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. |
Sydney—Mobile phone has become a problem for middle schools. Some middle schools in Australia have banned（禁止）students from carrying mobile phones during school hours.
Mobile phone use among children has become a problem for the school this year. Several children have got mobile phones as Christmas gifts, and more students want them.
Mary Bluett, an official, said mobile phone use is a distraction（分心）to students during school hours and it also gives teachers so much trouble in their classrooms. Teachers were also saying that sometimes students might use phone messages to cheat during exams.
She said some schools had tried to ban mobile phones. Some parents felt unhappy because they couldn’t get in touch with their children.
Many teachers said students should not have mobile phones at school, but if there was a good reason, they could leave their phones at school offices. They also said there were many reasons why the students should not have mobile phones at school: they were easy to lose and were a distraction from studies.
Many people say that they understand why parents would want their children to have phones, but they think schools should let the students know when they can use their mobile phones. Some middle schools in Australia have banned students from carrying mobile phones ____________.
| A．because they are students | B．when they are at school |
| C．because they are young | D．when they are free |
We know from the passage that some children get mobile phones from ____________.
| A．the makers and sellers | B．some other strangers |
| C．their parents and friends | D．some mobile phone users |
Some parents felt unhappy because they couldn’t during school hours.
| A．get in touch with their children | B．leave their mobile phones |
| C．help the teachers with their work | D．use their mobile phones |
The underlined word “they” in the fifth paragraph refers to ____________.
| A．many teachers | B．some messages |
| C．mobile phones | D．some students |
The topic mainly talked about in the text is ____________.
| A．why the students should not use mobile phones in some Australian schools |
| B．when the students of some Australian schools can use their mobile phones |
| C．whether the Australian students can have mobile phones at school |
| D．how some parents feel when their children should not carry mobile phones |
Laptop computers are popular all over the world. People use them on trains and airplanes, in airports and hotels. These laptops connect people to their workplace. In the United States today, laptops also connect students to their classrooms.
Westlake College in Virginia will start a laptop computer program that allows students to do schoolwork anywhere they want. Within five years, each of the 1500 students at the college will receive a laptop. The laptops are part of a $10 million computer program at Westlake, a 110-year-old college. The students with laptops will also have access to（可利用）the Internet. In addition, they will be able to use e-mail to “speak” with their teachers, their classmates, and their families. However, the most important part of the laptop program is that students will be able to use computers without going to computer labs. They can work with it at home, in a fast-food restaurant or under the trees-anywhere at all!
Because of the many changes in computer technology, laptop use in higher education, such as colleges and universities, is workable. As laptops become more powerful, they become more similar（相似）to desktop computers. In addition, the portable computers can connect students to not only the Internet, but also libraries and other resources. At Westlake College, more than 60 percent of the staff use computers. The laptops will allow all teachers to use computers in their lessons.
State higher-education officials are studying how laptops can help students. State officials are also testing laptop programs at other universities, too.The main purpose of the laptop program is to give each student a laptop to ____________.
| A．use for their schoolwork | B．access the Internet |
| C．work at home | D．connect them to libraries |
Why is the word “speak” in the second paragraph in quotation marks（引号）?
| A．They don’t really talk. | B．They use the computer language. |
| C．Laptops have speakers. | D．None of the above reasons is correct. |
Which of the following is true about Westlake College?
| A．All teachers use computers. | B．1500 students have laptops. |
| C．It is an old college in America. | D．Students there can do everything. |
“A window on the world” in the last paragraph means that students can ____________.
| A．attend lectures on information technology |
| B．travel around the world |
| C．have free laptops |
D．get information  from around the world |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．The program is successful. | B．The program is not workable. |
| C．The program is too expensive. | D．We don’t know the result yet. |
Edmund Halley（哈雷）was an English scientist who lived over 200 years ago. He studied the observations of comets（彗星）which other scientists had made. The orbit（轨道）of one particular comet was a very difficult mathematical problem. He could not work it out. Neither could other scientists who dealt with such problems.
However, Halley had a friend named Newton, who was a brilliant（有才华的） mathematician. Newton thought he had already worked out that problem, but he could not find the papers on which he had done it. He told Halley that the orbit of a comet had the shape of an ellipse（椭圆）.
Now Halley set to work. He worked out the orbits of some of the comets that had been observed by other scientists. He made a surprising discovery. The comets that had appeared in the years 1531, 1607, and 1682 all had the same orbit. Yet their appearances had been 75 to 76 years apart（相隔）.
This seemed very strange to Halley. T
he different comets followed the same orbit. The more Halley thought about it, the more he thought that there had not been three different comets, as people thought. He decided that they had simply seen the same comet three times. The comet had gone away and had come back again.
It was an amazing idea! Halley felt certain enough to make a prediction（预言）of what would happen in the future. He decided that this comet would appear in the year 1758. There were 53 years to go before Halley’s prediction could be tested.
In 1758 the comet appeared in the sky. Halley did not see it, for he had died some years before. Ever since then that comet has been called Halley’s comet, in his honor.Edmund Halley worked out the orbit of ____________.
| A．some different comets appearing several times |
| B．the same comet appearing at different times |
| C．three different comets appearing three times |
| D．several comets appearing at the same time |
Halley made his discovery ____________.
| A．by doing experiments |
| B．by means of his own careful observation |
| C．by studying the work of other scientists |
| D．by chance |
Halley
made a surprising, but correct prediction（预言）in the year ____________.
| A．1704 | B．1705 | C．1706 | D．1707 |
This passage in general is about ____________.
| A．Halley and other scientists | B．the orbit of a comet |
| C．Newton and Halley | D．Halley and his discovery |
According to the passage, which of the flowing is NOT true?
| A．Newton worked out the orbit of the comet. |
| B．Halley worked out the orbit of the comet first. |
| C．Newton gave Halley some help. |
| D．Halley died before 1758. |
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Jay Chou（周杰伦）is a well-known name both in Taiwan and mainland. He is now one of Asia’s hottest pop stars. His catchy tunes have main-streamed（主流）rap and R&B in the Mando-pop world. In the past his teacher thought he was dumb（木讷）. Talent spotters（观察者）thought he was ugly. But his success proves that the music still matters more than looks and image. His musical talent（才能）is recognized by fans, fellow-singers and producers. Now, a singing contest was held in Taiwan
Chou appeared at the contest with band “Nan Quan Mama”, which was discovered by Chou. Their first album the Summer of Nan Quan Mama, composed and produced by Chou was a great success.
Chou started his career at a singing contest, attracting the attention of record producers. But the successful singer does not believe in luck. He says it’s his passion for music and hard work that are keys to his success. He said, “I didn’t know how to sing at the beginning, so I lost the first time. But I was so determined that I never stopped trying. My advice to these young singers is never to give up, and always believe in yourself. ”
Chou’s confidence has strengthened his music. He is a great source of inspiration to youngsters who share his determination to become a superstar. The best title for this passage can be ____________.
| A．From an ugly dumb to a superstar |
| B．Jay Chou’s way to success |
| C．Jay Chou and his band |
| D．Jay Chou’s life |
The underlined part “matters more” most probably means ____________.
| A．better | B．more different |
| C．more difficult | D．more important |
Which of the following is NOT true about Jay Chou?
| A．Jay Chou is confident towards music. |
| B．He is a determined man. |
| C．He succeeded the first time he appeared on the stage. |
| D．Though not good-looking, he has a gift for music. |
____________ make Jay Chou a success according to the passage.
| A．His luck and talent for music |
| B．His talent for music and look |
| C．His looks and luck |
| D．His passion for music and hard work |
Jay Chou’s musical talent is recognized by the following except ____________.
| A．his teachers | B．fellow-singers |
| C．producers | D．fans |
You wake up in the morning, the day is beautiful and the plans for the day are what you have been looking forward to for a long time. Then the telephone rings, you say hello, and the drama starts. The person on tbe other end has a depressing tone in his voice as he starts to tell you how terrible his morning is and that there is nothing to look forward to. Are you still in a wonderful mood? Impossible!
Communieating with negative people can wash out your happiness. It may not change what you think, but communicating long enough with them will make you feel depressed for a moment or a long time.
Life brings ups and downs, but some people are stuck in the wrong idea that life has no happiness to offer. They only feel glad when they make others feel bad. No wonder they can hardly win others’ pity or respect.
When you communicate with positive people, your spirit stays happy and therefore more positive things are attracted. When the knife of a negative person is put in you, you have the heavy feeling that, all in all, brings you down.
Sometimes we have no choice but to communicate with negative people. This could be a co-worker, or a relative. In this case, say what needs to be said as little as possible. Sometimes it feels good to let out your anger back to the negative person, but this is to lower you to that same negative level and they won’t feel ashamed of themselves about that.
Negativity often affects happiness without even being realized. The negative words of others at the start of the day can be attached to you throughout the rest of your day, which makes you feel bad and steals your happiness. Life is too short to feel negative. Stay positive and avoid negativity as much as possible.The purpose of Paragraph 1 is to.
| A．make a comparison | B．introduce a topic |
| C．offer an instructive story | D．tell a true story |
How can negative people have effect on us?
| A．By influencing our emotion. |
| B．By telling us the nature of life. |
| C．By changing our way of thinking |
| D．By comparing their attitude to life with ours. |
Some negative people base their happiness on —.
| A．their pity for other people | B．their respect for others |
| C．building up a positive attitude | D．making other people unhappy |
According to the passage, to reduce negative people’s influence on us, we are advised.
| A．to change negative people’s attitude to life |
| B．to show our dissatisfaction to negative people |
| C．to make negative people feel as hamed of themselves |
| D．to communicate with negative people as little as possible |