A professor I have worked pretty closely with has been diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer.It has been devastating for his family and heartbreaking for his students.
What made him extraordinary was not only that he was a rising star.He had only recently collected the highest honors for young researchers at the White House.We truly admired him—as someone put it, “He always has a smile and a kind word for everyone.” It is very hard to find someone who is extremely intelligent should be so nice a human being.
I decided that we needed him to know our_attitude and also how we are all praying for his recovery.I bought him a simple card which read, “Healing thoughts and wishes coming your way.” I met all the students he worked closely with and got them to sign on it.Each student in his laboratory signed and also added a message.“We love you so much”， “We miss you！We need you back here—get well soon”， “Please come back”， “Thank you for being such an inspiring teacher”， “I hope you recover soon”．..These were some of the messages that were written.Most of the students were really glad we were doing this and said it was a very good idea to give it to him.
He is still undergoing(经历) intense treatment，and along with his family is trying his best to stay optimistic and hopeful.I didn’t see a trace of selfpity or sadness when I met him last week.Instead，he paid attention to every word of my presentation and asked me several questions related to my work.I was amazed at how much he gave his 100% on that day in spite of being in pain because of chemotherapy(化疗)．He did not know if he even had another month to live.“I am trying to focus on staying positive，hoping to be back this summer，”he said.
Needless to say，I saw an expression of joy and hope on his face as he opened the card.He said he was truly touched to see the messages from the students he worked closely with.
There is one thing I learnt from last week：It is so important to tell people how much they mean to us and what an inspiration they are before it becomes too late.My professor，in spite of being too sick to teach classes，has managed to continue being a great teacher，introducing his last valuable message to us.The professor was admired because ________.
| A．he was very intelligent |
| B．he had won many honors |
| C．he had noble personalities |
| D．he was very determined |
What do the underlined words “our attitude” in Paragraph 3 refer to?
| A．Our worry about his health. |
| B．Our pray for his health. |
| C．Our admiration for him. |
| D．Our pity for him. |
When the writer visited the professor at hospital，what surprised him was that the professor ________.
| A．was suffering from great pain |
| B．was still very confident |
| C．didn’t know he would die soon |
| D．still cared for others |
Of the following statements，the writer may agree that ________.
| A．the professor loves his job very much |
| B．few students supported the writer’s decision at first |
| C．the professor will go back to teach this summer |
| D．the professor often feels sorry for himself |
Tourism probably started in Roman times．Rich Romans visited friends and family who were working in another part of the Roman empire．But when the empire broke down, this kind of tourism stopped．
In the early 17th century, the idea of the “Grand Tour” was born．Rich young English people sailed across the English Channel（英吉利海峡）．They visited the most beautiful and important European cities of the time, including Paris in France, and Rome and Venice（威尼斯）in Italy．Their tours lasted for two to four years, and the tourists stayed a few weeks or months in each city．The “Grand Tour” was an important part of young people’s education—but only for the rich．
In the 18th century, tourism began to change．For example, people in the UK started to visit some towns, such as Bath to “take the waters”．They believed that the water there was good for their health．So large and expensive hotels were built in these towns．
In the 19th century, travel became much more popular and faster．When the first railways were built in the 1820s, it was easier for people to travel between towns, so they started to go for holidays by the sea．And some started to have holidays in the countryside as cities became larger, noisier and dirtier．
Traveling by sea also became faster and safer when the first steamships were built．People began to travel more to far-away countries．
The 20th century saw cars become more and more popular among ordinary people．Planes were made larger, so ticket prices dropped and more people used them．
Thus tourism grew．In 1949, Russian journalist Vladimir Raitz started a company called Horizon Holidays．The company organizes everything—plane tickets, hotel rooms, even food—and tourists pay for it all before they leave home．The package tour and modern tourist industry was born．
The first travel agency in China was set up as early as 1949．But tourism did not take off until 1978．In 2002, the industry was worth 500 billion Yuan and became an important part of China’s social development．In the early times, the travelers __________．
| A．all came from Roman |
| B．had lots of money |
| C．were very young and strong |
| D．traveled by boat |
Which of the following is true？
| A．The young men learned little from Grand Tour． |
| B．Tourism became faster and safer when the first railways were built in the 18th century． |
| C．More people chose planes for its cheap price． |
| D．In 2002, tourism became a significant part of China’s social development． |
_________played the most important role in the tourism development．
| A．Education | B．Transportation | C．Money | D．People’s ideas |
Modern tourism was born ___________．
| A．in 1978 | B．in Roman times | C．in the early 17th century | D．in 1949 |
Charlie Boswell has always been a great hero. He has inspired thousands of people to rise above circumstances and live out true meaning of life.
He was blinded during World War II while rescuing his friend from a tank that was under fire. He was a great athlete before the accident. In order to prove his talent and determination, he decided to try a brand new sport, a sport he never imagined playing, even with his eyesight – golf! Through determination and a deep love for the game he became the National Blind Golf Champion! He won that honor 13 times.
One of his heroes was the great golfer Ben Hogan, so it truly was an honor for Charlie to win the Ben Hogan Award in 1958.
Upon meeting Ben Hogan, Charlie was respectful and stated that he had one wish and it was to have one round of golf with the great Ben Hogan. Mr. Hogan agreed that playing a round together would be an honor for him as well, as he had heard about all of Charlie’s accomplishments and truly admired his skills.
“Would you like to play for money, Mr. Hogan?” asked out Charlie.
“I can’t play you for money, it wouldn’t be fair!” said Mr. Hogan.
“Aw, come on Mr. Hogan…$ 1,000 per hole!”
“I can’t, what would people think of me, taking advantage of you and your circumstance?” replied the sighted golfer.
“Chicken, Mr. Hogan?”
“Okay,” replied the embarrassed Hogan, “but I am going to play my best!”
“I wouldn’t expect anything else,” said the confident Boswell.
“Now that you’re on. Mr. Boswell, you name the time and the place!”
The very self – assured Boswell responded, “10 o’clock … tonight!”Why didn’t Mr. Hogan want to play Charlie for money?
| A．He was worried he would lose the match. |
| B．He thought it was unfair for Charlie. |
| C．He didn’t care about money. |
| D．He preferred chicken to money. |
It can be inferred from the text that .
| A．Mr. Hogan was not good at playing golf |
| B．Charlie did well in other sports before playing golf |
| C．Mr. Hogan didn’t try his best to play |
| D．Charlie Boswell was born blind |
Which of the following can best describe Charlie?
| A．Competitive and generous | B．Energetic and reliable |
| C．Careful and considerate | D．Confident and smart |
Below is a discussion on a website.
| http://www.TalkingPoints.com/ |
|
| Stuck on a desert island? |
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| Started on 23rd April by Steve Posts 1 – 7 of 42 |
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| Post 1 Steve USA |
Hi, everyone. What would you miss most and least if you were stuck on a desert island? For me, it would be the changing seasons in New England. I guess this will sound stupid but I’d probably miss the rain, too. I wouldn’t miss getting up at six every day to go to work, though! What about you? |
| Post 2 Tomas Germany |
Good question. Steve, I think I’d miss different types of bread, and shopping at the supermarket. I’d miss the food most. What would I miss least? My mobile phone. I’d like to be completely quiet, at least for a little while. |
| Post 3 Paola Italy |
I would miss the company of people because I know I’d like to have someone to share experiences with. I’d go mad on my own. And I surely wouldn’t miss junk mails(垃圾邮件). I hate coming home every evening with a pile of junk mails in my post box. |
| Post 4 Miko Japan |
Hi, I would miss Manga cartoon, the internet and Japanese food, like sushi. I’d also miss TV shows and shopping for clothes… In fact, I’d miss everything. |
| Post 5 Roger UK |
I would miss my daily newspaper and listening to the news on TV and radio. I’d feel very cut off if I didn’t know what was happening in the world. What I’d miss least would be traffic jams in the city, particularly my journey to work. |
| Post 6 Jayne |
Why hasn’t anyone mentioned their family? I’d be lost without my husband and two kids. They’re the most important for me. And I can’t get started in the morning without a cup of black coffee. I wouldn’t miss doing the housework! |
| Post 7 Jaime Mexico |
It would have to be music. I couldn’t live without my music. I wouldn’t miss going to school at all or doing homework! |
Who would miss his or her family most?
| A．Jaime | B．Jayne | C．Miko | D．Paola. |
Which of the following people would feel most uncomfortable without the news media?
| A．Steve. | B．Jaime | C．Roger. | D．Tomas |
How many of them mentioned that they would miss food or drink?
| A．One | B．Two | C．Three | D．Four |
Do you know that women’s brains are smaller than men’s? The average women’s brain weighs 10% less than men’s. Since researches have shown that the bigger the brain, the cleverer the animal, men must be more intelligent than women. Right? Wrong. Men and women always score similarly on intelligence tests, despite the difference in brain size. Why? After years of study, researchers have concluded that it’s what’s inside that matters, not just the size of the brain. The brain consists of “grey matter” and “white matter”. While men have more of the latter, the amount of “thinking” brain is almost exactly the same in both sexes.
It has been suggested that smaller brain appears to work faster, perhaps because the two sides of the brain are better connected in women. This means that little girls tend to learn to speak earlier, and that women can understand sorts of information from different sources at the same time. When it comes to talking to the boss on the phone, cooking dinner and keeping an eye on the baby all at the same time, it’s women who come out on top every time.
There are other important differences between two sexes. As white matter is the key to spatial(空间的) tasks, men know better where things are in relation to other things. “A great footballer always knows where he is in relation to the other players, and he knows where to go,” says one researcher. That may explain one of life’s great mysteries—why men refuse to ask for directions … and women often need to!
The differences begin when fetuses(胎儿) are about nine weeks old, which can be seen in the action of children as young as one. A boy would try to climb a barrier (障碍物) before him or push it down while a girl would attract help from others. These brain differences also explain the fact that more men take up jobs that require good spatial skills, while more women speech skills. It may all go back to our ancestors, among whom women needed speech skills to take care of their babies and men needed spatial skills to hunt, according to one research. www. .com
If all this disappoints you, it shouldn’t. “The brain changes throughout our lives according to what we do with it.” says a biologist.Which of the following is true according to the first paragraph?
| A．Women’s brain is 10% less than men’s |
| B．Grey matter plays the same role as white matter. |
| C．Grey matter controls thinking in the brain. |
| D．Both sexes have the same amount of white matter. |
What can we infer from the second and third paragraphs?
| A．Women prefer doing many things at a time. |
| B．Men do better dealing with one job at a time. |
| C．Women do not need to tell directions. |
| D．Men have weaker spatial abilities. |
Which of the following do you agree with according to the fourth paragraph?
| A．Young boys may be stronger than young girls. |
| B．More women take up jobs requiring speech skills. |
| C．Women may have stronger feelings than men. |
| D．Our ancestors needed more spatial skills. |
What is the writer’s attitude in writing this passage?
| A．Defensive. | B．Persuasive. | C．Supportive. | D．Objective. |
Do you know of anyone who uses the truth to deceive (欺骗)? When someone tells you something that is true, but leaves out important information that should be included, he can give you a false picture.
For example, some might say, “I just won a hundred dollars on the lottery (彩票). It was great. I took that dollar ticket back to the store and turned it in for one hundred dollars!”
This guy’s a winner, right? Maybe, maybe not. We then discover that he bought $200 worth of tickets, and only one was a winner. He’s really a big loser! www. .com
He didn’t say anything that was false, but he left out important information on purpose. That’s called a half-truth. Half-truths are not technically lies, but they are just as dishonest.
Some politicians often use this trick. Let’s say that during Governor Smith’s last term, her state lost one million jobs and gained three million jobs. Then she seeked another term. One of her opponents(对手) said, “During Governor Smith’s term, the state lost one million jobs!” That’s true. However, an honest statement would have been, “During Governor Smith’s term, the state had a net gain of two million jobs.”
Advertisers will sometimes use half-truths. It’s against the law to make false statements so they try to mislead you with the truth. An advertisement might say, “Nine out of ten doctors advised their patients to take Yucky Pills to cure toothache.” It fails to mention that they only asked ten doctors and nine of them work for the Yucky Company.
This kind of deception happens too often. Lies are lies, and sometimes the truth can lie as well, which is a sad fact of life.How much did the lottery winner lose?
| A．One hundred dollars. | B．Two hundred dollars. |
| C．Three hundred dollars. | D．Four hundred dollars. |
We may infer that the author believes people should _______.
| A．buy lottery tickets |
| B．make use of half-truths |
| C．not take anything at face value |
| D．not trust the Yucky Company |
What do the underline words “net gain” in Paragraph 5 mean?
| A．final increase | B．big advantage |
| C．large share | D．total saving |
What can we know from the example of the Yucky Pill advertisement?
| A．False statements are easy to see through. |
| B．Half-truths are often used to mislead people. |
| C．Doctors like to act in advertisements. |
| D．Advertisements are based on facts. |