Recently I came in contact with the true meaning of love． That would have been, Kane, a boy． Kane was the two-year-old son of Jolene, my new neighbor．
At a glance Kane was a sight． He’d been born with hard sticks for legs． And on that morning I witnessed the effect that Kane’s physical shortcomings had on his family． But I also witnessed much more than that．
I saw an extraordinary family that embraced this special child． A family that wouldn’t allow Kane to know he was different． Jolene had constructed a small cart just a few inches off the floor for his son to get around． Using his hands to move about, Kane moved the cart to “go to” any place just as everyone else was able to do． Kane worked that little cart like a master． Kane was a vital focus of the entire family． He was more than just a member of the family; he was the soul． This child was the driver, the motivator, and the founder of much of the interaction．
Much later in my life, I came to realize that God had sent this child to help some of us who just weren’t getting what love was all about． Even with my limited capacity for understanding at the time that Kane was a highly developed spirit with great wisdom．
Kane demanded attention, but not because of his mobility challenges or other apparent shortcomings． In his mind, he had no challenges or shortcomings． The truth is that he received attention because he was alive and real and had so much to offer．
Kane was and still is a lot of warm and powerful energy sent to us all, so we might learn that love surpasses all things． Kane, a fragile yet lovely baby, was here to teach us all an important lesson． And at the age of two he did just that． How did the author think of Kane’s family members?
| A．They were strange because they locked Kane at home． |
| B．It was respectable for them to start their own business． |
| C．It was ridiculous for them to make a cart for Kane． |
| D．They were greatly brave to face all the difficulties． |
How did Kane “get to” everywhere he wanted to go?
| A．By moving his cart with his own hands． |
| B．By asking his father to lead him ahead with a stick． |
| C．By asking his grandparents to push hin everywhere． |
| D．His parents specially employed a babysitter for him． |
According to the author, God made Kane with disability to help _______．
| A．his parents get to know their responsibility |
| B．his family members know the importance of union |
| C．people especially the healthy realize what love really means |
| D．people especially the disabled realize their inner power |
Kane needed attention because he wanted to show ________．
| A．he can challenge his difficulty in moving |
| B．he had challenges or shortcomings in his life |
| C．he himself needed to be looked after by others |
| D．he had the power to prove he was capable too |
What can we learn from Kane’s story?
| A．Love me, love my dog． |
| B．Love is above all things． |
| C．Many hands make light work． |
| D．Pure gold fears no fire． |
Have you heard of the scandal that happened in one of Great Britain’s biggest supermarket chains called Tesco? The British love Tesco as it sells very cheap products and it can be found on almost every corner of a British city or town.
On January 15th 2013 food inspectors discovered 30 % horsemeat in a certain brand of frozen beefburgers that were mostly sold by Tesco in the UK and Ireland.
In times of social media like Facebook and Twitter the news has spread fast and customers have been very concerned about what the food they buy actually contains. Tesco said it had taken away the burgers from the shop shelves immediately, and apologized to their customers. They also promised that they would find out what exactly happened and that they would work harder than ever so this would never happen again.Customers are also able to return the beefburgers and get a refund, that is, their money back.
However, it will be hard for Tesco to get the people’s trust back. Just imagine buying lovely beefburgers that you fry at home and suddenly you find out that you have actually eaten horsemeat! In this case not only horse lovers will be upset!
By the way, why are British people so shocked about eating horsemeat? In history, horses have played great roles as working animals and as an important means of transport. When Britons of today think of horses, they think of majestic animals or cute pets rather than meat.
But this is not the only reason for the protest: Customers also want to be sure that the products they buy contain what it says on the label.Hopefully, supermarkets can avoid mistakes like that in the future. Maybe there should be stricter regulations and more controls of our food?Otherwise we will soon find ourselves eating panda meat instead of pork and parrot instead of chicken. So the next time you are in a supermarket maybe check the ingredients of your food before you buy it or you could get a nasty surprise …What is the scandal?
| A．Tesco’s products were much more expensive than they are supposed to be. |
| B．Tesco didn’t react immediately to a food quality issue. |
| C．Tesco sold expired food. |
| D．Horsemeat was found in burgers sold in Tesco. |
What didn’t Tesco do in response to the scandal?
| A．It withdrew the beefburgers. |
| B．It made an apology to the public. |
| C．It investigated and found out the cause and effect of the scandal. |
| D．It returned money to customers who bought the beefburgers. |
Which statement isn’t among the reasons why customers are furious?
| A．People trusted Tesco so much that they never expected a scandal like this. |
| B．Everyone can call himself or herself a horse lover in the UK. |
| C．Sellers shouldn’t cheat customers. |
| D．The horse is humans’ friend. |
What is the nature of the scientific attitude, the attitude of the man or woman who studies and applies physics, biology, chemistry, geology, engineering, medicine or any other science?
We all know that science plays an important role in our societies. However, many people believe that our progress depends on two different aspects of science. The first aspect is the application of the machines, products and systems of knowledge that scientists and technologists develop. The second is the application of the special methods of thought and actionthat scientists use in their work.
What are these special methods of thinking and acting? First of all, it seems that a successful scientist is curious - he wants to find out how and why the universe works. He usually pays attention to problems which he notices have no satisfying explanation, andlooks for relationships even if the data available seem to be unconnected. Moreover,he thinks he can improve the existing conditions and enjoys trying to solve the problems which this involves.
He is a good observer, accurate, patient and objective（客观的） and uses the facts he observes to the fullest. For example, trained observers obtain a very large amount of information about a star mainly from the accurate analysis of the simple lines that appear in a spectrum（光谱）.
He does not accept statements which are not based on the most complete evidence available. He rejects authority as the only basis for truth. Scientists always check statements and make experiments carefully and objectively.
Furthermore,he does not readily accept his own idea, since he knows that man is the least reliable of scientific instruments and that a number of factors tend to disturb objective investigation.
Lastly,he is full of imaginationsince he often has to look for relationships in data which are not only complex but also frequently incomplete. Furthermore,he needs imaginationif he wants to guess how processes work and how events take place.
These seem to be some of the ways in which a successful scientist or technologist thinks and acts.Many people believe that science helps society to progress through ________.
| A．knowledge | B．more than one aspect |
| C．technology | D．the use of machines |
Which of the following statements about a curious scientist is TRUE?
| A．He doesn’t find confidence and pleasure in work. |
| B．He makes efforts to investigate potential connections. |
| C．He is interested in problems that are explained. |
| D．He looks for new ways of acting. |
According to the passage, a successful scientist would NOT ________.
| A．easily believe in unchecked statements |
| B．easily criticize others’ research work |
| C．always use his imagination in work |
| D．always use evidence from observation |
Which word can be used to describe the data that a good scientist uses?
| A．complete | B．accurate | C．objective | D．complicated |
What does the passage mainly discuss?
| A．Application of technology |
| B．Progress in modem society. |
| C．Scientists’ ways of thinking and acting |
| D．How to become a successful scientist. |
It is easy for us to tell our friends from our enemies. But can other animals do the same? Elephants can! They can use their sense of vision and smell to tell the difference between people who pose a threat and those who do not.
In Kenya, researchers have found that elephants react differently to clothing worn by men of the Maasai and Kamba ethnic groups. Young Maasai men spear animals and thus pose a threat to elephants; Kamba men are mainly farmers and are not a danger to elephants.
In an experiment conducted by animal scientists, elephants were first presented with clean clothing or clothing that had been worn for five days by either a Maasai or a Kamba man. When the elephants detected the smell of clothing worn by a Maasai man, they moved away from the smell faster and took longer to relax than when they detected the smells of either clothing worn by Kamba men or clothing that had not been worn at all.
Garment color also plays a role, though in a different way. In the same study, when the elephants saw red clothing not worn before, they reacted angrily, as red is typically worn by Maasai men. Rather than running away as they did with the smell, the elephants acted aggressively toward the red clothing.
The researchers believe that the elephants’ emotional reactions are due to their different interpretations of the smells and the sights. Smelling a potential danger means that a threat is nearby and the best thing to do is run away and hide. Seeing a potential threat without its smell means that risk is low. Therefore, instead of showing fear and running away, the elephants express their anger and become aggressive. According to the passage, which of the following statements is true?
| A．Maasai people are a threat to elephants. |
| B．Kamba people raise elephants for farming. |
| C．Both Kamba and Maasai people are elephant hunters. |
| D．Both Kamba and Maasai people traditionally wear red clothing. |
How did the elephants react to smell in the study?
| A．They attacked a man with the smell of new clothing. |
| B．They needed time to relax when smelling something unfamiliar. |
| C．They became anxious when they smelled Kamba-scented clothing. |
| D．They were frightened and ran away when they smelled their enemies. |
What is the main idea of this passage?
| A．Elephants attack people who wear red clothing. |
| B．Elephants use sight and smell to detect danger. |
| C．Scientists are now able to control elephants’ emotions. |
| D．Some Kenyan tribes understand elephants’ emotions very well. |
What can be inferred about the elephant’s behavior from this passage?
| A．Elephants learn from their experiences. |
| B．Elephants have sharper sense of smell than sight. |
| C．Elephants are more intelligent than other animals. |
| D．Elephants tend to attack rather than escape when in danger. |
A man claiming to be a pastor(牧师) apparently tried to stiff a waiter on a tip, explaining that his work for God allowed him not to leave one.
A photo of the receipt, posted to Reddit.com, shows a bill for $34.93 with an automatic 18 percent gratuity(小费) (or $6.29) added above a blank space for an additional tip.
“I give God 10%,” the diner wrote on the receipt, scratching out the automatic tip. “Why do you get 18?” He then wrote “Pastor” above his signature, and an emphatic “0” where the additional tip would be. (The automatic gratuity, however, had already been added to the total.)
The Reddit user who submitted the image explained in the comments section that the receipt was part of a total bill for a party of 20, which is why the gratuity was automatically added.
“Parties up to eight ... may tip whatever they’d like, but larger parties receive an automatic gratuity," the server wrote. "It’s in the computer; it’s not something I do.”
The server added: “They had no problem with my service, and told me I was great. They just didn’t want to pay when the time came.”
Scribbling(乱涂) notes on receipts has become something of a trend. Earlier this month, the manager of a North Carolina Red Robin surprised an overdue pregnant woman by comping her meal.
“Once seated, a manager came up to us and started talking,” the woman's husband told Consumerist. “He was extremely friendly and jokingly asked my wife if this was her last meal before heading to the hospital.”
When the check came, a note from the manager next to her portion of the bill read: “MOM 2 BEE GOOD LUC.”
“It was a pleasant surprise and made my tired-of-being-pregnant wife a little more cheery,” the man said.What did the pastor mean by saying, “I give God 10%. Why do you get 18?”
| A．He was bargaining with the waiter. |
| B．He didn’t mean to pay the gratuity at all. |
| C．God gave him the privilege not to pay a gratuity. |
| D．The gratuity had already been paid by his friends. |
What do you learn from the article?
| A．The pastor paid ten percent gratuity of the meal to God. |
| B．A party of six diners can choose whatever gratuity they want to pay. |
| C．According to the husband, the wife enjoyed the process of being pregnant. |
| D．The pastor paid $34.93 in total for the meal. |
What does the underlined word “stiff” mean?
| A．amuse | B．abuse | C．persuade | D．fail to pay |
Fourteen – year – old Richie Hawley had spent five years studying violin at the Community School of Performing Arts in Los Angeles when he took part in a violin contest. Ninety two young people were invited to the contest and Hawley came out first．
The contest could have been the perfect setup for fear, worrying about mistakes, and trying to impress the judges. But Hawley says he did pretty well in staying calm. “I couldn’t be thinking about how many mistakes I’d make — it would distract me from playing,” he says. “I didn’t even remember trying to impress people while I played. It’s almost as if they weren’t there. I just wanted to make music.”
Hawley is a winner. But he didn’t become a winner by concentrating on winning. He did it by concentrating on playing well．
“The important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part,” said the founder of the modern Olympics, Pierre de Coubertin. “The important thing in life is not the triumph (胜利) but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well.”
A characteristic of high performers is their intense, pleasurable concentration on work, rather than on their competitors or future glory or money, says Dr. Charles Garfield, who has studied 1,500 achievers in business, science, sports, the arts, and professions. “They are interested in winning, but they are most interested in self - development, testing their limits.”
One of the most surprising things about top performers is how many losses they’ve had and how much they’ve learned from each. “Not one of the 1,500 I studied defined losing as failing,” Garfield says. “They kept calling their losses ‘setbacks’.”
A healthy attitude toward setbacks is essential to winning, experts agree．
“The worst thing you can do if you’ve had a setback is to let yourself get stuck in a long depression. You should analyze carefully what went wrong, identify specific things you did right and give yourself credit for them.” Garfield believes that most people don’t give themselves enough praise. He even suggests keeping a diary of all the positive things you’ve done on the way to a goal．Hawley won the contest because ________．
| A．he put all his mind to his performance |
| B．he cared much about the judges’ feelings |
| C．he tried his best to avoid making mistakes |
| D．he paid close attention to the people around |
According to the passage, successful people concentrate on ________．
| A．challenging their own limits | B．learning from others |
| C．defeating their opponents | D．avoiding setbacks |
The passage tells us that “praise” in times of trouble ________．
| A．helps people deal with their disappointment |
| B．makes people forget their setbacks |
| C．makes people regret about their past |
| D．helps people analyze what went wrong |