If you could see a movie of your life before you lived it, would you want to live it? Probably not. The excitement of living is that you don’t know what’s coming.
Sure, it’s hard to see uncertainty(不确定) in such positive（积极的）light when you’re out of work, or when you feel like you’re failing. But uncertainty is really another word for chance.
When Allison graduated from Harvard, she had chances all over the place but had no idea what she wanted to do. She took a job in consulting（咨询）, but she knew she wouldn’t stay there. She took the GRE and scored so high that she was able to increase her income（收入）by teaching students. Still, she didn’t think she wanted to go to graduate school（研究院）. Allison knew she wasn’t doing what she wanted, but she didn’t know what she wanted.
She worried. All her friends were going to graduate school or starting their own businesses. She was lost and felt that she would never find anything out. After six years, Allison, by having a general（全面的）plan in mind, got married, moved to the Midwest, and used her consulting experience to get a great job. Allison realized that she spent her years finding her way: time well spent.
The only way to lead an interesting life is to face uncertainty. Otherwise your life is not your own—it is a path someone else has chosen. Moments of uncertainty are when you create your life, when you become who you are. Uncertainty usually begins with a job hunt, but it doesn’t end there. Every new role we take on means another round of uncertainty. Instead of fearing it, you should find some ways to deal with uncertainty.
| A．being out of work is a sad thing |
| B．uncertainty is what makes life interesting |
| C．life in a film is more exciting than real life |
| D．chance never appears when we need it |
| A．She couldn’t find a well-paid job. |
| B．She had no money to start a business. |
| C．She was not sure what to do. |
| D．She didn’t score high enough for graduate school. |
| A．Uncertain. | B．Amazed. | C．Sorry. | D．Satisfied. |
| A．How to deal with uncertainty. |
| B．What role uncertainty plays in life. |
| C．Why people fear uncertainty. |
| D．Whom to go to when facing uncertainty. |
Animals grow up in different ways. They have lots of lessons to learn.
Some animals are born helpless but their mothers protect them. A newborn kangaroo is the size of a bee. She stays in her mother’s safe pouch. She doesn’t open her eyes for at least five months. A newborn monkey cannot walk. He is carried by his mother.
Other baby animals can walk soon after they’re born. They learn to run with their mother when danger is near. A baby zebra（斑马）can run an hour after she is born.
Some baby animals are born in a place that is safe. Other baby animals are born in the open. Baby wolves are born in large holes. A baby elephant is born on open, grassy land. Other elephants make a circle（圈）to protect her.
Animals that drink their mothers’ milk are called mammals. A mother bear’s milk is fatty and rich. Baby bears need lots of fat to keep warm in winter. They have milk for six months. Baby zebras drink milk for six months or more! As baby animals grow they need solid（固体的）food. Baby lions eat what their mother can catch. Which baby animals don’t open their eyes for at least five months?
| A．Lions. | B．Zebras. |
| C．Kangaroos. | D．Elephants. |
What can’t a baby zebra do an hour after she is born?
| A．Drink milk. |
| B．Walk by herself. |
| C．Run with her mother. |
| D．Make a circle to protect herself. |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Baby wolves are born in the open. |
| B．Newborn lions only eat solid food. |
| C．Newborn monkeys can walk but can’t jump. |
| D．Baby bears need lots of fat to keep warm in winter. |
It’s 10:00 pm. A man leaves a restaurant, gets into his car and drives away. 200 meters further he’s stopped by a police officer.
Officer: Good evening, sir. We’re testing drivers for drunk driving. Would you please blow（吹）into this machine?
Man: I’m sorry, I can’t do that. If I blow into that machine, I will get out of air.
Officer: Please come along to the office and we can give you a blood test.
Man: I can’t do that. If you give me a blood test, I will bleed（流血）to death.
Officer: Then you’ll have to get out and walk five metres along this white line.
Man: I can’t do that, either.
Officer: Why not?
Man: Because I’m dead drunk! I can’t open the door.The man is stopped ______ metres away from the restaurant.
| A．5 | B．10 | C．200 | D．205 |
The conversation probably happens in a (an) ______.
| A．office | B．street | C．hospital | D．restaurant |
The man wouldn’t have the test for drunk driving because ______.
| A．he is badly ill | B．he will get out of air |
| C．he is dead drunk | D．he will bleed to death |
阅读下面短文，根据短文内容，补全表格中所缺的信息。每空最多填写三个单词。
The idea of Mother’s Day is a very old idea. It was started by the ancient Egyptians (埃及人),who celebrated(庆祝) a day to honor (向……表示敬意) Isis, the mother of the pharaohs. The early Christians(基督教徒) celebrated a day to honor Mary, the mother of Jesus.
Later, English Christians celebrated to honor all mothers. This English holiday was called “Mothering Sunday”. When the English came to America, they did not have time for Mothering Sunday, so the holiday was not celebrated in America. In 1914,the U.S passed a law which designated(规定) the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day to honor the mothers who had lost sons in war.
Today, Mother’s Day is celebrated in many other countries for all mothers. In Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Mother’s Day is celebrated on the same day as in the United States—the second Sunday in May. Children give their mothers cards, gifts, and flowers. Schools plan Mother’s Day’s special activities.
In China, the holiday is celebrated to show the respect(尊重) the Chinese have for the old people, and the love they have for their parents. Ten top mothers are chosen by the government. People all over the country try different ways to help mothers who are poor._______________________
| People/County |
Who to Honor |
Activities |
|
| in ancient times |
Egyptians |
Isis |
|
| early Christians |
Mary |
||
| later |
the English |
all mothers |
|
| the U.S |
mothers who had lost sons in war |
||
| now |
Canada, Australia, etc |
all mothers |
give mothers cards, gifts, and flowers; |
| China |
parents |
choose ten top mothers; |
Is the world too crowded? Well, that’s a hard question to answer. It’s all a matter of perspective(视角).In Montana, you might drive for a mile in any direction and not see another human being. In Macao, 60,000 people live in every square mile!
What is true is that the world’s population doesn’t stay the same. It has been increasing at a very fast rate(比例).That’s in part because in each generation(代) these are more people who then have children than in the last generation.
Five hundred years ago, the population of the world was about 460 million. In 1900,the world’s population was under 2 billion(十亿).Right now it is doubling every 40 years. That means, if this rate of growth continues, when you are a parent, there will be twice as many people on earth as there are now. Wow! Now that’s a whole lot of people! Soon the world’s population will probably reach 7 billion. Some people worry about that! But there is a lot of disagreement about just how many people on earth equals(相当于) too many people. But everyone agrees that the more people there are, the more resources(资源) the world needs to feed, house and take care of all of them, and the more need there is to think carefully about how we live and use the earth’s resources.From the first paragraph we can know that ________.
| A．Montana is too crowded |
| B．Macao is too crowded |
| C．the world is too crowded |
| D．the world is not too crowded |
The population is increasing fast partly because ________.
| A．people live longer than before |
| B．there are less wars than before |
| C．medicine is developing faster than before |
| D．more couples now would like to have children than before |
What was the world’s population 100 years ago?
| A．450 million. | B．about 2 billion. |
| C．40 billion. | D．7 billion. |
The writer thinks that with the population increasing, we should ________.
| A．find more resources |
| B．use more resources |
| C．think about our ways of living |
| D．move to other places |
From the passage we can learn that the writer ________.
| A．thinks the world already has too many people |
| B．thinks the world can feed no more than 7 billion people |
| C．is not sure when the world’s population will reach 7 billion |
| D．is not sure what the largest population that the world can feed is |
Read the suggestions for making an English speech.
a. Looking at and talking to one person in the audience (观众) helps keep you natural, but it feels foolish talking to only one person. Speak to that person as long as 15 seconds and then change another one.
b. The audience have a hard time understanding what they hear. They need your help. Slow down, pause(停顿) and guide the audience through your talk. Remember that you should help the audience understand what you are saying.
c. Make your voice a little lower than normal. Listeners like to listen to a relatively(相对) deep voice.
d. When you talk, try to be as natural as possible. Don’t try to memorize your words and read or recite(背诵) them to your audience. You can use short notes to help you remember the important points.
e. You should know you and most of the people you talk to are different in many ways. Some of them may not know what you are talking about. Then speak to them on their terms and in their languages.
f. Concentrate on what you want to say. If you are always paying attention to gestures(手势),you will feel uncomfortable.
g. It’s true that there are some differences between American English and British English, but they’ll not cause much difficulty for listeners, so just speak the way you’re used to.
Choose a suggestion for each of the following students according to their problems.Paul: I don’t think I can talk fluently(流利) because it’s difficult for me to remember all the words.
| A．a | B．b | C．c | D．d |
Billy: When I come face to face with the audience, where should my eyes fall upon? Do I have to look front, or look around from time to time?
| A．a | B．c | C．e | D．f |
Amy: When I am talking, I can’t help waving(挥动)my hands, for I think it can help me express what I want to say better. But my classmates say I look funny and foolish by doing this.
| A．d | B．e | C．f | D．g |
Betty: I know that it’s not right to speak fast. But I am afraid that I can’t finish my talk in the given time if I speak slowly.
| A．b | B．d | C．f | D．g |
Tony: Should I talk in American English or British English?
| A．a | B．b | C．c | D．g |