“People are ruder today because they are rushed and more ‘time poor’ than ever before, ” says Patsy Rowe, “ Manners have fallen off the radar(雷达). ” Due to our strong attraction to electronic equipment it is a wonder more people don’t wake up each morning and greet the singing birds with a complaint（抱怨）about the noise. Here are some examples of rudeness.
Some people prefer to do almost everything over the internet. To them, dealing with an actual human is like an evolutionary step backward. It feels very slow because humans don, t work at 4G speeds. When you have dinner with friends, you will often notice someone paying more attention to his mobile phone. We have programmed ourselves to think that every new message brings life-changing news, so taking calls and checking our texts are more important than talking to the people we are with. What is worse, some people even tend to send anonymous（匿名的） rude messages by email.
However, rudeness is never acceptable, Don, t assume it is OK to be rude if the person you, re in touch with won, t recognize you. If you have something awful to say, have the courage to face the person and say it, write a letter or email and sign it, or forget it. Upsetting people with unsigned messages is cruel and disgusting.
We shouldn′t blame technology for our shortcomings. Technology is here to help us, but we should not allow it to take over our lives. An important step is acknowledging our shortcomings. People spend a lot of time pointing out bad manners but it would be even more help if we′d publicly acknowledge good manners when we see them.What can be inferred from the underlined sentence in Paragraph I?
| A．People can tell good from bad behavior. |
| B．Radar is able to observe human behavior. |
| C．People care little about their behavior. |
| D．Radar can be used to predict human behavior. |
Some people are less willing to deal with humans because
| A．they are becoming less patient |
| B．they are growing too independent |
| C．they have to handle many important messages |
| D．they have to follow an evolutionary step backward. |
The author thinks sending unsigned awful messages is
| A．Ridiculous | B．disgusting | C．acceptable | D．reasonable |
What can we learn from the last paragraph?
| A．We should applaud good behabior. |
| B．Technology can neber be blamed |
| C．We should keep pointing out mistakes. |
| D．Technology will take over lives one day. |
Butterflies are some of the most fascinating and beautiful insects in the world. Adult butterflies will live about 2 to 4 weeks. They use their senses of sight, touch, hearing, smell, and taste to survive in the world, find food and mates, lay eggs in an appropriate place, migrate, and avoid hungry enemies.
Butterflies have large compound eyes(复眼), which allow them to see in all directions without turning their heads. Like most insects, butterflies are very nearsighted, so they are more attracted to a sea of flowers than individual plants. Butterflies do not “see” colors such as red, green, and yellow, but they can sense sunlight, which indicates the direction the sun is shining, as well as ultraviolet light（紫外线）, which is present on many flowers and guides butterflies to honey sources.
Butterflies have a very well-developed sense of smell, but it is not in their nose, since they don't have one. Sense receptors are located in their antennae（触角）, feet, and many other parts of the body. They can help butterflies find their favorite flower honey food, and mates.
Butterflies' feet have sense organs that can taste the sugar in flower honey, letting the butterflies know if something is good to eat or not. Some females also carefully choose host plants by tasting to find appropriate places to lay their eggs. Adult butterflies feed their babies using a long tube. Butterflies force blood into the tube to straighten it out, allowing them to feed. Butterflies get all their food from this tube.
Butterflies don't have ears. Instead they “hear” sounds through their wings by sensing changes in sound vibrations（振动）.
Butterflies may possess senses we don't even know about yet, because their body structure is very different from ours, and therefore difficult to understand, when observed through our own human senses.What can we learn from the 2nd paragraph?
| A．Butterflies have good eyesight. |
| B．Butterflies can see in all directions and don't need to turn heads. |
| C．Butterflies are sensitive to bright colors including red and yellow. |
| D．Butterflies cannot sense the ultraviolet light. |
How do butterflies hear sounds?
| A．Using their feet to sense the vibration of things |
| B．Using their ears to listen directly |
| C．Using their wings to sense the sound vibrations |
| D．Using their antennae to judge the sound |
Why do female adult butterflies carefully choose the host plants?
| A．To find highqualified honey. |
| B．To have a good place for living. |
| C．To make it easier for them to hide from the enemies. |
| D．To find a proper place for their eggs. |
What does the last paragraph imply?
| A．There’s a long way to understand butterflies well |
| B．Butterflies give great help to human beings |
| C．Butterflies are the most beautiful insects in the world |
| D．Butterflies possess more senses than humans |
The text mainly focuses on ________.
| A．butterflies' living habits | B．butterflies' beauty |
| C．butterflies' daily activities | D．butterflies' senses |
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E-mail: Harcourt@learning.com.This advertisement aims at calling on people to ________.
| A．attend full-time universities |
| B．work part time to further their education |
| C．improve their education at home to get better jobs |
| D．earn their degrees in different ways that suit them |
Which of the following is NOT mentioned in this advertisement?
| A．The way how you will get your degree. |
| B．The exact amount of tuition you should pay. |
| C．The hot fields you will be preparing yourself for. |
| D．The length of time it will take you to get a degree. |
Which of the following majors doesn’t the Harcourt Learning Direct offer?
| A．photography | B．physiology |
| C．Accounting | D．bookkeeping |
People can get a Specialized Associate Degree by________.
| A．doing fulltime learning at school |
| B．working in some big famous companies |
| C．studying in their spare time |
| D．studying abroad for two years |
How can you get in touch with the Harcourt Learning Direct?
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When 15-year-old Louisa Ball takes a nap, she sleeps for days on end, and no amount of shaking can fully wake her up. The British girl has a rare condition called Sleeping Beauty Sickness. Doctors don’t know what causes it or how to cure it --only know that it strikes teenagers and goes away by itself after eight to 12 years.
Louisa’s mum, Lottie, told NBC News that the girl had flulike symptoms just over a year ago. Shortly afterward, she had her first period of long sleeping.
She was eventually diagnosed with Kleine-Levin Syndrome, whose victims worldwide may number no more than 1,000. The victims live normally for weeks or months at a time, with normal sleep patterns and normal energy levels. Then, with little warning, they’ll go to sleep for days or weeks at a time. So far, Louisa’s longest period in bed has been 13 days. Victims will wake briefly, but be disoriented and not fully awake. Louisa’s parents force her awake so she can use the bathroom and eat.
Now, Louisa’s friends can tell when a period is coming on. She stops talking and she may be annoyed easily. That’s when she knows she has to get home to her bed. Louisa has slept through family vacations, the dance recitals(表演会) she loves to perform in, and school tests. Now it becomes increasingly difficult to catch up on missed schoolwork.
But just as doctors don’t know the cause, they also don’t know why it ends as mysteriously as it began. The illness is unrelated to narcolepsy(嗜眠病), whose victims are constantly tired and drop off for brief periods of sleep at any time.
It’s so dramatic that some people have accused Louisa of making the false symptoms to get attention. Her father, Richard, thinks that’s absurd.The underlined “disoriented ” in the 3rd paragraph probably means________.
| A．embarrassed | B．disappointed |
| C．confused | D．happy |
Which is TRUE about Kleine-Levin Syndrome according to the passage?
| A．The victims usually sleep for days or weeks at a time. |
| B．There are usually many warning signs before it attacks the victims. |
| C．The victims are usually tired and in a bad mood. |
| D．There are more than 1, 000 victims in the world. |
We can learn from the passage that________.
| A．doctors have found the cure for Sleeping Beauty Sickness. |
| B．some people don’t believe in the truth of Louisa’s symptoms. |
| C．Kleine-Levin Syndrome has no effect on Louisa’s study and life. |
| D．the narcolepsy victims sleep longer than those with Kleine-Levin Syndrome. |
What can we learn about Louisa?
| A．Louisa is fond of dancing. |
| B．Louisa can still manage finish her schoolwork without difficulty. |
| C．Louisa is a British girl who likes sleeping. |
| D．Louisa’s longest sleeping period is 8 years. |
What is the best title of the passage?
| A．What is Narcolepsy |
| B．How Louisa Overcame the Difficulty |
| C．Rare Illness Turns a Girl into a “Sleeping Beauty” |
| D．The Latest Research on Kleine-Levin Syndrome. |
Every day, Daisy wakes up next to a man, who has to convince her they are married. When she expresses doubt, he takes out a photo album and shows her pictures of their wedding 13 years ago.
Only then does amnesiac Daisy accept that she has been married, and that everything he has told her is true. The lady's condition was caused by brain injuries suffered in two road accidents, a motorbike crash in 1985 and a car accident in 1990. Daisy can recall everything up to 1994, but since then everything that happens on one day is forgotten the next day.
She has no day-today memory after the car crash. And it is not just loved ones Daisy struggles with. She uses hundreds of notes and reminders on her mobile phone's calendar to keep her informed of appointments and everyday duties. Anything she has done or anyone she has met must be logged for future reference. And on the rare occasions when she takes the risk of going out of her home alone, she has to be armed with navigation (导航) programmed with her address.
There are some benefits, however. There is no such thing as a repeat on TV and every joke is funny, because it seemed she has heard it the first time.“It’s like I am living the same day, day after day, said Daisy, who does voluntary work at a charity for people with disabilities three days a week.
Dr Peter Nestor said Daisy was suffering from anterograde(【医】 前进的, 顺行的) amnesia. He added, “It is reasonably rare, but it does exist. You are able to carry out daytoday things, and don't forget how to do certain things like speaking. But if someone was to ask you what you did yesterday, you wouldn't have a clue.”What caused Daisy’s condition?
| A．Her disability since birth. |
| B．Brain injuries in accidents. |
| C．Her declining health |
| D．Overloaded working. |
How did Daisy’s family help remind her?
| A．By taking her to the hospital |
| B．By telling her jokes. |
| C．By showing her old photos and pictures. |
| D．By persuading her to recall the car crash. |
The underlined word “amnesiac” in Paragraph 2 probably means“________”．
| A．strong | B．optimistic |
| C．warmhearted | D．forgetful |
What does the 3rd paragraph mainly tell us?
| A．Benefits of Daisy condition. |
| B．Great troubles Daisy has in life. |
| C．How Daisy helps herself. |
| D．The reason why Daisy forgets things. |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Daisy could still enjoy a lot in spite of her illness. |
| B．The only thing Daisy kept in mind was her home. |
| C．Daisy couldn't do anything but stay at home. |
| D．Daisy didn't want to trust anyone else. |
Wealth starts with a goal saving a dollar at a time. Call it the piggy bank strategy(策略). There are lessons in that time-honored coin-saving container.
Any huge task seems easier when reduced to baby steps. I f you wished to climb a 12,000-foot mountain, and could do it a day at a time, you would only have to climb 33 feet daily to reach the top in a year. If you want to take a really nice trip in 10 years for a special occasion, to collect the $15,000 cost, you have to save $3.93 a day. If you drop that into a piggy bank and then once a year put $1,434 in a savings account at 1% interest rate after-tax, you will have your trip money.
When I was a child, my parents gave me a piggy bank to teach me that, if I wanted something, I should save money to buy it. We associate piggy banks with children, but in many countries, the little containers are also popular with adults. Europeans see a piggy bank as a sign of good fortune and wealth. Around the world, many believe a gift of a piggy bank on New Year’s Day brings good luck and financial success. Ah, but you have to put something in it.
Why is a pig used as a symbol of saving? Why not an elephant bank, which is bigger and holds more coins? In the Middle Ages, before modern banking and credit instruments, people saved money at home, a few coins at a time dropped into a jar or dish. Potters(制陶工) made these inexpensive containers from an orange-colored clay(黏土) called “pygg,” and folks saved coins in pygg jars.The Middle English word
for pig was “pigge”. While the Saxons pronounced pygg, referring to the clay, as “pug”, eventually the two words changed into the same pronunciation, sounding the “i” as in pig or piggy. As the word became less associated with the orange clay and more with the animal, a clever potter fashioned a pygg jar in the shape of a pig, delighting children and adults. The piggy bank was born.
Originally you had to break the bank to get to the money, bringing in a sense of seriousness into savings. While piggy banks teach children the wisdom of saving, adults often need to relearn childhood lessons. Think about the things in life that require large amounts of money--- college education, weddings, cars, medical care, starting a business, buying a home, and fun stuff like great trips. So when you have money, take off the top 10%, put it aside, save and invest wisely.What is the piggy bank strategy?
| A．Paying 1% income tax at a time. |
| B．Setting a goal before making a travel plan. |
| C．Aiming high even when doing small things. |
| D．Putting aside a little money regularly for future use. |
Why did the writer’s parents give him a piggy bank as a gift?
| A．To delight him with the latest fashion. |
| B．To encourage him to climb mountains. |
| C．To help him form the habit of saving. |
| D．To teach him English pronunciation. |
What does then underlined word “something”(Paragraph 3) most probably refer to?
| A．Money | B．Gifts |
| C．Financial success | D．Good luck |
The piggy ban originally was _________.
| A．a potter’s instrument | B．a cheap clay container |
| C．an animal-shaped dish | D．a pig-like toy for children |
The last paragraph talks about ________.
| A．the seriousness of educating children |
| B．the enjoyment of taking a great trip |
| C．the importance of managing money |
| D．the difficulty of starting a business |