The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn't already know. I stood up to look around, when a gentle hand touched my shoulder.
I turned around to find a wrinkled, little old lady with a warm smile. She said, "Hi handsome. My name is Rose. I'm eighty-seven years old.”
"Why are you in college at such a young age?" I asked. She replied, "I'm here to meet a rich husband, get married, have a couple of kids and then retire(退休) and travel..."
I knew she was joking. I was curious what might have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age.
"I always dreamed of having a college education and now I'm getting one!" she told me.
We became friends. Every day we would talk nonstop after class. I was always interested in listening to this "time machine" as she shared her wisdom and experience with me. And Rose easily made friends wherever she went.
At the end of the term we invited Rose to make a little speech. She cleared her throat and began, "We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing. I’ve learned a few secrets to staying young, being happy, and achieving success. You have to laugh and find humor every day. You've got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die.”
“There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up. Anybody can grow older. That doesn't take any talent or ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding the opportunity in change.
“Have no regrets. The elderly usually don't have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do……"When the writer and Rose first met, they began their talk in a_______ way.
| A．serious | B．polite | C．formal | D．humorous |
Which of the following has the similar meaning to the underlined word “motivated” in the fourth paragraph?
| A．encouraged | B．persuaded | C．taught | D．forced |
Rose went to college in order to _______.
| A．meet a rich husband | B．make new friends |
| C．get a college education | D．get a better job |
The writer considered Roses as a “time machine” because__________.
| A．she always came to class on time. |
| B．she make friends easily at college. |
| C．she knew the difference between growing older and growing up |
| D．she enjoyed a long life and had lots of wisdom and experience. |
From this passage we know Rose believed_________.
| A．“The early bird catches the worm” |
| B．“It is never too late to learn” |
| C．“A bird in the hand is worth two in the bushes” |
| D．“One false step will make a great difference.” |
Have you ever heard the old saying ,"Never judge a book by its cover" ?This is a good rule to follow when trying to judge the intelligence of others. Some people have minds that shine only in certain situations. A young people with an unusual gift in writing may find himself speechless in the presence of a pretty girl when he speaks. He may not be able to find the right words. But don't make mistake of thinking him stupid, with a pen and a paper, he can express himself better than anybody .
Other people may fool you into overestimating (过高估计) their intelligence by putting up a good front. A student who listens attentively and takes notes in class is sure to make a favorable impression on his teachers. But when it comes to exams, he may score near the bottom of the class .
It all boils down to this: you can't judge someone by appearance. The only way to determine a person's intelligence is to get to know him. Then you can see how he reacts to different situations. The more situation you see, the better your judgment is likely to be. So take your time. Don't judge a book by its cover .The passage suggests that ______.
| A．a good writer may not be a good speaker |
| B．a good writer is always a good speaker |
| C．a speechless person always writes well |
| D．a good writer will find himself speechless |
According to this passage, a student who listens attentively and take notes in class ______.
| A．is an intelligence student |
| B．may not be a intelligence student |
| C．will score better in exams |
| D．will not be a good student |
The passage suggests that we should judge a person's intelligence through ______.
| A．his teachers | B．his deeds in the classroom |
| C．his appearance | D．his reaction to different situations |
The writer of this passage wants to tell us ______.
| A．not to judge a book by the cover |
| B．not to make the mistake of thinking a young man stupid |
| C．not to overestimate a student's intelligence |
| D．not to judge person’s intelligence by his appearance |
Were you born in the 1990s? Do you think you are different from older generations? As there has been considerable discussion about “the post1990s” in newspapers and on the Internet recently, people including the group themselves, have begun to look at some things that help shape their culture. Do you find them true?
1. Jay Chou He is not handsome. When he hums no one can understand him. But the 28yearold Taiwan singer has stolen the hearts of many boys and girls who were born in the 1990s. They are crazy about him. Huang Kaiqin, a 16yearold Shanghai student, said，“I love him! I love everything from his lyrics to his melody(旋律), and to his attitude toward the life. ”
2. PSP Its full name is Play Station Portable and it's a Sony product for game fans. Teens love it because PSP is better than the Game Boy in terms of pictures, controls and choices of games. With a PSP you can also play MP3 or MP4, watch movies and so on.
3. Naruto Among all the popular cartoons and comic books, the Japanese manga series has been this generation's favorite read. Naruto, who was orphaned at birth, grows from being a naughty boy to a powerful ninja (日本武士). Naruto teaches readers that honor is very important and not to give up, even if something is hard to achieve.
4. iPods MP3s are not in any way, shape or form. But the iPod is amazing because it is a complete library of music in your hand. Post90s are always excited about the latest product.
5. Tuzki Tuzki, the white and hairy baby rabbit, was not born until January this year. But Tuzki's popularity has been spreading quickly among post90s who like QQ and MSN. Wang Lin, a college student, created the cool little rabbit.
6. Chat lingo On the Internet, the chat lingo is cool and convenient. But one day, teachers notice a new generation of errors entering their students' essays. Words such as “3Q”，“ORZ” and “b4” confuse adults but are part of teens' everyday lives. Which of the following is WRONG?
| A．The latest product among teens is iPod. |
| B．Naruto is a character in a popular cartoon. |
| C．Some adults don't understand their children's words. |
| D．Tuzki is a college student born in January. |
Why does the author write the passage?
| A．He wants to make teens born in the 1990s understand more. |
| B．He criticizes the teens born in the 1990s. |
| C．He doesn't understand the young at all. |
| D．He feels worried about the young. |
The best topic of this passage might be ________.
| A．the post1990s | B．fashionable people |
| C．teens with electronic products | D．chatting generation |
The famous car Rolls-Royce has been largely hand-made and always one of the most expensive cars on the market.
In fact, Rolls-Royce is made up of two men’s names, Charles S. Rolls and Henry Royce. They came from very different backgrounds, received very different educations and when they met; their careers were going in very different directions.
In 1903, Royce bought a second-hand France Decauville car. He found the car unreliable, difficult to start and overheated. Royce decided he could do better himself and set about building two-cylinder (双杠发动机) car of his own design. The first of these, built almost completely by Royce himself, was a success in almost every way: it started easily, ran smoothly and was very reliable. It never failed to impress everyone who saw it rode in the car, including Rolls.
While he was a university student at Cambridge, Rolls acquired a French Peugeot. It was the first automobile seen at Cambridge and by the time Rolls finished his studies, he was probably the most skilled driver in Britain. In 1902, Rolls went into the business of selling cars and became a leading automobile distributor. He was looking for a British car to market when he was told that Henry Royce had designed and built a two-cylinder automobile.
In 1904, Royce and Rolls joined together to build and sell motor car. They combined their talents—Royce the engineer and Rolls the salesman and businessman.
And, just two years later, the partnership produced the Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost, a milestone car acclaimed (盛赞) by many by the time as the “ best in the world”. Over the years the automaker built a legendary reputation.The Rolls-Royce is expensive for its ______ .
| A．procedure | B．engine |
| C．function | D．impression |
The underlined word “distributor” in Paragraph 4 probably means ______ .
| A．boss | B．producer |
| C．buyer | D．seller |
According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?
| A．The Rolls-Royce car is the most expensive car in the world. |
| B．The two cylinder car built by Royce failed to impress people. |
| C．When Rolls graduated from Cambridge University, he didn’t do well in driving. |
| D．In 1906 the Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost was popular with many people. |
Societies all over the world name places in similar ways. Quite often there is no official naming ceremony but places tend to be called names as points of reference by people. Then an organized body steps in and gives the place a name. Frequently it happens that a place has two names: One is named by the people and the other by the government. As in many areas, old habits died hard, and the place continues to be called by its unofficial name long after the meaning is lost.
Many roads and places in Singapore are named in order that the pioneers will be remembered by future generations. Thus we have names such as Stamford Road and Raffles Place. This is in keeping with traditions in many countries —in both the West and the East.
Another way of naming places is naming them after other places. Perhaps they were named to promote friendships between the two places or it could be that the people who used to live there were originally from the places that the roads were named after. The mystery is clearer when we see some of the roads named in former British bases. If you step into Selector Airbase you will see Piccadilly Circus —obviously named by some homesick Royal Air Force personnel.
Some places were named after the activities that used to go on at those places. Bras Basah Road is an interesting example, “Base Basah” means “wet rice” in Malay（马来语）. Now why would anyone want to name a road “Wet Rice Road”? The reason is simple. During the pioneering days, wet rice was laid out to dry along this road.
A few roads in Singapore are named by their shapes. There is “Circular Road” for one. Other roads may have part of their names to describe their shapes, like “Paya Lebar Crescent”. This road is called a crescent（月牙） because it begins on the main road, makes a crescent and comes back to join the main road again.What does the underlined phrase “die hard” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?
| A．Change suddenly. |
| B．Change significantly. |
| C．Disappear mysteriously. |
| D．Disappear very slowly. |
Which of the following places is named after a person?
| A．Raffles Place. | B．Selector Airbase. |
| C．Piccadilly Circus. | D．Paya Lebar Crescent. |
What can be inferred from the passage?
| A．Some place names in Singapore are the same as in Britain. |
| B．Some places in Singapore are named for military purposes. |
| C．The way Singaporeans name their places is unique. |
| D．Young Singaporeans have forgotten the pioneers. |
For almost two months Dominic York, a 23-year-old hairdresser, wandered about hospitals all night, wearing a white coat and pretending he was a doctor. Yesterday he proudly claimed in court that despite his complete lack of medical experience or qualifications, he had saved several people’s lives. He had even been allowed to assist a surgeon during an emergency operation on a patient who was about to die on something she had swallowed.
“I watched one of those TV dramas about a hospital and suddenly I felt like playing one of the roles myself. So I put on a white jacket and a stethoscope(听诊器)and walked around one of the biggest hospital in London. At first I just watched. Once you learn how doctors talk to patients, nurses and others doctors, it’s easy to take people in,” he said.
One of the patients he treated was Laura Kennan. She had been knocked down by a car and fainted. When she came to in hospital, York was standing over her.
“He looked very professional. He told me his name was Doctor Simon. Then he gave me some sort of injection,” she said. And then he suddenly cleared off when a nurse asked who he was. She didn’t think there was anything wrong. “I would never have realized he was a fake if a policewoman hadn’t showed me his photograph a week later. When the policewoman told me who he really was, I could hardly believe my ears.”
Judge Raymond Adams told York that he was “ shocked and horrified” that he got away with his deceiving for so long. And they sentenced him to eighteen months in a special prison for criminal with mental disorders.
“I can only hope that this will not lead to further problems. After all, you will have considerable opportunity to study the behaviour of the psychiatrists(精神科医生)who will look after you while you are there. If you try to persuade people that you yourself are a psychiatrist after you are set free, I shall make sure that you are given a much longer sentence.” Judge Adams warned York.York was proud of the fact that ___________.
| A．a surgeon let him watch an operation. |
| B．he could perform some duties of a doctor |
| C．he had cheated doctors for so long |
| D．people thought he could become a real doctor |
York learned how to behave like a doctor by __________.
| A．watching other doctors work |
| B．talking to doctors and nurses |
| C．getting some training and experience |
| D．observing doctors while he was a patient |
Why was Laura Kennan in hospital?
| A．She had swallowed something and almost died. |
| B．She had to have and emergency operation. |
| C．She had been injured in a road accident. |
| D．She had lost consciousness while driving. |
The judge’s remark implied that York would be more severely punished if he _________.
| A．pretended to be a psychiatrist |
| B．tried to get away from prison |
| C．was proud of what he had done |
| D．studied the behaviour of the psychiatrist |