Disease,poverty,hate,loveCharl-优题课

My students often tell me that they don’t have “enough time” to do all their schoolwork.
My reply is often a brief “You have as much time as the president.” I usually carry on a bit about there being twenty-four hours in the day for everyone, and suggest that “not enough time” is not an acceptable explanation of not getting something done.
Once in graduate school, I tried to prove to one of my professors by saying that I was working hard. His answer to me was, “That’s irrelevant (无关的). What’s important is the quality of your work.” Since then I have had time to think carefully about the “hard worker” dodge (诀窍), and I have come to some conclusions — all relevant to the problem of how much time we have.
If you analyze the matter, you can identify two parts of the problem: There is, of course, the matter of “time”, which we can think of as fixed. Then there is the problem of “work” during that time. But, as my professor suggested, it’s not how hard one works but the quality of the product that’s important.
That led me to a new idea: the quality of the work. That concept is perhaps best explained by a sign I once saw on the wall in someone’s office: “Don’t work harder. Work smarter.” There is a lot of sense in that idea.
If you can’t get more time, and few of us can, the only solution is to improve the quality of the work. That means thinking of ways to get more out of the same time than we might otherwise get. That should lead us to an analysis of our work habits. Since “work” for students usually means “homework”, the expression “work habits” should be read as “study habits”.
Then, as a smart student, you will seek to improve those skills that you use in study, chiefly reading and writing. If you learn to read better and write better, there are big benefits that pay off in all your studies.
.
From the passage, we know that the author is probably ______ .

A．a poet

B．an educator

C．a novelist

D．an engineer

.
We can infer from the 2nd paragraph that we students still _____ .

A．have enough time	B．can meet the president
C．get everything done well	D．should accept the explanation

.
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．The author’s students make good use of their time to do all their homework.

B．The author tried to tell the professor that he/she (author) had done a good job.

C．You can’t improve the quality of the work if you can’t get more time.

D．You’ll try to improve your skills in reading and writing if you’re a clever student.

.
What’s the passage mainly about?

A．Students don’t have enough time.	B．Don’t work harder; work smarter.
C．No one can get more time.	D．Read better and write better.

A Full-Time School Called Life
You are enrolled in a full-time school called “life”. Each day in this school you will have the opportunity to learn lessons. You may like the lessons or hate them, but you have designed them as part of your curriculum.
Why are you here? What is your purpose? Humans have sought to discover the meaning of life for a very long time. What we and our ancestors overlooked, however, is there is no one answer. The meaning of life is different for every individual.
Each person has his or her own purpose and distinct path, unique and separate from anyone else’s. As you travel your life path, you will be presented with numerous lessons that you will need to learn in order to fulfill that purpose. The lessons you are presented with are specific to you; learning these lessons is a key to discovering and fulfilling the meaning and connection of your own life.
As you travel through your lifetime, you may encounter challenging lessons that others don’t have to face, while others spend years struggling with challenges that you don’t need to deal with. You may never know why you are blessed with a wonderful marriage, while your friends suffer through bitter arguments and painful divorces, just as you cannot be sure why you struggle financially while your peers enjoy abundance. The only thing you can count on for certain is that you specifically need to learn; whether we choose to learn them or not is entirely up to you.
The challenge here, therefore , is to align（与…保持一致）yourself with your own unique path by learning individual lessons. This is one of the most difficult challenges you will be faced with in your lifetime, as sometimes your path will be completely different from others. But, remember, don’t compare your path to the people around you and focus on the difference between their lessons and yours. You need to remember that you will only be faced with lessons that you are capable of learning and are specific to your own growth.
Our sense of fairness is the expectation of equity—the assumption that all things are equal and that justice will always prevail. Life is not, in fact, fair, and you may indeed have a more difficult lift path than others around you, deserved or not. Everyone’s circumstances are unique, and everyone needs to handle his or her own circumstances differently. If you want to move toward calm, you will be required to move out the comparing phrase of “it’s not fair”. Focusing on the unfairness of circumstances keeps you comparing yourself with others rather than appreciating your own special uniqueness. You miss out on learning your individual lessons by distracting yourself with feeling of bitterness and anger.
.According to the passage, how can the meaning of your life be realized?

A．Having the same opinions as others.

B．Taking the distinct path from others.

C．Learning the lessons presented to you.

D．Doing the different things from others.

. From the passage we can conclude ______.

A．everyone has his own track to follow

B．the same thing usually happen to the peers

C．a painful divorce must lie in financial problems

D．a wealthy man must have a wonderful marriage

. In your lifetimes, the lessons you are faced with ______.

A．are beyond your power	B．keep you from growth
C．limit your development	D．help you with your success

. Which of the following is TRUE?

A．All things are equal and justice will always prevail.

B．You should learn to appreciate your specific uniqueness.

C．One has to fix his mind on unfairness of circumstances.

D．The teachers have designed the lessons as part of your curriculum in the life school..

. Life is called a full-time school, because ______.

A．it is full of all lessons to learn

B．you have plenty of time to learn lessons

C．you meet with specific lessons every day

D．there are so many subjects for you to choose

Researchers in Britain are driving the environmental movement to a new level. A team from the University of Warwick has built what it calls the world’s first completely environmentally friendly Formula Three racing car.
The car is made mainly of renewable materials, like plants and vegetables. The structure around the car is made from natural plant fibers and potatoes. The steering wheel(方向盘) is made from root vegetables like carrots. The engine uses bio-fuel made from vegetable oil and waste chocolate.
The new racing car is extremely fast. The car has a top speed of two hundred fifteen kilometers an hour. And it can go from zero to ninety-five kilometers an hour in just two and a half seconds. The racing car meets all of the Formula Three racing requirements except for its biodiesel(生物柴油) engine.
Automobile racing is one of the most widely watched sports in the world. But it is also considered one of the least friendly sports to the environment. Racing cars burn a lot of fuel, and create a lot of air pollution. In recent years, the racing industry has taken steps to protect the environment. More racing companies are now producing cars that use less energy. These cars produce less pollution than cars that depend on traditional fuel, like gasoline.
Last month, the new racing car was set to run in its first competitive race at the Formula Three Championship Final at Brands Hatch. It would have been the first biodiesel-powered car to race at Formula Three. Current Formula Three rules let only gasoline-powered car to compete. Officials needed permission from all of the Formula Three racers for the biodiesel-powered car to compete. They were unable to contact one of the drivers, so the new racing car didn’t appear in the event. In test runs, the new racing car was the fifth fastest among the Formula Three race cars. Supporters are hoping to have the fuel problem solved in time to compete in the next season.
. What’s the second paragraph mainly about?

A．What materials the new racing car is made of.

B．Why researchers built the new racing car.

C．The characteristics of the new racing car.

D．The process of the new racing car being designed.

.According to the passage, the _________ of the new racing car doesn’t meet the Formula Three racing
requirements.

A．speed

B．appearance

C．weight

D．engine

. It can be inferred from the passage that __________.

A．the new racing car is the first environmentally friendly car

B．automobile racing could be forbidden in the near future

C．many people like to watch automobile racing

D．the new racing car will be allowed to compete in the next season of Formula Three racing

. In recent years, racing companies are producing cars that __________.

A．burn more fuel	B．go more quickly
C．produce less pollution	D．cost less money

.Why didn’t the new racing car compete at the Formula Three Championship Final last month?

A．Because the new racing car still needs testing.

B．Because officials needed each racer’s permission but failed to contact one.

C．Because there’re some technical problems to be solved.

D．Because few drivers think it is fast enough.

In a moment of personal crisis, how much help can you expect from a New York taxi driver? I began studying this question and found the answers interesting.
One morning I got into three different taxis and announced, “Well, it’s my first day back in New York in seven years. I’ve been in prison.” Not a single driver replied, so I tried again. “Yeah, I shot a man in Reno.” I explained, hoping the driver would ask me why, but nobody asked. The only response came from a Ghanaian driver, “Reno? That is in Nevada?”
Taxi drivers were uniformly sympathetic when I said I’d just been fired. “This is America,” a Haitian driver said. “One door is closed. Another is open.” He argued against my plan to burn down my boss’s house. A Pakistani driver even turned down a chance to profit from my loss of hope; he refused to take me to the middle of George Washington Bridge—a $20 trip. “Why you want to go there? Go home and relax. Don’t worry. Take a new job.”
One very hot weekday in July, while wearing a red ski mask and holding a stuffed pillowcase with the word “BANK” on it, I tried calling a taxi five times outside different banks. The driver picked me up every time. My ride with a Haitian driver was typical of the superb assistance I received.
“Let’s go across the park.” I said. “I just robbed the bank there. I got $25,000.”
“$25,000?” He asked.
“Yeah, you think it was wrong to take it?”
“No, man. I work 8 hours and I don’t make almost $70. If I can do that, I do it too.”
As we approached 86th and Lexington, I pointed to the Chemical Bank.
“Hey, there’s another bank,” I said, “Could you wait here a minute while I go inside?”
“No, I can’t wait. Pay me now.” His reluctance may have something to do with money—taxi drivers think the rate for waiting time is too low—but I think he wanted me to learn that even a bank robber can’t expect unconditional support.
. From the Ghanaian driver’s response, we can infer that ____.

A．he was indifferent to the killing	B．he was afraid of the author
C．he looked down upon the author	D．he thought the author was crazy

. Why did the Pakistani driver refuse to take the author to the middle of the George Washington Bridge?

A．Because he was able to help the author to find a new job.

B．Because he wanted to go home and relax.

C．Because it was far away from his home.

D．Because he thought that the author would commit suicide.

.What is the author’s interpretation of the driver’s reluctance “to wait outside the Chemical bank”?

A．The driver thought that the rate for waiting time was too low.

B．The driver thought it wrong to support a taxi rider unconditionally.

C．The

driver was frightened and wanted to leave him as soon as possible.

D．The driver did not want to help a suspect to escape from a bank robbery.

. Which of the following statements is true about New York taxi drivers?

A．They are ready to help you do whatever you want to.

B．they often refuse to pick up those who would kill themselves.

C．They are sympathetic with those who are out of work.

D．They work only for money.

. The passage mainly discusses ____.

A．how to please taxi drivers.

B．how to deal with taxi drivers

C．the attitudes of taxi drivers towards riders in personal trouble

D．the attitudes of taxi drivers towards troublesome taxi riders

How do you know if your home is an easy aim for thefts(偷窃)? Around the holidays, many families don’t consider taking proper measures to prevent their homes from suffering holiday thefts. With just a few simple steps, you can better make sure of the safety of your home during all of the holiday celebrations. Here are a few tips for making it difficult to tell you are away from home.
● Either have a trusted neighbor pick up your mail and newspapers, or tell your mailperson to hold your mail until you return. Nothing says “Hey, we are not home!” like when your postbox is filled with all kinds of mails and you have many different newspapers in your driveway.
● Set several different lights in your house on random timers (随机定时器)。Don’t leave your outdoor lights on all the time. Instead, put your outside lights on timers to be on during the nights. If an outdoor light remains on for days at a time, it means that nobody is home to turn it off.
● If you have pets that you are not taking with you on vacation, leave them with a friend, rather than having someone come into your house every day to take care of them. When thefts see a neighbor or friend entering your house every day, they will know you are not home.
● Close all your curtains when you leave town. This is effective to deter possible thefts, as no one can see what is in your house. If they don’t know what there is to take, then the risk is even greater for them to break in.
● This article just has suggested a few tips to help you keep your house safe while you are on holiday. Nothing can truly protect your home unless you have it monitored by a professional home security system.
. What is the main idea of the passage?

A．to tell us how to prevent the thefts around the holidays

B．to let the outdoor lights on all the time

C．to tell us many families suffering from the thefts while they are on holiday

D．to tell you to have your neighbor go to your house to take care of your pet.

.If you are on holiday in other places, the lights in your house should________.
A. be lit in an irregular way B. be kept on all the night
C. be replaced by random timersD be turned on only once one day
.To make your home is well protected, what does the writer advise you to do?

A．Have all the curtains closed	B．Stop your mail service at once
C．Turn to your close neighbors or friends	D．Equip your home with security system

. Most of the tips mentioned in the text seem to ______.

A．be very popular with families	B．have no effect on preventing thefts
C．give a false impression on thefts.	D．be a little hard to be brought into effect.

.The underlined word “deter ”probably means “___________ ”.

A．discover

B．discourage

C．surprise

D．attract