Sometimes ideas do not appear when you are concentrating your attention and mysteriously appear when you are not. Modern science recognizes this as a result of incubating (酝酿) the problem in your subconscious (潜意识) yet can't account for why it occurs.
When you quit thinking about a subject and decide to forget it, your subconscious mind doesn't quit working. Your thoughts keep making associations. This is why you're experienced suddenly remembering names, getting solutions to problems you've forgotten about, and ideas out of the blue when you're relaxing and not thinking about any particular thing.
You may try solving a problem with your subconscious mind by writing a letter to it. The letter should read just like a letter you would send to a real person. Seal the letter and put it away.
Let go of the problem. Don't work on it. Forget it. Do something else. This is the incubation stage when much of what goes on occurs outside your focused awareness, in your unconscious. Open the letter in two days. The answer might magically pop into your mind.
An advertising agency was under pressure to come up with a marketing campaign to introduce new television shows. Bob, the creative director, wrote the following letter which he addressed to his subconscious mind. He called his subconscious mind "Secret Expert".
Secret Expert,
I need to come up with a new marketing program to introduce a new season of TV shows. I'm interested in coming up with some kind of campaign that will capture the audience's attention more than one time. Is there something people need that we can advertise on? What kind of products, foods and services should we investigate? I need a fresh approach to advertising. Your mission is to give me a new idea on how to advertise TV shows.
Thanks, Bob
Bob mailed the letter to himself and when he read what he had written, he got his brainstorm, which was to advertise on "eggs". Somehow an association between "foods", "need", and "fresh" approach" inspired the thought of using "fresh eggs to advertise". He arranged to place laser imprints of the slogans for the TV shows on eggs —some thirty million.
The consumers look at a single egg at least a few times, when they buy the eggs at the store, when they transfer them to the refrigerator, and when they crack them open. It's unlike any other ad medium in the world, because you're looking at it while you're using it.You remember names when you're not thinking about them because your subconscious mind ____.
| A．is still working | B．is full of names |
| C．stops working | D．improves your memory |
Which of the following was included in Bob's letter to his subconscious mind?
| A．How the solution could be found. |
| B．When he would need its help. |
| C．What product could be advertised |
| D．What he wanted it to do |
During the incubation stage, your focused awareness _____.
| A．waits for an answer | B．controls your thoughts |
| C．doesn't work | D．helps your unconscious |
In what way did the ad on eggs help?
| A．It helped Bob to get a brainstorm |
| B．It made the TV shows known to people repeatedly. |
| C．It greatly increased the sales of eggs. |
| D．It made sure consumers could get fresh eggs. |
Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?
| A．Difference between Subconscious and Awareness |
| B．A fresh Approach to Advertising |
| C．Communicating with Your Subconscious Mind |
| D．Solving problems with your Subconscious Mind |
Some 80 percent of graduate students in East China's Zhejiang province said in a survey they will give up trying to find jobs in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, first-tier cities in China that have been considered dream places for many, because of the untouchable home prices and high living costs.
The Yangtse Evening Post conducted the survey among 50 job seekers who were attending Sunday's job fair in Jiangsu for graduate students. The survey showed graduates are becoming more realistic in their job search despite the job market becoming better.
The fair attracted more than 10,000 graduate students with 7,382 positions.
"The pressure of buying a house in Beijing is unbelievable," said Wang Jian from Nanjing Normal University, who acknowledged he had thought about finding a job in Beijing, Shanghai or Guangzhou, but in the face of huge pressures, he has no choice but to be "realistic."
People can have a very comfortable life in Nanjing with a monthly salary of between 3,000 yuan ($450) and 4,000 yuan, but in Shanghai, 5,000 yuan a month can only help you survive and buying a house will remain a dream,
A student from Nanjing University of Science and Technology said he just turned down an offer from a Shanghai company of 7,000 yuan a month because "living costs in Shanghai are too high."
An unnamed male student from Nanjing University said he will try first-tier cities only if he can get a high salary. "I would go to Beijing only if I can earn 200,000 yuan a year," he said.
"Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou once had the advantages that other cities don't have, but the high housing prices and living costs make young people barely able to breathe," said Ren Leiming from the job service center of Jiangsu's colleges and universities.
"First-tier cities have plenty of talents that make it hard for people to be outstanding, and if you go work in smaller cities you can become a dominant player at your position much more easily," said Ren.Tthe majority of graduate students will give up trying to find jobs in the first-tier cities
because
A it is not easy to find jobs there .
B. home prices and living costs there are very high.
C .they can’t make full use of their knowledge and skills there .
D. monthly salaries there are low compared with those in other cities .Which of the following statements is TRUE about the job market now ?
A. There are more job opportunities offered now
B The job markets are becoming more and more competitive .
C. Many graduate students are n’t satisfied with the working conditions
D Companies and enterprises have stricter rules to take in graduate students .We can learn from the news report that .
A. In Shanghai, 5,000 yuan a month can only help you buy a luxury house .
B. The fair attracted more than 10,000 graduate students and laid-off workers with 7,382 positions
C. The Yangtse Evening Post conducted the survey among 50 personnel managers who were attending Sunday's job fair in Jiangsu for graduate students.
D A student from Nanjing University of Science and Technology turned down an offer from a Shanghai company of 7,000 yuan a monthThe words Ren said in the last paragraph mean .
| A．people can’t achieve more in first-tier cities . |
| B．people can easily be outstanding in smaller cities |
| C．he would rather go to first-tier cities than smaller cities . |
| D．talents are more welcome in first-tier cities than smaller ones |
The CEO of Apple, Steve Jobs’ story about death
When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: “If you live each day as if it were your last, someday you’ll most certainly be right.” It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself, “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?”
Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered（遇到）to help me make the big choice in life.
About a year ago I was diagnosed with cancer. The doctors told me this was almost certainly a type of cancer that was incurable, and that I would live no longer than three to six months. My doctor advised me to go home and get my affairs in order, which is my doctors’ code for preparing yourself to die.
I lived with that diagnosis all day. I was completely in despair. Later that evening, I had another biopsy（活组织检查）and my wife told me that tumor turned to be curable with surgery. I had the surgery and I’m fine now.
This was the closest I’ve been to facing death. To tell the truth, no one wants to die. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. It clears out the old to make room for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away.
Your time is so limited that you shouldn’t waste it repeating someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma（教条）----which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most importantly, have the courage to follow your heart. It somehow already knows what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.The doctor advised the author to go home and get his affairs in order because_________.
| A．he had to rest at home |
| B．his disease was not serious at all |
| C．his disease couldn’t be cured |
| D．he had to wait for the result of the test |
How did the author feel after the diagnosis?
| A．Angry | B．Excited | C．Optimistic | D．Hopeless |
What does the author think of death?
| A．He thinks it is nothing to be scared of. |
| B．He thinks it is not the end of life. |
| C．He thinks it is impossible to avoid. |
| D．He thinks it is the beginning of a new life |
In the author’s opinion, we should ____________.
A. follow others’ advice
B. take no notice of diseases
C. take exercise and keep healthy
D have the courage to follow our heart
As in the field of space travel, new technologies continue to appear in undersea exploration. They share a number of similarities with each other — as well as some important differences.
Manned submersibles (潜水器), like spaceships, must maintain living conditions in an unnatural environment. While a spaceship must simply be sealed against the vacuum space, a submersible must be able to bear extreme pressure if it is not to break up in deep water.
In exploring space, unmanned vehicles were employed before astronauts. In undersea exploration, on the other hand, men paved the way, and only recently have unmanned remote-operated vehicles (ROVs) been put to use.
One reason for this is that communicating with vehicles in orbit is much easier than talking to those underwater. A vacuum is an ideal medium for radio communications, but underwater communications are limited to much slower sound waves. Thus, most undersea vehicles — particularly ROVs — operate at the end of long ropes.(电缆终端)
For a similar reason, knowing where you are undersea is much more difficult than in space. A spaceship’s position can be located by following its radio signal, or by using telescopes and radar. For an undersea vehicle, however, a special network of sonar （声纳系统）devices must be laid out in advance on the ocean floor in the area of a dive to locate the vehicle’s position.
Though undersea exploration is more challenging than outer space in a number of respects, it has a distinct advantage: going to the ocean depths doesn’t require the power necessary to escape Earth’s gravity. Thus, it remains far less expensive. The purpose of the passage is ______.
| A．to persuade you to explore the depths of the ocean |
| B．to stress the importance of the undersea exploration |
| C．to make you believe that the undersea exploration is better |
| D．to tell some differences between two kinds of explorations |
By saying “men paved the way” in Paragraph 2 the author means that in undersea exploration ______.
| A．unmanned vehicles were used in the beginning |
| B．men covered the ocean floor with stones and bricks |
| C．manned vehicles were employed before unmanned ones |
| D．men invented unmanned remote-operated vehicles in the past |
The sonar devices must be placed ______.
| A．from time to time |
| B．after the undersea vehicles dive |
| C．before the undersea vehicles dive |
| D．when the undersea vehicles are diving |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．Submersibles usually break up in deep water. |
| B．Undersea vehicles can receive signals immediately. |
| C．Going to space needs power to escape the gravity. |
| D．Radio communications are quite difficult in a vacuum. |
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Reasons to learn using the Pimsleur Approach:
•Speak without an accent so that you sound like a native.
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•Feel safe and confident. You’ll know how to deal with any situation.
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The entire Pimsleur Approach is what language learning should be: quick, fun, and easy! Each lesson is the foundation for the next. You’ll keep building on what you’ve learned.What can prove Pimsleur courses to be successful ?
| A．Full 30-day money-back guarantee |
| B．Eight fluency-focused lessons on four audio CDs |
| C．25 million people have graduated with success . |
| D．30-minute lessons are perfect for your daily commuting, lunch break, or workout. |
According to the text, what does the course offer?
| A．Effective language instruction. |
| B．Language rules for you to recite. |
| C．Learning a new language by repeating many times |
| D．Opportunities to work with business professionals. |
According to the text, which of the following is NOT a reason for choosing the Pimsleur Approach?
| A．It will correct your accent. |
| B．It will build your confidence. |
| C．It will help you remember things easily. |
| D．It will teach you how to control your balance . |
It can be inferred that the text is a(n) __________.
| A．report on a new language learning method |
| B．ad of a language training organization |
| C．notice of the opening of a new course |
| D．comment on a language training organization |
Many people take it for granted that black is a color of bad things while white should always mean something good. This may be because, in their opinion, black is related to darkness and white to purity. However, that is not always the case. Did you know that the same one color may mean something differently in different places of the world?
In the English-speaking world, black is the color of mourning—people wear black at the funeral. Red is concerned with danger or bloodshed（伤亡）. Yellow is the word for fear. If you are afraid, you are yellow. Yet none of these sayings is true outside the English-speaking world. In China and Korea white is the color of mourning. In Russia, China and some other countries, red stands for beauty, life and excellence. In Italy and Germany, you are yellow with anger, not with fear.
Even within the English-speaking area, it is not difficult to find color contradictions（矛盾）.A redcap in the United States is a porter in a railway station. In Britain, however, a redcap is a military policeman. Both names are logical, because both men wear red caps. Similarly, the British term for an American white-collar worker is sometimes called a black-coated worker.
One does not have to cross an area to find color differences. Would you rather be red-blooded or a blue-blooded? If we go back to the origin, we find that both terms are logical as both names suggest. The expression “blueblood” comes from Spain, where some noble families proudly told the world that they had “blue blood”. Actually they meant that they had no Moorish or Jewish blood. But then why “blue” blood? Because they were fair-skinned, and it is only natural that their blood vessels (血管)stood out appearing blue. Yellow is concerned with anger in ________________.
| A．India | B．Britain |
| C．China | D．Italy |
Both Britain and America would probably agree that ________________.
| A．a redcap is a porter in a station |
| B．black is the color of mourning |
| C．red stands for beauty and excellence |
| D．a black-coated worker is employed in an office |
In Britain , a redcap is a
| A．porter | B．nobleman | C．clerk | D．military policeman |
The best title for this reading selection is ________________.
| A．The Origin of Blue Blood |
| B．Colors that Carry Bad Meanings |
| C．The Meaning Concerned with Certain Colors |
| D．The Development of the Symbolic Use of Colors |