I decided to have dinner in the hotel, for I arrived late one night on a business trip. As I was finishing my meal, an elderly couple came in to dine. They were holding hands and had lovely smiles on their faces. They sat three tables from me. I was amazed at the love they showed for each other. It seemed to strike home all the more, because it was shortly after ending a 20-year marriage and I still had pain in my heart.
My waiter was also their waiter. As I paid my bill, I inquired as to what their bill was. He informed me, and I gave him $40 to pay their bill. He asked if I knew them and I told him "No, I just wanted to repay them for the love that they were showing to each other," and then I departed.
The next day I entered the restaurant to dine before my departure. After I had been seated, the waiter who served me the night before told me that the strangest thing happened after I left the restaurant.
When the elderly couple went to pay for their meal, they were informed that it had been paid. When they inquired who had done this, the hostess told them they had no idea who I was, just retelling what I said.
The couple were amazed. They looked around, asked for the bill of two young couples who were seated together, paid their bill and departed, saying "Love begets(产生) Love" to the amazement of the hostess and waiter.
I smiled and said "That's nice," and proceeded to order my meal.
About 45 minutes later, I finished my meal and was about to head out, but my waiter was nowhere to be found. I waited and waited and finally walked over to the hostess stand and explained that I needed to pay for my meal and hurry to the airport. She smiled and explained that I would not have to pay for my meal, because both the waiter and she felt compelled to pay my bill due to the joy that was brought to the faces of the elderly couple and the amazement of the young couples.
When I told her that they didn't have to do that, she said with a smile "Love begets Love."The writer’s purpose of writing the passage is to .
A.suggest love never dies |
B.share an interesting experience |
C.encourage us to help people in need |
D.prove a show of love really makes a difference |
Why did the elderly couple pay the bill of the two young couples?
A.Because they were always ready to help poor people. |
B.Because they were happy to pass the love they gained. |
C.Because they invited the young people to the meal. |
D.Because they didn’t want to take the advantage of the writer’s generosity. |
What can be inferred from the story?
A.The love between the elderly couple deeply touched the writer who was single. |
B.The young couples paid the bill of other customers in the restaurant. |
C.The waiter left on purpose and made the writer stay alone to test him. |
D.The writer did all this to prove his belief in love. |
Which of the following proverbs can best explain the theme of the story?
A.A good beginning makes a good ending. |
B.Where there is love, there is life. |
C.Love me, love my dog. |
D.As a man sows, so shall he reap (收获). |
The most important holiday in spring, especially for Christians, is Easter. This Christian holiday is not on the same date every year,but it’s always on a Sunday. It can be any Sunday between March 22 and April 25. Many people celebrate Easter by buying new clothes. Children celebrate by hunting for colored eggs that their parents have hidden around the house. People also give Easter baskets filled with candy and other goodies to one another to celebrate the day.
But the holiday is more than new clothes and good things to eat. On Easter, many people go to church to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection(复活)from the dead. Most people color Easter eggs. Some people hide them. Others just eat them. But no matter what one does with Easter eggs,they are an important Easter tradition throughout the Western world. People from many different cultures celebrate Easter. In both America and Belgium, children look for Easter eggs hidden on lawns and in bushes. In America, children believe the eggs are hidden by the Easter bunny (兔子).But in Belgium, the hidden eggs are supposed to have fallen from church bells. In Bulgaria (保加利亚), red Easter eggs are lucky in churches. Bulgarian families also hit these Easter eggs together to see whose is the strongest. The winner looks forward to good fortune that year. Still dozens of other Easter traditions exist. In parts of Austria,for example,children sing from door to door and are rewarded with colorful eggs.Easter comes _______.
A.on the same date every year |
B.on Sunday on March 22 |
C.on Sunday on April 25 |
D.on a Sunday between March 22 and April 25 |
To celebrate Easter, people ___________.
A.go shopping, hide colored eggs and children hunt for them |
B.give Easter baskets filled candy and goodies to one another |
C.buy new clothes, hide colored eggs and children look for them around the house |
D.both B and C |
For Christians the more important thing to do on Easter is________.
A.going to church to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection |
B.buying new clothes |
C.eating delicious food and paint color eggs |
D.exchange beautiful gifts each other |
People from different cultures have different ideas about Easter egg _________.
A.In both American and Belgium, children hunt for Easter eggs hidden in rooms and in bushes |
B.In Belgium, the hidden eggs are thought to have fallen from doorbells |
C.In American, children believe the eggs are hidden by the Easter bunny |
D.In America, the hidden eggs are supposed to have fallen from doorbells |
In some places of Austria, children sing from door to door for_______.
A.blesses | B.Easter eggs |
C.candy and goodies | D.Easter bunny |
Most people know that Marie Curie was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize, and the first person to win it twice. However, few people know that she was also the mother of a Nobel Prize winner.
Born in September, 1897, Irene Curie was the first of the Curies’ two daughters. Along with nine other children whose parents were also famous scholars, Irene studied in their own school, and her mother was one of the teachers. She finished her high school education at the College of Sévigné in Paris.
Irene entered the University of Paris in 1914 to prepare for a degree in mathematics and physics. When World War I began, Irene went to help her mother, who was using X-ray facilities(设备) to help save the lives of wounded soldiers. Irene continued the work by developing X-ray facilities in military hospitals in France and Belgrum. Her services were recognized in the form of a Military’s Medal by the French government.
In 1918, Irene became her mother’s assistant at the Curie Institute. In December 1924, Frederic Joliot joined the Institute, and Irene taught him the techniques required for his work. They soon fell in love and were married in 1926. Their daughter Helene was born in 1927 and their son Pierre five years later.
Like her mother, Irene combined family and career. Like her mother, Irene was awarded a Nobel Prize, along with her husband, in 1935. Unfortunately, also like her mother, she developed leukemia because of her work with radioactivity(辐射能). Irene Joliot-Curie died from leukemia (白血病)on March 17, 1956.Why was Irene Curie awarded a Military Medal?
A.Because she received a degree in mathematics. |
B.Because she contributed to saving the wounded. |
C.Because she won the Nobel Prize with Frederic. |
D.Because she worked as a helper to her mother. |
Where did Irene Curie meet her husband Frederio joliot?
A.At the Curie Institute. |
B.At the University of Paris. |
C.At a military hospital. |
D.At the College of Sevigne. |
When was the second child of Irene Curie and Frederic Joliot born?
A.In 1932. | B.In 1927. | C.In 1897. | D.In 1926. |
In which of the following aspects was Irene Cuire different from her mother?
A.Irene worked with radioactivity. |
B.Irene combined family and career. |
C.Irene won the Nobel Prize once |
D.Irene died from leukemia. |
Accidents and illness are unhappy things to talk about, but no one can expect to live a lifetime without having some kind of accident or becoming ill. Some accidents and illnesses are serious and may result in long periods of invalidism.
The newspapers contain spectacular accounts of accidents in the street and highways and public places, but nearly as many accidents occur around the home. Somebody trips on a rug. Somebody falls off a stepladder. Somebody is careless in cooking dinner, and is burned. Accidents incurred in the playing of sports and swimming also accounts for a large number of injuries, big and little. Despite constant campaigns to reduce the number of accidents, there are still approximately 100,000 accidental deaths and nearly 9,000,000 nonfatal injuries in the United States each year.
It has been estimated that around 3,000,000 people are constantly ill in the United States throughout the year and that over half the illness is caused by respiratory diseases, chiefly colds and influenza.
The pain and suffering caused by accidents and illness tell only half the story. Loss of time from school and work and medical and hospital expenses often make the pain seem worse. Money spent in this country for doctors, services, hospitalization, nursing care, drugs, medicines, Xrays, and special treatments, amounts to a huge annual sum. Added to this expense is another much larger amount that is lost to wage earners throughout the nation by reason of their loss of wages or income while sick or otherwise disabled.
Accident and health insurance is a form of insurance devised to protect against these economic losses. It protects the earning of wage earners and finishes financial aid to the family of the breadwinner by the payment of his doctor and hospital bills. Today, business and professional men, farmers, industrial workers, clerks and those engaged in various occupations, whose earning power is shut off for a week, a month, or sometimes years, because of accidents or illness can insure themselves against this financial loss by accident and health insurance.
Protection is available to all types of workers and the cost(called the premium)ranges from a few cents a day for small or limited policies to a month for policies paying larger amounts(called indemnities). Policy is another name for an insurance contract(合同). Most accident and health policies are cancelable policies—that is, they are sold for a definite term such as a week, a month, or a year, similar to contracts of fire insurance and automobile liability insurance. There are, however, policies which cannot be canceled or terminated(终止)by the insurance company until the policyholder reaches an age at which he usually has no further earning power—most often at sixty or sixtyfive years. These noncancelable policies cost more than the cancelable policies.What is the passage mainly concerned about?
A.Everyone will have some sort of illness or accident. |
B.Accident and health insurance is available to everyone. |
C.Cancelable insurance policies are better than noncancelable one. |
D.Insurance is a good protection against accidents and illness. |
Every year in the United States there are________.
A.more people die in accidents than of illness |
B.more people who are ill than those injured in accidents |
C.more outdoor accidents than indoor accidents |
D.more people injured in accidents than those who are constantly ill |
The heaviest pain and suffering caused by accidents and illness are________.
A.colds and influenza | B.financial losses |
C.loss of time | D.invalidism |
Accident and health insurance will protect people by________.
A.covering their medical expenditure |
B.paying their wages |
C.restoring their earning power |
D.providing policyholders with the money they need to survive |
When something goes wrong, it can be very satisfying to say, “Well, it’s soandso's fault.”or “I know I'm late, but it's not my fault; the car broke down.”It is probably not your fault, but once you form the habit of blaming somebody or something else for a bad situation, you are a loser. You have no power and could do nothing that helps change the situation. However, you can have great power over what happens to you if you stop focusing on whom to blame and start focusing on how to remedy the situation.This is the winner's key to success.
Winners are great at overcoming problems. For example, if you were late because your car broke down, maybe you need to have your car examined more regularly. Or,you might start to carry along with you the useful phone numbers, so you could call for help when in need. For another example, if your colleague causes you problems on the job for lack of responsibility or ability, find ways of dealing with his irresponsibility or inability rather than simply blame the person. Ask to work with a different person, or don't rely on this person. You should accept that the person is not reliable and find creative ways to work successfully regardless of how your colleague fails to do his job well.
This is what being a winner is all about—creatively using your skills and talents so that you are successful no matter what happens. Winners don't have fewer problems in their lives; they have just as many difficult situations to face as anybody else. They are just better at seeing those problems as challenges and opportunities to develop their own talents. So,stop focusing on “whose fault it is.”Once you are confident about your power over bad situations, problems are just stepping stone for success.According to the passage, winners __________.
A.meet with fewer difficulties in their lives |
B.have responsible and able colleagues |
C.blame themselves rather than others |
D.deal with problems rather than blame others |
The underlined word remedy in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to __________.
A.improve | B.avoid | C.accept | D.consider |
When your colleague brings about a problem, you should __________.
A.blame him for his lack of responsibility |
B.tell him to find the cause of the problem |
C.find a better way to handle the problem |
D.ask a more able colleague for help |
Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
A.A Winner's Opportunity. | B.A Winner's Problem. |
C.A Winner's Secret. | D.A Winner's Achievement. |
ARIZONA
Thunderbird Lodge in Canyon de Chelly
The Deal:A onenight stay at the historic lodge(小旅店)starts at $59 for a single room, $65 for a double room, and the lodge offers halfday tours of Canyon de Chelly($41 for adults and $32 for children under 12.)
Details:Hotel taxes are an additional 17.1 percent.
Time:Nov. 1,2006Mary. 31,2007
Contact:800/679-2473,tbirdlodge._come
CALIFORNIA
Zephyr Cove Resort at Lake Tahoe
The Deal:The Fall Getaway package includes a threenight stay in a lakeside cabin for two people, an Emerald Bay sightseeing for two, free breakfast and lunch. Rates are $299 per couple—saving of up to $400.
Time:Through Dec. 15,2006.
Detail:Hotel taxes are included.
Contact:800/23TAHOE,zephyrcove._come
NEVADA
MonteLago Village at Lake Las Vegas
The Deal:A onenight stay at the Mediterraneanstyle MonteLago Village, 17 miles from Las Vegas, and coupon tickets(优惠票)for iceskating and skate rentals. Rates start at $65 per person.
Time: Nov. 17,2006Jan. 15, 2007
Details:Hotel taxes are an additional 12 percent.
Contact:866/3992753,montelagovillage._com
YELLOWSTONE
Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel
The Deal:A twonight stay, breakfast daily, fullday ski rental, unlimited iceskating and skates, and a book of Yellowstone photos. Rates start at $ 119 per person.
Time:Jan. 1Mar. 2,2007
Details:Hotel taxes are an additional 8 percent.
Contact:866/4397375,travelyellowstone._comA couple, with their 13yearold son, had a halfday tour of Canyon de Chelly without stay on Nov. 13,2006.They should pay________.
A.$114 | B.$189 | C.$177 | D.$123 |
If a couple wants to have a cheap 3day trip, they had better contact________.
A.800/6792473 | B.866/3992753 |
C.800/23TAHOE | D.866/4397375 |
If you are interested in iceskating, you may find more information in________.
A.travelyellowstone._com & montelagovillage._com |
B.montelagovillage._com & tbirdlodge._com |
C.tbirdlodge._com & zephyrcove._com |
D.zephyrcove._com & travelyellowstone._com |