It’s five minutes before the exam and you are in a state of panic. You just have to pass it, but how? You didn’t even open the book the night before and you hear a voice in your head saying “Cheat, cheat ...” So what are you going to do, ignore it and fail or go for it? It’s a tough decision many students must make.
Most young people believe that cheating is wrong. However, they have cheated at least once in their high school years. So, why do they do it? Are they too lazy to study? Perhaps, it’s not as simple as that. According to some experts, one main reason why students cheat is that they see their friends get away with it. It’s an easy way out. They avoid embarrassment and their parents’ anger for not doing well in an exam. Another reason is that students think it’s OK to cheat if the subject isn’t important for their future career. What’s more, most students have to put up with the pressure of getting into university. They need to get good marks to carry on with their studies. This means that there will always be students who will do anything for a better mark.
It has never been easier to cheat than it is today. With all the technology available, students needn’t cheat by looking over their shoulders anymore. They use mobile phones to send answers to each other during a test. There is also the Internet. With hundreds of websites, students don’t have to worry because they can find lots of material which they can copy and use in projects. There are even tips on the art of cheating in exams.
Obviously, if you get caught cheating, you fail the exam or the subject. But it doesn’t really matter whether you get caught or not. What’s important is that it’s wrong. You mustn’t cheat because cheating is a lie. It deceives (欺骗) people into thinking you know more than you actually do. How can you be proud of something you have achieved through cheating? In the end, it’s not about deceiving your teachers and your parents, but about fooling yourself that you can do something you really can’t.The tough decision that many students have to make before an exam is .
| A．whether to cheat or not | B．what to do if they fail |
| C．how to cheat | D．how to keep calm |
According to the experts, why do some students cheat?
| A．The subjects are important for their future. | B．They are too lazy to study. |
| C．Cheating can help them please their parents. | D．Their friends ask them to cheat. |
The worst thing about cheating is that .
| A．you cheat others and yourself |
| B．you can get caught and fail |
| C．you give others a bad impression |
| D．your teacher will inform your parents |
Which sentence best summarizes the whole text?
| A．Cheating can be explained but not excused. |
| B．Technology has made cheating easier. |
| C．Students cheat to get into university. |
| D．Cheating is a social and psychological problem. |
In the United States, when one becomes rich, he wants people to know it. And even if he does not become very rich, he wants people to think that he is. That is what “keeping up with the Joneses” is about. It is the story of someone who tried to look as rich as his neighbors.
The expression was first used in 1913 by a young American called Arthur Momand. He told this story about himself. He began earning $ 125 a week at the age of 23. That was a lot of money in those days. He got married and moved with his wife to a very wealthy neighborhood outside New York City. When he saw that rich people rode horses, Momand went horseback riding every day. When he saw that rich people had servants, Momand and his wife also hired a servant and gave big parties for their new neighbors.
It was like a race, but one could never finish his race because one was always trying to keep up. The race ended for Momand and his wife when they could no longer pay for their new way of life. They moved back to an apartment in New York City.
Momand looked around him and noticed that many people do things just to keep up with rich lifestyle of their neighbors. He saw the funny side of it and started to write a series of short stories. He called it “Keeping up with the Joneses” because “Jones” is a very common name in the United States. “Keeping up with the Joneses” came to mean keeping up with rich lifestyle of the people around you. Momand’s series appeared in different newspapers across the country for over 28 years.
People never seem to get tired of keeping up with the Joneses. And there are “Joneses” in every city of the world. But one must get tired of trying to keep up with the Joneses because no matter what one does, Mr. Jones always seems to be ahead.Some people want to keep up with the Joneses because they ________.
| A．want to be as rich as their neighbors |
| B．want others to know or to think that they are rich |
| C．don’t want others to know they are rich |
| D．want to be happy |
It can be inferred (推断) from the story that rich people like to ________.
| A．live outside New York City | B．live in New York city |
| C．live in apartments | D．have many neighbors |
Arthur Momand used the name “Jones” in his series of short stories because “Jones” is _____.
| A．an important name | B．a popular name in the United States |
| C．his neighbor’s name | D．not a good name |
According to the writer, it is ________ to keep up with the Joneses.
| A．correct | B．interesting | C．impossible | D．good |
People who have lost the ability to understand or use words due to brain damage are called aphasics(失语症患者). Such patients can be extremely good at something else. From the changing expressions on speakers' faces and the tones of their voices, they can tell lies from truths.
Doctors studying the human brain have given a number of examples of this amazing power of aphasics. Some have even compared this power to that of a dog with an ability to find out the drugs hidden in the baggage.
Recently, scientists carried out tests to see if all that was said about aphasics was true. They studied a mixed group of people. Some were normal; others were aphasics. It was proved that the aphasics were far ahead of the normal people in recognizing false speeches -- in most cases, the normal people were fooled by words, but the aphasics were not.
Some years ago, Dr. Oliver Sacks wrote in his book about his experiences with aphasics. He mentioned a particular case in a hospital. Some aphasics were watching the president giving a speech on TV. Since the president had been an actor earlier, making a good speech was no problem for him. He was trying to put his feelings into every word of his speech.
But his way of speaking had the opposite effect on the patients. They didn't seem to believe him. Instead, they burst into laughter. The aphasics knew that the president did not mean a word of what he was saying. He was lying!
Many doctors see aphasics as people who are not completely normal because they lack the ability to understand words. However, according to Dr. Sacks, they are more gifted than normal people. Normal people may get carried away by words. Aphasics seem to understand human expressions better, though they cannot understand words.What is so surprising about aphasics?
| A．They can fool other people. | B．They can find out the hidden drags. |
| C．They can tell whether people are lying. | D．They can understand language better. |
How did the scientists study aphasics?
| A．By asking them to watch TV together. |
| B．By comparing them with normal people. |
| C．By giving them chances to speak on TV. |
| D．By organizing them into acting groups. |
What do we learn from this text?
| A．What one says reflects how one feels. |
| B．Aphasics have richer feelings than others. |
| C．Normal people often tell lies in their speeches. |
| D．People poor at one thing can be good at another. |
Maybe ten-year-old Elizabeth put it best when she said to her father, "But, Dad, you can't be healthy if you're dead."
Dad, in a hurry to get home before dark so he could go for a run, had forgotten to wear his safety belt-- a mistake 75% of US population make every day. The big question is why.
There have been many myths (神化,虚构的事) about safety belt ever since their first appearance in cars some forty years ago. The following are three of the most common.
Myth the Number One: It's best to be "thrown clear" of a serious accident.
Truth: Sorry, but any accident serious enough to "throw you clear" is able going to be serious enough to give you a very bad landing. And chances are you'll have traveled through a windshield (挡风玻璃)or door to do it. Studies show that chances of dying after a car accident are twenty-five times in cases where people are "thrown clear".
Myth Number Two: Safety-belts "trap" people in cars that are burning or sinking in water.
Truth: Sorry again, but studies show that people knocked unconscious due to not wearing safety belts have a greater chance of dying in these accidents. People wearing safety belts are usually protected to the point of having a clear head to free themselves from such dangerous situation, not to be trapped in them.
Myth Number Three: Safety belts aren't needed at speeds of less than 30 miles per hour (mph).
Truth: When two cars traveling at 30 mph hit each other, an unbelted driver would meet the windshield with a force equal to diving headfirst into the ground from a height of 10 metres. Why did Elizabeth say to her father, "But, Dad, you can't be healthy if you're dead"?
| A．He didn't have his safety belt on. |
| B．He was running across the street. |
| C．He was driving at great speed. |
| D．He didn't take his medicine on time. |
he reason father was in a hurry to get home was that he __________.
| A．wasn't feeling very well | B．hated to drive in the dark |
| C．wanted to take some exercise | D．didn't want to be caught by the people |
According to the text, to be "thrown clear" of a serious accident is very dangerous because you ________.
| A．may be knocked down by other cars. |
| B．may get serious hurt thrown out of the car |
| C．may find it impossible to get away from the seat |
| D．may get caught in the car door |
Some people prefer to drive without wearing a safety belt because they believe _______.
| A．they will be unable to think clearly in an accident |
| B．the belt prevents them from escaping in an accident |
| C．they will be caught when help comes |
| D．cars catch fire easily |
What is the advice given in the test?
| A．Never drive faster than 30 miles an hour. |
| B．Try your best to save yourself in a car accident. |
| C．Drive slowly while you're not wearing a safety belt. |
| D．Never forget to wear the safety belt while driving. |
Bowing is a very important custom in Japan. Unlike people in many other countries, they greet each other by bowing instead of shaking hands. It is impolite not to return a bow to whoever bows to you.
Bowing has many functions in one. It expresses the feeling of respect, thanks, regret, and so on. You can bow when you say, “thank you”, “sorry”, “hello”, “goodbye”, “congratulations”, “excuse me”, “good morning”, and more.
Bowing seems simple, but there are different ways of bowing. Bowing techniques vary from a small nod of the head to a long, 90-degree bow. It depends on the social position or age of the person you bow to. If your opposite is of higher social position or older than yourself, you are supposed to bow deeper and longer than him or her. It is polite to bow from your waist. Men usually keep their hands at their sides, and women usually put their hands together on their legs with their fingers touching. If it is not a very formal situation, you can bow by nodding. The most common bow is a bow of about 15 degrees.
You might feel strange doing it, but try to bow in Japan. You will be considered very polite!The author writes the passage mainly to _____.
| A．introduce the history of bowing in Japan |
| B．describe the purposes of bowing in Japan |
| C．describe different ways of bowing in Japan |
| D．introduce the Japanese custom of bowing |
By saying “Bowing has many functions in one”, the author means that _____.
| A．one kind of bow has many similar functions |
| B．people can express different feelings by bowing |
| C．people bow to express their feelings |
| D．the more times you bow, the more respect you receive |
How people greet in many countries?
| A．by bowing | B．by shaking hands |
| C．by kissing each other | D．by touching |
If an assistant wants to show respect to her professor, she may bow like _____.
A B C D
Today, roller skating is easy and fun. But a long time ago, it wasn't easy at all. Before 1750, the idea of skating didn't exist. That changed because of a man named Joseph Merlin. Merlin's work was making musical instruments. In his spare time he liked to play the violin. Joseph Merlin was a man of ideas and dreams. People called him a dreamer.
One day Merlin received an invitation to attend a fancy dress ball. He was very pleased and a little excited. As the day of the party came near, Merlin began to think how to make a grand entrance at the party. He had an idea. He thought he would get a lot of attention if he could skate into the room.
Merlin tried different ways to make himself roll. Finally, he decided to put two wheels under each shoe. These were the first roller skates. Merlin was very proud of his invention and dreamed of arriving at the party on wheels while playing the violin.
On the night of the party Merlin rolled into the room playing his violin. Everyone was astonished to see him. There was just one problem. Merlin had no way to stop his roller skates. He rolled on and on. Suddenly, he ran into a huge mirror that was hanging on the wall. Down fell the mirror, breaking to pieces. Nobody forgot Merlin's grand entrance for a long time!The text is mainly about_________.
| A．a strange man | B．how roller skating began |
| C．an unusual party | D．how people enjoyed themselves in the 18th century |
People thought Merlin was a dreamer because he________.
| A．often gave others surprises | B．was a gifted musician |
| C．was full of imagination | D．invented the roller skates |
Merlin put wheels under his shoes in order to_______.
| A．test his invention | B．arrive at the party sooner |
| C．impress the party guests | D．show his skill in walking on wheels |
What is the main point the writer is trying to make in the last paragraph?
| A．Merlin succeeded beyond expectation. |
| B．The party guests took Merlin for a fool. |
| C．The roller skates needed further improvement. |
| D．Merlin regretted what he had done |