On a flight from Johannesburg, a middle-aged rich white South African lady had found herself sitting next to a black man. She called the cabin crew attendant over to complain(抱怨) about her seat. “What seems to be the problem, Madam?” asked the attendant.
“Can’t you see?” She said, “You have seated me next to a black person! I can’t possibly sit next to this kind of person. Find me another seat!”
“Please calm down, Madam,” the stewardess replied. “The flight is very full today, but I will tell you what I will do---- I will go and check to see if we have any seats available(可利用的) in club or first class.”
The woman glanced at the angry black man beside her. A few minutes later, the stewardess returned with the good news, which she delivered to the lady.
“Madam, unfortunately, as I expected, economy is full. I have spoken to the cabin services director, and club is also full. However, we do have one seat in first class.”
Before the lady had a chance to answer, the stewardess continued, “It is most extraordinary to make this kind of upgrade, however, and I have had to get special permission from the captain. But, learning this condition, the captain felt that it was shocking that someone should be forced to sit next to such a tiring person.”
Having said that, the stewardess turned to the black man sitting next to the lady, and said, “So if you’d like to get you things, sir, I have your seat ready for you…”
At this point, obviously the surrounding passengers stood and gave an applause while the black man walked up to the front of the plane. Why did the lady complain about her seating?
| A．Because she didn’t want to sit in economy. |
| B．Because she would like a seat in first class. |
| C．Because she didn’t want to sit next to a black man. |
| D．Because she didn’t want to sit in club. |
What was the good news for the lady?
| A．The black man would have to change for another seat. |
| B．The captain understood her situation. |
| C．The cabin director was sparing no effort to help her. |
| D．They have one seat in first class. |
What was the other passengers’ attitude towards the lady?
| A．They liked her very much because she was a rich lady. |
| B．They disliked her because she looked down upon the black man. |
| C．They applauded for her when she moved to another seat. |
| D．They disliked her because she was not polite to the stewardess. |
What was unexpected to the lady?
| A．The plane was so full that day. |
| B．They found a seat for her in club. |
| C．The captain himself was concerned about her problem. |
| D．They found another seat for the black man. |
When building houses, people used to think about not only the climate of the areas but also the building materials and the fashions for their houses. However, since electricity became more and more expensive, people began to pay much more attention to the energy they could get for their houses and the new ways they could find to protect their houses from both cold and heat.
Now, houses of an old yet new type have been widely built. In some parts of the world, people share their houses with their livestock（家畜）.During cold weather, they gather their cows, goats, or other animals and keep them on the first floor of their houses. The reasons are that the animals can be protected from the cold and that they can help to heat the houses as well. The body heat given off by the animals rises to the second floor of the houses, where people live. By sharing their houses with their livestock, people gain a source of heat.
People who live in or near cities do not usually keep livestock. However, home builders use the fact that heat rises. This natural law can be used in building houses in these areas. Instead of keeping livestock on the first floor, builders fill it with large rocks. As they are open to the sun’s rays during cold weather, these rocks take in heat. They also give off the heat, and, of course, the warm air rises into the living areas of the houses. So these houses are energy saving.
House building becomes a great challenge（挑战）to building designers and energy engineers. They try to meet this challenge by learning from old traditions and by using modern technology. And someday in the future, people will be able to live in more energy saving houses. What did people begin to consider as electricity was no longer cheap?
| A．The climate of their areas. |
| B．The energy for their houses. |
| C．The fashions for their houses. |
| D．The building materials for their houses. |
People in some areas gain a source of heat by _________.
| A．keeping their livestock downstairs |
| B．protecting their livestock from the cold |
| C．sharing their houses only with their cows |
| D．living on the second floor with their livestock |
The underlined words “natural law” in the third paragraph refer to the fact that ________.
| A．heat raises the temperature in the houses |
| B．heat goes in the upward direction |
| C．heat goes up if temperature is raised |
| D．heat increases the temperature of rocks |
From the passage, we can conclude that __________.
| A．people will no longer consider building materials in the future |
| B．energy saving buildings will become more popular in the future |
| C．almost all people will move into the houses heated by large rocks |
| D．energy engineers will devote themselves only to modern technology. |
You feel happiest when you create a healthy balance between giving and receiving. If you give and give without making time to fill your own needs, then it’s likely you will burn out, or feel upset. When you take and take without giving anything back, you never feel fulfilled, so you are always searching for ways to fill the void in your life.
The way to create a healthy balance between giving and receiving is to know and then live by your values. I break values up into two groups which I call being and having values. Your being values are the character traits of the ideal person you would like to be. I suggest to my clients that they choose three being values that they are willing to make a commitment to live by. An example of some being values are: kind, loving, generous, inspirational, peaceful, wise and even powerful. By acting on these values you give to others through your actions and you inspire others by being a positive role model. Mastering being these character traits becomes your life purpose.
Your having values are feelings you need to create in order to be happy. These could be companionship, achievement, support, being valued or financial security. This is what you receive. You take responsibility for filling your own needs by taking steps to create these feelings and conditions in your life.
When you make a commitment to live by being values, it becomes easier to make conscious choices rather than reactionary ones. If your usual pattern is to talk about your problems, you could choose to think and act like a calm person. A clam person might go for a walk, meditate(沉思), or set a time limit before responding. If your usual pattern is to worry, you could choose to act like a responsible or wise person. In other words, you would act like the person you choose to be-this is the key to personal power.
When you choose to act on your values, you not only feel good about yourself, you reinforce(加强)your chosen beliefs. Over time acting in this way changes how you see the world, and in turn the way other people think of you.The main purpose of this passage is to _____
A inform the readers how to be truly happy
B explain to the readers what personal values are
C persuade the readers to make a commitment
D instruct the readers how to make wise choicesAccording to the text, living by your being values, you would_____
A gain a lot of power B fill your own needs
C seek all human virtues D form positive personalityThe underline word “void” in Paragraph 1 means______
A a break of continuity B an absent of one’s mind
C a feeling of emptiness D a state of confusionWhat can be inferred from the text?
A Having values are better than being values
B A calm person does not choose to complain.
C The way other people think of you decides who you are.
D A responsible person does not care about financial security
Today, people all over the world are moving out of small villages in the country to go and live in big noisy cities . They are moving from the peaceful hills, mountains, fields, rivers and streams of the countryside to the busy world of streets, buildings, traffic and crowds. This movement from rural areas to urban areas has been going on for over two hundred years.
In many countries, the main reason people come to live in towns and cities is work. After one or two large factories have been built in or near a town, people come to find a work, and soon an industrial area begins to grow. There is usually a residential area nearby, where the factory workers can live. The families of these workers need schools, hospitals and shops, so more people come to live in the area to provide these services—and a city grows.
In every major city in the world, there is a business district where the big companies have their main offices. In the United States, this area is usually in the city center downtown. It is here that you can see the huge skyscraper office blocks. The people who work here often travel a long way to work each day.
Many of them live in the suburbs of the city, far away from the industrial area and the city center. Some suburbs are very pleasant, with nice houses and big gardens. There are usually parks for children to play in and large department stores where you can buy all you need.
But what is the future of the big cities? Will they continue to get bigger and bigger? Perhaps not. Some major cities have actually become smaller in the last ten years, and it is quite possible that one day we will see people moving out of the major cities and back into smaller towns and villages.We can easily know that the underlined phrase “urban areas” means._____
| A．areas of the countryside |
| B．areas of a town or city |
| C．areas near the countryside |
| D．areas near a town or a city |
Why do people move to live in cities or towns?
| A．Because they can live more comfortable there |
| B．Because they prefer noisy life to peaceful life |
| C．They do so mainly to find work |
| D．They don’t like small villages |
We can infer that this movement from rural areas to urban areas_______.
| A．has been going on for more than 2,000 years |
| B．will continue in the future |
| C．may not continue in the future |
| D．is sure to stop |
This is news on the Hour. Ed Wilson is reporting. The President and First Lady will visit Africa on a goodwill tour in May. They plan to visit eight African countries.
Reports from China say the Chinese want closer ties between China and the U.S. and Western Europe. A group of top China scientists starts its ten-nation tour next month.
Here in Milmi, the mayor is still meeting with the leaders of the teachers’ union to try to find a way to end the strike. City schools are still closed after two weeks.
In news about health, scientists in California report findings of relationship between the drinking of coffee and the increase of heart disease among woman. According to the report in the American Medical Journal, the five-year study shows this: women who drink more than two cups of coffee a day have a greater chance of having heart disease than women who do not.
In sports, the Chargers lost again last night. The BBS beat them one to nothing. The Wingers had better results. They beat the Rifles 7 to 3.It was their first win in their five matches.
That the news of the Hour. And now back to more easy listening with Jan Singer.The passage is about______
| A．an official visit to Africa |
| B．the improvement of relationship between China and the U.S. |
| C．the news broadcast on the air |
| D．the strike led by the teachers’ union |
From the last news we do not know______
| A．the results of the matches |
| B．the number of the team which played last night |
| C．how many wins the BBS has had altogether |
| D．the Wingers had one win and four defeats |
The news about health tells us that_______
| A．no heart disease will be found if people don’t drink coffee |
| B．no one should drink more than two cups of coffee a day |
| C．the more coffee people drink, the more chances they will get to have disease |
| D．women’s heart disease has something to do with the drinking of coffee. |
What is the purpose for China scientists to visit ten nations next month?
| A．China expect closer ties between China and the U.S. and Western Europe. |
| B．They want to travel abroad |
| C．They need a rest |
| D．They are seeking for an opportunity to work abroad. |
A tourist comes out of the airport. There are a lot of taxis, but he asks every taxi-driver’s name, and takes the third taxi. It costs 5 from the airport to the hotel. “How much does it cost for the whole day?” the tourists asks. “100,” says the taxi-driver. This is very expensive, but the tourist accepts the price.
The taxi-driver takes the tourist everywhere. He shows him all monuments and all the museums. In the evening they go back to the hotel. The tourist gives the taxi-driver 100 and says, “What about tomorrow?” The taxi-driver looks at the tourist. “ Tomorrow? It’s another 100 tomorrow.” But the tourist says, “That’s OK. If that’s the price. See you tomorrow.” The taxi-driver is very pleased. The day the taxi-driver takes the tourist everywhere again. And in the second evening they go back to the hotel. The tourist gives the taxi-driver another 100 and says, “I’m going home tomorrow.” He likes the tourist, above all, 100 a day is a good money. “So you are going home, where do you come from?” he asks.
“I come from New York.”
“New York!” says the taxi-driver, “I have a sister in New York. Her name is Susannah, Do you know her?”
“Of course I know her. She gave me 200 for you.”The tourist is _______.
an Englishman
a Frenchman.
a Swedish.
an American.The tourist asks every taxi-driver his name because_______
| A．he is afraid f being cheated |
| B．he knows one of the taxi-drivers |
| C．he knows of one of the taxi-drivers |
| D．there is a friend of his among the taxi-drivers. |
Why is the taxi-driver very pleased with the tourist?
| A．None but the tourist agrees to the price given without arguing with him |
| B．His sister knows the tourist. |
| C．His sister had brought so much money to him |
| D．He wants to be the guide of the tourist. |
We can conclude that _______
| A．he tourist will give the taxi-driver another 200 |
| B．the tourist makes fun of the taxi-driver |
| C．the tourist will give the taxi-driver half of sum |
| D．the taxi-driver insists that the tourist should pay him another 200 |