In 1939 two brothers, Mac and Dick McDonald, started a drive-in restaurant in San Bernardino, California. They carefully chose a busy corner for their location. They had run their own businesses for years, first a theater, then a barbecue（烤肉）restaurant, then another drive-in. But in their new operation, they offered a new, shortened menu: French fries, hamburgers, and sodas. To this small selection they added one new idea: quick service，no waiters or waitresses, and no tips.
Their hamburgers were sold for fifteen cents. Cheese was another four cents. Their French fries and hamburgers had a remarkable uniformity（一致性）, for the brothers had developed a strict routine（程序）for the preparation of their food, and they insisted on their cooks’ sticking to their routine. Their new drive-in became surprisingly popular, particularly for lunch. People drove up by the hundred during the busy noontime. The self-service restaurant was so popular that the brothers had allowed ten copies of their restaurant to be opened. They were content with this modest success until they met Ray Kroc.
Kroc was a salesman who met the McDonald brothers in 1954 when he was selling milkshake-mixing machines. He quickly saw the special attraction of the brothers’ fast-food restaurants and bought the right to franchise（特许经营）other copies of their restaurants. The agreement included the right to duplicate（复制） the menu, the equipment, even their red and white buildings the golden arches（拱门）.
Today McDonald’s is really a household name. In 1976, McDonald’s had over＄1 billion in total sales. Its first twenty-two years is one of the most surprising successes in modern American business history.
This passage mainly talks about ＿＿＿.
| A．the development of fast food services |
| B．how McDonald’s became a billion-dollar business |
| C．the business careers of Mac and Dick McDonald |
| D．Ray Kroc’s business talent |
Mac and Dick managed all of the following business except ＿＿＿.
| A．a drive-in | B．a theater |
| C．a cinema | D．a barbecue restaurant |
We may infer from this passage that ＿＿＿.
| A．Mac and Dick McDonald never became wealthy, for they sold their ideas to Kroc |
| B．the place the McDonald brothers chose was the only source of the great popularity of their drive-in |
| C．forty years ago there were lots of fast-food restaurants |
| D．Ray Kroc was a good businessman |
The passage suggests that ＿＿＿.
| A．creativity is an important element of business success |
| B．Ray Kroc was the close partner of the McDonald brothers |
| C．Mac and Dick McDonald became broken after they sold their ideas to Ray Kroc |
| D．California is the best place to go into business |
Which of the following statement is NOT true?
| A．Today McDonald’s is very popular in the world. |
| B．The first twenty-two years of McDonald’s is the most surprising success in American business history. |
| C．Mac and Dick McDonald were content with their business at first. |
| D．It is convenient to eat in a drive-in. |
After squeezing into a small space with two other friends, I had a strong sense of pride to be the mission commander of this space flight. Our objective was very important. Scientists had been arguing about the possibility of existence of life on Mars for decades. Some of them said that the pictures of Mars, taken during various space explorations, had given them sufficient proof that only intelligent being could have made those amazing structures. Others maintained that what looked like a face in the pictures was nothing more than a flash of lights. The arguments continued without conclusion. To prove this once and for all, a decision was made to launch an expedition into space.
My crew and I were the best among our group of trainees. We practised hard together, training hand in hand, filled with a single aim—flying safely to Mars and back. This feeling was tense and everyone was highly excited, as the day drew nearer. We were anxious to see what Mars was like but the uncertainty held us with fear.
The last moment finally came. The countdown proceeded, and soon we were deep in space, floating about freely and went about preparing the spaceship for the intended landing. Since the trip was scheduled to take about three years, we slept in a special room to prevent ourselves from aging. So I drifted off to sleep peacefully and suddenly I felt someone woke me up. We must have arrived at Mars and my crew was trying to wake me up.
I opened my eyes slowly and saw a familiar face. “Why would my English teacher wake me up?” I thought. Oh, no. Instead of medals and praise that I should receive, all I had was a severe warning against sleeping in class and then I spent the rest of the lesson standing in a corner.Why did the author feel proud of himself? (No more than 10 words) (2 marks)
What was the objective of the mission? (No more than 11 words) (2 marks)
How did they feel as the day to explore space drew near?
(No more than 8 words) (3 marks)What did the author finally receive after he was woken up?
(No more than 8 words) (3 marks)
______
Loneliness is all about feeling isolated, but it's actually quite common. In general, there are three different types of loneliness.
The first kind of loneliness is temporary. It is the most common type but usually disappears quickly and does not require any special attention. The second kind, situational loneliness, is a natural result of a particular situation, such as, family problem, the death of a loved one, or moving to a new place. Although this kind of loneliness can cause physical problems, it usually does not last for more than a year. The third kind of loneliness is chronic (the opposite of “temporary”). Being the most severe, it usually lasts for more than two years and is often connected with serious illnesses.
An important factor in loneliness is a person’s social contacts. Through social contacts, we get emotional support and guidance from our parents and teachers and share similar interests and activities with our friends. However, some lonely people almost make no contacts with people around them and feel apart from those who they supposedly know well. They just see themselves as outsiders. On the other hand, some lonely people may have enough social contacts, but they rarely enjoy the contacts and question their popularity, thinking of themselves as someone powerless. So loneliness is closely related to the quality of those social relationship in addition to the quantity.
Loneliness is tough, but something can be done to cope with it. First, take time to accept that you are suffering from loneliness. Then, contact your old friends or visit relatives to spend quality time with others. Besides, pick up a hobby to reduce your feelings of loneliness, such as taking up needle work, joining craft classes, or attending lectures. You can also beat loneliness by volunteering at a nursing home, hospital, church or pet rescue organization. This not only helps you get in touch with people from all walks of life, but also makes you feel good about yourself. In a word, if you take a correct attitude towards loneliness and get involved with people around you, you are sure to get over it.
| Loneliness Loneliness is quite common. Ⅰ. 1 ●Temporary loneliness: disappearing quickly and requiring 2 ●Situational loneliness: resulting from some particular situation, 3and lasting not more than one year ● 4: lasting more than two years and being connected with serious illnesses Ⅱ. An important factor in loneliness: 5 ●Lack social relationship quantity: feeling disconnected with others treating themselves as 6 ●Lack 7: questioning their popularity treating themselves as powerless people Ⅲ. 8for lonely people ●Face the problem and accept it ●Contact 9for quality time ●Pick up hobbies ● 10 Taking a correct attitude and getting involved with others, people are sure to get over loneliness. |
In James Cameron’s fantasy films, such as Avatar and The Abyss, the unexplored is decorated in color and filled with alien danger. But on his dive to the deepest place on Earth, which took place on a Sunday last month, reality proved far different: white, deserted, and dull.
“I felt like I literally had gone to another planet and come back,” Cameron said after returning from the cold, dark place in the western Pacific Ocean, nearly 7 miles (11km) below the surface. “It was a very fantastic day.” Cameron is the first person to explore the deepest valley in the ocean since two men made a 20-minute trip there in 1960.
He spent about three hours gliding through the icy darkness, brightened only by lights on the one-man sub(潜水艇). This deepest section of the Mariana Trench is so untouched that at first it appeared dull. But there’s something strangely interesting about the first pieces of video that Cameron shot — a sense of aloneness.
“It’s really the sense of isolation, realizing how tiny you are down in this big, black and unexplored place,” the Titanic director said. The wordless minute-long video, released by sponsor National Geographic, shows Cameron’s sub gliding across what he calls “the very soft, almost gelatinous(胶状的) flat plain.”
To Cameron, the main thing was to appreciate being there. “There had to be a moment where I just stopped, and took it in, and said, ‘This is where I am; I’m at the bottom of the ocean, the deepest place on Earth. What does that mean?’” Cameron told reporters during a conference call. The trip was only about half as long as planned because Cameron’s battery ran low. He said he would return and film it in 3D for later viewing.
“I see this as the beginning,” Cameron said. “It’s not a one-time deal and then moving on. This is the beginning of opening up this new frontier.”Why did Cameron dive to the deepest place on Earth?
| A．To study ocean creatures in the deepest valley. |
| B．To prove his strong will and perseverance. |
| C．To get support from National Geographic. |
| D．To open up a new frontier. |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Cameron’s fantasy film, Avatar was inspired by his dive to the deepest place on Earth. |
| B．Cameron glided through the icy darkness alone by lights of the one-man sub. |
| C．Cameron didn’t stay at the bottom of the ocean as planned because he was worn out. |
| D．Cameron felt bored when he went to the deepest valley in the ocean. |
The underlined sentence in the passage means that ______.
| A．he appreciated and took pride in being at the bottom of the ocean |
| B．he was disappointed because the trip was only about half as long as planned |
| C．Cameron wanted to show the public he had been to the deepest place on Earth |
| D．he wouldn’t stop exploring the deepest place in the future |
According to the passage, which of the following words best describes Cameron?
| A．Generous. | B．Diligent. |
| C．Self-centered. | D．Adventurous. |
What’s the best title of the passage?
| A．James Cameron’s Fantasy Films. |
| B．The First to Explore the Deepest Place on Earth. |
| C．A Dive to the Deepest Place on Earth. |
| D．Crazy Cameron. |
Located along California’s San Andreas Fault, the city of San Francisco is likely to take precautions(预防，防备) in the event of the next big earthquake.
According to a New York Times report, emergency planners in San Francisco are not only thinking of human evacuation(撤离，疏散) plans in the event of an earthquake, but also of how to care for pets during a natural disaster. Ideally, the planners will be able to train pet-disaster responders who work to evacuate dogs, cats and other household pets from the disaster site to one of the 125 temporary animal shelters that will be set up or, if the pet is injured, it will be brought to an emergency animal medical unit where there will be people on hand to tend to the pet’s injury. The city’s “no-pets-left-behind” policy results from the great number of pet deaths during the destruction of Hurricane Katrina.
As emergency responders arrived to rescue people isolated in their homes during Katrina, hurricane victims were told that they could not take their pets along with them when evacuating; thus, many pet owners were forced to make the heart-breaking decision to save themselves while leaving their pets behind to perhaps meet their deaths.
Since then, the U.S. has passed the Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act of 2006, allocating federal funds for animal disaster planning projects. Yet, not all counties are as progressive as San Francisco has been in the effort to protect pets in the event of a natural disaster. Pets are after all, a large part of San Francisco’s population — overnumbering the number of school age children in the city.
Over the last three years, San Francisco has received $350,000 in federal funds designated to animal disaster preparedness efforts in order to protect animals in the case of a disaster such as an earthquake. The city is still working on obtaining $300,000 to pay for an emergency animal unit. Until then, animal lovers in San Francisco will continue to work to ensure that pets are never an afterthought when it comes to rescues during earthquakes or other life threatening situations.We learn from the second paragraph that ______.
| A．emergency planners in San Fransico only consider human evacuation plans in a disaster |
| B．emergency planners in San Fransico only think about pet evacuation plans during a disaster |
| C．the safety of both humans and pets in a disaster is taken seriously |
| D．emergency medical units will be used only for humans |
What do we know about Hurricane Katrina?
| A．A great number of pets died during Hurricane Katrina. |
| B．San Francisco’s “no-pets-left-behind” policy had been made before Hurricane Katrina. |
| C．The pet owners chose to sacrifice themselves in order to save their pets. |
| D．Emergency responders failed to rescue the hurricane victims. |
Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE according to the passage?
| A．San Fransisco has made great effort to protect pets in a natural disaster. |
| B．The number of school age children in San Fransisco is smaller than that of pets. |
| C．The U.S. government has spent money on animal disaster planning projects. |
| D．All the countries are in the effort to protect pets in a natural disaster. |
The underlined word “designated” in the last paragraph most probably means ______.
| A．loaned | B．allocated | C．replaced | D．obtained |
What’s the main idea of this passage?
| A．How to take precautions in the earthquake. |
| B．Human evacuation plans in the earthquake. |
| C．Taking steps to care for pets during a natural disaster. |
| D．How to train pets to escape from a disaster. |
Careercast.com is out with its list of best and worst jobs of 2012. It’s bad news for the writer of this story, but much brighter for the folks who program the code that keeps this website busy.
Using a method that looked at physical demands, work environment, income, stress and hiring outlook, career Website Careercast.com, ranked the top 200 jobs. They also ranked the jobs with the most stress. Not surprisingly, none of the most stressful jobs show up on the best jobs list.
At the top is software engineer and at the bottom is the lumberjack. Cutting trees failed to skate above the bottom 10 percent in all ranking categories, except income. “Unemployment for lumberjacks is very high, and the demand for their services is expected to continue to fall through 2016. And while working outside all day may seem like a great job perk(有额外津贴的工作), being a lumberjack not only is considered the worst job, but also one of the world’s most dangerous,” according to Careercast.com. And, for that most dangerous job, a lumberjack earns a little more than $32,000 a year. That’s about $56,000 less than the easy job of a software engineer, which has the average salary at $88,000 a year, according to Careercast.
Here’s a complete look at the best and worst jobs. And, take a look at the most stressful jobs. You may be surprised.
Best Jobs Worst Jobs Most Stressful Jobs
Software Engineer Lumberjack Enlisted Soldier
Actuary Dairy Farmer Firefighter
Human Resources Manager Enlisted Military Soldier Airline Pilot
Dental Hygienist Oil Rig Worker Military General
Financial Planner Reporter (Newspaper) Police Officer
Audiologist Waiter/Waitress Event Coordinator
Occupational Therapist Meter Reader Public Relations Executive
Online Advertising Manager Dishwasher Corporate Executive Computer Systems Analyst Butcher Photojournalist
Mathematician Broadcaster Taxi DriverWho might be most interested in the passage?
| A．Job-hunters. | B．Net surfers. |
| C．Employers. | D．Educators. |
Which of the following was not considered when Careercast.com ranked the top 200 jobs?
| A．Hiring outlook. | B．Pressure. |
| C．Mental demands. | D．Salary. |
What do we know about the lumberjack?
| A．Although the lumberjack has high unemployment, it isn’t considered the worst job. |
| B．On the best jobs list, the lumberjack isn’t at the bottom. |
| C．More lumberjacks’ services will be needed after 2016. |
| D．A lumberjack earns less than half of a software engineer’s salary a year. |
According to the passage, the list is good news for ______.
| A．Online Advertising Managers. | B．Reporters. |
| C．Firefighters. | D．Dairy Farmers. |
What is the main purpose of the passage?
| A．To describe the advantages of different careers. |
| B．To provide career information. |
| C．To explain why a software engineer is the best job. |
| D．To analyze why a lumberjack is the worst job. |