Today’s youth seem content to take the easy route and enjoy the ride of life. When tough situations arise, they often get annoyed and complain. How you live your teen years will have a profound influence on the rest of your life.
You must learn to use your time wisely. You may not see it now, but developing leadership characteristics at a young age is very important. As we get older, it becomes harder to overcome bad habits and replace them with good ones. Possessing leadership qualities is essential, both in this life and in the world to come. There are certain qualities that one needs to develop in order to become a leader: justice, judgment, dependability, initiative, decisiveness, tact, integrity, enthusiasm, poise, unselfishness, courage, knowledge and loyalty. You may recognize these as good qualities to have, without realizing how they apply to leadership. The more these qualities are part of your nature, the more productive and enjoyable your life will be. All of these are qualities that one must possess to one degree or another.
Contrary to popular opinion, leadership is something that is learned. No one is born a leader. We are all capable of exhibiting the leadership qualities mentioned above — some just choose not to. Of course, not veryone can be the “top dog”, let alone all the time. However, everyone does have the capacity to lead in some way — but action is required! Understand that learning is a fact of life—learning to ride a bike, learning to drive, learning to type, learning mathematics, etc. All of these activities require action. While we are born with many different abilities, if we do not use and develop them, those abilities will never come to fruition. Youth is an excellent time to start developing leadership characteristics. Take the time to study each one in detail. Put them into practice as you interact with other people. Determine which areas you are weak in, striving to always improve. Observe the leaders, and how they handle situations and carry themselves. Also, study the lives of great leaders. The results will serve you in this life — and beyond!The purpose of the second paragraph is to show that .
| A．one must overcome bad habits at first |
| B．all leaders have the mentioned leadership characteristics |
| C．the earlier and the more you develop leadership characteristics, the better it is |
| D．one must know how to apply the mentioned leadership characteristics first |
Not everyone can be a leader because______.
| A．they are lazy | B．they don’t learn |
| C．they don’t have the qualities mentioned | D．they don’t develop their abilities |
What does the underlined sentence mean?
| A．Everyone can be a leader all the time. |
| B．Everyone can not be a leader all the time. |
| C．Nobody can be a top leader all the time. |
| D．Nobody can not be a leader all the time. |
What is the best title for this passage?
| A．Learn to be a leader. | B．Everyone can be a leader. |
| C．Leadership characteristics. | D．Leadership is something that is learned. |
International experts meeting in Australia say global carbon emissions (排放) can be reduced by more than 50 percent through simple energy saving measures. People at a conference in Australia, which increasingly relies on coal for power, say that reducing power consumption is an affordable way to both cut energy costs and reduce pollution.
While many nations turn to cheap and dirty energy sources, such as coal, to meet their increasing energy needs, analysts in Australia say the best way to meet those needs is to improve energy efficiency.
A range of simple solutions include using energy-efficient homes, household appliances and lighting, and driving electric cars. Encouraging homeowners and office workers to switch off their televisions and computers at the end of the day is also seen as an effective way to save electricity.
Grayson Heffner, from the Paris-based International Energy Agency, says reducing consumption could greatly cut global carbon emissions. He calls efficiency strategies (策略) the “soft giant” of clean energy.
“We forecast that energy efficiency will deliver something like three-quarters of the greenhouse gas emissions reductions over the next 20 years. So in the short term energy efficiency is the main way that we reduce greenhouse gas emissions but oftentimes it is not so importantly stressed in the discussions,” said Heffner.
Energy experts working in China say the government is making significant cuts in power usage.
Wan Xingwang, a Beijing-based representative of the Energy Foundation, a U.S. non-government organization, says the results have been impressive.
“In the past five years China achieved about 19.1 percent of energy reduction of its GDP. That translates to something like more than 600 million tons of coal savings,” said Wan Xingwang.
While most nations have some sort of government-sponsored energy efficiency programs, energy analysts say initiatives (主动性) by individuals and companies can also help cut demand.
Steven Nadel, executive director of the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy, a non-profit group based in Washington, says other developing nations are recognizing the benefits of cutting power consumption and taking action.To increase their energy supplies, many nations _____________________.
| A．turn to new energy | B．turn to cheap energy |
| C．develop solar energy | D．introduce clean energy |
Which of the following cannot help to reduce energy consumption effectively?
| A．Using electronic products in small size. |
| B．Using more electric cars. |
| C．Turning off computers after work. |
| D．Building energy-efficient houses. |
What can we learn from what Grayson Heffner said?
| A．75% of the greenhouse gas emissions can easily be cut in the next 20 years. |
| B．Ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions should be discussed. |
| C．Using clean energy is the strategy to cut global carbon emissions. |
| D．The key to reducing greenhouse gases in the short term is to improve energy efficiency. |
According to the last two paragraphs, which of the following statements is true?
| A．The programs reducing energy consumption shouldn’t be sponsored by individuals and companies. |
| B．All nations have government-sponsored energy efficiency programs. |
| C．It is time that all nations should combine their efforts to save energy. |
| D．Some developing nations are taking action to cut power consumption. |
I was in a strange city I didn’t know at all, and what’s more, I could not speak a word of the language. On my second day I got on the first bus that passed, rode on it for several stops, then got off and walked on. The first two hours passed pleasantly enough, then I decided to turn back to my hotel for lunch. After walking about for some time, I decided I had better ask the way. The trouble was that the only word I knew of the language was the name of the street in which I lived, and even that I pronounced badly. I stopped to ask a newspaper-seller. He handed me a paper. I shook my head and repeated the name of the street and he put the paper into my hands. I had to give him some money and went on my way. The next person.I asked was a policeman. He listened to me carefully, nodded and gently took me by the arm. There was a strange look in his eyes as he pointed left and right and left again. I nodded politely and began walking in the direction he pointed.
About an hour passed and I noticed that the houses were getting fewer and fewer and green fields were appearing on either side of me. I had come all the way into the countryside. The only thing left for me to do was find the nearest railway station.The writer preferred to walk back to his hotel because.
| A．he had no money to buy a ticket |
| B．he wanted to lose himself in the city |
| C．he tried to know the city in this way |
| D．it was late and there were no buses passing by |
From the story we know that the policeman______.
| A．was kind but didn’t understand the writer |
| B．told the writer where to take a train |
| C．knew what the writer really meant |
| D．was cold-hearted and didn’t help the writer |
What can we learn from the last paragraph?
| A．The writer got close to the hotel where he stayed. |
| B．The writer got to the hotel with the policeman’s help. |
| C．The writer found he was much farther away from the hotel. |
| D．The writer found the hotel in the direction the policeman pointed. |
In your opinion, what was the writer’s real trouble?
| A．He didn’t know the city at all. | B．He couldn’t speak the language. |
| C．He went too far in the wrong bus. | D．He followed the policeman’s direction. |
The French Revolution broke out in 1789. At the time France was in a crisis. The government was badly run and people's lives were miserable. King Louis XIV tried to control the national parliament and raise more taxes. But his effort failed. He ordered his troops to Versailles. The people thought that Louis intended to put down the Revolution by force. On July 14, 1789, they stormed and took the Bastille, where political prisoners were kept. Ever since that day, July 14 has been the French National Day. Louis tried to flee the country in 1792, to get support from Austria and Prussia. However, he was caught and put in prison. In September 1792, the monarchy(君主制) was abolished_. In the same year, Louis was executed. A few months later his wife, Marie also had her head cut off. The Revolution of France had frightened the other kings of Europe. Armies from Austria and Prussia began to march against France. The French raised republican armies to defend the nation. The Revolution went through a period of terror. Thousands of people lost their lives. In the end, power passed to Napoleon Bonaparte.What's this passage about?
| A．France. | B．King Louis. |
| C．The French Revolution. | D．Europe. |
Which did not happen in 1789?
| A．The French Revolution broke out. |
| B．The national economy was developing rapidly. |
| C．The government wasn't well run. |
| D．King Louis XIV was in power. |
What does the underlined word "abolished" mean?
| A．Put off. |
| B．Established. |
| C．United. |
| D．Ended. |
What was NOT the effect of the Revolution?
| A．July 14 has become the French National Day. |
| B．It brought some impact on the other European kings. |
| C．Louis's wife, Marie was killed. |
| D．The king tried to control the national parliament. |
Background music may seem harmless, but it can have a powerful effect on those who hear it. Recorded background music first found its way into factories, shops and restaurants in the USA. Very soon it spread to other parts of the world. Now it is becoming difficult to go shopping or eat a meal without listening to background music.
To begin with, background music was intended simply to create a soothing (舒适的) atmosphere. Recently, however, it's becoming a big business. An American marketing expert has shown that music can boost(提升) sales or increase factory production by as much as a third.
But it has to be the light music. Lively music has no effect at all on sales. Slow music can increase receipts(收入) by 34%. This is probably because shoppers slow down and have more opportunity to spot items they would like to buy. Yet, slow music isn't always the answer. The expert found that in restaurants slow music meant customers took longer to eat their meals, which reduced overall sales. So restaurant owners might be well advised to play faster music to keep the customers moving-unless, of course, the resulting indigestion(消化不良) leads to complaints.Background music was first used ________.
| A．in the cinemas and theatres in the USA |
| B．in the offices and hospitals in the USA |
| C．in the schools and churches in the USA |
| D．in the factories, shops and restaurants in the USA |
An American marketing expert has found background music can __________.
| A．increase sales or factory production |
| B．create a soothing atmosphere |
| C．make people slow down |
| D．make people forget their worries |
Slow music is useless in ________ in increasing sales.
| A．shops |
| B．restaurants |
| C．factories |
| D．cinemas |
Restaurant owners are advised to play ________ to increase overall sales.
| A．lively music |
| B．loud music |
| C．slower music |
| D．faster music |
People have been talking about health for a long time because people know the importance of it. People's understanding of health also becomes deeper with the progress in scientific research. Recently the term "health" has come to have a wider meaning than it used to. It no longer means just the absence of illness. Today, health means the well-being of your body, your mind and your relationship with other people. This new concept of health is closely related to another term-quality of life. Quality of life is the degree of overall satisfaction that a person gets from life.
Why has the emphasis of health shifted from the absence of disease to a broader focus on the quality of a person's life? One reason for this has to do with the length and conditions of life that people can now expect. Medical advances have made it possible for people today to live longer, healthier lives. Imagine for a moment that you were born in the year 1900. You could have expected on average to live until about the age of 47. In contrast, if you were born in the year 1999, you could expect to live to the age of 75.________ leads to people's deeper understanding of health.
| A．Common knowledge |
| B．Progress in scientific research |
| C．Better conditions of living |
| D．Quality of life |
The emphasis of health has shifted nowadays because _________.
| A．people enjoy better conditions of living and they can live longer |
| B．people pay more attention to their physical health, not their mental health |
| C．people have realized the importance of mental well-being |
| D．people are inspired by medical advances |
We can infer from the passage __________.
| A．nowadays the emphasis of health has a broader focus because of improvements in the quality of food |
| B．the overall quality of people's lives improved greatly in the 20th century |
| C．those who never fall ill are the truly healthy people |
| D．those who were born before 1900 could not have lived until now |
This passage is mainly about __________.
| A．different understandings of the term "health" |
| B．improving the quality of life |
| C．the importance of quality living |
| D．people's expectations of a long and healthy life |