One day newly wedded Nancy lost her ring while helping to plant potatoes. Friends were called and the field was searched long but in vain. Later, when the potatoes were harvested, Everyone looked out for the ring but it remained lost. Another year came round and all the farmers working in the field kept their eyes open. The following year was the same. And year after year, whoever had business in the field always had Nancy’s ring in his mind.
Then the farm changed hands but it went no farther than to cousins. So the memory of the lost ring remained alive until thirty-eight years had passed. Then came a spring day when a man was ploughing the field behind a pair of horses. Even after thirty-eight years he still looked out for the ring, and knew just which part of the field Nancy had lost it in. At this time, when he came there, he found it .He picked it up, put it carefully into his pocket, left his horse, and ran all the way down to the village and placed it into Nancy’s hand.The underlined word “in vain” in the 1st paragraph most probably means “_______”.
| A．suggested . | B．returned no result | C．insisted | D．decided |
How did Nancy come to lose her ring?
| A．She lost it while helping to harvest tomatoes in the field |
| B．She lost it while watering the plants in the field. |
| C．She lost it while working in the field. |
| D．She lost it while helping to plant potatoes in the field. |
What did the ploughman do after finding the ring?
| A．He picked it up and put it in his pocket. |
| B．He ran back to tell everybody in the village. |
| C．He placed it in a secret spot. |
| D．He returned it to the owner. |
What can you infer from the story?
| A．The ring was invaluable. |
| B．People on the farm were honest and helpful. |
| C．The ring’s mysterious disappearance was the work of supernatural power. |
| D．Nancy no longer expected that her ring would be found again. |
I came to study in the United States a year ago .Yet I did not know the real American society until I was injured in a car accident because after the accident I had to see a doctor and go to court.
After the accident .my roommate called a doctor for me. I was very grateful and determined to repay him one day. But the next day, he asked me to pay him $200 for what he had done. I was astonished. He had good reason to charge me, he said. And if I wanted to collect money from the person who was responsible for my injury, I’d have to have a good lawyer. And only a good doctor can help me get a good lawyer .Now that he had helped me find a good doctor, it was only fair that I should pay him.
But every day I went to see the doctor, I had to wait about 50 minutes. He would see two or three patients at the same time, and often stop treating one so as to see another. Yet he charged me $115 each time .The final examination report consisted of ten lines, and it cost me $215.
My lawyer was all smiles the first time we met. But after that he avoided seeing me at all. He knew very well the other party was responsible for the accident, yet he hardly did anything. He simply waited to collect his money. He was so irresponsible that I decided to dismiss him. And he made me pay him $770.
Now I had to act as my own lawyer. Due to my inexperience, I told the insurance company the date I was leaving America. Knowing that, they played for time…and I left without getting a cent.The author’s roommate offered to help him because________.
| A．he felt sorry for the author |
| B．he thought it was a chance to make some money |
| C．he knew the doctor was a very good one |
| D．he wanted the author to have a good lawyer |
The word“charge”in the third paragraph means_________ .
| A．be responsible | B．accuse |
| C．ask as a price | D．claim |
What conclusion can you draw from the story?
| A．Going to court is something very common in America. |
| B．One must be very careful while driving a car. |
| C．There are more bad sides in America than good sides. |
| D．Money is more important than other things in the US. |
Metro Pocket Guide
Metrorail(地铁)
Each passenger needs a farecard to enter and go out. Up to two children under age five may travel free with a paying customer.
Farecard machines are in every station, Bring small bills because there are no change machines in the station and farecard machine only provide up to $ 5 in change.
Get one day of unlimited Metrorail rides with a One Day Pass. Buy it from a farecard machine in Metro stations. Use it after 9:30 a.m. until closing on weekdays, and all day on weekends and holidays.
Hours of Service
Open: 5 a.m Mon-Fri
7a.m. Sat—Sun .
Close: midnight Sun—Thur.
3a.m.Fri.-Sat.nights
Last train time vary. To avoid missing the last train, please check the last train time posted in stations.
Metrobus
When paying with exact change, the fare is $ 1.35 . when paying with a smatTripâ CARD the fare is $1.25
Fares for the Senior /disabled customers
Senior citizens 65 and older and disabled customers may ride for half the regular fare. On Metrorail and Metrobus, use a senior/disabled farecard or SmarTripâ card. For more information about buying senior/disabled farecards, SmarTripR cards and passes, please visit MetroOpenDoors.com or call 202-637-7000 and 202-637-8000.
Senior citizens and disabled customers can get free guide on how to use proper Metrobus and Metrorail services by calling 202-962-1100
Travel tips
. Avoid riding during weekday rush periods –before 9:30 a.m. and between 4 and 6 p.m.
. If you lose something on a bus or train or in a station, please call Lost & Found at 202-962-1195. what should you know about farecard machines?
| A．They start selling tickets at 9:30 a.m. |
| B．They are connected to change machines. |
| C．They offer special service to the elderly. |
| D．They make change for no more than $5. |
At what time does Metrorail stop service on Saturday?
| A．At midnight |
| B．at 3 a.m. |
| C．at 5 am |
| D．at 7 p.m. |
What is good about a SmarTripâ card?
| A．It is convenient for old people |
| B．It saves money for its users |
| C．it can be bought at any time |
| D．it is sold on the Internet. |
Which number should you call if you lose something on the Metro?
| A．202-962-1195 |
| B．202-962-1100 |
| C．202-673-7000 |
| D．202-673-8000 |
When something goes wrong，it can be very satisfying to say，”Well, it’s so-and-so’s fault.” or “I know I’m late，but it’s not my fault；the car broke down.”It is probably not your fault，but once you form the habit of blaming somebody or something else for a bad situation，you are a loser. You have no power and could do nothing that helps change the situation. However, you can have great power over what happens to you if you stop focusing on whom to blame and start focusing on how to remedy the situation. This is the winner’s key to success.
Winners are great at overcoming problems. For example, if you were late because your car broke down, maybe you need to have your car examined more regularly. Or, you might start to carry along with you the useful phone numbers, so you could call for help when in need. For another example, if your colleague causes you problems on the job for lack of responsibility or ability, find ways of dealing with his irresponsibility or inability rather than simply blame the person. Ask to work with a different person, or don’t rely on this person. You should accept that the person is not reliable and find creative ways to work successfully regardless of how your colleague fails to do his job well.
This is what being a winner is all about—creatively using your skills and talents so that you are successful no matter what happens. Winners don’t have fewer problems in their lives; they have just as many difficult situations to face as anybody else. They are just better at seeing those problems as challenges and opportunities to develop their own talents. So, stop focusing on “whose fault it is.” Once you are confident about your power over bad situations, problems are just stepping stone for success.According to the passage, winners .
| A．blame themselves rather that others |
| B．meet with fewer difficulties in their lives |
| C．have responsible and able colleagues |
| D．deal with problems rather than blame others |
The underlined word remedy in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to .
| A．improve | B．accept |
| C．avoid | D．consider |
When your colleague brings about a problem, you should .
| A．blame him for his lack of responsibility |
| B．find a better way to handle the problem |
| C．tell him to find the cause of the problem |
| D．ask a more able colleague for help |
When problems occur, winners take them as
| A．excuses for their failures |
| B．barriers to greater power |
| C．chances for self-development |
| D．challenges to their colleagues |
Using too much water or throwing rubbish into our rivers are clear ways that humans can put our water supply in danger, but we also affect our water supply in less obvious ways. You may wonder how paving (铺砌) a road can lead to less useable fresh water. A major part of the water we use every day is groundwater. Groundwater does not come from lakes or rivers. It comes from underground. The more roads and parking lots we pave, the less water can flow into the ground to become groundwater.
Human activity is not responsible for all water shortages (短缺)．Drier climates are of course more likely to have droughts (干旱) than areas with more rainfall, but in any case, good management can help to make sure there is enough water to meet our basic needs.
Thinking about the way we use water every day can make a big difference, too. In the United States, a family of four can use 1.5 tons of water a day! This shows how much we depend on water to live, but there's a lot we can do to lower the number.
You can take steps to save water in your home. To start with, use the same glass for your drinking water all day. Wash it only once a day. Run your dishwasher (洗碗机) only when it is full. Help your parents fix any leaks in your home. You can even help to keep our water supply clean by recycling batteries instead of throwing them away.Which of the following is most likely to lead to less groundwater?
| A．Using river water. | B．Paving parking lots. |
| C．Throwing batteries away. | D．Throwing rubbish into lakes. |
What can be inferred from the text?
| A．It takes a lot of effort to meet our water needs. |
| B．All water shortages are due to human behavior. |
| C．There is much we can do to reduce family size. |
| D．The average family in America makes proper use of water. |
The last paragraph is intended to ________.
| A．show us how to fix leaks at home |
| B．tell us how to run a dishwasher |
| C．suggest what we do to save water at home |
| D．prove what drinking glass is best for us |
The text is mainly about ________.
| A．why paving roads reduces our water |
| B．how human activity affects our water supply |
| C．why droughts occur more in dry climates |
| D．how much we depend on water to live |
Unemployment in the United States is still high at 6．7 percent. But for job seekers，especially those with college educations，researchers say finding a job can be as easy as logging on to a computer．It used to be that looking for a job meant hurrying around，knocking on doors and turning to ads．But that's changing，thanks to the Internet．A new report says，for college graduates，looking for a job is getting easier．More than 80 percent of the jobs are available online．
At the height of the depression(萧条)，when U．S．unemployment peaked at 10 percent，just a little more than two million jobs were being posted each month．But as the recovery takes hold，the job picture looks increasingly bright．
That’s great news for Hamilton．Only once has he ever applied in person for a job at a shopping mall. He said，“I think my generation—the idea of going door to door, out knocking and saying，hey are you hiring? —like that—doesn’t exist anymore…those days are gone, Just go online．’’
Kim Dancy recently graduated with a master's degree in Public Policy．She found her dream job as an education policy researcher．But she says finding the perfect job online takes a lot of perseverance．He said，“It can be really frustrating and it takes a long time，but if you applied for enough positions and really do your homework you will get somewhere．
The report’s findings suggest careers in Science，Technology，Engineering and Math provide the greatest opportunities，with salaries that range between $30 to $45 an hour．But for maximum income and satisfaction，workers must be prepared to move and change jobs at least every five years．The highest unemployment rate in the depression in the U．S．was _____.
| A．7％ | B．6．7％ | C．6％ | D．10％ |
In what way does Hamilton find his jobs in most cases?
| A．Applying in person． | B．Turning to the Internet． |
| C．Searching papers． | D．Going door to door． |
What can we learn from Dancy’s experience?
| A．Job applicants should do much housework. |
| B．Finding a dream job is really exciting． |
| C．Only online can an applicant find a job． |
| D．Online job—hunting calls for perseverance． |
How can you get a high salary according to the text?
| A．By switching jobs regularly． | B．By sticking to your work． |
| C．By surfing the Internet． | D．By hurrying around． |