Recently, professor of philosophy（哲学）in the United States has written a book called Money and the Meaning of Life. He has discovered that how we deal with money in our daily life has more meaning than we usually think. One of the exercises he asked his students to do is to keep a record of every penny they spend for a week. From the way they spend their money, they can see what they really value in life.
He says our relations with others often become clearly defined（清晰的）when money enters the picture. You might have wonderful relationship with somebody and you think that you are very good friends. But you will know him only when you ask him to lend some money. If he does, it brings something to the relationship that seems stronger than ever before or it can suddenly weaken the relationship if he doesn’t. This person may say that he has a certain feeling, but if it is not carried out in the money world, there is something less real about it.
Since money is so important to us, we consider those who possess a lot of it to be very important. The author interviewed some millionaires in researching his book.
Question: What is the most surprising thing you have discovered about being rich, because you are a self-made man?
Answer: The most surprising thing is how people give me so much respect. I am nothing. I don’t know much. All I am is rich.
People just have an idea of making more and more money, but what is it for? How much do I need for any given purposes in my life? In his book, the professor uncovered an important need in modern society: to bring back the idea that money is an instrument rather than the end. Money plays an important role in the material world, but expecting money to give happiness may be missing the meaning of life.According to the first paragraph, people have not realized ______.
| A．how important money is in their daily life |
| B．how one spends money shows what is important to him |
| C．that money is more important than their philosophy of life |
| D．that their understanding of life is more important than money |
The author seems to believe that asking your friend to lend you some money ________.
| A．is a good way to test your friendship |
| B．will do harm to your friendship |
| C．will strengthen your friendship |
| D．is a good way to break off your friendship |
What does the American professor of philosophy want to explain in his book?
| A．Money is an end． | B．Money is a means． |
| C．Money is everything． | D．Money is unimportant |
The underlined phrase “enter the picture” in the second paragraph can be replaced by “_________”.
| A．is used up | B．is spent on pictures |
| C．is paid in the right way | D．is paid attention to |
What can we learn about the millionaire from his answer in the interview?
| A．He doesn’t feel that he is well educated. |
| B．He doesn’t think he is a very important person. |
| C．He doesn’t consider himself to be very successful. |
| D．He doesn’t think that being rich deserves so much attention. |
Anne and Joseph are talking about an interesting question. Why do some people change their names? There can be many reasons. Hanna changed her name to Anne because she thought it would be easier for people to remember. On the other hand, Joseph is thinking about changing his name to an unusual name because he wants to be different.
People have a lot of reasons for changing their names. Film stars, singers, sportsmen and some other famous people often change their names because they want names that are not ordinary, or that have special sound. They chose the “new name” for themselves instead of the name their parents gave them when they were born.
Some people have another reason for changing their names. They have moved to a new country and want to use a name that is usual there. For example, Li Kaiming changed his name to Ken Lee when he moved to the United States. He uses the name Ken at his job and at school. But with his family and Chinese friends, he uses Li Kaiming. For some people, using different names makes life easier in their new country.
In many countries, a woman changes her family name to her husband’s after she gets married. But today, many women are keeping their own family name and not using their husband’s. Sometimes, women use their own name in some situations（情况）and their husband’s in other situations. And some use both their own name and their husband’s.Hanna changes her name to Anne because “Anne” is for people to remember.
| A．louder | B．easier | C．prettier | D．harder |
Famous people want their new names to .
| A．have special sound | B．be ordinary |
| C．have no meaning | D．be unknown |
Mr. Li uses his new name when he .
| A．stays with his family | B．is at his job |
| C．is among Chinese friends | D．comes back to China |
Which of the following statement is TRUE?
| A．Women have to change their names when they get married. |
| B．Women can’t use their husband’s name without permission. |
| C．If a singer becomes famous, he or she has to change his or her name. |
| D．Some people changed their names in order to get much more attentions. |
What is the best title（标题）of this passage ?
| A．Family Names | B．Women’s Names |
| C．Changing Names | D．Special Names |
Everyone knows that exercise is important. We all need to exercise. Doctors say it is good for us. It makes your heart and body strong. Children who often exercise are more alert (灵活). This means they do better in tests and schoolwork than those who don’t exercise.
There are many ways to exercise. You can walk, run, swim, skate, or play ball games. Make sure you exercise in the following ways; you have to like what you’re doing. Exercise enough— but not too much. It’s best to exercise twice each week, Thirty minutes each time is enough. Try all kinds of things until you find one, two or even three sports that feel right for you.
You can exercise at fitness centers. They have a lot of equipment（设备）there. The equipment will help to exercise your arms, legs and other parts of your body to make you fit. Some people buy equipment for their homes. But it is very expensive.
Exercising can be fun. Friends can exercise together at a fitness center or they can play sports together. How do you exercise?In the text, the writer tells us that we all need to .
| A．drink | B．sleep | C．exercise | D．work |
Which of the following sports is not mentioned (提到) in the next?
| A．Fishing | B．Running | C．Swimming | D．Walking |
The words “fitness centers” in the next mean .
| A．商务中心 | B．健身中心 | C．购物中心 | D．医疗中心 |
The sentence, Children who often exercise are more alert, tells us that people who often exercise can do better in .
| A．running | B．skate | C．swim | D．studies |
Exercising can be fun, because .
| A．it makes your heart and body strong |
| B．it makes you study better |
| C．people can buy equipment for their home |
| D．friends can play sports together |
English is spoken as a first language by most people in the USA, Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Canada. However, English is spoken all over the world. It is the main language in over 60 countries, such as India, Singapore and in many of the Caribbean and Pacific islands. In those places English is often a second language.
English is also as an important international language in many other countries, like China and Japan. People in these countries use it for business, and travelers to these countries use English when they get there. Other people may learn English because they enjoy reading books in English, listening to British or American music or watching American films.
English has changed a lot these years and still goes on changing. It is no longer right to talk about British English or American English if the speaker doesn’t come from those countries. People in Japan or Korea, for example, may use the American spelling but may not sound like Americans.
English will be the most widely used language in the world in the 21st century. This language no longer belongs to British, American or Australian speakers. It belongs to anyone who can use this language. After you leave school, you will almost certainly need it.In how many countries is English spoken as a first language in the world?
| A．Five. | B．Four. | C．Three. | D．Six. |
In which other countries is English spoken as a main language?
| A．Britain, USA and Australia. |
| B．India, Singapore and many of Caribbean and Pacific islands. |
| C．China and Japan. |
| D．New Zealand, Ireland and Canada. |
People from other countries learn English for .
| A．passing exams |
| B．business and traveling |
| C．reading English books, enjoying English music or watching films |
| D．Both B and C |
If people in Japan or Korea use the American spelling, they .
| A．will speak the same as Americans |
| B．may not sound like Americans |
| C．will speak British English |
| D．will speak English much better |
Which topic is the best for the passage?
| A．A first language in the world. |
| B．A second language in the world. |
| C．English around the world. |
| D．A useful language. |
Most people look forward to retirement as a time when they can finally take up activities that they never had the time or energy to pursue before. Bust some recent studies on people in their golden years are disturbing: they suggest that retirees are more likely to suffer from depression and possibly higher rates of other diseases such as heart disease and high blood pressure. That’s why a new study of French workers is welcome news.
Led by Hugo Westerlund, a professor of psychology at Stockholm University, the study of more than 14,000 workers found lower rates of depression and fatigue(疲劳) in people after they got tired while they were still employed.
The scientists followed the employees of the French national gas and electric company for 14 years. They found in the year immediately after retirement, the volunteers reported 40% fewer depressive symptoms than they had in the year before their retirement. The researchers also found an 81% drop in reports of both mental and physical fatigue over the same time period.
Clearly, said Westerlund, much of these decrease in physical and mental fatigue can be traced back to relief from the stresses of work. The decline in depressive symptoms suggests that retirement may be having a positive mental effect, too, which may have a lot to do with the generous pensions(养老金) that French workers enjoy. Most retirees in that country still benefit from about 80% of their yearly salaries.
“The economic or financial situation in retirement is very important,” Westerlund says. “We don’t know if the decrease in fatigue and depressive symptoms is because of the removal of something bad while in work or the addition of something good while in retirement. But no matter the reason, if life in retirement is not comfortable, then we won’t see the improvements we did.”
However, in European nations like France, governments are considering changes to pension plans, which may affect retirees’ health after they leave their jobs—with less of a financial safety net, workers may no longer seem so mentally and physically happy to be out of work.
(Note: Answer the questions or complete the statements in NO MORE THAN TEN WORDS)According to some recent studies, retired people may have depression and higher rates of other disease like ____________________________________.
Westerlund’s group found that in the year just after the retirement most retired French workers felt much less tired both __________________________________.
What dies the word “improvements” in paragraph 5 refer to?
_______________________________________________________________Retirement may make people happier with ___________________________________
LONDON—Life for Cathy Hagner and her three children is set to permanent(永久的) fast-forward.
Their full school day and her job as a lawyer's assistant are busy enough. But Hagner also has to take the two boys to soccer or hockey or basketball while dropping off her daughter at piano lessons or Girl Scout Club.
Often, the exhausted family doesn't get home until 7 pm. There is just time for a quick supper before homework. In today's world, middle-class American and British parents treat their children as if they are competitors racing for some finishing line.
Parents take their children from activity to activity in order to make their future bright. It seems that raising a genius has become a more important goal than raising a happy and well-balanced child.
"Doctors across the country are reporting a growing number of children suffering from stomachaches and headaches due to exhaustion and stress," says child expert William Doherty of the University of Minnesota.
Teachers are dealing with exhausted kids in the classroom. It's a very serious problem. Many children attend after-school clubs by necessity. But competitive pressures also create an explosion of activities. They include sports, language, music and math classes for children as young as four.
"There is a new parenting trend under way which says that you have to tap all your child's potential at a young age; otherwise you will let him down,” says Terry Alter, a Cambridge-based child and adolescent psychiatrist （青少年精神病专家）
"It isn't entirely new: there have always been pushy parents. But what was previously seen as strange behaviour is now well accepted."From the second paragraph of this passage we can find that ______.
| A．Hagner wastes much time helping her children's lessons |
| B．Hagner doesn't spend much time on her full-time job |
| C．Hagner is interested in spots and music |
| D．Hagner busies herself by following a trend |
British parents, as the writer described in this passage, _____.
| A．treat their children as spots players |
| B．pay no attention to their children's lessons |
| C．bring up their children in a simple way |
| D．give their children little time to develop freely |
The writer's opinion about after-school clubs is that ______.
| A．activities in the country are too competitive |
| B．children should attend four clubs at a time |
| C．some clubs result in competitive pressures |
| D．clubs should have more subjects for school children |
The last paragraph tells us that in Britain ______.
| A．parents used to take their children to every club |
| B．parents used to be wise on how to raise children |
| C．parents have all benefited from children's clubs |
| D．parents have come to know the standard of education |