You’ve just come home, after living abroad for a few years. Since you’ve been away, has this country changed for the better—or for the worse?
If you’ve just arrived back in the UK after a fortnight’s holiday, small changes have probably surprised you—anything from a local greengrocer suddenly being replaced by a mobile-phone shop to someone in your street moving house.
So how have things changed to people coming back to Britain after seven, ten or even 15 years living abroad? What changes in society can they see that the rest of us have hardly noticed—or now take for granted? To find out, we asked some people who recently returned.
Debi: When we left, Cheltenham, my home town, was a town of white, middle-class families—all very conservative (保守的). The town is now home to many eastern Europeans and lots of Australians, who come here mainly to work in hotels and tourism. There are even several shops only for foreigners.
Having been an immigrant (移民) myself, I admire people who go overseas to find a job. Maybe if I lived in an inner city where unemployment was high, I’d think differently, but I believe foreign settlers have improved this country because they’re more open-minded and often work harder than the natives.
Christine: As we flew home over Britain, both of us remarked how green everything looked. But the differences between the place we’d left behind and the one we returned to were brought sharply into focus as soon as we landed.
To see policemen with guns in the airport for the first time was frightening—in Cyprus, they’re very relaxed—and I got pulled over by customs officers just for taking a woolen sweater with some metal-made buttons out of my case in the arrivals hall. Everyone seemed to be on guard. Even the airport car-hire firm wanted a credit card rather than cash because they said their vehicles had been used by bank robbers.
But anyway, this is still a green, beautiful country. I just wish more people would appreciate what they’ve got. After a short overseas holiday, people tend to _______.
| A．notice small changes |
| B．expect small changes |
| C．welcome small changes |
| D．exaggerate small changes |
How does Debi look at the foreign settlers?
| A．Cautiously. |
| B．Positively. |
| C．Sceptically. |
| D．Critically. |
When arriving at the airport in Britain, Christine was shocked by _______.
| A．the relaxed policemen |
| B．the messy arrivals hall |
| C．the tight security |
| D．the bank robbers |
Which might be the best title for the passage?
| A．Life in Britain. |
| B．Back in Britain. |
| C．Britain in Future. |
| D．Britain in Memory. |
Around three forty-five on a rainy Saturday morning, I was woken up by the sound of my pager(呼机) beeping. As a volunteer firefighter and emergency medical technician, I can never count on a full night of sleep. I pulled myself out of bed and went toward the desk to grab my radio. Our crew was being sent to a nearby home where a man was in cardiac arrest (心脏骤停). We found the man lying on the kitchen floor with his wife beside him. We rushed the patient to the hospital, but despite our efforts, we were unable to save his life.
In my line of life, I rarely get any recognition from the patients we treat, or from their loved ones. But that night, a man’s wife approached us, and through her tears, whispered, “Thank you.” Then she hugged each of us. She knew we answered her late-night call for help, even though the ending was not positive.
There is something deeply rewarding about helping people in these circumstances. Sometimes, I’m able to make their worst day a bit better: like seeing the tears of an injured child turn into a smile when I gave him an interesting toy; or watching a terrified mother’s screams turn into tears of joy when she realized her baby was going to be fine.
Experiences like these allow me to see the impact my work has on others. At the same time, I also know the effect it has had on my own life. As a teenager, I felt awkward when my dad hugged me and said, “ I love you, my dear son.” I was equally uncomfortable and responded, “I love you.” But then I imagined him lying on the kitchen floor that rainy night and realized that my opportunity to say those three words could---at any moment---be taken away forever. Now, I extremely treasure the moment when my father says those three words to me. I’ve learned to appreciate every relationship I have, to tell people I care about them, and to never take anything in life for granted. On that rainy Saturday morning, the author was woken to ____________.
| A．meet his father for the last time |
| B．put out a really big fire |
| C．save a man’s life |
| D．do a scientific experiment |
The author mentioned the injured child and the terrified mother to show that__________.
| A．Life was not always pleasant |
| B．His help could bring people happiness |
| C．He saved a lot of people |
| D．They were very grateful to him |
The underlined word “it” in Paragraph 4 refers to ___________.
| A．a rainy Saturday morning |
| B．special love |
| C．others’ recognition |
| D．the author’s work |
According to this passage, we know that ___________.
| A．The author’s work greatly influenced him |
| B．The author’s father died several years ago |
| C．The author regretted treating his patients badly |
| D．The author never treasured every relation with others |
The thing is，my luck’s always been ruined． Just look at my name: Jean．Not Jean Marie，or Jeanine，or Jeanette，or even Jeanne．Just Jean．Did you know in France，they name boys Jean? It’s French for John．And okay，I don’t live in France．But still，I’m basically a girl named John．If I lived in France，anyway．
This is the kind of luck I’ve had since before Mom even filled out my birth certificate．So it wasn’t any big surprise to me when the cab driver didn’t help me with my suitcase．I’d already had to tolerate arriving at the airport to find no one there to greet me，and then got no answer to my many phone calls，asking where my aunt and uncle were．Did they not want me after all? Had they changed their minds? Had they heard about my bad luck—all the way from Iowa—and decided they didn’t want any of it to rub off on them?
So when the cab driver，instead of getting out and helping me with my bags，just pushed a little button so that the trunk (汽车后备箱) popped open a few inches，it wasn’t the worst thing that had ever happened to me．It wasn’t even the worst thing that had happened to me that day．
According to my mom，most brownstones in New York City were originally single-family homes when they were built way back in the 1800s．But now they’ve been divided up into apartments，so that there’s one—or sometimes even two or more families—per floor．
Not Mom’s sister Evelyn’s brownstone，though．Aunt Evelyn and Uncle Ted Gardiner own all four floors of their brownstone．That’s practically one floor per person，since Aunt Evelyn and Uncle Ted only have three kids，my cousins Tory，Teddy，and Alice．
Back home，we just have two floors，but there are seven people living on them．And only one bathroom．Not that I’m complaining．Still，ever since my sister Courtney discovered blow-outs，it’s been pretty frightful at home．
But as tall as my aunt and uncle’s house was，it was really narrow—just three windows across．Still，it was a very pretty townhouse，painted gray．The door was a bright，cheerful yellow．There were yellow flower boxes along the base of each window，flower boxes from which bright red—and obviously newly planted，since it was only the middle of April，and not quite warm enough for them．
It was nice to know that，even in a sophisticated (世故的) city like New York，people still realized how homey and welcoming a box of flowers could be．The sight of those flowers cheered me up a little．
Like maybe Aunt Evelyn and Uncle Ted just forgot I was arriving today，and hadn’t deliberately failed to meet me at the airport because they’d changed their minds about letting me come to stay．
Like everything was going to be all right，after all．
Yeah．With my luck，probably not．
I started up the steps to the front door of 326 East Sixty-Ninth Street，then realized I couldn’t make it with both bags and my violin．Leaving one bag on the sidewalk，I dragged the other up the steps with me．Maybe I took the steps a little too fast，since I nearly tripped and fell flat on my face on the sidewalk．I managed to catch myself at the last moment by grabbing some of the fence the gardeners had put up…Why did the author go to New York?
| A．She intended to go sightseeing there． |
| B．She meant to stay with her aunt’s family． |
| C．She was homeless and adopted by her aunt. |
| D．She wanted to try her luck and find a job there． |
According to the author，some facts account for her bad luck EXCEPT that ________．
| A．she was given a boy’s name in French |
| B．the cab driver didn’t help her with her bags |
| C．her sister Courtney discovered blow-outs |
| D．nobody had come to meet her at the airport |
The underlined phrase “rub off on” in Paragraph 3 probably means _________.
| A．have an effect on |
| B．play tricks on |
| C．put pressure on |
| D．throw doubt on |
From the passage，we can know that _________．
| A．the author left home without informing her mother |
| B．the author arrived in New York in a very warm season |
| C．her aunt’s family lived a much better life than her own |
| D．her aunt and uncle were likely to forget about her arrival |
Patients and doctors alike have long believed in the healing (治疗) power of humor．It is claimed that humor not only affects patients’ moods，but can actually help them recover faster.
Several studies seem to support this．Patients in better spirits are known to have higher immune cell counts．Some have even claimed to have healed themselves of serious illnesses by reading comics and watching comedies.
Despite all this，many researchers are not convinced． They point out the fact that many sufferings have been known to disappear naturally，with or without a daily dose of laughter．They also say that while optimism in general does seem to be related to better health，it is hard to tell which comes first.
Humor in times of stress，however，clearly makes us feel better．On one level，it takes our minds off our troubles and relaxes us．On another，it releases powerful endorphins，a chemical produced by your body that reduces pain．
There are cases where the appreciation of a good joke is indeed directly related to a person’s health．It can show，for example，whether a person has suffered damage to one particular area of the brain: the right frontal lobe (额叶)．
Scientists confirmed this by having people read jokes and asking them to choose the funniest endings from a list．Subjects with normal brains usually chose endings that were based on a relatively complex synthesis (综合) of ideas．Subjects with specifically located brain damage，however，responded only to slapstick (闹剧) endings，which did not depend on a particular context．When pressed，the brain-damaged subjects saw the logic in the correct endings．They simply did not find them funny.
Of course，humor is largely an individual matter．Next time your friend does not get one of your jokes，there is no need to accuse him of being a lamebrain．However，you might suggest that he lighten up—for the health of it．We can infer from the passage that ________.
| A．all researchers have agreed on the healing power of humor |
| B．people seldom accuse their friends of not understanding jokes |
| C．the author holds a positive attitude to the healing power of humor |
| D．reading comics will surely become a popular way of treating diseases |
Which of the following statements is NOT true?
| A．Many researchers are not convinced of the healing power of humor. |
| B．Patients in bad moods are known to have higher immune cell counts． |
| C．Optimism in general does seem to be related to better health. |
| D．People should try their best to cheer up for their good health. |
Scientists had some people read jokes and asked them to choose the funniest endings from a list to confirm that ________.
| A．the brain-damaged people are different from those with normal brains |
| B．a person with a normal brain usually responds to slapstick endings |
| C．a person suffering certain brain damage doesn’t appreciate a good joke |
| D．humor takes our minds off our troubles by releasing powerful endorphins |
Which would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Which comes first，humor or health? |
| B．Humor can cure different illnesses |
| C．People need humor in times of stress |
| D．Humor contributes to good health |
What Is Natural Medicine
Natural Medicine is to use the natural environment，the nature of the material itself to cure diseases and restore the health．It involves bettering one’s breathing way，sunbathing，improving one’s diets and so on，which play an important part in our healthcare．
Start a Rewarding Career Today
The Australian Institute of Applied Sciences College of Natural Medicine provides you with Nationally Recognized natural medicine courses that can be studied in the comfort of your own home，or at our Brisbane campus in the heart of Stones Corner．AIAS College of Natural Medicine has been providing accredited (官方认可的) natural health courses for more than 20 years，and offers accredited certificate，diploma and advanced diploma level natural medicine，beauty and massage (按摩) courses.
Why Study at the Australian Institute of Applied Sciences
With over 36 years of specialized training and 120 courses，our Natural Medicine College is Australia’s longest running and most sought after training provider for Natural Medicine Education．Our state of the art facilities，highly experienced instructors and friendly support staff make us the first choice for Distance Education and On-campus study．
Studying at Home
All of our courses are available to study at home．We provide all the material and support you will need to successfully complete your course.
Benefits of Studying at Home
●Work at your own pace.
●No need to travel or relocate closer to a campus.
●No interruption to your existing commitments.
●You are still in full contact with the college via Telephone，Email and Post，so you won’t be out of touch with the latest training techniques.You can learn how to ______ at the Australian Institute of Applied Sciences College of Natural Medicine.
| A．apply science to our life |
| B．operate on various patients |
| C．adjust one’s diet or breath |
| D．look after mentally-ill people |
One of the reasons for your choice of going to the college is that _______.
| A．it is the oldest college of this type in Australia |
| B．it offers more courses than any other college |
| C．you may find the best art facilities there |
| D．you will get accredited certificate or diploma |
If you take the courses at home，you are more likely to _______．
| A．focus on your own interests |
| B．adjust your study schedules |
| C．get any help from instructors |
| D．keep up with new techniques |
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项。
It was graduation day at Etihad Training Academy，where the national airline of the United Arab Emirates holds a seven-week training course for new flight attendants．
Despite her obvious pride，Ms．Fathi，a 22-year-old from Egypt，was amazed to find herself here．“I never in my life thought I’d work abroad，” said Ms．Fathi，who was a university student in Cairo when she began noticing newspaper advertisements employing young Egyptians to work at airlines based in the Persian Gulf.
Twenty years ago，unmarried Arab women like Ms．Fathi，working outside their home countries，were rare．But just as young men from poor Arab nations poured into the oil-rich Persian Gulf states for jobs，more young women are doing so．
Flight attendants have become the public face of the new mobility for some young Arab women，just as they were the face of new freedoms for women in the United States in the 1950s and 1960s．They have become a subject of social anxiety and fascination in much the same way．
For many families，allowing a daughter to work may call her virtue into question．Yet this culture is changing，said Musa Shteiwi，a sociologist at Jordan University in Amman．“We’re noticing more and more single women going to the gulf these days，” he said． “It’s still not exactly common，but over the last four or five years it’s become quite an observable phenomenon.”
Many of the young Arab women working in the Persian Gulf take delight in their status as pioneers，role models for their friends and younger female relatives．Young women brought up in a culture that highly values community，have learned to see themselves as individuals．The experience of living independently and working hard for high salaries has forever changed their beliefs about themselves，though it can also lead to a painful sense of separation from their home countries and their families.
—From New York Times (December 22，2014)It can be inferred from the passage that young Arab women _________．
| A．go to work abroad after American women’s example |
| B．didn’t start to work abroad until the late 20thcentury |
| C．are commonly used to living and working separately |
| D．expect to take the same family responsibilities as men |
According to the passage，the Arab women flight attendants can be described as _________.
| A．proud，homesick or independent |
| B．honest，outstanding or optimistic |
| C．mature，enthusiastic or energetic |
| D．painful，desperate or conservative |
How do the public respond to young Arab women’s new mobility?
A． The public think highly of it.
B． The public care very little about it.
D． The public are strongly against it.The author intends to tell the readers that __________.
| A．Arab women can hardly find any work |
| B．flight attendants are badly needed in the gulf |
| C．flight attendants lead quite a different life |
| D．young Arab women’s values are changing |