There are two types of people in the world. Although they have equal degree of health and wealth and other comforts of life, one becomes happy and the other becomes unhappy. This arises from the different ways in which they consider things, persons, events and the resulting effects upon their minds.
People who are to be happy fix their attention on the convenience of things: the pleasant parts of conversation, the well prepared dishes, the goodness of the wine and the fine weather. They enjoy all the cheerful things. Those who are to be unhappy think and speak only of the opposite things. Therefore, they are continually dissatisfied. By their remarks, they sour the pleasure of society, offend (hurt) many people, and make themselves disagreeable everywhere. If this turn of mind was founded in nature, such unhappy persons would be the more to be pitied. The intention of criticizing and being disliked is perhaps taken up by imitation. It grows into a habit, unknown to its possessors. The habit may be strong, but it may be cured when those who have it realize its bad effects on their interests and tastes. I hope this little warning may be of service to them, and help them change this habit.
Although in fact it is chiefly an act of the imagination, it has serious results in life since it brings on deep sorrow and bad luck. Those people offend many others; nobody loves them, and no one treats them with more than the most common politeness and respect. This frequently puts them in bad temper and draws them into arguments. If they aim at getting some advantages in social position or fortune, nobody wishes them success. Nor will anyone start a step or speak a word to favor their hopes. If they bring on themselves public objections, no one will defend or excuse them, and many will join to criticize their wrongdoings. These should change this bad habit and be pleased with what is pleasing, without worrying needlessly about themselves and others. If they do not, it will be good for others to avoid any contact(接触) with them. Otherwise, it can be disagreeable and sometimes very inconvenient, especially when one becomes mixed up in their quarrels. People who are unhappy _______.
| A．always consider things differently from others |
| B．usually misunderstand what others think or say |
| C．always discover the unpleasant side of certain things |
| D．usually are affected by the results of certain things |
The phrase “sour the pleasure of society” in the first paragraph most nearly means “_______”.
| A．make others unhappy |
| B．tend to scold others openly |
| C．have a good taste with social life |
| D．enjoy the pleasure of life |
We can conclude from the passage that _______.
| A．we should pity all such unhappy people |
| B．people can get rid of the habit of unhappiness |
| C．such unhappy people are dangerous to social life |
| D．unhappy people can not understand happy persons |
In this passage, the writer mainly _______.
| A．describes two types of people |
| B．laughs at the unhappy people |
| C．tells people how to be happy in life |
| D．suggests the unhappy people should get rid of the habits of unhappiness |
If you have a bad habit of losing things, a new device that can be connected to any item that you might lose may be the way to solve your problem. The Tile, a small square linked up to your iPhone or iPad via Bluetooth, lets you see how close you are to the missing item, within a 50-to 150-foot range . If the item goes out of your phone’s 150-foot range, it can still be detected (发现) on other smartphones with the same app.
When you log into the app on your phone, it shows you, with green bars that increase or decrease, how far away you are from the Tile. You can also program it to make a sound when you get close to the Tile. And you can link up your phone with up to ten Tiles. And if your lost item — a dog, for example, or a stolen bike — goes out of your own phone’s 150-foot Bluetooth range, you can set it as a “lost item”. If any of the phones with the Tile app comes within the range of your lost item, a message will be sent to your own phone, reminding you of its position. The Tile app also has the function to remember where it last saw your Tile, so that you can easily find where you left it.
Since the Tiles use Bluetooth rather than GPS, they never run out of battery or need to be charged, and they last for one year before needing to be replaced. The app, which will come into the market this winter, works with iPhone 5S, iPhone 6, iPad Mini, iPad 3rd and 4th generation, and iPod 5th generation.The Tile app can help you .
| A．find your missing items |
| B．use your phone more wisely |
| C．save your phone’s battery power |
| D．connect something to your phone |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．The Tile needs to be charged after a year of use. |
| B．One smart phone can only be linked up to one Tile. |
| C．The Tile cannot work when linked up to a phone without Bluetooth. |
| D．A missing item can’t be found if it goes out of the needed range. |
What does the second paragraph mainly tell us?
| A．What the Tile app is. |
| B．How the Tile app works. |
| C．The advantages of the Tile app. |
| D．Why the Tile app was invented. |
Where does this passage probably come from?
| A．A science fiction novel. | B．An advertisement. |
| C．A personal diary. | D．A news report. |
Let us suppose it is now about A.D. 2060. Let's make believe it is about 47 years from now. Of course, things have changed and life is very different.
Voyages to the moon are being made every day. It is as easy to take a holiday on the moon today as it was for the people in 1960 to take a holiday in Europe. At a number of scenic spots on the moon, many hotels have been built. In order that everyone can enjoy the beautiful scenery on the moon, every room has at least one picture window. Everything imaginable is provided for entertainment of young and old.
What are people eating now? People are still eating food. They haven't yet started to take on heir(继承) supply of energy directly as electrical current or as nuclear power. They may some day. But many foods now come in pill form, and the food that goes into the pill continues to come mainly from green plants.
Since there are several times as many people in the world today as there were a hundred years ago, most of our planet's surface has to be filled. The deserts are irrigated with water and crops are no longer destroyed by pests. The harvest is always good.
Farming, of course, is very highly developed. Very few people have to work on the farm. It is possible to run the farm by just pushing a few buttons now and then.
We are healthier both in our bodies and in our minds, and we know the causes and cure of disease and pain, and it is possible to get rid of diseases. No one has to be ill any more.
Such would be our life in 2060.When was the passage written?
A. In about A.D. 2060 B. In about 1960
C. In about 2014D. In about 2013According to the passage, what will be on the moon in about A.D. 2060?
A. Many other animals. B. Many tourists.
C. Many plants.D. A sea.The passage tells us that in 2060, ________ on the earth than now.
| A．the crops are getting better |
| B．there are more pests |
| C．there are fewer people |
| D．there is less water |
It is only during the last few years that man has generally realized that in the world of nature a balance exists between all forms of life. No living thing can exist by itself. It is part of a system in which all forms of life are joined together. If we change one part of the nature order, this will almost certainly bring about changes in some other part.
The cutting of forests reduced the supply of oxygen. The killing of weeds and insects by chemicals led to the wide-spread poisoning of animals and birds. The throwing of waste products into the ocean hurt life in the sea, while waste gases changed the chemical balance of the atmosphere and shut out some of the sun’s necessary life-giving rays.
And so we could go on adding more examples until in despair(绝望) we might feel like giving up the struggle to control these harmful human activities. Man is very clever at changing the world around him to satisfy his immediate needs, but he is not so clever at looking far ahead, or at thinking about what the future results of his action might be. Man may well destroy himself because of his silly action.The first paragraph tells us that _____.
| A．all living things in nature depend on each other |
| B．everything in nature can’t exist without the help of man |
| C．man has known the importance of the balance of nature for a long time |
| D．no living thing can live naturally |
In the second paragraph the examples given are used to prove that _____.
| A．all forms of life belong to a system in which all the parts can be changed for one another |
| B．it is only during the last few years that man has generally known the balance of nature |
| C．there are some living things which can exist by themselves without change |
| D．we can’t change one form of life without destroying the balance of nature |
The last paragraph suggests that in order to get his immediate benefits(利益) _____.
| A．man is always anxious to control his activities within limits |
| B．man is always too eager in planning for distant future |
| C．man often fails to think about their future results of his action |
| D．man often feels that he will have to give up in despair |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．Cutting down woods does little harm to human beings. |
| B．Man has to pay much more attention to the future results of his present action. |
| C．Oxygen comes from forests. |
| D．The passage tells us to try our best to get as much as possible immediately. |
It was one of the hottest days of the dry season. We had not seen rain in almost a month. The crops were dying. Cows had stopped giving milk. The streams were long gone back into the earth. If we didn't see some rain soon we would lose everything.
I was in the kitchen making lunch for my husband and his brothers when I saw my six-year old son, Billy, walking toward the woods. He was obviously walking with a great effort... trying to be as still as possible. Minutes after he disappeared into the woods, he came running out again, toward the house.
Moments later, however, he was once again walking in that slow purposeful long step toward the woods. This activity went on for over an hour: walking cautiously to the woods, then running back to the house. Finally, my curiosity got the best of me. I crept out of the house and followed him on his journey.
He was cupping both hands in front of him as he walked; being very careful not to spill the water he held in them. Branches and thorns slapped his little face but he did not try to avoid them. He had a much greater purpose. As I leaned in to spy on him, I saw the most amazing site.
Several large deer appeared threatening in front of him. But Billy walked right up to them. I almost screamed for him to get away. And I saw a baby deer lying on the ground, obviously suffering from heavy loss of water and heat exhaustion, lift its head with great effort to lap up the water cupped in my beautiful boy's hand.
I stood on the edge of the woods watching the most beautiful heart I have ever known working so hard to save a life. As the tears that rolled down my face began to hit the ground, they were suddenly joined by other drops... and more drops... and more. I looked up at the sky. It was as if God, Himself, was weeping with pride.Why did the author follow her son?
| A．Because there might be danger. |
| B．Because her son was doing a good deed. |
| C．Because she intended to help. |
| D．Because she was curious. |
Which of the following statements is Not True according to the passage?
| A．Rain was in great need. |
| B．Billy carried water with his small hands. |
| C．There were few trees in the woods. |
| D．Billy walked into the woods and then returned over and over again. |
Which is the correct order of the development of the story?
①The author was moved to tears.
②Billy fed the water to the baby deer.
③Billy walked towards the large deer.
④It began to rain.
⑤The author followed Billy into the woods.
| A．③②⑤①④ | B．⑤③②①④ |
| C．④①③②⑤ | D．⑤②①③④ |
At the end of the story, the author might experience different feelings Except that _____
| A．Billy was a pride. |
| B．God was touched by Billy's activity. |
| C．the rain should have dropped earlier. |
| D．it was worthwhile to have given birth to Billy. |
Reading is a great way to improve your English. You'll learn new words, revise previously-taught structures and absorb thousands of useful expressions and phrases... without any effort. By reading, you are receiving valuable language input. And this is how you learn! Remember, language learning is a combination of input + practice. As you're reading, you're taking in language naturally, and you're seeing how it all fits together. This is crucial to your learning.
The great thing about reading is that learning takes place subconsciously. There are no exercises to do, no grammar rules to learn, no tasks to complete... it's all natural. The language flows in through your eyes, and gets recorded in your brain. What could be easier?
The key to effective reading is to read things that you want to read. There are millions of books, magazines and websites out there. You couldn't possibly read them all. So, the important thing is to find things that you like reading. Then, you'll be motivated to read. And then the reading won't be difficult. It'll be easy! And then you'll learn. It's simple.
Remember: read what you want to read. What you like reading. What motivates and inspires you. But where can you start? Well, you could read a book that you've already read in your own language. Simply find a translated version of a book that you have read and enjoyed. This will make processing the content in the target language much easier as you’ll already know what the book is about! You could also read the news. This is great as you can read the news in your own language first, then in English. You'll see that it won't be too difficult as you'll be familiar with the topics and stories. Magazines are also great. Find one that covers a topic you're interested in: business, clothing, guns, horses, houses, housekeeping, stocks and shares, sports, computers, electronics, designing, cooking... you name it, they'll have it. If not, look for information on the internet. There are also websites for every topic under the sun! Why not join a forum? They're a great source of English input as the language is often written in a simple, spoken style. Go to Google Groups, which has discussion groups based on common interests. Just type in the topic that interests you and join the chat.
Finally, how you read is also important. The best thing is to read without using a dictionary. Let the words flow over you. Just skip the parts you don't understand. If you make your reading feel too much like work, it'll stop being fun. Of course, you could make a note of any new words and phrases that you like or see repeated frequently, but try not to break your concentration too much. Also, set yourself mini-objectives. For example, if you're reading a novel, read 20 pages a day. Very soon, you'll have been exposed to thousands of useful phrases and words. Have fun reading! You'll learn so much!The underlined word “crucial” in the first paragraph is closest in meaning to ________.
| A．easy | B．important | C．difficult | D．suitable |
The key to effective reading is _______.
| A．to read millions of books | B．not to learn grammar rules |
| C．to be motivated to read | D．to read easy things |
You can start to read by ____.
| A．reading a book that you've already read in English |
| B．reading the news in English first |
| C．going to Google Groups to practice spoken English |
| D．reading magazines containing topics you are interested in |
From the passage we can learn that ______.
| A．when you read you needn’t look up every new word in the dictionary |
| B．the great thing about reading is that you can read without any effort |
| C．to read is as much fun as to work |
| D．you should make notes of every new word and phrase while reading |