What does the word“youth” mean to you? Many define it as a precious time in their life when they are young, when fun, passion, and imagination seem limitless. But for most high school students, youth is a time of determination and willpower for achieving their goals.
This is vividly shown in Mark of Youth, a movie that opened on Feb 5. Mark of Youth tells the story of four Senior 3 students in a top high school in the days leading up to the national college entrance examination.
Each character represents a different type of student, ranging from the most mischievous(调皮的)to the most motivated. Like most teenagers, they enjoy carefree moments and like to talk about their schoolmates. But the tension of the approaching exam, probably their first life-changing event, is common—they must memorize seemingly endless English words and Chinese poems, work through piles of practice test papers, and improve their scores despite the increasing pressure.
But life exists beyond campus. That the college entrance examination is coming up doesn’t mean they can escape family changes, such as when one character’s parents get divorced or another’s father is arrested. Can these four young people handle their problems and eventually make it to their ideal universities despite their on –and –off campus stress?
The story is set in Hubei Huanggang Middle School, known for its students’ outstanding performances on the big exam. The four students are played by the actors who played in the reality shows Happy Boys and Happy Girls. HongKong actor Alex Fong plays their teacher.
Students may look more fashionable in Mark of Youth than in real life, but it is the story about the final year of high school that many viewers relate to.
“The film is very inspiring,” said Senior 2 student Yao Lingqian, 16, from Leshan Foreign Language School in Sichuan province. “A total commitment(投入)to hard work, though it can be lonely and no fun at all, will leave precious marks on my youth.”
And for Senior 3 student Gao Jing, the film has given her optimism. “The characters taught me that what you score is not the only important thing. The way you approach the exam matters the most,” said the 17-year-old from Zhenping County No 1 High School in Nanyang, Henan province.
“The film really reflects senior 3students’life.” Zhang Ping, a teacher from a senior high school in Qingdao, commented.What is the function of the first paragraph in the passage?
| A．To tell us what the word “youth” means. |
| B．To introduce what will be mainly talked about. |
| C．To tell youth is a time of determination and willpower. |
| D．To introduce some famous actors. |
Why must the four Senior 3 students memorize seemingly endless English words and Chinese poems?
| A．They want to enjoy carefree moments. |
| B．They want to gossip about their schoolmates. |
| C．They want to work through piles of practice test papers. |
| D．They want to improve their scores. |
Which of the following is true about the film?
| A．Mark of Youth tells a story that happened on Feb 5. |
| B．The characters in the film have to face the pressure from both study and their families. |
| C．The film tells a story that really happened in Hubei Huanggang Middle School. |
| D．Most characters in the film are played by actors from HongKong. |
What kind of belief does the film convey?
| A．Youth is a wonderful thing. |
| B．We youth should face challenge with smile. |
| C．Entrance examination is very important in our life. |
| D．The entrance examination isn’t so terrible. |
Which of the person can we see in the film?
| A．Alex Fong | B．Yao Lingqian | C．Gao Jing | D．Zhang ping |
Insurance companies provide a service to the community by protecting it against expected and unexpected disasters. Before an insurance company will agree to insure anything, it collects accurate figures about the risk. It knows, for example, that the risk of a man being killed in a plane accident is less than the risk he takes in crossing a busy road. This enables it to quote(报价) low figures for travel insurance. Sometimes the risk may be high, as in motor-racing or mountaineering. Then the company charges a much higher price. If too many climbers have accidents, the price rises further. If the majority of climbers fall off mountains, the company will refuse to insure them.
An ordinary householder may wish to protect his home against fire or his property against burglary(入室行窃). A shopkeeper may wish to insure against theft. In normal cases, the company will check its statistics and quote a premium(保险费). If it is suspicious(可疑的), it may refuse to quote. If it insures a shop and then receives a suspicious claim, it will investigate the claim as a means of protecting itself against false claims. It is not unknown for a businessman in debt to burn down his own premises so that he can claim much money from his insurance company. He can be sure that the fire will be investigated most carefully. Insurance companies also accept insurance against shipwreck or disaster in the air. Planes and ships are very expensive, so a large premium is charged, but a reduction is given to companies with an accident-free record.
Every week, insurance companies receive premium payments from customers. These payments can form a very large total running into millions of dollars. The company does not leave the money in the bank. It invests (投资) in property, shares (股票) ,farms and even paintings and stamps. Its aim is to obtain the best possible return on its investment. This is not as greedy as it may seem since this is one way by which it can keep its premiums down and continue to make a profit while being of service to the community. The main idea of the first paragraph is that .
| A．insurance companies protect the community against disasters |
| B．insurance companies often collect accurate figures about the risk |
| C．insurance companies base their decisions on the risk involved |
| D．insurance companies charge different prices in the same cases |
The insurance company will usually investigate a suspicious claim to .
| A．refuse to quote the insurance fee | B．make sure that the claim is reasonable |
| C．decide how much the company should pay | D．find out when the accident happened |
The underlined word "premises" in Paragraph 2 most probably means" "
| A．land and buildings | B．insurance contract |
| C．debt papers | D．financial papers |
The author’s attitude towards customers’ premium payments being used by insurance companies is __
| A．critical | B．doubtful | C．neutral | D．positive |
The purpose of this passage is to __
| A．explain how insurance companies operate |
| B．encourage people to invest in insurance companies |
| C．persuade people to insure against unexpected disasters |
| D．advise people how to insure their life and property |
The storage of classified (分类的) research at all 24 labs run by the US Department of Energy was shut down this week after officials decided that the security (安全) problems recently found at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico might also exist elsewhere.
Several computer disks went missing at Los Alamos earlier this month, forcing Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham to stop all work at the lab until the problems are found out. As of 26 July, two missing disks had still not been found, and 15 employees had been suspended in connection with the disappearance.
Now all energy labs will stop doing classified research that involves(需要) removable storage devices --- such as computer disks --- until all the devices are given explanation for and new procedures are in place for monitoring their handling by laboratory employees.
"While we have no evidence that the problems being investigated are present elsewhere, we have a responsibility to take all necessary action to prevent such problems, "Abraham said on 23 July.
The shut-down isn't quite as dramatic（惊人的）as it sounds, experts say. Only two labs will be seriously affected: Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California. Together with Los Alamos, these two labs conduct the most part of the country's nuclear weapon programmes. At Livermore, 876 employees will be suspended during the storage of some 12,000 items of classified removable material.
At other labs, far fewer people will be affected. "The impact (影响) should be the smallest," says Martha Krebs, former director of the energy department's science office.Why was the storage of classified research at all 24 labs shut down?
| A．Because the security problems might be present elsewhere. |
| B．Because the security problems existed elsewhere. |
| C．Because two missing computer disks had still not be found. |
| D．Because officials decided to stop doing such research. |
How many labs conduct the country's nuclear weapon programmes according to the text?
| A．About 24. | B．Only 2. | C．More than 2. | D．Over 15. |
The underlined word "suspended"in the second paragraph probably means "______”.
| A．hung from above | B．stopped from holding a position | C．doubted | D．fired |
It can be inferred from the text that _____.
| A．the computer disks must have been stolen by terrorists |
| B．the people living in the United States have little security |
| C．the United States is a country whose security is very bad |
| D．the missing of the computer disks caused great fear among Americans |
Athens Olympic 110m hurdle champion Liu Xiang felt so relieved to return to racetrack after getting out of the great number of social activities.
Liu arrived in hometown Shanghai Wednesday night and was about to resume① training shortly after.
“I am so exhausted② from so many social activities, which made me even more tired than training,” said the 21-year-old Liu, who wrote a new chapter in China’s Olympic history by winning the country’s first ever athletics short-distance running title in the men’s 110m hurdles in Athens in August.
“I am happy that I will resume my training soon back in Shanghai,” said the Shanghai native. He turned into an instant national hero with the Olympic glory③ and one of the most popular Olympic gold medalists, taking part in scores of celebration activities since he returned to China early September.
“My regular training has been interrupted for such a long time that I think I can only run at about 13.5 seconds now,” said Liu, who clocked a world record-tying time of 12.91 to clinch the title.
“I would rather forget what I have achieved in the past and try my best to realize a higher goal,” he said.
Liu already missed the Berlin Golden League Series on Sunday and won’t be able to catch the IAAF Grand Prix final slated for September 18-19 in Monaco.
He plans on attending an IAAF all-star tournament in Japan at the end of this month.This passage mainly talks about ________.
| A．victory of Liu Xiang |
| B．Liu Xiang’s resumption to the racetrack |
| C．dream of Liu Xiang |
| D．Liu Xiang’s high aim |
From the passage we can see ________.
| A．Liu Xiang is content to go back to training |
| B．Liu Xiang will win Golden League Series on Sunday |
| C．Liu Xiang wasn’t good at social activities |
| D．Liu Xiang was refreshed after so many social activities |
The underlined word “relieved” means ________.
| A．sad | B．glad | C．worried | D．disappointed |
Which of the following is NOT wrong?
| A．Liu Xiang has had a quiet life for as long as half a month. |
| B．Liu Xiang has missed two races because of his social activities. |
| C．Liu Xiang has made up his mind to stop his social activities. |
| D．Liu Xiang has deserted his present career. |
US college students are burdened, with credit card (信用卡)debt, according to a study published Tuesday, and the problem can be serious－ranging from more drop-outs, to future employment problems and even self-murder. The study, by Georgetown University sociologist (社会学家) Robert Manning, blamed credit card issuers for actively targeting students and colleges for allowing them to do so. "The unrestricted selling of credit cards in universities or colleges is so aggressive that it now forms a greater threat than alcohol or sexual diseases," Manning told a news conference in Washington. "If we do not quickly deal with this serious problem, the matter will continue to get worse, with social consequences far more tragic (悲剧的) than mere dollars and cents. "
Based on hundreds of face-to-face interviews and surveys with students, Manning concluded both the number with credit card debt and their indebtedness had been "underreported" in previous studies－which failed to reflect the "survival strategies" many used to deal with their debts. These included the use of federal student loans to pay off credit cards, effectively shifting the debt, appealing to parents for loans, reducing course work hours to increase time at paid jobs, or even dropping out altogether to work full time.
"Official drop-out rates include growing numbers of students who are unable to cope with the stress of their debts and / or part time jobs for servicing their credit cards, " the study said. "Students credit card debts are examined during the employment process and may be an important factor in evaluating future employees," it noted. O’Donnell and Manning agreed students should bear some responsibility for reckless use of credit, but said credit card companies also had to be held responsible for making it so easy for them to get into debt. Manning said one of the most troublesome aspects of the student credit card issue was "the seduction (诱惑) of college and university officials by the credit card industry".Sociologist Robert Manning's study shows that .
| A．the number of American college students using credit cards on campus is increasing |
| B．more and more American college students meet with credit card debt problems |
| C．more and more American colleges encourage students to use credit cards to make profits |
| D．credit card issuers will run into debt for encouraging college students to use credit cards |
The author's feeling towards college students with credit card debts is __.
| A．discouraged and negative | B．pitiful and critical |
| C．indifferent and disapproving | D．negative and doubtful |
The author implies all of following should be responsible for this problem EXCEPT .
| A．credit card issuers | B．college authorities |
| C．parents of the students | D．students themselves |
The word "reckless" in Paragraph 3 can be replaced by .
| A．inconsiderate | B．frequent | C．careful | D．regular |
James Cleveland Owens was the son of a farmer and the grandson of black slaves. His family moved to Cleveland when he was 9.There, a school teacher asked the youth his name.
"J.C., "he replied.
She thought he had said "Jesse", and he had a new name.
Owens ran his first race at age 13.After high school, he went to Ohio State University.He had to work part time so as to pay for his education.As a second year student, in the Big Ten games in 1935, he set even more records than he would in the Olympic Games a year later.
A week before the Big Ten meet, Owens accidentally fell down a flight of stairs. His back hurt so much that he could not exercise all week, and he had to be helped in and out of the car that drove him to the meet. He refused to listen to the suggestions that he give up and said he would try, event by event. He did try, and the results are in the record book.
The stage was set for Owens victory at the Olympic Games in Berlin the next year, and his success would come to be regarded as not only athletic but also political.Hitler did not congratulate any of the AfricanAmerican winners.
"It was all right with me, "he said years later."I didnt go to Berlin to shake hands with him, anyway."
Having returned from Berlin, he received no telephone calls from the president of his own country, either.In fact, he was not honored by the United States until 1976, four years before his death.
Owens Olympic victories made little difference to him. He earned his living by looking after a school playground, and accepted money to race against cars, trucks, motorcycles and dogs.
"Sure, it bothered me, "he said later."But at least it was an honest living. I had to eat."
In time, however, his gold medals changed his life."They have kept me alive over the years, "he once said."Time has stood still for me.That golden moment dies hard."Owens got his other name "Jesse" when.
A. he went to Ohio State University
B. his teacher made fun of him
C. his teacher took "J. C."for "Jesse"
D. he won gold medals in the Big Ten meet In the Big Ten meet，Owens.
| A．hurt himself in the back | B．succeeded in setting many records |
| C．tried every sports event but failed | D．had to give up some events |
We can infer from the text that Owens was treated unfairly in the US at that time because.
| A．he was not of the right race |
| B．he was the son of a poor farmer |
| C．he didnˊt shake hands with Hitler |
| D．he didnˊt talk to the US president on the phone |
When Owens says "They have kept me alive over the years ",he means that the medals.
| A．have been changed for money to help him live on |
| B．have made him famous in the US |
| C．have encouraged him to overcome difficulties in life |
| D．have kept him busy with all kinds of jobs |
What would be the best title for the text?
| A．Jesse Owens, A Great American Athlete |
| B．Golden Moment — A Lifetime Struggle |
| C．Making A Living As A Sportsman |
| D．How To Be A Successful Athlete |