Modern inventions have speeded up people's lives amazingly. Motor cars cover a hundred miles in light more than an hour, aircraft cross the world inside a day, while computers operate at lightning speed. Indeed, this love of speed seems never ending. Every year motor cars are produced which go even faster and each new computer boasts(吹嘘) of saving precious seconds in handling tasks.
All this saves time, but at a price.When we lose or gain half a day in speeding across the world in an airplane, our bodies tell us so. We get the uncomfortable feeling known as jet lag;our bodies feel that they have been left behind in another time zone. Again, spending too long at computers results in painful wrists and fingers. Mobile phones also , according to some scientists;too much use may put harmful radiation into our brains, a consequence we do not like to think about.
However, what do we do with the time we have saved? Certainly not relax, or so it seems. We are so accustomed to constant activity that we find it difficult to sit and do nothing or even just one thing at a time. Perhaps the days are long gone when we might listen quietly to a story on the radio, letting imagination take us into another world.
There was a time when some people's lives were devoted simply to the cultivation(耕耘) of the land or the care of cattle. No multi tasking there;their lives went on at a much gentler pace, and in a familiar pattern. There is much that we might envy about a way of life like this. Yet before we do so, we must think of the hard tasks our ancestors faced: they farmed with bare hands, often lived close to hunger, and had to make tools from wood and stone. Modern machinery has freed people from that primitive existence.What's the passage mainly about?(within 10 words)
List the difficulties our ancestors met according to the text.(within 15 words)
①
②
③ Fill in the blank in the 2nd paragraph with proper words or phrases.
Why do we make new products more and more time-saving according to Paragraph 1 of this passage?
Translate the underlined sentence in the 3rd paragraph into Chinese.
It’s easy to see how to help others, but what about those whose needs aren’t so obvious? This story may have happened a while back, but it was a lesson which has stayed with me and helped me ever since.
It was Thanksgiving and I was volunteering with my parents at a shelter for the poor. We stood behind the counter dishing out hot food to whoever came in. most of our dinners looked like they had been having hard times, their clothes old, worn and dry. In short, they looked poor!
Then, a man came in, who looked anything but poor. He was well dressed, wearing an expensive suit. I wondered what he was doing there and my jaw dropped in amazement when he joined the line for food. The closer he came to my service station, the more I muttered. What was this man doing? I wanted to know. Surely he wasn’t gong to take food.
Then my mother quietly took me to one side. She said, “You have assumed that the needs of the people who come here must be purely physical: hunger, inadequate shelter and needs are emotional? What if he needs comfort, friends, or just to be among other human beings?” her words hit me like a ton of bricks! I felt like I should apologize to the man, but I didn’t.
About a week later the shelter received a large donation from an anonymous source. I can’t help but wonder if it came from that man.
Now, whether I meet others, I remember my mother’s words and try to send kindness and blessings to them, regardless of how they look.
Needs aren’t always visible. But kindness always makes a difference.The task of the author at the shelter was to_______.
| A.decide whether dinners looked poor | B.learn life experience there |
| C.serve hot food to the poor | D.help parents order dishes |
When the man waited in line, how did the author feel?
| A.Surprised | B.Pitiful | C.Excited | D.Angry |
The author felt he should apologize to the man, because he_______.
| A.was asked to do so by his mother |
| B.gave the man food much less than others |
| C.realized something was wrong with the man |
| D.knew later that the man went there to donate |
What can we infer from the last paragraph?
| A.We should show others kindness whatever their needs are |
| B.Some needs can’t be known clearly at times |
| C.Needs can always be met by kindness |
| D.We should find out others’ needs |
Bill and his family has been living in the six-family building for years. All the neighbors got along fairly well with each other until recently.
An old man and his wife used to live on the second floor. Bill’s mother and the old lady were good friends. Unfortunately the lady died last month. Her husband could not live alone, so he had his grandson move over and live with him.
The grandson has become a problem to all the neighbors, especially to Bill’s family. The walls of the building are thin and he is noisy. Bill is used to peace and quiet but the young man likes to listen to the radio late at night. Sometimes friends of his visit and they make a lot of noise. That is too much for Bill’s family.
Bill’s mother once asked the old man politely if he was able to sleep well at night, but obviously the man didn’t understand what she meant. If he did and spoke to his grandson, the young man obviously didn’t listen, since things haven’t changed any. Everyone in Bill’s family agrees that something must be done though they don’t want to hurt the kind old man.Bill’s family got angry because ________.
| A.the old lady had died |
| B.a young man moved in |
| C.the old man could not live alone |
| D.the grandson made a lot of noise |
Which of the following statements is true?
| A.The old man could not live without his wife’s help. |
| B.The old man and his wife were sometimes making trouble too. |
| C.Bill’s mother was kind to her neighbors. |
| D.Bill’s mother was the only one who likes the young man. |
The grandson makes a lot of noise as ________.
| A.he never thinks other people might not be happy with so much noise around |
| B.the walls of the building are thin |
| C.he likes to listen to the radio at night |
| D.friends of his visit |
It seems that ________to solve the problem.
| A.anyone is able | B.only the grandfather is going |
| C.Bill’s mother is able | D.nobody is likely |
Long ago in a small town, there was a place known as the House of 1,000 Mirrors. A small, happy little dog learned of this place and decided to visit.
When he arrived, he bounced (跳) happily up the stairs to the doorway of the house. He looked through the doorway with his ears lifted high and his tail wagging as fast as it could. To his great surprise, he found himself staring at 1,000 other happy little dogs with their tails wagging just as his. He smiled a great smile, and was answered with 1,000 great smiles just as warm and friendly. As he left the house, he thought to himself, “This is a wonderful place. I will come back and visit often.”
In this same village, another little dog, who was not quite as happy as the first one, decided to visit the house. He slowly climbed the stairs and hung his head low as he looked into the door. When he saw the 1,000 unfriendly looking dogs staring back at him, he growled at them and was horrified to see 1,000 little dogs growling back at him. As he left, he thought to himself, “This is a horrible place, and I will never go back there again.”
All the faces in the world are mirrors. What kind of reflections do you see on the faces of the people you meet?Why was the first dog surprised when he entered the house?
| A.Because he didn’t expect to see so many happy dogs. |
| B.Because he didn’t know there were 1,000 mirrors in the house. |
| C.Because he was always in a mixed mood. |
| D.Because he saw so many dogs smiling at him. |
Why did the first dog like the house?
| A.Because there were 1,000 mirrors in the house. |
| B.Because he thought he could keep himself warm in the house. |
| C.Because he liked everything presented to him. |
| D.Because he felt he was welcome here. |
The underlined word “growl” probably means ______.
| A.make an unfriendly noise | B.smile |
| C.say hello | D.stare |
Which of the following is the most suitable title for the passage?
| A.A Small happy Little Dog |
| B.The House of 1,000 Mirrors |
| C.The Wonderful Place and the Horrible Place. |
| D.Two Little Dogs |
If you haven’t heard or seen anything about Road Rage in the last few months, you’ve probably been avoiding the media. There have been countless stories about this new and scary phenomenon, considered a type of aggressive driving. You have most likely encountered aggressive driving or Road Rage recently if you drive at all.
While drunk driving remains a critical problem, the facts about aggressive driving are surely as disturbing. For instance, according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Association, 41,907 people died on the highway last year. Of those deaths, the agency estimates that about two-thirds were caused at least in part by aggressive driving behavior.
Why is this phenomenon occurring more than ever now, and why is it something that seemed almost nonexistent a few short years ago? Experts have several theories, and all are probably partially correct. One suggestion is sheer overcrowding. In the last decade, the number of cars on the roads has increased by more than 11 percent, and the number of miles driven has increased by 35 percent. However, the number of new road miles has only increased by 1 percent. That means more cars in the same amount of space; and the problem is magnified in urban areas. Also, people have less time and more things to do. With people working and trying to fit extra chores and activities into the day, stress levels have never been higher. Stress creates anxiety, which leads to short tempers. These factors, when combined in certain situations, can spell Road Rage.
You may think you are the last person who would drive aggressively, but you might be surprised. For instance, have you ever yelled out loud at a slower driver, sounded the horn long and hard an another car, or sped up to keep another driver from passing? If you recognize yourself in any of these situations, watch out!
Whether you are getting angry at other drivers, or another driver is visibly upset with you, there are things you can do to avoid any major conflict. If you are easily influenced by Road Rage, the key is to discharge your emotion in a healthy way. If you are the target of another driver’s rage, do everything possible to get away from the other driver safely, including avoiding eye contact and getting out of their way.ThefirstsentenceinPara.1impliesthat______.
| A.onemaybeangeredbymediareportsandwantstoavoidthem |
| B.themediacoinedtheterm“RoadRage”onlyafewmonthsago |
| C.RoadRagehasreceivedmuchmediacoverageinthelastfewmonths |
| D.peoplenotinterestedinthemediaknowlittleaboutrecenthappenings |
Theunderlined word“spell”inPara.3means ________.
| A.relieve | B.cause | C.spread | D.prevent |
Which of the following characterizes aggressive driving?
| A.Talking while driving. |
| B.Driving at high speed. |
| C.Sounding the horn when passing. |
| D.Shouting at another driver. |
Thelastparagraphisintendedto_________.
| A.tellpeoplehowtodealwithRoadRage |
| B.informpeoplehowaggressivedriverscouldbe |
| C.showpeoplehowtocontrolthemselveswhenangry |
| D.warnpeopleagainsteyecontactwithanotherdriver |
The Gullah people in the southern US have honored their culture for more than 100 years. Living mainly on the Sea Islands and coastal areas of South Carolina, Georgia and Floride, the Gullah people, an African-American group, have a rich culture including their own language. It is a Creole language created by slaves who came to the US from the West Africa in the 1800s. It combines West African languages with English.
For many years efforts have been made to save the Gullah language. One project began in 1979. Its goal was to translate the New Testament part of the Bible into Gullah. Experts say that it was a difficult process because Gullah is not a written language. It is a spoken language only.
A team of Gullah speakers began working on the translation to make the Bible easier to understand for those who spoke Gullah as their main language. The Gullah version is called De Nyew Testament. It is written in English on one side of the page, and next to it, there is a Gullah translation. De Nyew Testament was published by the American Bible Society. The project also received help from the Summer Institute of Linguistics, Wycliffe Bible Translators, the United Bible Societies and the Penn Centre
Experts believe that the translated Bible is a major step towards saving the Gullah language and traditions. “This is more than a Bible translation,” says Robert Hodgson, at the American Bible Society. “De Nyew Testament raises the Gullah language and culture to a new level.” Ardell Greene is a member of the translation team. She calls the book “a treasure”. She says that the Gullah version of the Bible will be read in churches and will help young people keep the Gullah language alive.According to the passage, De Nyew Testament can be best seen as _______.
| A.a good version of the Bible |
| B.something difficult to understand |
| C.a spoken form of the Gullah language |
| D.the effort to save the Gullah language |
Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
| A.Gullah communities can be found in the southern US. |
| B.Gullah is influenced by both English and West African languages. |
| C.De Nyew Testament is a complete Bible translation. |
| D.Ardell Greene thinks highly of De Nyew Testament. |
What does this passage mainly focus on?
| A.Efforts to save the Gullah language. |
| B.Different versions of the Bible. |
| C.The history of the Gullah people. |
| D.The culture of the Gullah people. |