When buying from a dealer, the law says that a car must be:
As described:
This includes the history of the car as well as its specification．For example, if the dealer described the car as previously having “one careful lady owner”, it shouldn’t turn out to have had several previous “boy racer” owners.
Of satisfactory quality:
It must meet the standard that a reasonable person would regard as acceptable and be free from any quality problem．Also, bear in mind that a second-hand car will have a slightly different definition of what is considered “satisfactory, because there’s certainly an element of wear and tear．
Fit for the purpose:
It must be reasonable fit for any normal purpose and this includes any purpose that you specify to the seller．
●If any of the above is violated, then in theory, you may have the right to reject the vehicle and get your money back if you’re reasonably quick. Alternatively, the dealer might offer to replace or repair the car; reduce the price of offering a partial refund(退款).Once you’ve informed the dealer that you wish to reject the car , you must stop using the vehicle.
●If the rejection is not accepted, then it’s up to you to prove your case. You’ll need to pay for an independent assessment of the car and sue（打官司，起诉）for damages. If you do choose a repair, insist the dealer provide you with a hire car or pay any reasonable traveling expenses thus produced while your new car is in the garage.
●If the car is new, it’s likely that the claim will be too high to be fought. Using the small claims procedure to you may have to pay for legal representation. All this can be pretty daunting and expensive. You need to weigh up the pros and cons before rejecting a car. Would a repair do just as well? Selecting a dealer who offers a clear exchange policy may help.According to the text, what is essential after you inform the dealer of your wish to reject the car?
| A．Stopping using it | B．Demanding traveling expenses． |
| C．Suing for damages． | D．Proving your case． |
If the dealer offers to repair the car you have bought, which of the following is acceptable?
| A．Asking the dealer to provide you with repair tool sets |
| B．Asking the dealer to provide you with a hire car |
| C．Asking the dealer to pay all of your traveling expenses． |
| D．Asking the dealer to return all your money． |
Which of the following words has the closest meaning to the underlined word “daunting” in
the last paragraph?
| A．Different． | B．Discouraging． | C．Effective． | D．Convenient． |
What does the writer want to say in the last paragraph?
| A．Buyers should select a dealer that offers to repair the car． |
| B．Buyers should never reject a new car． |
| C．It’s necessary that a new car should be repaired． |
| D．Rejecting a new car is not necessarily the best choice． |
After reading the passage, you will be better at .
| A．choosing a car | B．making a claim |
| C．dealing with car sellers | D．suing for damages |
In my eyes, the most basic and powerful way to communicate with another person is to listen. Just listen. Perhaps the most important thing we ever give each other is our attention. And especially if it’s given from the heart. When people are talking，there’s no need to do anything but receive them. Listen to what they’re saying. Care about it. Most times caring about it is even more important than understanding it. Most of us don’t value ourselves or our love enough to know this. It has taken me a long time to believe in the power of simple saying “I’m so sorry，” when someone is in pain.
One of my patients told me that when she tried to tell her story people often interrupted to tell her that they once had something just like that happening to them. Her pain became a story about themselves. Eventually she stopped talking to most people. We connect through listening. When we interrupt what someone is saying to let them know that we understand，we move the focus of attention to ourselves. When we listen，they know we care.
I have even learned to respond to someone crying by just listening. In the old days I used to reach for the handkerchiefs，until I realized that passing a person a handkerchief may be just another way to shut him down，to take them out of their experience of sadness. Now I just listen. When they have cried all they need to cry，they find me there with them.
This simple thing has not been that easy to learn. It certainly went against everything I had been taught since I was very young. I thought people listened only because they were too shy to speak or did not know the answer. But now I know that a loving silence often has far more power to heal than the kindest words.What does the author value most in the communication with each other?
| A．Deep understanding. |
| B．Attention from heart. |
| C．Saying “I’m sorry” |
| D．Doing nothing. |
The woman patient stopped telling her story to most people because________.
| A．she didn’t get enough respect from others |
| B．people often told her their own opinions |
| C．people couldn’t understand her sad situation |
| D．she was discouraged by being often interrupted |
If you hand a handkerchief to someone crying，you may________.
| A．stop him from letting out his sorrow |
| B．make him embarrassed |
| C．encourage him to continue to cry |
| D．hurt his feelings |
Which of the following might be the author’s opinion about communication?
| A．Just listen. | B．Keep silent. |
| C．Be careful. | D．Tell your own story. |
Should universities focus on training workers for the next decade or curing diseases for the next century? A group of governors, educators, and CEOs weighed in on the best way universities can prepare for the future. They debated how the U.S. can take the responsibility for research while still preparing students for real jobs.
Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin said that the first thing she thinks about as governor is educating Oklahoma students and strengthening the workforce. So she’s carrying out a program called “America Works: Education and Training for Tomorrow’s Jobs” that aims to “reorganize our education system with the current needs of our employers”.
The state governor added that this new educational approach doesn’t just benefit students and companies, but also improves the state economy. “We’ve been able to attract new companies to our state because of what we’re doing with our universities, because our students are a pipeline for the workforce,” she said. “General Electric Company (one of the world’s biggest companies) is coming to Oklahoma.”
Other group members were more focused on the long-term goals of a research university. Amy Gutmann pointed out that “basic research is the foundation for everything else that happens at a university. And if we don’t do it, nobody else will.”
“And if nobody does that research, we’ll pay the price in health care bills,” argued Vagelos, who is a former CEO of Merck & Co., Inc, one of the largest pharmaceutical (制药的) companies in the world. “The jobs of universities are basic research, which is what is needed for attacks on disease,” he said. “There has been a reduction in coronary heart disease (冠心病) by 60% in the last forty years because of this research, and that reduces health care costs.”
James Hunt, former North Carolina governor, argued for a happy medium. Effective communication, he said, would help the public see that the research conducted at universities actually serves a practical purpose.
Eli Broad, founder of the Broad Foundations, agreed. “We have to show the public what research has achieved,” he said. “We have to show how it actually goes from basic research to something they can understand.”Why does Oklahoma appeal to General Electric Company?
| A．University graduates in the state are well trained. |
| B．There’s much support from the local government. |
| C．Many students in the state hope to be workers. |
| D．The state economy has been growing rapidly. |
What is Gutmann’s attitude toward Fallin’s program?
| A．Curious. | B．Tolerant. |
| C．Disapproving. | D．Sympathetic. |
Vagelos mentioned coronary heart disease in order to show _____.
| A．the achievements of Merck & Co., Inc |
| B．the difficulty of developing new drugs |
| C．the heavy burden of health care costs |
| D．the importance of basic research |
Which of the following can be the best title of this text?
| A．Universities or colleges? |
| B．Workers or researchers? |
| C．Basic or further research? |
| D．Education or development? |
You may have never heard of Lanthanum, Cerium or Neodymium, but these elements (元素) and others known as “rare earth” play a major role in modern technology. They can actually be found in many places on the earth, but not in quantities that can be mined. Only a few countries — China, America, India, Australia, Brazil and Malaysia have any that can be mined enough to be traded.
Even though some of these elements such as Cerium are as abundant as Copper, they are not found in concentrated amounts on the earth’s surface. They are often mixed together with other metals, which makes extraction (提取) of these elements an expensive and an environmentally messy process. It was due to this reason that the term “rare earth” was invented.
Rare earth metals are used widely in our life. Rechargeable car batteries, computers, iPhones, DVD players, computer monitors, televisions, lighting, lasers, glass polishing, and superconductors all use quantities of rare earth metals. Also, with the advancement in “green” technology like solar panels, these shiny materials are becoming more important than ever. An average electric car uses 10 pounds of Lanthanum for its rechargeable battery!
America has large deposits (存储量) of rare earths and has one of the first mines. It was opened in Southern California in 1940. The element “Europium” was the first metal to be separated in quantity for use in color televisions. However, in the 1980’s and 1990’s, as China started producing these elements in Inner Mongolia, the mines in America and elsewhere could not keep pace. The mine in Mountain Pass, California also failed environmental regulations and shut down in 2002.
Now, recognizing the importance of having more than one supplier of this important resource, other rare earth owning countries like India and Australia are either dusting off their rare earth mines or speeding up their production. It is believed that the debate over rare earths will become louder in the coming months and years.What can we learn about rare earths?
| A．They are actually as abundant as Copper. |
| B．They can be mined easily as other metals. |
| C．They can only be found in a few countries. |
| D．They are not really as rare as they are named. |
Compared with China, America _____.
| A．paid more attention to Europium |
| B．has larger deposits of rare earths |
| C．started producing rare earths earlier |
| D．has more rare earth mines |
It can be inferred from the text that rare earths _____.
| A．are now in great demand |
| B．can now be used in few fields |
| C．are harmful to the environment |
| D．will soon be replaced by other metals |
“Your first home,” Laurence Yep wrote in his book, The Lost Garden, “will always be the one that you remember best. I have been away from it for over twenty years, but I still go back in my dreams.” For Yep, whose father came from China, home was an apartment and the family grocery store in a neighborhood of San Francisco. It was there that he learned about patience, hard work, and getting along with neighbors.
Mr. Brown, Laurence Yep’s high school English teacher, often set high goals for his students. He was the first person to encourage Yep to write. The experience of that class changed the direction of Yep’s life. At the age of 18 Yep published his first short story, a sci-fi fantasy. He has since written many books and many kinds of books. He has retold Chinese folk stories and written for the theater. In nearly all these varied works, Yep, who is married to the children’s book author Joanne Ryder, has returned to questions he has been asking himself since childhood: What does it mean to be Chinese and American? Can one who belongs to two cultures ever feel at home anywhere?
When asked, “How has being of a Chinese by origin been important to you?” Laurence Yep replied, “As a child I wanted to be as American as possible. Then, in my early twenties, I became very interested in my Chinese roots. For years after that, I thought that my function as a Chinese American writer was to act as a bridge between two cultures. Now, though, I am not so sure that it is possible to join them together. Compared with Asian culture, American culture pays more attention to individuals and competition. The two cultures pull in opposite directions. So I see myself now as someone who will always be on the border between two cultures. That works to my benefit as a writer because not quite fitting in helps me be a better observer.”According to Paragraph 1, Laurence Yep _____.
| A．misses his first home very much |
| B．goes back to China from time to time |
| C．moved to San Francisco at an early age |
| D．once worked part-time at a grocery store |
2We may infer from Paragraph 2 that Mr. Brown _____.
| A．asked Laurence Yep to be a good observer |
| B．taught Laurence Yep the value of patience |
| C．helped Laurence Yep finish his first book |
| D．had high expectations of Laurence Yep |
The last paragraph is mainly about Laurence Yep’s _____.
| A．childhood memories |
| B．varied writing styles |
| C．view of the two cultures |
| D．relationship with his family |
Which of the following best describes Laurence Yep’s attitude to life?
| A．Learn to accept your own differences. |
| B．Put the needs of others ahead of your own. |
| C．Work hard and you will receive many benefits. |
| D．Challenge others as you would wish to be challenged. |
阅读下列短文, 从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中, 选出最佳选项。
A
 Greco-Roman Festival Friday, April 28th! As a member of the group, you will take part in at least one of the following activities. |
Activity I: Compete in an Olympic event
Sign up with your English teacher, and remember space is limited for each event. See the following list:
● Hercules Throw — Throw a football through a hoop (铁环) 20 feet away.
● Three-Headed Race — Three people line up with touching legs tied. Then they run the distance of the gym.
● Toga-Barrow Race —This is like a wheelbarrow race while wearing your toga (宽外袍). (Runners hold their partners’ feet while they walk on hands.)
Activity II: Make Greek or Roman food
Mrs. Jones has a list of recipes (食谱) from ancient Greece and Rome. Remember to give the food you make a unique name. For example, call your chocolate cake Zeus’s Delight.
Activity III: Create a work of art for the museum
Be sure your artwork reflects ancient Greek or Roman culture. Artwork may include sculptures, paintings, drawings or models. The museum is a great place to show off your artistic talent.
Activity IV: Perform an original play, song, or dance for the talent show
Rewrite your favorite Greek myth (神话) using modern language, or change the words of a popular song to tell a Greek or Roman tale. Gather your creative energy and send your ideas to your English teacher for approval.
Activity V: Come to the Toga-Tying party
Since the ancient Greeks should inspire your dressing for the event, feel free to attend the festival in a toga. Learn to tie your toga. Thursday, April 27th. After school in the gym.
| Group Number |
1:00 pm -1:25 pm |
1:30 pm -1:55 pm |
2:00 pm -2:25 pm |
2:30 pm -3:30 pm |
| I |
Activity I; Place: Gym |
Activity III; Place: Library |
Activity II; Place: Cafeteria |
Activity IV; Place: Library All teams! Hurry! No seats reserved. |
| II |
Activity II; Place: Cafeteria |
Activity I; Place: Gym |
Activity III; Place: Library |
|
| III |
Activity III; Place: Library |
Activity II; Place: Cafeteria |
Activity I; Place: Gym |
We can learn from Activity I that _____.
| A．players wear a toga for the football throw |
| B．different physical competitions are offered |
| C．Mrs. Jones is the judge of the competitions |
| D．skills in throwing are needed in these games |
Which piece of art would be shown in the museum?
| A．A painting of ancient Chinese coins. |
| B．A drawing of ancient Greek buildings. |
| C．A sculpture of an ancient Indian athlete. |
| D．A model of an ancient Egyptian sculpture. |
Right after showing the artwork, Group II may go to _____.
| A．make Greek or Roman food |
| B．compete in Olympic events |
| C．perform at the talent show |
| D．join the Toga-Tying party |
The text is most probably _____.
| A．a poster for school activities |
| B．a want ad for student volunteers |
| C．an introduction to the Greco-Roman Festival |
| D．a notice about arrangements for Olympic events |