Are some people born clever, and others born stupid? Or is intelligence developed by our environment and our experience? Strangely enough, the answer to these questions is yes. To some extent our intelligence is given to us at birth, and no amount of education can make a genius out of a child born with low intelligence. On the other hand, a child who lives in a boring environment will develop his intelligence less than one who lives in rich and varied surroundings. Thus the limits of person’s intelligence are fixed at birth, whether or not he reaches those limits will depend on his environment. This view, now held by most experts, can be supported in a number of ways.
It is easy to show that intelligence is to some extent something we are born with. The closer the blood relationship between two people, the closer they are likely to be intelligence. Thus if we take two unrelated people at random from population, it is likely that their degree of intelligence will be completely different. If, on the other hand, we take two identical twins, they will very probably be as intelligent as each other. Relations like brothers and sisters, parents and children, usually have similar intelligence, and this clearly suggests that intelligence depends on birth.
Imagine now that we take two identical twins and put them in different environments. We might send one, for example, to a university and the other to a factory where the work is boring. We would soon find differences in intelligence developing, and this indicates that environment as well as birth plays a part. This conclusion is also suggested by the fact that people who live in close contact with each other, but who are not related at all are likely to have similar degree of intelligence. The writer is in favor of the view that man’s intelligence is given to him____________.
| A．at birth |
| B．through education |
| C．neither at birth nor through education |
| D．both at birth and through education |
If a child is born with low intelligence, he can_____________________.
| A．become a genius |
| B．still become a genius if he should be given special education |
| C．reach his intelligence limits in rich surroundings |
| D．not reach his intelligence in his life. |
The example of the twins going to a university and to a factory separately shows_________.
| A．the importance of their intelligence |
| B．the importance of their positions |
| C．the role of environment on intelligence |
| D．the part that birth plays |
The drug store was closing for the night. Young Alfred Higgins, the shop-assistant, was ready to go home. Mr. Carr, the boss, stared at him and said: “Hold on, Alfred. Maybe you'd be good enough to take the things out of your pockets and leave them here before you go.”Alfred's face got red. After a little hesitation, he took out what he had stolen. Mr. Carr said, “Maybe I should call your mother and let her know I'm going to have to put you in prison.”
Alfred thought his mother would come rushing in, eyes burning with anger. But, to his surprise, she arrived wearing a smile. “Hello, I'm Alfred's mother. Is he in trouble?”she said. Mr. Carr was surprised, too. He had expected Alfred's mother to come in nervously, shaking with fear, asking with wet eyes for a mercy for her son. But no, she was most calm, quiet and pleasant and was making Mr. Carr feel guilty…. Soon Mr. Carr was shaking his head in agreement with what she was saying. “Of course”, he said, “I don't want to be cruel. You are right. Sometimes, a little good advice is the best thing for a boy at certain times in his life and it often takes the youths long time to get sense into their heads.”And he warmly shook Mrs. Higgins's hand.
Back home, without even looking at Alfred, she said, “You are a bad luck. It is one thing after another, always has been. Why do you stand there so stupidly? Go to bed.”In his bedroom, Alfred heard his mother in the kitchen. There was no shame in him, just pride in his mother's strength. He felt he must tell her how great she was. As he got to the kitchen, he saw his mother drinking a cup of tea. He was shocked by what he saw. His mother's face was a frightened, broken one. It was not the same cool, bright face he saw earlier in the drug store. As she lifted the tea cup, her hand shook. And some of the tea splashed on the table. Her lips moved nervously. She looked very old. He watched his mother without making a sound. The picture of his mother made him want to cry. He felt his youth coming to an end. He saw all the troubles he brought his mother in her shaking hand and the deep lines of worry in her grey face. It seemed to him that this was the first time he had ever really seen his mother.The reason why Mr. Carr felt guilty was that ________.
| A．he found Alfred was in fact innocent |
| B．he should have called a policeman in first |
| C．Alfred's mother appeared polite and gentle |
| D．he thought he was partly responsible for it |
Which of the following is probably said by Mrs. Higgins while talking to Mr. Carr?
| A．“Please, for God's sake, you know, he is just a kid.” |
| B．“I can't believe it! You are treating my son like that!” |
| C．“You know, it takes time for a youth to truly grow up.” |
| D．“Punishment makes sense because it teaches about the law.” |
What does the underlined phrase "his mother's strength"(Para. 3) refer to?
| A．Mrs. Higgins's calmness and communicating skills. |
| B．Mrs. Higgins's attitude towards parental sufferings. |
| C．Mrs. Higgins's love and care for her son Alfred. |
| D．Mrs. Higgins's greatness as a woman. |
After the incident, young Alfred would probably ________.
| A．feel ashamed of her mother |
| B．change his attitudes towards life |
| C．learn to live an independent life |
| D．hate Mr. Carr for hurting her mother |
TOKYO (Reuters) – “Who played the father in the movie ‘Kramer versus Kramer’?” That’s one of the 50 questions Japanese men could face in a “daddy exam”, meant to raise awareness about fatherhood in a country where men tend to work long hours and leave their wives in charge of childcare and household work.
Even men who remember Dustin Hoffman struggling as a father in the movie may have a hard time answering questions ranging from baby food to politics.
Tetsuya Ando, director of Fathering Japan, a Tokyo non-profit organization that came up with the test and will offer it to eager dads from next March, said the exam was an attracting way to get fathers into parenting. “There just isn't enough information about parenting for fathers. Through the exam, we want men to realize that they don't know anything about bringing up kids,” he said.
For the price of 3,900 yen ($34), fathers can find out whether they qualify as a “Super Dad,” or are in need of more effort as a “Challenge Dad.”
“We have received inquiries(咨询) from fathers, single men, to-be-dads, grandfathers ... even an aunt who was concerned that her nephew is too busy with work to notice the fun of parenting,” Ando said. The image of fathers is gradually changing in Japan as younger men eschew their own dads’ hands-off way in favor of closer involvement, and a wave of new parenting magazines for male readers has been hitting newsstands. But it is still hard for Japanese fathers to cut down on their work hours and spend more time with their families. Only 0.5 percent of employed men in Japan took parental leave in 2011, compared with 14 percent in the United States and 12 percent in Britain in 2000.The “daddy exam” is intended to .
| A．test to – be – dads’ fatherhood knowledge |
| B．test Challenge Dad’s parenting knowledge |
| C．attract the whole society’s attention to parenting |
| D．have fathers realize their responsibility for their families |
In the exam, the Japanese fathers may find that .
| A．they almost know nothing about the questions |
| B．the questions only make sense to to – be – dads |
| C．there is ample information about parenting |
| D．it’s not a good way to get them into parenting |
The underlined word “eschew” in the last paragraph can be replaced by the word “”.
| A．avoid | B．adopt | C．improve | D．admire |
The magazines for male readers are popular most probably because many men .
| A．long to know how to do household chores |
| B．become more concerned about parenting |
| C．want to get high scores in the 50 – question test |
| D．like to know whether they are Challenge Dads |
From the whole report, it can be inferred that .
| A．Japanese fathers show no interest in parenting |
| B．young Japanese men tend to set about parenting |
| C．young fathers value parenting less than their fathers |
| D．Japanese fathers value parenting more than British fathers |
When Charles Strattion was five, he stopped growing. His mother took him to see the famous showman, P. T. Barnum, and thought a small person would be the perfect addition to his show. He hired Charles’ parents along with him, and they traveled around the world together.
He gave the two-foot-tall Charles a new name, general Tom Thumb. He taught Tom how to sing, dance, act, and tell jokes. When he felt Tom was ready to perform on stage, he made up ads. To stir up great interest, he said that Tom was eleven years old and had come from England.
Tom’s act was very popular and brought in a lot of money. By the time Tom was an adult, he had grown very rich. He had become a billionaire at the age of twenty-five.
Fortunately for Tom, Mr. Barnum added more little people to his show, and Tom became lucky in love as well. One of the little people was Lavinia Warren, a school teacher. Tom was able to win her love, and they married.
The ceremony and reception were the talk of the town. They were attended by many rich and famous people and by about two thousand guests. Crowds filled the street of New York to have a look at their tiny wedding carriage. The couple even met with President Abraham Lincoln on their honeymoon, just before going to live in Tom’s house in Connecticut.
Their wedding, which took place during the Civil War, provided a welcome escape from the sad problems of war. Not willing to let this bit of sunshine fade, communities throughout the country held Tom Thumb’s weddings. In these weddings, small boys and girls, all dressed up, went through marriage ceremony for fun.“the talk of the town” means.
| A．they were in the newspaper |
| B．people spread many rumors about them |
| C．they were the most popular things happening |
| D．they were discussed in a city meeting |
What does the author think about Tom Thumb’s wedding?
| A．People gave it too much of their attention. |
| B．It helped people cheer up in a dark time |
| C．It was funny and ridiculous |
| D．Tom and Lavinia were stupid. |
Which of the following is the best description of the fact that Tom was smart?
| A．He became a billionaire at twenty-five |
| B．He learned how to sing, dance, and act at a very young age. |
| C．He met with President Lincoln during his honeymoon |
| D．He married a school teacher. |
It was very funny when Tom danced on a wooden plate held by a person who was eight feet tall because.
| A．the wooden plate would make it sound as of Tom were tap dancing |
| B．it made Tom feel taller |
| C．the eight-foot-tall man was the only tall person Tom trusted |
| D．the difference between them would make Tom look even smaller |
What does the author imply in the last paragraph?
| A．Weddings always make people feel full of sunshine |
| B．People are always disappointed during wartime |
| C．Entertainment can serve an important purpose |
| D．People should be married even if they are small |
The managing editor is usually the person in charge of the day-to-day editorial process of a newspaper. He or she makes sure that the newspaper comes out on time each day and that costs are kept within a budget. He or she is usually responsible for hiring and firing newsroom staff, and serves as the spokesperson for the newspaper. The managing editor may also be involved in story, photo and graphics selection, assignments, laying out pages, and editing copy and writing headlines.
The news editor is in charge of the news pages of the newspaper. He or she makes decisions on which stories are used and which are not. The news editor and his or her assistants also lay out pages of the paper.
The copy editor edits wire and local stories and writes headlines. The copy editor is often the last person to see a story before it actually appears in print.
The city editor makes sure that the news in the city is covered and that as many local stories as possible get into each edition. The city editor monitors the local general assignment, beat and specialty reporters.
The state editor supervises reporters who cover communities and areas outside the city but still within the circulation (流通) area of the newspaper.
The national editor supervises reporters in bureaus in cities outside the circulation area of the newspaper. Most newspapers rely on the wire services for national news, but some have correspondents(通信员) who work in other cities and report to the national editor.If you want to apply for a job in a newspaper newsroom, you are likely to be interviewed by _____.
| A．the news editor | B．the national editor |
| C．the state editor | D．the managing editor |
From the passage, we can learn that _________.
| A．the managing editor is mainly responsible for laying out pages of the paper |
| B．the news editor determines which stories are used |
| C．the copy editor is often the first person to see the story |
| D．the state editor supervises the local general assignment, beat and specialty reporters |
The national news is mostly sent to the national editor by all of the following ways EXCEPT _____.
| A．by e-mail | B．by fax |
| C．by letter | D．by telephone |
The underlined word “supervises” in the last paragraph can be replaced by ________.
| A．is in favor of | B．is in honor of | C． is in charge of | D．is in need of |
What is mainly discussed in this passage?
| A．How newspapers are made. |
| B．People in a newspaper newsroom. |
| C．How news is collected and edited. |
| D．People in charge of the newspaper industry. |
If practicing an attitude of gratitude(感激) during the storms of life is too much for you right now, that’s OK. When things are tough, most people have a hard time being thankful. They’re so caught up in what’s wrong in the present moment that they simply can’t see some things are still right.
If that’s true for you, then accept it. You’re going through a particularly difficult or unhappy period of time, and you don’t like it one bit. Very normal, very human. But remember this: there is always something to be grateful for. It maybe only a small comfort right now, but it is a start. Make a list of some of the terrible things that didn’t happen. For example:
●You’re in debt...but you’re not homeless.
●You lost your job...but you didn’t lose your health.
●You broke your leg...but you didn’t break your neck.
●Your mother has Alzheimer’s disease...but your father doesn’t.
No matter how bad things are, they could always be worse. Start finding gratitude for what might have happened, but didn’t. It does help a lot. Of course, you may not be thankful for everything— but you can always be thankful for something.The passage is intended for those who ________.
| A．have done a lot for others | B．have met with difficulties in life |
| C．have something to do in return | D．don’t know how to be thankful |
The writer thinks it ______ for people to feel unhappy in time of difficulty.
| A．understandable | B．necessary | C．impossible | D．helpful |
How many “terrible things that didn’t happen” are listed in this passage?
| A．Two. | B．Three. | C．Four. | D．Five. |
What is the purpose of this passage?
| A．To discuss ways to make a list of terrible things. |
| B．To explain what is gratitude towards the storms of life. |
| C．To persuade people to be thankful for what didn’t happen. |
| D．To show people different ways to consider their tough situations. |
How is the passage organized?
| A．Explanation—Comparison—Topic |
| B．Argument—Opinion—Discussion |
| C．Comparison—Argument—Explanation |
| D．Introduction—Discussion—Conclusion |