When Russell Lyons volunteered for the first time, he read Goodnight Moon to a class of San Diego preschoolers. And it wasn’t reading－he’d memorized the book and was reciting it out loud. He was 4. Still, he said it felt good up there, in front of the other kids, lending a hand. He wanted more of that feeling.
Thirteen years later, he’s getting a lot of it. He’s on a five-month road trip across America－not sightseeing, but volunteering.
The University City resident has spent time at an animal reserve in Utah, a women’s shelter in St. Louis, a soup kitchen in New York, a retirement home in Tucson. This week he’s in Los Angeles, at a program that supports disabled youth.
“I just like helping people and feeling that something I do is making a difference,” he said. He resists the idea that his “Do Good Adventure” is all that unusual. It bothers him that the media often describes young people as lazy, self-centered and materialistic. So he sees his trip as a chance to make a statement, too. “About 55 percent of teens do volunteer work, higher than the rate of adults,” he said, according to a 2002 study. “Not everybody knows that.”
Of course, some teens do volunteer work because it looks impressive on their college applications. Lyons said he mentioned his trip on his submissions. But charity work is a habit with him. Even before the cross country trip, he was volunteering abut 200 hours a year at various places. He’s made sandwiches for homeless families in Washington D.C.. He’s taught math to fifth-graders in Cuernavaca, Mexico.
He gets some of that drive from his mother, Leslye Lyons, who has been involved in nonprofits for much of her life. She was there when her son “read” to the preschoolers－a memory of hers “that will never go away.” What did Russell Lyons think of his first volunteering?
| A．Creative. | B．Impressive. | C．Persuasive. | D．Imaginative. |
The third paragraph is meant to ______.
| A．indicate Russell Lyons is working as a volunteer |
| B．introduce some tourist attractions across America |
| C．appeal to volunteers to offer help to those in need |
| D．show volunteers are needed in all parts of America |
According to Paragraph 4, Russell Lyons is against the idea that ______.
| A．what he has done is common |
| B．most teens do volunteer work |
| C．young people don’t work hard |
| D．adults prefer to be volunteers |
Russell Lyons has been doing volunteer work because ______.
| A．it is necessary for college applications |
| B．he ought to keep his promise to Momit |
| C．he likes the feeling of being praised |
| D．has become a natural part of his life |
His ignorance was as remarkable as his knowledge. Of contemporary literature, philosophy and politics he appeared to know next to nothing. Upon my quoting Thomas Carlyle, he inquired in the naivest way who he might be and what he had done. My surprise reached a climax, however, when I found incidentally that he was ignorant of the Copernican Theory and of the composition of the Solar system.
“You appear to be astonished, ” Holmes said, smiling at my expression. “Now that I do know it I shall do my best to forget it. You see, I consider that a man’s brain originally is like a little empty attic, and you have to stock it with such furniture as you choose: A fool takes in all the lumber of every sort that he comes across, so that the knowledge which might be useful to him gets crowded out, or at best jumbled up with a lot of other things, so that he has difficulty in laying his hand upon it. It is a mistake to think that the little room has elastic walls and can distend to any extent. Depend upon it, there comes a time when for every addition of knowledge you forget something that you know before. It is of the highest importance, therefore, not to have useless facts elbowing out the useful ones.”
“But the Solar System! ” I protested.
“What the deuce is it to me?” he interrupted impatiently.
One morning, I picked up a magazine from the table and attempted to while away the time with it, while my companion munched silently at his toast. One of the articles had a pencil mark at the heading, and I naturally began to run my eye through it.
Its somewhat ambitious title was “The Book of Life, ” and it attempted to show how much an observant man might learn by an accurate and systematic examination of all that came in his way. It struck me as being a remarkable mixture of shrewdness and of absurdity. The reasoning was close and intense, but the deduction appeared to me to be far-fetched and exaggerated. The writer claimed by a momentary expression, a twitch of a muscle or a glance of an eye, to fathom a man’s inmost thought. Deceit, according to him, was impossibility in the case of one trained to observation and analysis. His conclusions were as infallible as so many propositions of Euclid. So startling would his results appear to the uninitiated that until they learned the processes by which he had arrived at them they might well consider him as a necromancer.
“From a drop of water, ”said the writer, “a logician could infer the possibility of an Atlantic. So all life is a great chain, the nature of which is known whenever we are shown a single link of it. Like all other arts, the science of Deduction and Analysis is one which can be acquired by long and patient study, nor is life long enough to allow any mortal to attain the highest possible perfection in it. ”
This smartly written piece of theory I could not accept until a succession of evidences justified it. What is the author’s attitude toward Holmes?
[A]Praising.
[B]Critical.
[C]Ironical.
[D]Distaste. What way did the author take to stick out Holmes’ uniqueness?
[A]By deduction.
[B]By explanation.
[C]By contrast.
[D]By analysis. What was the Holmes’ idea about knowledge-learning?
[A]Learning what every body learned.
[B]Learning what was useful to you.
[C]Learning whatever you came across.
[D]Learning what was different to you. What did the article mentioned in the passage talk about?
[A]One may master the way of reasoning through observation.
[B]One may become rather critical through observation and analysis.
[C]One may become rather sharp through observation and analysis.
[D]One may become practical through observation and analysis.
Vocabulary
1.Thomas Carlyle 托马斯•卡莱尔 1795-1881美国作家、历史家、哲学家
2.jumble (up) 搞乱，使混乱
3.lay hand on (upon) sth. 抓住，找到
4.at best 最好的情况下
5.elbow out (off) 用胳膊肘挤出，推出
6.deuce =" devil" what the deuce is it to me?
这里表示福尔摩斯的厌恶心理。
义：这倒霉的词儿与我有什么关系？
7.while away the time 消磨/打发时间
8.shrewdness 机敏，敏锐，犀利
9.far-fetched 牵强附会，不自然
10.fathom 看穿/透，推测，探索
11.infallible 一贯正确
12.uninitiated 对某事无知的
13.Euclid 欧几里德（古希腊数学家）
14.necromancer 巫师
US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is likely to visit China at an “appropriate” time this year, a senior Chinese military official said on Monday. Colonel Tu Qiming, director of the American and Oceania Affairs Bureau of the Foreign Affairs Office at the National Defense Ministry, made the remark during Sino-US defense talks this week. This is the first ever “special defense policy dialogue” between the two defense ministries, according to the Chinese military.
●●●
FRANCES Agriculture Ministry has confirmed(证实)the first case of mad cow disease detected in a goat last Friday. The goat killed in 2002 tested positive for mad cow disease. It is the first case in the world of the fatal disease being found in an animal other than a bovine. The human form of mad cow disease causes brain-wasting, personality change, loss of body function, and ends in death. The European Commission has not advised any change in farming and consuming goats, said the French Ministry in a statement published last Friday.
●●●
MOBILE phone sales hit a new record in 2010, with some 684 million units sold around the world, the US research institute Strategy Analytics said on Thursday. The number represents an increase of 32 per cent over 2003, when 571 million units were sold. Strategy Analytics predicts a more modest rise of 8 per cent for this year, to 735 million. Finnish cell phone provider Nokia stayed out in front in 2010, with sales of 207.6 million units, giving it a market share of 30.4 per cent. Motorola moved to No 2, just ahead of the South Korean company Samsung.
●●●
SIX male penguins(雄企鹅)at a German zoo are proving stubbornly resistant to females brought in from Sweden to make them into breeding(繁殖).Of the ten male penguins at the zoo, six have formed into “homosexual” couples and have shown no interest in the females, making breeding an impossibility. So the zoo imported the four female penguins from Sweden last month, full of hope that the new arrivals could “turn” the males. But so far, the boys are remaining strictly with the boys. How many countries are mentioned in the pieces of news?
| A．Six. | B．Five. | C．Three. | D．Seven. |
Which will probably reach the sales of 735 million units in 2010?
| A．Nokia. | B．Motorola. | C．Samsung. | D．Cell phones. |
From the fourth piece of news we know that_________.
| A．the scientists haven’t succeeded in doing their experiment |
| B．the scientists have successfully got six female penguins into breeding. |
| C．the Sweden girls made the boys show interest in them |
| D．German boys don’t like Sweden boys |
Which of the following are the suitable headlines for the pieces of news?
| A．a. US Defense Secretary Visit Likely b. France Confirms “Mad Goat Case” c. Mobile Phone Sales d. Male Penguins and Female Penguins |
| B．a. US Defense Secretary Visit Likely b. France Confirms “Mad Goat Case” c. Nokia Stays on Top d. Birds of a Feather |
| C．a. Defense Policy Dialogue b. Mad Goat Disease c. Mobile Phone Sales d. Importing Female Penguins |
| D．a. Sino-US Talks b. Mad Goat Case |
c. Motorola’s Sales Reducedd. Boys and Girls
In the US, people prefer waiting for a table to sitting with people they don’t know. If you are sitting at a table with people you don’t know, it is impolite to light up a cigarette without asking if it will trouble them.
At American restaurant and coffee shops you are usually served cold water before you order. You may find the bread and butter is free, and if you order coffee, you may get a free refill(再装满).
Most cities and towns have no rules about opening and closing time for stores or restaurants, though they usually do make rules for bars. Especially in large cities, stores may be open 24 hours a day.
Serving in restaurant is often large, too large for many people. If you can’t finish your meal but would like to enjoy the food later, ask your waitress or waiter for a “doggie bag”. It may have a picture of a dog on it, but everyone knows you’re taking the food for yourself. Supper and dinner are both words for the evening meal. Some people have “Sunday dinner”. This is an especially big noon meal.
Tips are not usually added to the check. They are not included in the price of the meal, either. A tip of about 15% of the price of a meal is expected and you should leave it on the table when you leave. In some restaurants, a check is brought on a plate and you put your money there. Then the waiter or waitress brings you your change.If you are walking in New York, you will find that _____.
| A．you can go to the bars any time you like |
| B．stores may be open for the customers a day |
| C．restaurants have some rules about foreigners |
| D．closing time is often decided by the managers |
When you are taking a “doggie bag” on the street, we know that _____.
| A．you have bought some food for your dogs |
| B．you are taking the rest of food for your dogs |
| C．you will take the food home and enjoy it later |
| D．you have put a dog in the bag and take it home |
What can we learn from the last paragraph?
| A．Tips belong to a part of the price of the meal. |
| B．Tips have become an essential part of the life. |
| C．Tips are important in the US for the restaurant. |
| D．You can provide the tips for the manager directly. |
One morning more than thirty years ago, I entered the Track Kitchen, a restaurant where everyone from the humblest(卑微的) to the most powerful came for breakfast. I notice an empty chair next to an elderly, unshaven man, who looked somewhat disheveled. He was wearing a worn-out hat and was alone. I asked if I might join him. He agreed quietly and I sat down to have my breakfast.
We cautiously began a conversation and spoke about a wide range of things. We never introduced ourselves. I was concerned that he might have no money and not be able to afford something to eat. So as I rose to go back to the counter and buy a second cup of coffee, I asked.
“May I get you something?” “A coffee would be nice.”
Then I bought him a cup of coffee. We talked more, and he accepted another cup of coffee. Finally, I rose to leave, wished him well, and headed for the exit. At the door I met one of my friends. He asked, “How did you get to know Mr. Galbreath?”
“Who?”“The man you were sitting with. He is chairman of the Board of Churchchill Downs. ”
I could hardly believe it. I was buying, offering a free breakfast, and feeling pity for one of the world’s richest and most powerful men!
My few minutes with Mr. Galbreath changed my life. Now I try to treat everyone with respect, no matter who I think they are, and to meet another human being with kindness and sincerity.What does the underlined word “disheveled” mean?
| A．Unfriendly. | B．Untidy. | C．Gentle. | D．Kind. |
The author bought coffee for the old man because ______.
| A．he thought the old man was poor |
| B．he wanted to start a conversation |
| C．he intended to show his politeness |
| D．he would like to thank the old man. |
How did the author probably feel after he talked with his friend?
| A．Proud. | B．Pitiful. | C．Surprised. | D．Regretful. |
What is the passage mainly expressed in the story?
| A．We should learn to be generous. |
| B．It is honorable to help those in need. |
| C．People in high positions are not like what we expect. |
| D．We should avoid judging people by their appearances. |
The way we do things round here
Some years ago, I was hired by an American bank. I received a letter from the head of the Personnel Department that started, “Dear John, I am quite pleased that you have decided to join us.” That “quite” saddened me. I thought he was saying “We’re kind of pleased you decided to join us although I wish we had hired someone else.” Then I discovered that in American English “quite” sometimes means “very”, while in British English it means “fairly”.
So the first lesson about working in other countries is to learn the language and by that I don’t just mean the words people speak. It is body language, dress, manners, ideas and so on. The way people do things highlights many of the differences we see between cultures.
Some of these differences may be only on the surface--- dress, food and hours of work--- while others may be deeper and take longer to deal with. Mostly, it is just a question of getting used to the differences and accepting them, like the climate (气候), while getting on with business.
Some of the differences may be an improvement. People are more polite; the service is better; you ask for something to be done and it happens without having to ask again. However, other differences can be troubling, like punctuality (准时). If you invite people to a party at 7 o’clock your guests will consider it polite to turn up exactly on time in Germany, five minutes early in the American Midwest, an hour early in Japan, 15 minutes afterwards in the UK, up to an hour afterwards in Italy and some time in the evening in Greece. I prefer not to use the word “late” because there is nothing wrong with the times people arrive. It is simply the accepted thing to do in their own country.The author was unhappy as mentioned in Paragraph 1 because he thought _____.
| A．the American bank didn’t think much of him |
| B．the American bank might hire another person |
| C．it’s difficult to get used to American culture |
| D．it’s easy to misunderstand Americans |
The word “highlights” in Paragraph 2 probably means _______.
| A．encourages | B．helps to narrow | C．increases | D．draws attention to |
According to the author, what should we do with most cultural differences?
| A．Ask the native people for help. | B．Understand and accept them. |
| C．Do things in our own way. | D．Do in-depth research. |
When invited to a party the people who are usually punctual（准时的）are ______.
| A．Italians | B．Germans | C．Greeks | D．the British |