More and more people think it necessary to study in an English-speaking country and it didn’t take long at all for me to decide to come and study in UK.
Having been in the school for 2 months, I’m getting used to school life, and I am starting to make the most of my time in here. School starts at 9 o’clock every morning, and every Monday, Wednesday and Friday we have long days, in which we have 9 lessons and school finishes at 4 o’clock. Every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturdays we have short days, in which we have only 6 lessons and finish at 1 o’clock. After lessons, we have two hours of activity time, when you can choose from a wide range of activities, including all the major sports, such as rugby and football, and also the minor sports such as basketball and tennis.
As a boarder( 寄宿者)，the quality of food is something I consider very important, and Merchiston has not let me down. The school kitchens are run by a professional food company, and the quality of food is very excellent and also they take the healthy diet very seriously: I remember once I was once asked to take more salad for my meal by a member of the kitchen staff(员工) for I didn’t have enough vegetables. This brings another point of being a boarder: you need to learn how to look after yourself and be responsible(负责) for yourself. One of the huge advantages of being a boarder is that we can have breakfast in the school, which means we don’t have to pull ourselves out of bed as early as the day pupils!The passage mainly tells us about _______.
| A．the author’s school life in the UK as a boarder. |
| B．the author’s opinion of the school life in the UK. |
| C．the differences in school life between China and UK. |
| D．the boarder life in a Britain middle school. |
According to the second paragraph, we can learn that the author _________ .
| A．has not enough time to study | B．likes to play tennis and basketball |
| C．went to the school two months ago | D．finishes school at 4 o’clock |
How many lessons do the students have every week in this school?
| A．15 | B．45 | C．27 | D．18 |
The underlined words “let me down” in the last paragraph means _______.
| A．made me disappointed | B．made me pleased | C．encouraged me | D．amazed me |
As a boarder in the school, the author ___________ .
| A．is not used to the food there | B．has learned to have healthy diets |
| C．is specially taken good care of | D．sleep as much as the day pupils |
Hi, everybody. On Friday, I had a discussion with working women in Rhode Island about the economic challenges they face in their own lives—challenges shared by many of you.
Thanks to the work we’ve all put in, our economy has come a long way these past six years. Over the past 55 months, our businesses have added 10.3 million new jobs. For the first time in six years, the unemployment rate is below 6 percent. And on Thursday, we learned that over the past six months, our economy has grown at its fastest pace since 2003.
But the gains of a growing economy aren’t yet felt by everyone. So we’ve got to harness（增强） this momentum（动力）, and make the right choices so that everyone who works hard can get ahead.
In recent weeks, I’ve talked about these choices, from raising the minimum wage to creating new jobs in construction and manufacturing. Today, I want to focus on what I discussed with those women — the choices we need to make to help more women get ahead in today’s economy.
Right now, women make up almost half of our workers. More women are their family’s main breadwinner than ever before. So the simple truth is, when women succeed, America succeeds. And we should be choosing policies that benefit women—because that benefits all of us.
Women deserve fair pay. Even though it’s 2014, there are women still earning less than men for doing the same work. We don’t have second-class citizens in this country—we shouldn’t in the workplace, either. So let’s make sure women earn equal pay for equal work, and have a fair shot at success.
Women deserve to be able to take time off to care for a new baby, an ailing parent, or take a sick day for themselves without running into hardship. So let’s make sure all Americans have access to paid family leave(带薪休假).
Pregnant workers deserve to be treated fairly. Even today, women can be fired for taking too many bathroom breaks, or forced on unpaid leave just for being pregnant. That’s wrong—and we have to choose policies that ensure pregnant workers are treated with dignity and respect.
New parents deserve quality, affordable childcare. There’s nothing like the peace of mind that comes with knowing that your kids are safe while you’re at work. And the benefits that children get out of early enrichment can pay off for a lifetime. But in many states, sending your kid to daycare costs more than sending them to a public university. So let’s start demanding Pre-K for our kids.
And when most low-wage workers are women, but Congress hasn’t passed a minimum wage increase in seven years, it’s long past time that women deserve a raise. About 28 million workers would benefit from an increase in the minimum wage to ten dollars and ten cents an hour. And more than half of those workers are women. The local businesses where these workers spend their money would benefit, too. So let’s do this -- let’s give America a raise.
All of these policies are common sense. All of them are within our reach. We’ve just got to speak up and choose them. Because they’ll build a stronger America for all of us.
Thanks, and have a great weekend.The underlined word “breadwinner” in Paragraph 5 probably means ___________.
| A．the person who wins a lot of bread |
| B．the person who takes part in the competition |
| C．the person who earns the money to support the family |
| D．the person who makes policies |
Which is the true fact according to the passage?
| A．During the last half year, our economy has grown fastest since 2003. |
| B．All of us have felt the gains of a growing economy. |
| C．We have never fires any women because of her taking too many bathroom breaks. |
| D．The local businesses will not benefit a lot because of the increase in the minimum wage. |
Which is NOT included in the new policies that would help women and working families get ahead?
| A．Equal pay for equal work. |
| B．Increase access to high-quality child care and paid family leave. |
| C．Raise the minimum wage. |
| D．Get rid of racial discrimination. |
The best title for this Weekly Address may be ___________.
| A．Say no to sex discrimination. |
| B．It’s time to help women and working families. |
| C．Let’s build a stronger country. |
| D．Equal pay for equal work. |
We all have fond memories of taking a few lazy months off after the stress of A-levels. So now that summer has arrived, let’s take full advantage. It goes without saying that summer vacations are the perfect time to go traveling.
Tickets go up greatly when you turn 26, so make the most of cheaper rates while you’re eligible.
Overseas volunteering won’t amaze future employers, but it can be very useful. Finding a reliable (可靠的) company that won’t cheat you is important, as is discovering a program that interests you. There are plenty of websites where you can see other people’s suggestions.
Of course for most of us, money is tight. To avoid overspending you can combine employment and vacation. Hannah Warn, a psychology (心理学) student at the University of Winchester, is spending her summer at Camp America where students enjoy a good time on a summer camp. “Being thrown into something where I don’t really know what to expect is exciting,” she says. “It gives me a chance to experience being away from home in a different way.”
Those with a talent for languages might also consider working abroad as an au pair (互惠工人). The work may be a chance to involve yourself in a new culture while your employer pays most of the bill.
If you have an idea of the sort of career you’d like, getting work experience is wise. In many careers, graduating with only your degree to show for your three or four years just won’t make it. Send applications (申请) off early and to as many places as possible. Make sure you take a well-earned break this summer.【改编】From the passage,we can infer that .
| A．students will be offered part-time jobs during the vacation |
| B．students may employ lower-price tickets when they are traveling |
| C．students should have a longer summer vacation than ever |
| D．students will be offered part-time jobs during the vacation |
The underlined part “you’re eligible” in Para. 2 can best be replaced by “”.
| A．you have more free time | B．you’re tired of school life |
| C．you enjoy traveling a lot | D．you’re of the right age |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the example of Hannah Warn?
| A．Camp America offers jobs to students. |
| B．Psychology students are good at saving money. |
| C．Students had better choose a camp related to their future job. |
| D．A camp is a good place to combine employment and vacation. |
【改编】From the passage, we may conclude that the one who is more likely to seek a job after graduation is _____
| A．John, who got extraordinary academic records during his university years. |
| B．Lily, who worked abroad as an au pair during summer vacations. |
| C．Tom, who got working experience relevant to his future job in college. |
| D．Mary, who got a degree after studying four years in a famous university. |
Alibaba started taking the lead in China, simply enough, by connecting big Chinese manufacturers(制造商)with big buyers across the world. Its business-to-business site, Alibaba.com allowed business to buy almost everything. Alibaba’s advantage wasn’t hard to identify: size. Alibaba is just big, even by Chinese standards. Its marketplaces attract 231 million active buyers, 8 million sellers, 11.3 billion orders a year—and Alibaba is just the middleman. It encourages people to use its markets—not charging small sellers a percentage of the sale.
If you want a quick look into the influence of Alibaba on daily Chinese life, take my experience. I moved to Beijing almost a year ago and quickly got tired of visiting small stores across the crowded, polluted city of 20 million people in search of new electronics, bathroom furnishings, and anything else my wife wanted. “You’re looking for what exactly? Why not try it? ” my Chinese teacher asked me one day. With that, my wonderful new relationship with Alibaba began.
Alibaba’s original business-to-business model now is secondary to consumer buying. Chinese retail（零售）buying makes up 80% of Alibaba’s profit, and leading that group is Taobao, with 800 million items for sale and the most unbelievable selection of things you’ll ever find. TMall.com is Alibaba’s other big site, where you can find brand name goods from Nike and Unilever near the lowest prices.
What I have a hard time explaining to friends and family back in the U.S. is how China has gone beyond traditional shopping—big-box retailers especially —in favor of online purchases on Taobao and a few other sites. In smaller towns than Beijing, where big retailers have not yet traveled, shopping online is shopping, and shopping is Taobao.
I have a list of some of my recent purchases on Taobao for a sense of how extensive the marketplace is. Almost everything arrived a day or two after ordering with free shipping. I’m not even a big buyer, because I need friends to help me search the Chinese-language site. When I was searching my purchase history on my Chinese teacher’s iPad, which helps me buy goods, I looked through with great difficulty about 10 of her purchases for every one of mine.Alibaba’s advantage mainly lies in ___________.
| A．its big size |
| B．its business-to-business service |
| C．its not charging small sellers |
| D．its low price |
What can we learn from the underlined sentence in the passage?
| A．Alibaba is of middle size among all the online sites |
| B．Alibaba will continue to develop. |
| C．Alibaba stands out as the best online site. |
| D．Alibaba acts as a bridge between the buyers and sellers. |
【改编】We can infer from the passage____
| A．The author’s Chinese teacher is also an online purchase lover. |
| B．Taobao has no apparent advantage compared with other similar online sites. |
| C．Alibaba’s business-to-business service earns much more money than retail now. |
| D．TMall.com provides more profit than Taobao. |
【改编】The passage mainly talks about_____
| A．Alibaba has a great influence on people’s daily purchase in China. |
| B．The influence of shopping online goes beyond traditional shopping. |
| C．Shopping online is TaoBao.. |
| D．How the author purchases online in China. |
The man behind the Apple empire died at 56 last year. He was one of the people who made Silicon Valley（硅谷） the capital of technological invention. Author and business consultant Jim Collins once called Jobs the “Beethoven of business”. When asked what Steve Jobs will be best remembered for, many of us would name a particular product：the iPod, the iPhone or the iPad, for example. But in the eyes of Eric Jackson, a reporter with Forbes magazine, Jobs brought the world much more than these popular devices（装置）. Here are some of the lessons he taught us：
1. The most lasting inventions mix art and science. Jobs pointed out that the team members working with Apple were trained in anthropology（人类学）, art, history, and poetry. He believed this was important in making Apple’s products stand out.
2. Never fear failure. Jobs was fired by the successor he himself chose. It was one of the most public embarrassments（尴尬） of the last 30 years in business. However, Jobs didn’t hide away or try to get a new job. He picked himself up and got back to work.
3. You can’t look forward to connecting the dots—you can only look backward. This means that, however much we try to plan things ahead of time, life is always full of unexpected things. What seems like bitter pain and defeat could turn out to sow the seeds of unimaginable success in years to come. You can’t connect the dots looking forward. But you have to trust that all the dots will be connected in the future.
4. Listen to that voice in tile back of your head that tells you if you’re on the right track or not. Most of us simply decide that we’re going to work in finance or become a doctor because it's what our parents tell us to do. Whatever your voice is telling you, it is smart to listen to it—like Jobs did.
Just as Caroline and Amy from his empire put it, “Steve was one of the most inspiring yet toughest boss ever—but who else could have built Apple? What Steve left is sure to inspire generations of creative thinkers to think differently. His influence will be felt throughout the world.”【改编】What can we learn from the passage ?__________.
| A．Steve Jobs is the first one who founded the Silicon Valley |
| B．Steve Jobs is only memorized for the popular device iPhone |
| C．Combining art with science is really vital in making Apple’s products noticeable |
| D．all the team members in Silicon Valley are trained in anthropology, art, history and poetry |
What does the phrase “picked himself up”（Paragraph 3） most probably mean?
| A．Became excited. | B．Refused to talk. |
| C．Got others’ help. | D．Cheered himself up. |
What’s the writer's main purpose of writing the passage?
| A．To introduce readers the life story of Steve Jobs. |
| B．To tell readers Steve Jobs is the “Beethoven of business”. |
| C．To encourage readers to learn from Steve Jobs’ life experience. |
| D．To persuade readers that they shouldn’t always follow what parents tell them to do. |
【原创】1 was having a great morning until I sat down in front of my office computer.’’Your password has expired，’’a server message flashed on my screen, with instructions for changing it.Coming up with a new code doesn't seem like a big deal, unless you work at my company, where we have to change it monthly, using at least one upper-case letter(太写字母)，one symbol and one number, and the whole thing can't be fewer than eight characters. And I can't use any of the same passwords I've used in the past three months.
Suddenly a strong emotion grew in me. What didn't make it any better was that l was deeply depressed after my recent divorce. Disbelief over what she had done to me was all I thought about every day.
That didn't work and I had to type a password that I'd have to reenter many times for the next 30 days. I remembered a tip I’d heard from my former boss. He'd said, "I'm going to use a password to change my life.“
I couldn't focus on getting things done in my current mood. There were clear indicators of what I needed to do to regain control of my life. My password reminded me that I shouldn't let myself be a victim of my recent breakup and that I was strong enough to do something about it.
I made my password Forgive@ h3r.
I had to type this statement several times a day. The simple action changed the way I looked at her. That constant reminder led me to accept the way things had happened at the end of my marriage and embrace a new way of dealing with my depression. As the month wore on,I felt a slow healing begin to take place. By the time my server prompted me to reset my password the following month, felt free.
One month later, my dear Exchange server asked me yet again to reset my password.I thought about the next thing that i had to get done.
My password became Quit@ smoking4ever
This password was a painful one to type during that month,but doing it helped me to yell at myself in my mind as i typed that statement.it motivated me to follow my monthly goal.
Seeing how these reminders helped to materialize my goals kept me motivated and excited.While it is sometimes difficult to come up with your next goal, keeping at it brings great results.Which of the following is closest to the underlined word “expired" in Para.1 ?
| A．Been updated. | B．Been out of date. |
| C．Remained very cool. | D．Been replaced. |
What changes happened one month after the author set the password Forgive@ h3r?
| A．He became calm and accepted the fact. |
| B．He felt he was the victim of the failed marriage. |
| C．He loved his former wife more than before. |
| D．He felt relieved that he had divorced. |
What is the lesson the author has learned through the experience?
| A．Computers are the best friend of us humans. |
| B．Many a hand makes light work. |
| C．Don't be discouraged by difficulties. |
| D．Keeping oneself reminded of his goal will work. |
Which of the following might be one of the passwords the author set?
| A．eattwice@day. | B．save4triptoChina. |
| C．Date@her | D．Save4@ring. |