masters”. Why? Educationists attributed this to China’s stress on examination rather than students’ interest.
Deputy Director of the postgraduate school of Pennsylvania University said American teachers encouraged students to focus on their strong points. In China, students are driven to study to pass the entrance examination test and they do not pay much attention to their own interest.
At the forum, director of the Education Development Research Center Mr. Zhang said in the future, the research center would make its middle and long-term basic education strategy by taking some references from other countries including the US.
He also revealed that for a long time in the future, China would make a breakthrough in setting the policy for quality education.This passage is mainly about _________.
| A．quality education development in the future |
| B．why China’s education cultivates(培养) few world masters |
| C．China’s good basic education |
| D．genius education at the primary stage |
The underlined word “renowned” in the first paragraph probably means ________
| A．famous | B．active | C．qualified | D．experienced |
Few pupils in China who did better in math and science lessons than the US pupils grow to be
world “masters”, because _________
| A．The US government spends more money on basic education |
| B．American pupils are cleverer than Chinese pupils |
| C．basic education in China is not as successful as that of the US |
| D．Chinese people pay less attention to students’ interest |
China’s educational system will _______ in the future.
| A．help students to study even harder to pass the examination |
| B．apply more attention to quality education referring to systems of other countries |
| C．allow students to pay more attention to their own interest without their test results |
| D．copy the educational system in the US |
The first and best of victories is for a man to conquer(征服) himself; to be conquered by himself is, of all things, the most shameful, says Plato. Self-control is at the root of all the advantages. Let a man give in to his impulses (冲动) and feelings, and from that moment he gives up his moral freedom.
A single angry word has lost many a friend. When Socrates found in himself any temper or anger, he would check it by speaking low in order to control himself. If you are conscious of being angry, keep your mouth shut so that you can hold back rising anger. Many a person has dropped dead in great anger. Fits of anger bring fits of disease. Whom the gods would destroy they first make mad. Keep cool, says George Herbert, for fierceness (狂怒) makes error a fault.
To be angry with a weak man is to prove that you are not strong yourself. Anger, says Pythagoras, brings with folly(愚蠢)and ends with regret. You must measure the strength of a man by the power of the feelings he conquers, not by the power of those which conquer him.
Self-control is man’s last greatest victory.
If a man lacks self-control he seems to lack everything. Without it he can have no patience, no power to govern himself; he can have no self-confidence, for he will always be controlled by his strongest feeling. If he lacks self-control, the very backbone and nerve of character are lacking also.What does the reader learn from the first paragraph?
| A．The greatest victory for a man is to conquer everything except himself. |
| B．One’s moral freedom is based on the control of himself. |
| C．To control oneself is the most difficult in one’s life. |
| D．If a person is too stubborn, he will feel most shameful. |
If a man lacks self-control, he lacks all of the following EXCEPT _______.
| A．the very backbone and nerve of character |
| B．the patience and power to control himself |
| C．strong feelings |
| D．self-confidence |
The author’s main purpose in writing this article is to _______.
| A．explain that self-control is the key to success |
| B．teach people how to control everything in order to make a great success |
| C．distinguish all kinds of self-control and suggest ways for keeping it |
| D．advise people not to lose temper so as to make and keep more friends |
The passage is mainly developed by _____.
| A．analyzing(分析)causes | B．making comparisons(比较) |
| C．examining differences | D．listing quotations(引证) |
Driver Wanted
Clean driving license(执照).
Must be of smart appearance.
Age over 25.
Apply to(申请): Capes Taxi, 17 Palace Road, Royston.
Air Hostesses for International Flights Wanted
Applicants(申请者) must be between 20 and 33 years old.
Height: 1.6 m to 1.75 m.
Education to GCSE standard.
Two languages. Must be able to swim.
Apply to: Recruitment(招聘) office, Southern Airlines, Heathrow Airport West. HR 37 KK.
Teachers Needed
For private language school.
Having college education.
Teaching experience unnecessary.
Apply to: The Director of Studies, Instant Languages Ltd. 279 Canal Street, Royston. What prevents Jack, an experienced taxi driver, working for Capes Taxi?
| A．Fond of beer and wine. |
| B．Punished for speeding and wrong parking. |
| C．Unable to speak a foreign language. |
| D．Not having college education. |
Ben, aged 22, fond of swimming and driving, has just graduated from a college.
Which job might be given to him?
| A．Driving for Capes Taxi. |
| B．Working for Southern Airlines. |
| C．Teaching at Instant Languages Ltd. |
| D．None of the three. |
What prevents Mary, aged 25, becoming an air hostess?
| A．She once broke a traffic law and was fined |
| B．She can’t speak Japanese very well. |
| C．She has never worked as an air hostess before. |
| D．She doesn’t feel like working long hours flying abroad. |
Which of the following is not mentioned in the three advertisements?
| A．Marriage. | B．Male or female. |
| C．Education. | D．Working experience. |
King’s College Summer School
King’s College Summer School is an annual(每年的) training program for high school students at all levels who want to improve their English. Courses are given by the teachers of King’s College and other colleges in New York. Trips to museums and culture centers are also organized. This year’s summer school will be from July 25 to August 15.
More information is as follows:
| Application (申请) date ●Students in New York should send their applications before July 18, 2009. ●Students of other cities should send their applications before July 16, 2009. ●Foreign students should send their applications before July 10, 2009. |
Courses ●English Language Spoken English: 22 hours Reading and Writing: 10 hours ●American History: 16 hours ●American Culture: 16 hours |
| Steps ●A letter of self-introduction ●A letter of recommendation(推荐) ﹡ The letters should be written in English with all the necessary information. |
Cost ●Daily lessons: $200 ●Sports and activities: $100 ●Travels: $200 ●Hotel service: $400 ﹡You may choose to live with your friends or relatives in the same city. |
| Please write to: Thompson, Sanders 1026 King’ s Street New York, NY 10016, USA E-mail: KC-Summer-School@ yahoo, com |
You can most probably read the text in ________.
| A．a newspaper | B．a travel guide | C．a textbook | D．a telephone book |
Which of the following is true about King’ s College Summer School?
| A．Only top students can take part in the program. |
| B．King’ s College Summer School is run every other year. |
| C．Visits to museums and culture centers are part of the program. |
| D．Only the teachers of King’ s College give courses. |
If you are to live with your relatives in New York, you will have to pay the school _______.
| A．$200 | B．$400 | C．$500 | D．$900 |
What information can you get from the text?
| A．The program will last two months. |
| B．You can write to Thompson only in English. |
| C．As a Chinese student, you can send your application on July 14, 2009. |
| D．You can get in touch with the school by e-mail or by telephone. |
Can trees talk? Yes, but not in words. Scientists have reason to believe that trees do communicate (交际) with each other. Not long ago, researchers learned some surprising things. First a willow tree attacked in the woods by caterpillars (毛虫) changed the chemistry of its leaves and made them taste so terrible that they got tired of the leaves and stopped eating them. Then even more astonishing, the tree sent out a special smell---a signal (信号) causing its neighbors to change the chemistry of their own leaves and make them less tasty.
Communication, of course, doesn’t need to be in words. We can talk to each other by smiling, raising our shoulders and moving our hands. We know that birds and animals use a whole vocabulary of songs, sounds, and movements. Bees dance their signals, flying in certain patterns that tell other bees where to find nectar (花蜜) for honey. So why shouldn’t trees have ways of sending message? It can be concluded from the passage that caterpillars do not feed on leaves that ______.
| A．are lying on the ground | B．have an unpleasant taste |
| C．bees don’t like | D．have an unfamiliar shape |
According to the passage, the willow tree was able to communicate with other trees by ______.
| A．waving its branches | B．giving off a special smell |
| C．dropping its leaves | D．changing the colour of its trunk |
According to this passage, bees communicate by ______.
| A．making special movement | B．touching one another |
| C．smelling one another | D．making unusual sound |