Growing up, I remember my father as a silent, serious man not the sort of person around whom one could laugh. As a teenager arriving in America, knowing nothing, I wanted a father who could explain the human journey. In college, when friends called home for advice, 1 would sink into deep depression for what I did not have.
Today. at twenty-seven, I have come to rediscover them in ways that my teenage mind would not allow — as adults and as friends with their own faults and weaknesses.
One night after my move back home, I overheard my father on the telephone. There was some trouble. Later, Dad shared the problem with me. Apparently my legal training had earned me some privileges in his eyes. I talked through the problem with Dad. analyzing the purposes of the people involved and offering several negotiation strategies. He listened patiently before finally admitting, “I can’t think like that. I am a simple man.”
Dad is a brilliant scientist who can deconstruct (解构) the building blocks of nature. Yet human nature is a mystery to him. That night I realized that he was simply not skilled at dealing with people, much less the trouble of a conflicted teenager. It’s not in his nature to understand human desires.
And so, there it was — it was no one’s fault that my father held no interest in human lives while 1 placed great importance in them. We are at times born more sensitive, wide-eyed, and dreamy than our parents and become more curious and idealistic than them. Dad perhaps never expected me for a child. And I, who knew Dad as an intelligent man, had never understood that his intelligence did not cover all of my feelings.
It has saved me years of questioning and confusion. I now see my parents as people who have other relationships than just Father and Mother. I now overlook their many faults and weaknesses, which once annoyed me.
I now know my parents as friends: people who ask me for advice; people who need my support and understanding. And I’ve come to see my past clearly.What was the author’s impression of her father when she was a teenager?
| A.Friendly but irresponsible. |
| B.Intelligent but severe. |
| C.Cold and aggressive. |
| D.Caring and communicative. |
Why did the author feel depressed when her friends called home?
| A.She did not have a phone to a1l home. |
| B.Her father did not care about her human journey. |
| C.Her father was too busy to answer her phone. |
| D.Her father couldn’t give her appropriate advice. |
After the author overheard her father on the telephone.
| A.he blamed her for impoliteness |
| B.he rediscovered human nature |
| C.he consulted with her about his problem |
| D.he changed his attitude towards the author |
The author realized that ______.
| A.her father had too many faults and weaknesses |
| B.her father was not as intelligent as she had thought |
| C.her father was not good at interpersonal relationships |
| D.her father placed too much importance in social activities |
Which of the following is the best title of this passage?
| A.My Parents as Friends |
| B.My Parents as Advisors |
| C.My Father — a Serious Man |
| D.My Father — an Intelligent Scientist |
Life is difficult.
It is a great truth because once we truly understand and accept it, then life is no longer difficult.
Most people do not fully see this truth. Instead they complain(抱怨) about their problems and difficulties as if life should be easy. It seems to them that difficulties stand for a special kind of suffering especially forced on them or else on their families, their class, or even their nation.
What makes life difficult is that the process of facing and solving problems is a painful one. Problems, depending on their nature, cause sadness, or loneliness(孤独) or regret or anger or fear. These are uncomfortable feelings, often as painful as any kind of physical pain. And since life causes a lot of problems, life is always difficult and is full of pain as well as joy.
Yet, it is in this whole process of solving problems that life has its meaning. Problems are the serious test that tells us success from failure. When we want to encourage the growth of human spirit, we encourage the human ability to solve problems, just as in school we set problems for our children to solve. It is through the pain of meeting and working out problems that we learn. As Benjamin Franklin said, "Those things that hurt, instruct(指导)." It is for this reason that wise people learn not to fear but to welcome the pain of problems. From the passage, it can be inferred that_______.
| A.everybody has problems |
| B.we become stronger by facing and solving the problems of life |
| C.life is difficult because our problems bring us pain |
| D.people like to complain about their problems |
The writer probably used just one short sentence in the first paragraph to ___.
| A.save space |
| B.persuade readers |
| C.make readers laugh |
| D.get readers' attention |
The main idea of paragraph 3 is that _________.
| A.most people feel life is easy |
| B.the writer feel life is easy |
| C.the writer likes to complain about his problems |
| D.most people complain about how hard their lives are |
According to the passage, we give school children difficult problems to solve in order to ______.
| A.encourage them to learn |
| B.teach them to fear the pain of solving the problems |
| C.help them learn to deal with pain |
| D.teach them how to respect problems |
The saying from Benjamin Franklin "Those things that hurt, instruct" suggests that ______.
| A.we do not learn from experience |
| B.we do not learn when we are in pain |
| C.pain teaches us important lessons |
| D.pain cannot be avoided |
As civilization proceeds in the direction of technology, it passes the point of supplying all the basic essentials of life-food, shelter, clothes and warmth. Then we are faced with a choice between using technology to provide and fulfill needs which have now been regarded as unnecessary or, on the other hand, using technology to reduce the number of hours of work which a man must do in order to earn a given standard of living. In other words, we either raise our standard of living above that necessary for comfort and happiness or we leave it at this level and work shorter hours.
I shall take it for granted that mankind has, by that time, chosen the latter alternative. Men will be working shorter and shorter hours in their paid employment. It follows that the housewife will also expect to be able to have more leisure in her life without lowering her standard of living. It also follows that human domestic servants will have completely ceased to exist. Yet the great majority of the housewives will wish to be relieved completely from the routine operations of the home such as scrubbing the floors or the bath of the cooker, or washing the clothes or washing up, or dusting or sweeping, or making beds.
By far the most logical step to relieve the housewife of routine is to provide a robot which can be trained to the requirements of a particular home and can be programmed to carry out half a dozen or more standard operations, when switched by the housewife. As civilization develops in the direction of technology, ________.
| A.the basic essentials of life must be supplied |
| B.it is important to supply the basic essentials of life |
| C.it is no longer so important as it was in the past to supply all the basic essentials of life |
| D.it is not necessary to supply the basic essentials of life |
According to the author, we are faced with________.
| A.the choice of providing and fulfilling our needs |
| B.the choice of using technology |
| C.the choice of earning a standard of living |
| D.a choice between using technology to provide and fulfill needs to reduce the number of working hours |
What alternative will mankind have chosen in future?
| A.To leave our standard of living at this level and work shorter hours. |
| B.To raise our standard of living. |
| C.To fulfill needs which have been regarded as unnecessary. |
| D.To lower our standard of living and work shorter hours. |
Now most housewives wish to________.
| A.stop doing their housework |
| B.do more housework to improve their life |
| C.get rid of the heavy burden of their housework |
| D.do only simple and light housework |
It can be inferred that robots will be invented ______.
| A.to take the place of housewives |
| B.to help manage a family |
| C.to do the routine of housework instead of human |
| D.to provide the daily necessities for man |
A California family drives a car that could help protect the environment.
When Jon and Sandy go to the store or to their daughters’ soccer games, they drive in high-tech style. They drive a $1 million, fuel-cell-powered car. It may be the world’s most expensive car and one of the most environmentally friendly cars.
The FCX is the first fuel-cell-powered car to be used by a family
anywhere in the world. The FCX uses hydrogen and oxygen for fuel.
Car makers have been working to develop vehicles that are better for the environment. They are developing cars that use fuel other than gasoline.
what is fuel cell technology?
Fuel cell technology works by changing the chemicals hydrogen and oxygen into water. This process produces electricity, and water vapor which comes out of the exhaust pipe. Most cars release dangerous gases such as carbon monoxide(一氧化碳) and carbon dioxide. Many scientists say these gases are major contributors to global warming.
“The FCX is driven just like any other vehicle on the road, but
without the gases which pollute the environment, ” scientists say.
Fuel cell technology has been around since the 1800s, but scientists have yet been to perfect it. They say it may take years before the technology is ready for widespread use.
Creating environmentally friendly cars
Another earth-friendly car is already on the market.
Hybrid cars use both gasoline and an electric motor. They are becoming more popular with customers because they cut pollution and improve fuel efficiency. Which of the following about the FCX is NOT true?
| A.It may be the most expensive car in the world. |
| B.It is one of the most environmentally friendly cars. |
| C.It releases dangerous gases to pollute the air. |
| D.It uses hydrogen and oxygen for fuel other than gasoline. |
According to the passage, what is the major cause for global warming?
| A.Gases from FCX. |
| B.Water vapor from cars. |
| C.Hydrogen and oxygen. |
| D.Gases from cars. |
From the passage, we know that fuel cell technology _______.
| A.works by water |
| B.has a history for over two hundred years |
| C.works by electricity |
| D.has been widely used since the 1800s |
We can infer from the passage that _______ .
| A.future cars will be environmentally friendly |
| B.there will be no gasoline for cars |
| C.people can’t afford to buy cars in the future |
| D.global warming has been stopped |
Hybrid cars are popular because _______ .
| A.they are the fuel-cell-powered cars |
| B.they are energy-saving and cut pollution |
| C.they are perfect cars in the world |
| D.they produce gases to pollute the environment |
I can’t remember a winter being as cold as this in Pennsylvania, but I’m sure there were colder days.
Even though the daylight hours are growing longer minute by minute, it’s easy to find an excuse not to go out unless you absolutely must, but then again I often have to push myself to accomplish things.
People I speak to have been in all kinds of nasty moods. They say they’re “under the weather,” not feeling good about this time of year.
As I stood outside with my two dogs yesterday, it was so cold that my nose and face felt frozen and my ears were stinging. Of course, that doesn’t matter to Ricky and Lucy. They have a routine they must go through to find just the fighting spot no matter how cold or hot it is. So I wait.
But this time it was different. As cold as it was, I suddenly was excited thinking about how wonderful this extreme cold really was.
Then the sun broke through the clouds and memories of summer’s extremely hot days flashed through my mind. I could remember standing in the heat of the afternoon, with sweat pouring down my brow and the hot, burning sun against my face. I reminded myself then and there that in the cold of the winter I would wish I had this heat.
I was grateful for the extremes. Without the extremes in my life, I would never appreciate the days when things were just right. Without the extremes, life would be boring.
It’s being pushed to one of the extremes that makes us appreciate the middle more. Health challenges remind us that we need to pay more attention to how we live. Financial extremes remind us that when things go smoothly it’s also time to save for raining days.
I’ve come to the conclusion that all too often I find a reason not to be happy with where I am at that moment. Whether it’s hot or cold, good health or bad, in the money or out of it, I always want it to be different.
I’m tired of being “Under the Weather!” What is the author’s attitude towards the extremes in life?
| A.Grateful. |
| B.Critical. |
| C.Sensitive. |
| D.Unconcerned. |
That day the writer waited in the terrible cold because ______.
| A.his dogs wanted to hunt |
| B.his dogs had a routine |
| C.he wanted to be different |
| D.he wanted to face the cold bravely |
The underlined word “nasty” in the third paragraph can be replaced by ______.
| A.unpleasant |
| B.violent |
| C.favorable |
| D.unusual |
At last the author drew a conclusion that ______.
| A.happiness cannot be gained by complaints |
| B.his present situation really disappointed him |
| C.things will be different whatever the situation is |
| D.happiness will fail to come to you if you can find a reason |
What is the best title for this passage?
| A.Follow the Routine |
| B.Two Extremes in Life |
| C.Weather Information |
| D.Changes should be Expected |

Environment Awareness Week
Regal Convention Center, Halls 1-4
24-30 March 2011 10:00 am- 9:00 pm
Free admission for all!
Save the environment, save our future
Our environment needs help. With the participation of more than 50 organization, Environment Awareness Week is the biggest public education event dedicated to environmental protection and conversation. Don't miss it! Come and know more about:
The Threats to Earth(Hall 1)
What is global warming? How serious is pollution? Learn about different environmental problems from our university students. Protect our environment!
The Search for Renewable Energy(Hall 2)
Can we get electricity from mind, solar energy, waves, rivers and underground heat? Get the answers from Solar Ace, Teflou, TouchWind Resources and other participants.
The Quest for Freshwater (Hall 3)
Is the shortage of freshwater worsening? What are Singapore's solutions for treating wastewater? Hear from Flow Technologies, HydroMax Solutions and other participants.
The 3 Rs to Save Earth(Hall 4)
How can we REDUCE,REUSE and RECYCLE to cut down household wastes? Find out from the Global Gaia work, Green Earth Foundation and other participants.
| For more information, please call Mr. Philip Koh at 6553 1188, send an email to Mrs Daisy Soh at daisy-soh@ief.org or visit the event's web site at http://www.ief.org/eaw. |
The main aim of Environment Awareness Week is to _____.
| A.educate the public on protecting the environment |
| B.discuss global warming and other environmental problems |
| C.explain ways for producing freshwater to save the environment |
| D.learn about renewable energy sources that protect the environment |
The organizer of the event is _____.
| A.Global Gaia Network |
| B.Clean Energy Agency |
| C.Green Earth Foundation |
| D.International Environment Fund |
If you are interested in renewable energy sources, you should go to _____.
| A.Hall 1 |
| B.Hall 2 |
| C.Hall 3 |
| D.Hall 4 |
The “3 Rs”stand for_____.
| A.Read, Realize and Remember |
| B.Reduce, Reuse and Recycle |
| C.Green Earth Foundation |
| D.Global Gaia Network |
Which of the following statements is NOT true of the event?
| A.It will last a week and the halls will be open 11 hours a day. |
| B.You can send an email to Mrs. Daisy Soh for more information. |
| C.Each hall charges the same amount of money as the other. |
| D.Lectures in Hall 1 will be given by university students. |