Standing alone at Browns party，Anna Mackintosh thought about her husband Edward，establishing him clearly in her mind’s eye. He was a thin man，forty-one years of age，with fair hair that was often untidy．In the seventeen years they’d been married he had changed very little：he was still nervous with other people，and smiled in the same shy way，and his face was still almost boyish．
She believed she had failed him because he had wished for children and she had not been able to supply any．She had been annoyed for this fact over the years and in the end，quite some time ago now，she had consulted Dr.Abbat at Edward’s request.
In the Browns’rich living room，its walls and ceilings giving out a bright light with a metallic surface of imitation gold，Anna listened to dance music coming from a tape recorder and continued to think about her husband．
In a moment he would be at the party too，since they had agreed to meet there，although by now it was three quarters of an hour later than the time he had planned to come.
The Browns were people he knew in a business way，and he had said he thought it wise that he and Anna should attend this gathering of theirs. She had never met them before，which made it more difficult for her，having to wait about，not knowing a soul in the room．
When she thought about it she felt herself unfairly treated，for although Edward was kind to her and always had been，it was far from thoughtful to be as late as this. Because of her nervous condition she felt afraid and had developed a sickness in her stomach．She looked at her watch and sighed．What made Anna feel that she had failed her husband，Edward?
| A．Her bad relationship with her husband． |
| B．Her husband's youthful appearance |
| C．Her inability to have children |
| D．Her nervousness at parties |
Why did Anna stand alone at the party?
| A．Her husband’s nervousness affected her |
| B．She didn’t like the Browns． |
| C．She wanted to enjoy the music． |
| D．She didn’t know anybody in the room |
Anna started to get angry because
| A．she wasn’t feeling well |
| B．her husband had usually been more thoughtful |
| C．she hated to see the Browns' wealth |
| D．she came to know that Mr．Brown was only a businessman |
Why did Edward want Anna to attend the party?
| A．He knew that he was going to be late． |
| B．He believed she would impress the Browns． |
| C．He thought it clever for her to associate with the Browns． |
| D．He wanted her to learn how to do business from the Browns |
Which of the following statements is NOT true?
| A．Edward had changed very little in character and appearance in the seventeen years after he got married. |
| B．Anna went to the Btowns’ house alone． |
| C．Anna was very anxious to meet her husband |
| D．It was exactly half an hour after the party began that Edward arrived at the Browns’party. |
Tre’S mom，Christina Thompson, cannot believe how much her son already learned this year in his full-day, free pre-school class in Oklahoma City. “Since he’s been in school his vocabulary has increased surprisingly,” Thompson says. “The other day he came home and said, ‘You know what ，mom? You are being ridiculous，” Thompson laughs quietly. “And then he asked, ‘Do you know what ‘ridiculous’ means, mom?’” Tre knows the entire alphabet, his numbers to 100，and he’s starting to read. And letters and numbers aside, Thompson is most struck by how fast Tre is absorbing vocabulary and language.
Of course, not all pre-school is created equal. High quality pre-schools have well-trained, well-educated teachers in the classroom (much like Tre Thompson’s teacher Mrs. Wallace, who uses play-based learning to teach both academics and social skills and can rattle off (飞快说出） a battery of data on how well her students are progressing towards their year-end goals). Texas can also offer a model for educator development: its Texas School Ready! Campaign has proven to increase the quality of participating pre-schools by providing early childhood teachers with coaching, professional development, research-based curriculum (课程)，and progress monitoring. States and districts should also combine pre-school with the K-12 system, as Oklahoma does ，so that children enter kindergarten smoothly.
Oklahoma is one of the leading states in providing students like Tre with free ，full-day pre-school. And the results are already paying off: According to a 2012 study, Oklahoma kids that went through pre-school showed vocabulary gains 28% higher than those of children without pre-school, and math gains 44% higher than non-pre-school kids. And we know that high-quality pre-school doesn’t just mean higher scores in elementary school. They were more likely to have graduated from high school and less likely to have committed a violent crime. They also earned more money and were more likely to be employed.
We know pre-school works, so let’s stop talking and start building a system where all children have access to excellent early childhood education. As any well-educated four year old could tell us, not doing so would be ridiculous.The case of Tre in the first paragraph serves as the evidence of______.
| A．children’s disrespect towards parents |
| B．the bad performance of students at school |
| C．the positive effect of pre-school on children |
| D．Thompson’s doubt about her son’s education |
At high quality pre-schools, children may learn by______
| A．playing | B．modelling | C．researching | D．monitoring |
It can be inferred that______.
| A．children can not enter kindergarten without pre-school |
| B．Oklahoma is the best state offering full-day pre-school |
| C．all pre-schools have well-trained, well-educated teachers |
| D．kids with pre-school may be better equipped for their future |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Not all pre-school works |
| B．All pre-school is created equal |
| C．We owe our kids universal pre-school |
| D．Pre-school goes well with K-12 system |
Using too much water or throwing rubbish into our rivers are clear ways that humans can put our water supply in danger, but we also affect our water supply in less obvious ways. You may wonder how paving(铺砌) a road can lead to less useable fresh water. A major part of the water we use every day is groundwater. Groundwater does not come from lakes or rivers. It comes from underground. The more roads and parking lots we pave, the less water can flow into the ground to become groundwater.
Human activity is not responsible for all water shortages. Drier climates are of course more likely to have droughts(干旱) than areas with more rainfall, but in any case, good management can help to make sure there is enough water to meet our basic needs .
Thinking about the way we use water every day can make a big difference, too. In the United States, a family of four can use 1.5 tons of water a day! This shows how much we depend on water to live, but there’s a lot we can do to lower the number.
You can take steps to save water in your home. To start with, use the same glass for your drinking water all day. Wash it only once a day. Run your dishwasher only when it is full. Help your parents fix any leaks in your home. You can even help to keep our water supply clean by recycling batteries instead of throwing them away.Which of the following is most likely to lead to less groundwater?
| A．Using river water. | B．Throwing batteries away. |
| C．Paving parking lots. | D．Throwing rubbish into lakes. |
What can be inferred from the text?
| A．All water shortages are due to human behavior. |
| B．It takes a lot of effort to meet our water needs |
| C．There is much we can do to reduce family size. |
| D．The average family in America makes proper use of water. |
The last paragraph is intended to .
| A．show us how to fix leaks at home |
| B．tell us how to run a dishwasher |
| C．prove what drinking glass is best for us |
| D．suggest what we do to save water at home |
The text is mainly about .
| A．how human activity affects our water supply |
| B．how much we depend on water to live |
| C．why droughts occur more in dry climates |
| D．Why paving roads reduces our water |
The Healthy Habits Survey shows that only about one third of American seniors have correct habits. Here are some findings and expert advice.
1. How many times did you brush your teeth yesterday?
Finding：A full 33% of seniors brush their teeth only once a day.
Step：Remove the 300 types of bacteria in your mouth each morning with a battery-operated toothbrush.
Brush gently for 2 minutes, at least twice a day.
2. How many times did you wash your hands or bathe yesterday?
Finding：Seniors, on average, bathe fewer than 3 days a week. And nearly 30% wash their hands only 4 times a day----half of the number doctors recommend.
Step：We touch our faces around 3,000 times a day-often inviting germs(病菌)to enter our mouth, nose, and eyes. Use toilet paper to avoid touching the door handle. And, most important, wash your hands often with hot running water and soap for 20 seconds.
3. How often do you think about fighting germs?
Finding：Seniors are not fighting germs as well as they should.
Step：Be aware of germs. Do you know it is not your toilet but your kitchen sponge(海绵)that can carry more germs than anything else? To kill these germs, keep your sponge in the microwave for 10 seconds.What is found out American seniors?
| A．Most of then have good habits. |
| B．Nearly 30% of then bathe three days a week. |
| C．About one third of them brush their teeth only once a day |
| D．All of then are fighting germs better than expected.. |
Doctors suggest that people should wash their hands.
| A．eight times a day | B．three times a day |
| C．four times a day | D．twice a day |
Which of the following is true according to the text?
| A．We should keep from touching our faces. |
| B．There are less than 300 types of bacteria in the mouth. |
| C．A kitchen sponge can carry more germs than a toilet. |
| D．We should wash our hands before touching a door handle. |
The text probably comes from .
| A．a guide book | B．a popular magazine |
| C．a book review | D．an official document |
What time of day can you think most quickly? Are you a morning person? Or does it take you a few hours to get your brain going? A lot of recent research suggests that we should pay attention to our body clock. It can tell us what time of day we can perform best at.
Many people work best later in the morning. This is because the body’s temperature takes time to rise through the day. Taking a warm shower when you wake up can help your body’s temperature rise quickly.
But everyone’s body clock is different and some are special. Morning people will get up early and
work better early in the day. Evening people will work later but work better towards the end of the day. Research shows that we’re better at some activities at certain times of the day. Physical performance is at its best between 3 pm and 6 pm, so it’s better to exercise later in the day.
Between noon and 4 pm, people begin to pay less attention. This is because we think less quickly
after a big meal. Research also shows we become sleepy around 2 pm. This is why people in Spain take a short sleep in early afternoon. Finally, it is best to eat when we’re active. This allows our body
to burn calories better and stops our blood sugar levels from getting too high.__________ can tell us what time of day we can perform best at.
| A．Morning people | B．A warm shower |
| C．Our body temperature. | D．Our body clock |
A morning people will ________.
| A．get later but work better |
| B．work better early in the day. |
| C．only work in the morning |
| D．go to bed late every night. |
What is the best time for physical performance?
| A．Between 3 pm and 6 pm | B．Between 7 pm and 10 pm. |
| C．Between noon and 4 pm | D．Between 5 pm and 8 pm. |
Why is it best to eat when we’re active?
| A．Because eating makes the brain unable to think quickly. |
| B．Because it makes our blood sugar levels higher. |
| C．Because our body can burn more calories. |
| D．Because we are allowed to eat then. |
What is the best title for this article?
| A．How can we work better |
| B．The best time to exercise |
| C．How can we keep healthy |
| D．The perfect time to do something |
“Find a job you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life.” Do you agree with this old saying? Joanne Gordon does. She is the author of Be Happy at work and other books about careers(职业). Gordon believes that about 30% of employees(雇员) in North America do not like their jobs, and she thinks that is terrible. She wants to help people who do not feel satisfied with their jobs find work that is good for them. Joanne says, “There are no happy jobs, only happy workers.” She believes that happy workers share three main characteristics.
First, happy workers enjoy the daily activities of their jobs, and they look forward to the workday. Take Tony Hawk, for example. At age 14, he became a professional skateboarder. Now he is a businessman working on projects related to skateboarding—films and video games, but he still skates every day. He once said, “My youngest son’s pre-school was recently asked what their dads do for work. My son said, ‘I’ve never seen my dad do work.’” Tony agrees that his job doesn’t look like work. He has found a way to spend each day doing a job he enjoys.
Second, happy workers like the people they work with. Sally Ayote says, “I work with the coolest people in the world.” She and her group cook for almost 1,200 people in Antarctica. Most of these people are scientists who are doing research. Sally loves to sit and talk with them. She says, “There is no television here, no radio, so I get to know the scientists and what they’re studying.” Sally thinks she has a great job, and the best part about it is the people.
Third, happy workers know that their work helps others. Caroline Baron’s work helps people who have had to leave their home countries because of war or other dangers. She is a filmmaker who started an organization called FilmAid, which shows movies in refugee(难民) camps around the world. Caroline believes that movies can be very helpful in these camps. For one thing, entertaining movies let refugees forget their troubles for a little while. Movies can also teach important subjects like health and safety. For example, in one camp, thousands of refugees saw a movie about how to get clean water. Caroline knows that is helping other people, and this makes her feel proud and happy about her work.
Tony Hawk, Sally Ayote, and Caroline Baron all get great satisfaction from their work. Tony Hawk says, “Find the thing you love. If you are doing what you love, there is much more happiness there than being rich or famous.” Joanne Gordon would agree. She encourages people to find something they enjoy doing, find people they like to work with, and find ways to help others. Then they can be proud of what they do, and they will probably be happy at work.Who is the book, Be Happy at Work, written for?
| A．Joanne Gordon herself. |
| B．Tony Hawk, Sally Ayote, and Caroline Baron. |
| C．People who do not feel satisfied with their jobs. |
| D．The workers who agree with the author’s ideas. |
Why did Tony Hawk’s son say, “I’ve never seen my dad do work.”?
| A．Because Tony Hawk’s job doesn’t look like work. |
| B．Because Tony Hawk always finds something enjoyable in his job. |
| C．Because Tony helps people forget their troubles while skating. |
| D．Because the best part about his job is to spend each day skating. |
Tony Hawk, Sally Ayote, and Caroline Baron are good examples that show us ____________.
| A．how to be a successful businessman |
| B．how to help people in difficulties |
| C．how to get along with the coolest people |
| D．how to become a happy worker |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Some people believe that only a few kinds of jobs can really make people feel happy. |
| B．The writer of the passage tells us that many different kinds of work can be enjoyable. |
| C．The author of Be Happy at Work thinks that happiness at work is really important. |
| D．Joanne Gordon believes that people will probably be happy at work when they are proud of what they do. |