When Joan gave birth to the first boy in her family in three generations, she and her husband were overjoyed. So were her parents. Joan expected her elder sister, Sally, to be just as delighted as them. Joan had always admired Sally--the beauty and the star of the family--and felt happy about her achievements.
But since the baby's arrival, the sisters have become distant. Joan feels hurt for Sally seems completely uninterested in her baby. Sally, who has no children, claims that her younger sister "acts as if no one ever had a baby before."
Neither Sally nor Joan understands that the real cause of the current coldness is that their family roles have suddenly changed to the opposite. Finally Joan seems to be better than her elder sister--and Sally doesn't like it! Their distance may be temporary, but it shows that childhood competition don't fade easily as ages grow. It can remain powerful in relationships throughout life.
In a study of the University of Cincinnati, 65 men and women between ages 25 and 93 were asked how they felt about their brothers and sisters. Nearly 75 percent admitted having hidden competitive feelings. In a few cases, these emotions were so strong as to have affected their entire lives.
Many adult brothers and sisters are close, supportive--yet still tend to compete. Two brothers I know turn into killers when on opposite sides of a tennis net. Off the court, they are the best of friends. My own younger sister can't wait to tell me when I've put on weight. However, she's a terrible cook and that pleases me; I tease her when she comes to dinner. Happily, despite these small failings, we have been an important resource for each other.
In between the very competitive and the generally supportive children lie those who say that no friendship should survive. Some brothers and sisters stay at arm's length, but never give up competition completely. Why do these puzzling, unproductive, often painful relationships continue to exist?When Joan's son was born, Sally .
| A．felt very happy | B．felt not delighted | C．moved away | D．admired her a lot |
What happens to children's desire to compete with their brothers and sisters?
| A．It sometimes will disappear when they grow up. |
| B．It will never disappear throughout life. |
| C．It will improve their relationships when they grow up. |
| D．It will never harm their relationships when they grow up. |
Why does the author's sister often tell her when she's put on weight?
| A．Because she wants the author to go on a diet. |
| B．Because she wants the author to stop calling her a bad cook. |
| C．Because she wants to make fun of the author's weight. |
| D．Because she wants to be honest with the author. |
The underlined sentence means that although some brothers and sisters .
| A．live near each other, they still have competitions |
| B．live away from each other, they stop their competitions |
| C．live together, they often think of ending their competitions |
| D．live within a big family, they often try to end their competitions |
In the years of my growing up, Dad was strict with me. He made sure I made my bed and did my homework. He would call in advance to make sure there was no alcohol at the party. I got so angry with him for laying down the law. I would scream, " I hate you!" Dad would yell back, "Good! I don't care!" Deep down I knew he did.
One time at a party, I drank too much alcohol and got so sick. I said, " Call my dad." Next thing, Dad was carrying me to the car. I woke up the next morning, thinking I would definitely be criticized. As expected, I got a roasting, but I now understand why I need discipline.
Dad was 29 when he got his big roles in films. I had an early start at the age of nine with a role in a 1990s TV series, but it wasn't until I finished film studies that I pursued my career as an actress. Like those early days for Dad, I faced lots of rejections.Working in such a competitive industry, I've sometimes thought, " I can't do this any more."
Once, after a trip to Hollywood, I returned to Australia so depressed and spent months in my bedroom painting, listening to Eckhart Tolle's music and trying to find myself again. Dad sat me down and said,"Alice, I know it's hard, but it's all about persistence(坚持不懈)."
Now I get to work with Dad a lot, which I love. We both passionate about acting, which comes from us being so interested in people. If it weren't for Dad, I wouldn't be where I am today. He's my biggest fan, and when you have that in your life you can go a long way.
56. What rules did Alice's father set for her when she was growing up?(no more than 15 words)
57. What does the underlined part in Paragraph 2 mean?(no more than 5 words)
58. What did Alice's father do when she felt depressed?(no more than 5 words)
59. According to the last paragraph, what do Alice and her father have in common?(no more than 10 words)
60. What do you think of Alice's father? Please explain.(no more than 20 words)
I read somewhere that we spend a full third of our lives waiting. But where are we doing all of this waiting, and what does it mean to an impatient society like ours? To understand the issue, let's take a look at three types of "waits".
The very purest form of waiting is the Watched-Pot Wait. It is without doubt the most annoying of all. Take filling up the kitchen sink(洗碗池) as an example. There is absolutely nothing you can do while this is going on but keep both eyes fixed on the sink until it's full. During these waits, the brain slips away from the body and wanders about until the water runs over the edge of the counter and onto your socks. This kind of wait makes the waiter helpless and mindless.
A cousin to the Watched-Pot Wait is the Forced Wait. This one requires a bit of discipline. Properly preparing packaged noodle soup required a Forced Wait. Directions are very specific. "Bring three cups of water to boil, add mix, simmer three minutes, remove from heat, let stand five minutes."I have my doubts that anyone has actually followed the procedures strictly. After all, Forced Waiting requires patience.
Perhaps the most powerful type of waiting is the Lucky-Break Wait. This type of wait is unusual in that it is for the most part voluntary. Unlike the Forced Wait, which is also voluntary, waiting for your lucky break does not necessarily mean that it will happen.
Turning one's life into a waiting game requires faith and hope, and is strictly for the optimists among us. On the surface it seems as ridiculous as following the directions on soup mixes, but the Lucky-Break Wait well serves those who are willing to do it. As long as one doesn't come to rely on it, wishing for a few good things to happen never hurts anybody.
We certainly do spend a good deal of our time waiting. The next time you're standing at the sink waiting for it to fill while cooking noodle soup that you'll have to eat until a large bag of cash falls out of the sky, don't be desperate. You're probably just as busy as the next guy.
51. While doing a Watched-Pot Wait, we tend to ___________.
| A． |
keep ourselves busy |
| B． |
get absent-minded |
| C． |
grow anxious |
| D． |
stay focused |
52. What is the difference between the Forced Wait and the Watched-Pot Wait?
| A． |
The Forced Wait requires some self-control. |
| B． |
The Forced Wait makes people passive. |
| C． |
The Watched-Pot Wait needs directions. |
| D． |
The Watched-Pot Wait engages body and brain. |
53. What can we learn about the Lucky-Break Wait?
| A． |
It is less voluntary than the Forced Wait. |
| B． |
It doesn't always bring the desired result. |
| C． |
It is more fruitful than the Forced Wait. |
| D． |
It doesn't give people faith and hope. |
54. What does the author advise us to do the next time we are waiting?
| A． |
Take it seriously. |
| B． |
Don't rely on others. |
| C． |
Do something else. |
| D． |
Don't lose heart. |
55. The author supports his view by _________.
| A． |
exploring various causes of "waits". |
| B． |
describing detailed processes of "waits". |
| C． |
analyzing different categories of "waits" |
| D． |
revealing frustrating consequences of "waits" |
This month, Germany's transport minister, Alexander Dobrindt, proposed the first set of rules for autonomous vehicles(自主驾驶车辆). They would define the driver's role in such cars and govern how such cars perform in crashes where lives might be lost.
The proposal attempts to deal with what some call the "death valley" of autonomous vehicles: the grey area between semi-autonomous and fully driverless cars that could delay the driverless future.
Dobrindt wants three things: that a car always chooses property(财产) damage over personal injury; that it never distinguishes between humans based on age or race; and that if a human removes his or her hands from the driving wheel - to check email, say - the car's maker is responsible if there is a crash.
"The change to the road traffic law will permit fully automatic driving," says Dobrindt. It will put fully driverless cars on an equal legal footing to human drivers, he says.
Who is responsible for the operation of such vehicles is not clear among car makers, consumers and lawyers. "The liability(法律责任) issue is the biggest one of them all," says Natasha Merat at the University of Leeds, UK.
An assumption behind UK insurance for driverless cars, introduces earlier this year, insists that a human " be watchful and monitoring the road" at every moment.
But that is not what many people have in mind when thinking of driverless cars. "When you say 'driverless cars', people expect driverless cars."Merat says. "You know - no driver."
Because of the confusion, Merat thinks some car makers will wait until vehicles can be fully automated without operation.
Driverless cars may end up being a form of public transport rather than vehicles you own, says Ryan Calo at Stanford University, California. That is happening in the UK and Singapore, where government-provided driverless vehicles are being launched.
That would go down poorly in the US, however. "The idea that the government would take over driverless cars and treat them as a public good would get absolutely nowhere here," says Calo.
46. What does the phrase "death valley" in Paragraph 2 refer to?
| A． |
A place where cars often break down. |
| B． |
A case where passing a law is impossible. |
| C． |
An area where no driving is permitted. |
| D． |
A situation where drivers' role is not clear. |
47. The proposal put forward by Dobrindt aims to __________.
| A． |
stop people from breaking traffic rules |
| B． |
help promote fully automatic driving |
| C． |
protect drivers of all ages and races |
| D． |
prevent serious property damage |
48. What do consumers think of the operation of driverless cars?
| A． |
It should get the attention of insurance companies. |
| B． |
It should be the main concern of law makers. |
| C． |
It should not cause deadly traffic accidents. |
| D． |
It should involve no human responsibility. |
49. Driverless vehicles in public transport see no bright future in __________.
| A． |
Singapore |
| B． |
the UK |
| C． |
the US |
| D． |
Germany |
50. What could be the best title for passage?
| A． |
Autonomous Driving: Whose Liability? |
| B． |
Fully Automatic Cars: A New Breakthrough |
| C． |
Autonomous Vehicles: Driver Removed |
| D． |
Driverless Cars: Root of Road Accidents |
Fifteen years ago, I took a summer vacation in Lecce in southern Italy. After climbing up a hill for a panoramic(全景的) view of the blue sea, white buildings and green olive trees, I paused to catch my breath and then positioned myself to take the best photo of this panorama.
Unfortunately, just as I took out my camera, a woman approached from behind, and planted herself right in front of my view. Like me, this woman was here to stop, sigh and appreciate the view.
Patient as I was, after about 15 minutes, my camera scanning the sun and reviewing the shot I would eventually take, I grew frustrated. Was it too much to ask her to move so I could take just one picture of the landscape? Sure, I could have asked her, but something prevented me from doing so. She seemed so content in her observation. I didn't want to mess with that.
Another 15 minutes passed and I grew bored. The woman was still there. I decided to take the photo anyway. And now when I look at it, I think her presence in the photo is what makes the image interesting. The landscape, beautiful on its own, somehow coms to life and breathes because this woman is engaging with it.
This photo, with the unique beauty that unfolded before me and that woman who "ruined" it, now hangs on a wall in my bedroom. What would she think if she knew that her figure is captured(捕捉) and frozen on some stranger's bedroom wall? A bedroom, after all, is a very private space, in which some woman I don't even know has been immortalized(使……永存). In some ways, she lives in my house.
Perhaps we all live in each other's space. Perhaps this is what photos are for: to remind us that we all appreciate beauty, that we all share a common desire for pleasure, for connection, for something that is greater than us.
That photo is a reminder, a captured moment, an unspoken conversation between two women, separated only by a thin square of glass.
41. What happened when the author was about to take a photo?
| A． |
Her camera stopped working. |
| B． |
A woman blocked her view. |
| C． |
Someone asked her to leave |
| D． |
A friend approached from behind. |
42. According to the author, the woman was probably_______.
| A． |
enjoying herself |
| B． |
losing her patience |
| C． |
waiting for the sunset |
| D． |
thinking about her past |
43. In the author's opinion, what makes the photo so alive?
| A． |
The rich color of the landscape. |
| B． |
The perfect positioning of the camera. |
| C． |
The woman's existence in the photo. |
| D． |
The soft sunlight that summer day. |
44. The photo on the bedroom wall enables the author to better understand ________.
| A． |
the need to be close to nature |
| B． |
the importance of private space |
| C． |
the joy of the vacation in Italy |
| D． |
the shared passion for beauty |
45. The passage can be seen as the author's reflections upon _______.
| A． |
a particular life experience |
| B． |
the pleasure of traveling |
| C． |
the art of photography |
| D． |
a lost friendship |
Suppose you're in a rush, feeling tired, not paying attention to your screen, and you send an email that could get you in trouble.
Realisation will probably set in seconds after you've clicked "send". You freeze in horrors and burn with shame.
What to do? Here are four common email accidents, and how to recover.
Clicking " send " too soon
Don't waste your time trying to find out if the receivers has read it yet. Write another email as swiftly as you can and send it with a brief explaining that this is the correct version and the previous version should be ignored.
Writing the wrong time
The sooner you notice, the better. Respond quickly and briefly, apologizing for your mistake. Keep the tone measured: don't handle it too lightly, as people can be offered, especially if your error suggests a misunderstanding of their culture(I.e. incorrect ordering of Chinese names).
Clicking " reply all " unintentionally
You accidentally reveal(透露)to entire company what menu choices you would prefer at the staff Christmas dinner, or what holiday you'd like to take. In this instance, the best solution is to send a quick, light-hearted apology to explain your awkwardness. But it can quickly rise to something worse, when everyone starts hitting "reply all" to join in a long and unpleasant conversation. In this instance, step away from your keyboard to allow everyone to calm down.
Sending an offensive message to it ' s subject
The most awkward email mistake is usually committed in anger. You write an unkind message about someone, intending to send it to a friend, but accidentally send it to the person you're discussing. In that case, ask to speak in person as soon as possible and say sorry. Explain your frustrations calmly and sensibly-see it as an opportunity tic hear up any difficulties you may have with this person.
36. After realizing an email accident, you are likely to feel _______.
| A． |
curious |
B． |
tired |
C． |
awful |
D． |
funny |
37. If you have written the wrong name in an email, it is best to ________.
| A． |
apologise in a serious manner |
| B． |
tell the receiver to ignore the error |
| C． |
learn to write the name correctly |
| D． |
send a short notice to everyone |
38. What should you do when an unpleasant conversation is started by your "reply all" email?
| A． |
Try offering other choices. |
| B． |
Avoid further involvement. |
| C． |
Meet other staff members. |
| D． |
Make a light-hearted apology. |
39. How should you deal with the problem caused by an offensive email?
| A． |
By promising not to offend the receiver again. |
| B． |
By seeking support from the receiver's friends. |
| C． |
By asking the receiver to control his anger. |
| D． |
By talking to the receiver face to face. |
40. What is the passage mainly about?
| A． |
Defining email errors. |
| B． |
Reducing email mistakes. |
| C． |
Handling email accidents. |
| D． |
Improving email writing. |