Finally, I got a part – time job working at the local coffee shop. I had figured that the job would be easy. However, the actual situation was not what I had expected. The customers were hard to please. There was always too much sugar, too little ice, or not enough skimmed milk. However, I kept at it.
One rainy day, Hank, one of my regular customers, came in looking sad and defeated. I asked what the problem was and if we could help, but Hank wouldn’t tell me any details. He just said he felt like going to bed, pulling the sheets up over his head, and staying there for a few days. I knew exactly how he felt.
Before he left, I handed him a bag of his favorite type of doughnuts along with his iced coffee. He looked at me skeptically because he hadn’t ordered anything else except iced coffee.
“It’s on me,” I told him. “Have a nice day.”
He smiled and thanked me before turning around and heading back out into the rain.
The next day was a horrible one. The rain kept pouring down and I spent my afternoon hanging out the window, handing people their orders. What’s worse, no one felt like tipping that day.
However, around 7:00 pm, Hank drove up to the window. Instead of ordering anything, he handed me a single pink rose and a little note. He said that few people take the time to care about others nowadays and he was glad there were still people like me in the world. I was speechless and very touched; I hadn’t thought that I had done anything incredible.
The note read:
Christine,
Thanks for being so sweet, kind and thoughtful yesterday. I was sincerely touched by you. It is so nice to meet someone that’s nice, warm, sensitive and unselfish. Please don’t change your ways because I truly believe that you will excel. Have a great day!
Hank
Later, I did come across more complaining customers. But anytime I felt sad or just sick of coffee, I thought of Hank and his kindness. Then I would smile, hold my head up high, clear my throat and ask politely, “How can I help you?”How did the author feel after he began to work at the coffee shop?
| A．Disappointed. | B．Confused. | C．Excited . | D．Satisfied. |
What happened to the regular customer of the author?
| A．He was very sick and had to stay in bed for some days. |
| B．He was not satisfied with the coffee served to him. |
| C．He was anxious to stay at home for a long time. |
| D．He was not feeling himself for some reasons. |
What does the underlined word “skeptically” probably mean in the passage?
| A．questioningly | B．hopefully | C．anxiously | D．excitedly |
It was Hank who helped the author realize the importance of .
| A．patience in one’s work |
| B．being kind to regular customers |
| C．taking time to care about others |
| D．sticking to one’s own career |
What is the best title of the passage?
| A．Coffee Shop Kindness | B．A Warm – hearted Man |
| C．My Part – time Job | D．A Horrible Raining Day |
Psychologists tell us that there are four basic stages that human beings pass through when they enter and live in a new culture．This process begins with the “honeymoon stage”．This is the period of time when we first arrive in which everything about the new culture is strange and exciting．We may be suffering from “jet lag” but we are thrilled to be in the new environment, seeing new sights, hearing new sounds and language, eating new kinds of food．This stage can last for quite a long time because we feel we are involved in some kind of great adventure．
Unfortunately, the second stage can be more difficult．After we have settled down into our new life, we can become very tired and begin to miss our homeland and our family, friends, pets．All the little problems in life seem to be much bigger and more disturbing when you face them in a foreign culture．This period of cultural adjustment can be very difficult and lead to rejecting or pulling away from the new culture．
The third stage is called the “adjustment stage”．This is when you begin to realize that things are not so bad in the host culture．Your sense of humour usually becomes stronger and you realize that you are becoming stronger by learning to take care of yourself in the new place．Things are still difficult, but you are now a survivor!
The fourth stage can be called “at ease at last”．Now you feel quite comfortable in your new surroundings．You can cope（deal） with most problems that occur．You may still have problems with the language, but you know you are strong enough to deal with them．This passage mainly talks about ________．
| A．culture and foreign language learning | B．adventures in a foreign land |
| C．getting used to a new culture | D．the interaction of different cultures |
Which of the following best describes the first stage?
| A．Lonely and depressed | B．Bored and homesick |
| C．Happy and excited | D．Angry and frustrated |
According to the passage, people are most likely to return to their own culture at the ________stage．
| A．1st | B．2nd | C．third | D．fourth |
It can be concluded from the passage that ________．
| A．people feel better in their own culture |
| B．it is not easy to adapt to a new culture |
| C．culture shock doesn’t occur at the beginning |
| D．it is human nature to long for adventures |
He's an old cobbler（修鞋匠） with a shop in the Marais, a historic area in Paris．When I took him my shoes, he at first told me: “I haven't time．Take them to the other fellow on the main street ; he'll fix them for you right away．”
But I'd had my eye on his shop for a long time．Just looking at his bench loaded with tools and pieces of leather, I knew he was a skilled craftsman． “No,” I replied, “the other fellow can't do it well．”
“The other fellow” was one of those shopkeepers who fix shoes and make keys “while-U-wait” — without knowing much about mending shoes or making keys．They work carelessly, and when they have finished sewing back a sandal strap （鞋带） you might as well just throw away the pair．
My man saw I wouldn't give in, and he smiled．He wiped his hands on his blue apron （围裙）, looked at my shoes, had me write my name on one shoe with a piece of chalk and said, “Come back in a week．”
I was about to leave when he took a pair of soft leather boots off a shelf．
“See what I can do?” he said with pride． “Only three of us in Paris can do this kind of work．”
When I got back out into the street, the world seemed brand-new to me．He was something out of an ancient legend, this old craftsman with his way of speaking familiarly, his very strange, dusty felt hat, his funny accent from who-knows-where and, above all, his pride in his craft．
These are times when nothing is important but the bottom line, when you can do things any old way as long as it “pays”, when, in short, people look on work as a path to ever-increasing consumption（消费） rather than a way to realize their own abilities．In such a period it is a rare comfort to find a cobbler who gets his greatest satisfaction from pride in a job well done．Which of the following is true about the old cobbler?
| A．He was equipped with the best repairing tools． |
| B．He was the only cobbler in the Marais． |
| C．He was proud of his skills． |
| D．He was a native Parisian． |
The sentence “He was something out of an ancient legend．” （ paragraph 7 ） implies that______
| A．nowadays you can hardly find anyone like him |
| B．it was difficult to communicate with this man |
| C．the man was very strange |
| D．the man was too old |
According to the author, many people work just to__________．
| A．realize their abilities | B．gain happiness |
| C．make money | D．gain respect |
This story wants to tell us that__________．
| A．craftsmen make a lot of money | B．whatever you do, do it well |
| C．craftsmen need self-respect | D．people are born equal |
Looking back on China's road to outer space, people can easily find it has not been very smooth．In the past years, Chinese people have made hard and determined efforts to realize the dream their ancestors had for thousands of years．
After China's first satellite into the Earth's orbit in 1970 came four flights of unmanned Shenzhou spaceflight from 1999 to 2002．The country carried out its first one-piloted spaceflight in October．2003, making China the third country in the world to have independent human spaceflight ability after the Soviet Union and the United States．Then came another breakthrough on October 12, 2005．
when Shenzhou 6, China's second human spaceflight, was launched, with a crew of two astronauts．What's more, the landmark （里程碑 ）spacewalk done by Zhai Zhigang, one of the three boarding Shenzhou 7, launched on Sept．25, 2008, leads the country further in its space exploration．
Meanwhile, China's moon exploration project, started in 2004, has also been progressing satisfactorily. Fifty years after the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, the world's first man-made satellite, China's first circumlunar（绕月的 ）satellite Chang’e 1 took off on Oct．24, 2007, which became the third landmark in China's space achievements after the above-mentioned manned flights．Change 1 was expected to fulfill four scientific goals, one of which was to explore mineral elements on the moon, especially those not existent on the Earth. It's said that the lunar regolith （月壤 ） is abundant in helium-3, a clean fuel that may support the Earth's energy demands for more than a century．Nearly 3 years later, Oct．1, 2010 witnessed the launching of Chang'e 2, China's 2nd unmanned lunar probe, marking another step forward in moon exploration．This time the aim is to test the key techniques of Chang'e 3 and Chang'e 4, as a preparation for a soft lunar landing in the future．
With great expectations, people all over the world are looking forward to China's greater space achievements．According to the text, which of the following is TRUE?
| A．China sent its first satellite into the Moon's orbit in 1970． |
| B．China is the third country in Asia to make human spaceflight． |
| C．By now, 5 astronauts have made successful spaceflight by Shenzhou spaceship． |
| D．The launching of Chang'e 1 became the third landmark in China's space achievements． |
Paragraph 2 mainly deals with the information about China's___.
A．landmark spacew alk |
B．manned Shenzhou spaceflight |
| C．first circumlunar satellite | D．unmanned Shenzhou spaceflight |
We can infer from the text that____．
| A．China's road to outer space has been very smooth for a long time |
| B．the lunar regolith is believed to be poor in a clean fuel called helium-3 |
| C．China's scientists are researching into techniques for soft lunar landing |
| D．China's lunar exploration project was started in 2004 and completed in 2007 |
What can be the best title for the text?
| A．Ancient Chinese's Dream | B．The World's Great Expectations |
| C．China's Moon Exploration | D．China s Major Space Achievements |
The author's attitude towards China's space exploration is___.
| A．negative | B．positive |
| C．discouraged | D．uninterested |
The UK has a well-respected higher education system and some of the top universities and research institutions in the world．But to those who are new to it all, sometimes it can be confusing．
October is usually the busiest month in the college calendar．Universities have something called Freshers' Week for their newcomers．It's a great opportunity to make new friends, join lots of clubs and settle into university life．
However, having just left the comfort of home and all your friends behind, the outlook of meeting lots of strangers in big halls can be nerve-wracking （令人头痛的）．Where do you start? Who should you make friends with? Which clubs should you join?
Luckily, there will be thousands of others in the same boat as you worrying about starting their university social life on the right foot．So just take it all in slowly．Don't rush into anything that you'll regret for the next three years．
Here are some top advice from past students on how to survive Freshers' Week:
·Learn rules．Make sure you know British social manners．Have a few wine glasses and snacks handy for your housemates and friends．
·Be kind．Sometimes cups of tea or even slices of toast can give you a head start in making friends．
·Be sociable．The more active you are, the more likely you'll be to meet new people than if you're someone who never leaves their room．
·Bring a doorstop．Keep your door open when you're in and that sends positive messages to your neighbors that you're friendly．
So with a bit of clever planning and effort, Frsshers' Week can give you a great start to your university life and soon you'll be passing on your experience to next year's new recruits．Which of the following statements is FALSE according to the passage?
| A．It's a good idea to bring a doorstop． |
| B．A hit of planning can make Freshers' Week easier． |
| C．October is generally the busiest month for universities in the UK． |
| D．The first week of your even- year at university is called Freshers' Week． |
We can infer from the 4th paragraph that____ ．
| A．the newcomers usually miss the days living at home |
| B．many freshers are worried about how to fit university life |
| C．most of the students in the L K spend three years in universities |
| D．all the new students will make new friends and join certain clubs |
Why does the author suggest having wine glasses and snacks handy?
| A．To pass the busy university life． | B．To pass the time in a happy way． |
| C．To show yourself a drinker as others． | D．To help make friends with others． |
The underlined word "recruits．" in the last paragraph refers to____．
| A．courses | B．freshers | C．neighbors | D．challenges |
The main purpose of the p
assage is to____．
| A．advise the freshers how to behave well in universities |
| B．discuss something about the Freshers' Week in the UK |
| C．tell the newcomers how to make a new start in universities |
| D．introduce something about higher education system of the UK |
The fact that blind people can see things using parts of their bodies apart from their eyes may help us to understand our feelings about color．If they can sense color differences, then perhaps we, too, are affected by color without knowing it．Salesmen have discovered by experience over a long period of time that sugar sells badly in green wrappings, that blue foods are considered not agreeable to the taste, and that cosmetics（化妆品） should never be packed in brown．These discoveries have grown into a whole subject of color psychology．
Some of our preferences are 
clearly psychological．Dark blue is the color of the night sky and therefore connected with calm, while yellow is a day color connected with energy and encouragement．Experiments have shown that colors, partly because they are connected with psychology, also have a direct effect on people's mind．People in bright red surroundings show an increase in breathing speed, heartbeat and blood pressure．Red is exciting．Pure blue has exactly the opposite effect; it is a calming color．Being exciting, red was chosen as the signal for danger, but a closer study shows that a bright yellow can produce a more basic state of alarm, so fire engines in some advanced areas are now rushing around in bright yellow colors that stop buses, trucks and cars．The passage tells us that salesmen have____ ．
| A．tried colors on blind people |
| B．found out that colors affect sales |
| C．developed a special subject of color psychology |
| D．discovered the relationship between color and psychology |
It can be inferred from the passage that__ _．
| A．blind people cannot sense color differences |
| B．foods sell well in green or blue wrappings |
| C．w hat color we prefer depends on our state of mind |
| D．a bright color has exactly the opposite effect to red |
The most effective color in the passage for warning people is____．
| A．red | B．dark blue | C．green | D．bright yellow |
If someone is in an angry mood, which color is better for him to
become quiet?
| A．Red． | B．Dark blue． | C．Brown． | D．Bright yellow |
Which of the following do you think is the best title for the passage?
| A．Colors and Feelings | B．Colors and Sales |
| C．The Blind and Colors | D．Preferences for Colors |