Even at school there had been an unhealthy competition between George and Richard.
“I’ll be the first millionaire in Coleford!” Richard used to boast.
“And you’ll be sorry you knew me,” George would reply “because I’ll be the best lawyer in the town!”
George never did become a lawyer and Richard never made any money. Instead both men opened bookshops on opposite sides of Coleford High Street. It was hard to make money from books, which made the competition between them worse.
Then Richard married a mysterious girl. The couple spent their honeymoon on the coast—but Richard never came back. The police found his wallet on a deserted beach but the body was never found. He must have drowned.
Now with only one bookshop in town, business was better for George. But sometimes he sat in his narrow, old kitchen and gazed out of the dirty window, thinking about his formal rival(竞争对手). Perhaps he missed him?
George was very interested in old dictionaries. He’d recently found a collector in Australia who was selling a rare first edition. When the parcel arrived, the book was in perfect condition and George was delighted. But while he was having lunch, George glanced at the photo in the newspaper that the book had been wrapped in. He was astonished—the smiling face was older than he remembered but unmistakable! Trembling, George started reading.
“Bookends have bought ten bookstores from their rivals Dylans. The company, owned by multi-millionaire Richard Pike, is now the largest bookseller in Australia.” George and Richard were ______ at school.
| A．roommates | B．good friends | C．competitors | D．booksellers |
How did George feel about Richard after his disappearance?
| A．He envied Richard’s marriage. |
| B．He thought of Richard from time to time. |
| C．He felt lucky with no rival in town. |
| D．He was guilty of Richard’s death. |
George got information about Richard from ______.
| A．a dictionary collector in Australia |
| B．the latter’s rivals Dylans |
| C．a rare first edition of a dictionary |
| D．the wrapping paper of a book |
What happened to George and Richard in the end?
| A．Both George and Richard became millionaires. |
| B．Both of them realized their original ambitions. |
| C．George established a successful business while Richard was missing. |
| D．Richard became a millionaire while George had no great success. |
While income worry is a rather common problem of the ahead, loneliness is another problem that aged parents may face．Of all the reasons that explain their loneliness, a large geographical distance between parents and their children is the major one．This phenomenon(现象) is commonly k
nown as “Empty Nest Syndrome”.
In order to seek better chances outside their countries, many young people have gone abroad, leaving their parents behind with no clear idea of when they will return ho
me．Their parents spend countless lonely days and nights, taking care of themselves, in the hope that someday their children will come back to stay with them．The fact that most of these young people have gone to Europeanized or Americanized societies makes it unlikely that they will hold as tightly to the value of duty as they would have if they had not left their countries．Whatever the case, it has been noted that the values they hold do not necessarily match what they actually do．This geographical and cultural distance also prevents the grown-up children from providing response(回应) in time for their aged parents living by themselves.
The situation in which grown-up children live far away from their aged parents has been described as “distant parent phenomenon”, which is common both in developed countries and in developing countries．Our society has not yet been well prepared for “Empty Nest Syndrome”．According to the passage, the loneliness of aged parents is mainly caused by_______.
| A．their earlier experience of feeling lonely |
| B．the unfavorable living conditions in their native countries |
| C．the common worry about their income |
| D．the geographical distance between parents and children |
Many young people have gone abroad, leaving their aged parents behind, to_______.
| A．live in the countries with more money. | B．seek a better place for their aged parents |
C．conti nue their studies abroad |
D．realize their dreams in foreign countries |
If young people go abroad, _______.
| A．they do not hold to the value of duty at all． |
| B．they can give some help to their parents back home |
| C．they cannot do what they should for their parents． |
| D．they believe what they actually do is right |
From the last paragraph, we can infer that _______.
| A．the situations in the developed and developing countries are different |
| B．“Empty Nest Syndrome” has arrived unexpectedly in our society |
| C．children will become independent as soon as they go abroad |
| D．the aged parents are not fully prepared for “Empty Nest Syndrome” |
A typicalChinese Internet user is a young male who prefers instant messaging to e-mail, favors news, music and games sites and seldom makes online purchases（购物）．According to a study, about two-thirds of survey participants use the Internet for news — often entertainment-related — or for online games．About half download music and movies.
They also tend to prefer instant messaging to e-mail, and they are depending on the Internet more frequently than before to communicate with others who have the same professions, hobbies and political interests．Online purchases still remain unpopular in China．Three-quarters of users surveyed have never bought anything over the Internet, and only 10 percent make purchases even once a month．Among those who do buy online, most pay for entertainment while others buy phone cards, or computer hardware or software.
“Many people don’t trust the quality of goods bought online,” Guo said Wednesday．“If they buy it in a store and don’t l
ike it, they can easily bring it back.”
The survey was done in five major cities: Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu and Changsha．Results do not necessarily project countrywide because Internet use in rural areas is lower than in cities．Guo describes the typical netizenin the five cities surveyed as young, male, richer and more highly educated．Males make up two-thirds of the Internet community, and more than 
80 percent of users are under 24．Among people ages 25 to 29, 60 percent to 80 percent go online.
China has more than 100 million people online, second in the world to the United States.A typical Chinese Internet user may be the one who _________.
| A．likes to send e-mails | B．likes to buy goods online |
| C．likes to pay for entertainment | D．likes the games sites |
Online purchases still remain unpopular in China mainly because _________.
| A．it is more difficult for sales returns |
| B．people haven’t computers |
| C．it is not convenient to purchase on line |
| D．all goods bought online are of low quality |
Which of the following words fails to describe the typical netizens in the
five cities?
| A．well educated | B．richer | C．female | D．young |
According to the text, which of the following shows the right relation between online people and their ages?
From now on, never spend your precious time thinking of reasons for your failures and shortcomings. Instead, realize that the seeds of success were planted within you when you were born. Only you have the power to make those seeds grow.
The seeds, and the power to grow them, are contained in the most awesome machine ever created：the human mind. Success is a choice and not a chance. You were born a winner. You were born rich. You can be a success if only you make the right choice.
You cannot be successful without first developing your self-esteem. Your level of self-esteem is always based on the degree of control that you are able to exercise over yourself, and thus over your life. People with low self-esteem are people who do not believe that they have any power, or responsibility for their lives. They are the perennial(长期的) victims and martyrs. They are leaves tossed(摇摆) by the winds of chance blown about with any sudden change in the weather.
You can exercise control over your life only to the degree that you believe that you are responsible for everything that happens in your life. Failures think that everything happens by accident and chance. Successful people realize that they are responsible.
Everything happens as a result of something. If we can identify the cause, we can control the effect. We are responsible for what we choose to think and believe. One generally rises to the level that one expects. We are responsible for setting our expectations. Our success is dependent upon our level of confidence.
If you associate with positive-thinking people, you are definitely going to achieve success. On the contrary, the opposite happens. We are responsible for finding, planting, and nurturing the seeds that contain future victory, born from setbacks.
In short, in all areas of your life, whether they be financial, physical, emotional, or spiritual, you are responsible. Once you recognize this, accept it, and firmly believe it, you are on the road to success. People with low self-esteem are compared to leaves because they ______________ .
| A．are ready to change their minds | B．are easily affected by windy weather |
| C．don’t have the power to face their fate | D．can’t exercise control over themselves |
Losers would think that .
| A．success is the result of hard work | B．working hard will lead to success |
| C．their failure is only because of bad luck | D．they don’t make efforts to succeed |
It can be inferred from paragraph 5 that .
| A．whether we will succeed depends on our attitudes |
| B．developing confidence is the key to future success |
| C．thoughts and beliefs are the result of creative mind |
| D．setting our expectations is essential before taking action |
The last paragraph serves as .
| A．the proof of the author’s points | B．the conclusion of the argument |
| C．an introduction to another topic | D．a comparison between two views |
Which is the best title for the text?
| A．Success is a choice. | B．The secrets of success. |
| C．Develop our confidence. | D．How to achieve success. |
Pushy parents and teachers who “hothouse” the under-5s risk causing damage to the children’s long term development, a leading education expert said.
Lilian Katz, Professor of Education at the University of Illinois, said that four-year-olds engaged in reading and writing went on to perform worse academically than those engaged in imaginative learning. They scored higher in tests at the age of 5, but children whose first year at school was stimulating outstripped them four years later.
The findings suggest that the government's structured approach to early years' learning could be storing up problems for children. They also raise serious questions about the plan for all children to be able to read by the age of 6.
In many countries formal teaching does not start until children are 6 or 7 and have improved their social and manual skills. Children start learning to read and write at 6 in the United States, France and Germany, and at 7 in Finland and Sweden.
Professor Katz said that in many schools the courses were "boring children to tears". Much academic teaching required children to learn by memorizing pieces of information out of context, she said. Teaching in reception class should instead allow children to develop their intellect by exploring their environments and asking questions.
"Research suggests the benefits of formal academic instruction for four- and five-year-olds seem to be promising when they are tested early, but considerably less so in the long term. When these children are followed over a period of three or more years, those who had early experience in more intellectually engaging curricula were more likely to do well in school than their peers, who had received early academic instruction." She advocates teaching children through first-hand experience and play, in mixed-aged classes. This can include puppet shows, drawing or running a pretend shop in the classroom.According to the passage, those who “hothouse” the under-5s would probably _________.
| A．prefer a lot of interaction and stimulation while teaching |
| B．teach in a lively way to motivate kids’ interest |
| C．push the kids to memorize pieces of information |
| D．care about the kids’ physical development |
What does the underlined word “ outstripped” in Paragraph 2 mean?
| A．did better than | B．looked down upon |
| C．caught up with | D．performed worse than |
According to Lilian Katz, the government’s structured approach to early-years learning __.
| A．is necessary for improving children’s reading and writing ability |
| B．needs to be improved to develop children’s academic ability |
| C．will cause problems to children in their future learning |
| D．has more advantages than disadvantages |
The message the author wants to deliver through the passage is that formal teaching _____.
| A．can start at different times in different countries. |
| B．should not be started too early |
| C．is best carried out in Finland and Sweden |
| D．should include teaching children social and manual skills |
Which of the following is NOT the opinion of Lilian Katz?
| A．Children should be taught through first-hand experience. |
| B．Learning in a mixed-age class is good for children. |
| C．Running a shop can help children get good marks. |
| D．Puppet shows and drawing are useful in teaching children. |
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． |