What can help you make a fortune in the future? Graduating from a top university might not be enough. A new study from the University of Essex in Britain has shown that the more friends you have in school, the more money you'll earn later.
The idea that popularity could have a serious impact on one's earning potential shouldn't come as too much of a surprise. The researchers noted that if you want to get ahead in life, social skills and networking are easily as powerful as talent and hard work.
“If a person has lots of friends, it means that he or she has the ability to get along with others in all kinds of different situations," said Xu Yanchun, 17, from Nantou High School in Shenzhen, who totally agreed with the recent finding. "Also, friends always help each other. They not only create wider social circles for you but lift your mood when you occasionally feel depressed," said Xu. She believed that all this helps you "earn a higher salary”.
Maybe that's why some people think the younger generations are in the age of Friendalholism (交友狂症). A woman even complained that the networking website Face book's 5,000-friend limit was too low for her large reserve of social contacts.
But what does a friend mean? Should friends be regarded as a form of currency?
“Call me uncoil, but I think of a friend as an actual person with whom I have an actual history and whom I enjoy actually seeing. It seems, however, that this is no longer the definition (定义) of ‘friend',” said Meghan Daum, who works with The Los Angeles Times in the US.The new study from the University of Essex in Britain shows that _________.
A.if you have more friends you will not live happily. |
B.the more friends you have in school, the more money you'll earn in your late life. |
C.the less friends you have, the poor lives you will live. |
D.friends can make more money for you. |
According to Xu Yanchun, when you have lots of friends, it means_____
A.You have the ability to earn more money. |
B.You will not feel lonely. |
C.You are quite content with your life. |
D.You have the ability to get along with others in various situations. |
What’s the main idea of the passage ?
A.The passage mainly tells us something about the friendship. |
B.Friends plays an more important part in our daily life than anything else. |
C.Friends are currency. |
D.Friends give you success. |
We can learn from the passage that _________.
A.If you have more friends, you can make a fortune in the future. |
B.Graduating from college means that you can make a fortune in the future. |
C.Friends means a form of currency. |
D.Friends can make you wider social circle and make you feel better when you feel depressed. |
Thousands of people in the world are a hundred years old-or more and certain parts of the world are famous for the long lives of their inhabitants: the Vilacamba Valley in Ecuador, and the home of the Hunzas in the Himalayas.
Why do so many people live to a healthy old age in certain parts of the world? What is the secret of their long lives? Three things seem to be very important: fresh air, fresh food and a simple way of life.People work near their homes in the clean,
mountain air instead of travelling long distances to work by bus, car or train.They do not sit all day in busy offices or factories, but work hard outdoors in the fields.They take more exercise and eat less food than people in the cities of the West.For years the Hunzas of the Himalayas did not need policemen, lawyers or doctors.There was no crime, no divorce and not much illness in their society. They were a happy, peaceful people, famous all over India for their long, healthy lives.
Do you want to live to a hundred years old? Here are some rules for success.Firstly, choose your parents and grandparents carefully.If they lived or live to a good old age, so will you.Secondly, live in the right place.Thirdly, choose the right
kind of job.Doctors, dentists and bus-drivers die young.Farmers, priests and orchestral conductors live much longer.If you are in the wrong kind of job, you can still improve your way of life.
An old man in the Caucasus was talking about his past life."I was young then," he said, as he described his 87th year.His secret was: "Think young and stay young." An old woman from Missouri, USA, gave this advice, "Drink a little whisky and some warm beer every day." An English lady just said, "Take a cold bath every morning." The shortest, simplest piece of advice came from Mr.Jim Chapman, aged 103."Just keep breathing," he told reporters.
67.Who is most likely to live a long life?
A.A doctor. B.A bus-driver.
C.A dentist. D.An orchestral conductor.
68.We can see from the passage that long-lived people avoid ____.
A.working hard B.drinking
C.eating too much D.taking cold baths
69.The passage indicates that we can change our _____to live a long life.
A.jobs B.places of living
C.ways of living D.ways of thinking
70.What is mainly talked about in the last paragraph?
A.Whose advice is the best.
B.Who is the most long-lived person in the world.
C.Lifestyles of long-lived people.
D.How long-lived people think of' their life.
I was glad when somebody told me, "You may go and collect Negro folklore(民间传说)." In a way, it would not be a new experience for me. When I pitched head first into the world of Negroism, it was fitting me like a tight chemise (衬衣).I couldn't see it for wearing it.It was only when I was out of college, away from my native surroundings that I could stand off and look at my garment.Then I had to have the spy-glass of anthropology to look through.
I was asked where I wanted to work and I said, "Florida. It's a place that draws people─Negroes from every Southern state and some from the North and West." So I knew that it was possible for me to get across the section of the Negro South in one state.And then I realized that I felt new myself, so it looked sensible for me to choose familiar ground.
I started in Eatonville, Florida, because I knew that the town was full of material and that I could get it without causing any hurt or harm. As early as I could remember, it was the habit of the men particularly to gather on the store porch in the
evenings and exchange stories.Even the women would stop and break a breath with them at times.As a child when I was sent down to the store, I' d drag out my leaving to hear more.
Folklore is not as easy to collect as it sounds.The ideal source is where there are the fewest outside influences, but these people are.reluctant at times to reveal that which the soul lives by.I knew that even I would have some hindrance(障碍)among strangers.But here in Eatonville I knew everybody was going to help me.
63.In the first paragraph, the author' s claim "In a way, it would not be a new experience for me" refers to the fact that ____.
A.she had already attended college in Florida
B.she had already received permission to conduct the study
C.she had already experienced new cultures by leaving home
D.she was already familiar with the Negro folklore that she was to collect
64.In the second paragraph, the author indicates that one reason why she chose to work in Florida was that she wanted to collect folklore _____.
A.from Negroes of different geographical backgrounds
B.as her teachers advised
C.from a place she had never visited
D.in a state far from where she grew up
65.Which of the following statements about the interactions on the porch is true?
A.Men went there more frequently than women.
B.Most of the storytellers didn't grow up in Eatonville.
C.The author' s parents sent her to the porch to hear the stories.
D.One man in particular told most of the stories.
66.Which of the following is NOT the reason why the author decided to collect folklore in Eatonville?
A.The people of Eatonville would be grateful if she published their stories.
B.The people of Eatonville would have many stories for her collection.
C.She believed that she could collect stories without doing any harm.
D.She believed that the people of Eatonville would help her in her project.
If you' re feeling stressed, rather than wallow (沉迷) in watching television, try looking out of the window, with a US study finding scenes of nature can ease off minor stress levels.
Researchers at the Human Interaction with Nature and Technological Systems Lab at the University of Washington set out to look at whether nature, either the real thing or the one depicted (描述) technologically, can impact on minor stress levels.The study involved measuring people' s heart recovery rates from minor stress when they were exposed to a natural scene through a window and when exposed to the same scene shown on a high-definition plasma (等离子) screen, or a blank wall.
"The heart rates of people who looked at the scene through the window dropped more quickly than the others.In fact, the high-definition plasma screen had no more effect than the blank wall," the researchers said in a statement.They also found that when people spent more time looking at the natural scene their heart rates tended to decrease more.That was not the case with the plasma screen.
The study, involving 90 college students, is published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology."Technology is good and it can help our lives, but let' s not be fooled into thinking we can live without nature," Peter Kahn, who led the research team, said in a statement.He said people were losing direct experiences with nature and instead experiencing nature represented technologically through television and other media with children growing up watching Discovery Channel and Animal
Planet."But as a species we need interaction with actual nature for our physical and psychological well-being," he said.
59.According to the passage, watching an actual natural scene on a high-definition plasma screen __
A.is actually harmful to one' s health
B.is as good to one' s health as watching an actual natural scene
C.doesn't do any good to one' s health at all
D.may have some impact on minor stress levels
60.Peter Kahn believes that watching Discovery Channel and Animal Planet
A.is quite necessary for the growth of children
B.doesn't help in the growing process of children
C.does more harm than good to children
D.can't take the place of children' interaction with the real nature
61.The study shows that people' s heart rates decrease the most when they____
A.fix their eyes on a blank wall
B.watch a beautiful scene on a high-definition plasma screen
C.watch the natural scene out of a window
D.fix their eyes on a natural scene depicted technologically
62.Who would be most interested in the study mentioned in the passage?
A.People with minor stress levels.
B.People with high stress levels.
C.People with medium stress levels.
D.People with psychological problems.
第三部分:阅读理解(共20小题,每小题2题,满分40分)
阅读下列短文,从每题所给的四个选项(A,B,C,和D)中,选出最佳选项。
Who says Americans worship the almighty dollar? It’s not true.Having enough free time is more important to most Americans than being rich, according to a new poll.
Only 13 percent of more than 2,400 people questioned in the telephone poll ranked being wealthy as most important to them, while 67 percent ranked free time as their top priority, higher than having a successful career, getting married, and having children."Everyone wants free time to do the things they want to do, young, middle-aged or old," said Richard Morin, of the Pew Social & Demographic Trends Project, which conducted the survey."So our desire to play unites us."
The poll also showed that people who were university educated valued career success over wealth, as middle-aged people did.Not surprisingly, those who didn't have money, ranked wealth very highly.This included minorities, first generation Americans and less educated people.The survey also revealed that a disproportionate (不成比例的) number of people under the age of 30 and retirees in the group made $ 20,000 or less a year.But the emphasis on wealth lessens with age, with younger people putting value on it but hardly any seniors."It just diminishes with time as the reality sets in that you would never be rich," Morin said."But also, the reality sets in that you don't have to be rich to lead a very comfortable and fulfilling life."
While wealth was not at the top of people' s list of priorities, 43 percent still said it was somewhat important.
56.The poll showed that the majority of American people ranked ____ as the most important.
A.wealth B.a successful career
C.marriage D.free time
57.Who cares least for wealth, according to the passage?
A.Young people. B.Middle-aged people.
C.Old people. D.Well-educated people.
58.The underlined word "diminishes" in the third paragraph probably means "____".
A.to increase B.to decrease C.to change D.to stay
Prince Charles yesterday promised to reduce the royal impact on the environment through sweeping changes to his personal lifestyle and official schedule.The prince will replace carbon-heavy private jets and helicopters with scheduled flights and train services.
The move came as Prince Charles urged business leaders to publish the environmental pact of their activities.
He said, “Few accountants and business decision-makers ask, ‘How much of our critical natural resource is left? How many miles of polar ice cap has our business helped melt this year? By how many inches have we raised sea levels? How many species have we put at risk? How many homes will be flooded, how many people will die of thirst or starvation because of our activities? ’ These are not comfortable questions, but, by God, they need to be asked.”
He added, “At the moment these costs do not appear in anyone’s books… Yet they are real, they are incurred now and in a relatively short time, the damage being caused may be beyond remedy.” He said the world was “running up the biggest global credit card debt in history, but with little or no thought for how the bill will ever be paid”.
Flanked by the prime minister and business and community leaders at St James’ Palace, the prince said his new “accounting for sustainability” project would give consumers the power to choose products that caused less damage to the planet.
Duchy Originals, the prince’s food company, is taking steps to work out how much carbon dioxide and other green-house gas are emitted in growing, processing and distributing its products.The changes to the prince’s travel arrangements announced yesterday are part of a wider review of the carbon footprint associated with activities at all three of his residences.Clarence House in London, Highgrove and Birkhall on the Balmorals estate(庄园), as well as the activities of his 21 personal and 105 full-time staff.Measures include a review of electricity use, commuter and other staff travel and are intended to identify further reductions in carbon dioxide emissions.The review will report in June , when Clarence House will announce annual targets to reduce carbon emission.
71.One of the moves Prince Charles will take to reduce the royal impact on the environment is ______.
A.taking private jets that are not carbon-heavy
B.taking helicopters instead of private jets
C.taking trains instead of scheduled flights
D.taking scheduled flights instead of helicopters
72.How does Prince Charles feel about business leaders in terms of environmental protection?
A.Dissatisfied. B.Disappointed. C.Doubtful. D.Impatient.
73.In response to Prince Charles’ calls, Duchy Originals will ______.
A.make as much green food as possible
B.cut down its cost
C.figure out its greenhouse gas emission
D.continue its greenhouse gas emission
74.The underlined phrase in paragraph 4 probably refers to ______.
A.the great amount of waste produced by industry
B.the great damage caused to the environment
C.the great amount of debts of the royal family
D.the high cost of industry in their producing process
75.What would be the best title for the passage?
A.Prince Charles promised Greener Royal Lifestyle
B.Better Late than Never
C.Prince Charles and His Concern for Environment
D.The Royal Family Has a Role to Play in Environment Protection