Last week, my granddaughter started kindergarten, and I wished her every success. But part of me didn’t. I actually wanted her to fail in some ways because I believe that failure can be good for our learning process. Success is proving that you can do something that you already know you can do, or doing something correctly the first time, which can often be a problematic (存在问题的) victory. First-time success is usually a fluke (侥幸). First-time failure, by contrast, is expected to be the natural order of things. Failure is how we learn.
In Africa they describe a good cook as “She who has broken many pots.” If you’ve spent enough time in the kitchen to have broken a lot of pots, probably you know a fair amount about cooking. I once had dinner with a group of cooks, and they spent time comparing knife wounds and burn scars. They knew how much credibility (可信) their failures gave them.
I earn my living by writing a daily newspaper column. Each week I am aware that one column I write is going to be the worst column. I try my best every day. I have learned to cherish that column. A successful column usually means that I am discussing my familiar topic, writing in a style I am used to or saying the same things as anyone else but in a fancy way.
My younger daughter is a trapeze artist. She spent three years putting together a show, and she did it successfully for years. There was no reason for her to change it but she did anyway. She said she was no longer learning anything new and she was bored. And if she was bored, there was no point in subjecting (使……服从于) her body to all that stress. She risked failure and great public embarrassment in order to feed her soul.
My granddaughter is a perfectionist. She will feel her failures, and I will want to comfort her. But I will also, I hope, remind her of what she learned, and how she can do better next time. I hope I can tell her, though, that it’s not the end of the world. Indeed, with luck, it is the beginning.Why did the author want his granddaughter to fail?
| A．Success is boring though beneficial. |
| B．She would learn more from failure. |
| C．It’s impossible to do everything successfully. |
| D．He wanted her to be strong enough to face hardships. |
What’s the author’s attitude toward his daughter changing her show?
| A．Negative | B．Worried | C．Positive | D．Ambiguous(模凌两可的) |
The author develops the article mainly by __________.
| A．giving examples |
| B．following the time order |
| C．comparing different opinions |
| D．presenting a cause and analyzing its effects |
The writer talked about his own experience to show that _________.
| A．we cannot depend on luck to live a good life |
| B．we should try every possible way to avoid failure |
| C．past failures made him dare not take risks in writing |
| D．the thought of failure will make you work even harder |
Moving to a new city and state was difficult for me, especially in winter. Little did I know that a Colorado snowstorm would greet me after I had been in my new home for only a week.
I just missed home. But more than the old house and the beach, I missed Stacey, my best friend. And I missed our lovely tea. Going to a sweet little tearoom, we had discovered was a special treat for us. The place was a Victorian dream, with delicate teacups and tablecloths with flower prints. The hat shelf near the front door swept us back to childhood. Stacey and I became little girls, trying on different hats until we found the perfect one for our dress-up tea party. We would then choose a lovely table and order our tea. That was a precious time, filled with laughter between scones（煎饼） and sharing our lives between tiny cucumber sandwiches.
Springtime descended upon Denver, and the sun lightened my heart. But I still fought loneliness almost every day. I decided to explore the Denver area. While my husband went to the office, I took time to see what our new area had to offer.
One day, I was walking along the street when suddenly the words "Tea Leaves" caught my eye. A tea room? Here, in the land of loneliness and pain?
I walked through the doors, and tears came to my eyes. It was a beautiful room, not Victorian, but simple and lovely.
I sat down and ordered a pot of tea, a cucumber sandwich, and some scones.It felt silly and wonderful --- and it felt like home. For the first time since moving, I felt as if this new city and state could be, would eventually be, my home. I would come back here and bring new friends. When Stacey visited, we would come here.
I lifted my cup and made a silent toast. I toasted Stacey, whom I missed ly, and I toasted the sweet little tearoom that lessened my pain. The author's hometown ______________.
| A．never snows |
| B．is still warm in winter |
| C．has a long history |
| D．is in an area by the sea |
The underlined word "treat" in Paragraph 2 probable means ____________.
| A．delicious food | B．something pleasant |
| C．service | D．a kind of tea party |
We can know from Paragraph 3 that the author ______________.
| A．didn't adapt to the new life |
| B．felt comfortable in the new environment in spring |
| C．didn't feel lonely any more in spring |
| D．wanted to actively adapt to the new environment |
Which of the following about "Tea Leaves" is true?
| A．It made the author recall her childhood. |
| B．It looks silly and wonderful. |
| C．Cucumber sandwiches and scones are its specialties. |
| D．It touched the author. |
We can infer from the text that the author would probably ____________.
| A．open her own teahouse |
| B．ask the owner of the teahouse to decorate it like a home |
| C．make new friends in Denver |
| D．go back to her hometown to visit Stacey |
Ways to Deal with the Problem of Energy
There are different ways in which people try to deal with the problem of energy.One way is the greater production of common energy sources,such as coal,oil and gas.The trouble with these sources,however,is that they are not renewable.
Another way is energy conservation(节能),which means using energy more efficiently.In some very cold countries people build special houses to save energy.They place materials between the inside and the outside of the walls of the house to keep the cold out and warmth in.The house is heated by the lights,the body heat of the people and the other equipment in it.
Finally,renewable energy sources are used even though they are often expensive to develop.One form of these is geothermal energy.In certain parts of the world the temperature of the earth increases thirty degrees centigrate with each kilometer down.At six kilometers,therefore,it rises to nearly 200degrees.To get the heat,water is pumped down into the rocks and back up to the surface.Heat from the earth is already used in certain countries.The writer tells about “the special houses”because they______.
| A．show the excellent skills of the builders |
| B．serve as an example of the energy conservation |
| C．are heated by different sources of energy |
| D．are warmer than other types of energy |
The underlaned words”geothermal energy”in the third paragraph mean____.
| A．renewable source | B．underground source |
| C．heat inside the earth | D．temperature of the earth |
At a place where the surface temperature is 15degrees centigrade,how deep do you have to dig so as to get a temperature of 75 degrees centigrade?
| A．One km. | B．Two km. | C．Three km. | D．Four km. |
At five he was collecting old newspapers to make money.And when he was fifteen he signed his schoolmates up to start a baby-sitting circle(保姆中心).
Now 20,third- year Cambridge University student,Peter Blackburn is the managing director of company with a 30,000 pounds plan.And he thinks he will make more than $15,000 by next summer.
He set up Peter Blackburn Company last year to bring out a new color term-planner(学期计划)that now students all over the UK are using.
“I felt that most of the planners going around were pretty unimaginative,”he says.”I believed that I could do a better job and decided to have a go.”
Blackburn agrees that he is putting far more effort into business than his computer studies course at university.While fellow students are out with their friends,he keeps in touch with his business office in Lancashire by mobile phone.Before he set up the company he spent one holiday preparing a plan that would persuade the bank to lend him money.
“Most students work hard for a good degree because they believe that will help them get a job to support themselves,”he says.”I work hard at my company,because that is what will support me next year,after I leave college.”
Friends believe that Blackburn will make one million pounds within five years.
He is not quite so sure,however.”There is a lot to be done yet,”he says.When he was quite young,Blackburn______.
| A．already made a lot of money |
| B．already had a business brain |
| C．was already a managing director of a company |
| D．already set up his own business |
The underline expression in the fourth paragraph “have a go”means______.
| A．give up his job and have a new one |
| B．leave the company |
| C．have a try |
| D．develop my business quickly |
Which of the following best explains why Blackburn works hard at his company?
| A．He wants to do more business practice before he leaves college. |
| B．He wants to make more money before he leaves college. |
| C．He wants to get a good job like most students after he leaves college. |
| D．He depends on the company for his living in the future. |
Choose the right order of the facts given in the passage.
a.He spent his holiday preparing a plan.
b.He collected newspapers.
c.He set up his own company.
d.He asked the bank for money
e.He set up a baby-sitting circle
| A．e,b,c,a,d | B．b,e,a,d,c | C．b,e,d,a,c | D．b,e,c,a,d |
To communicate well with other people,you must learn to speak well,right?
Yes,but speaking isn’t everything.Some experts say that only thirty percent of communication comes from talking.Your gestures and other non-verbal(非语言的)actions matter,too.But in different cultures,the same action can have different meanings.
When you have to meet someone from a different culture,be prepared.Do you know what kind of gestures and customs are appropriate(合适的)？If you understand culture differences,you’ll be a better communicator—even before you open your mouth!
In many Western cultures,men stand up before they are introduced to someone important.Standing up shows politeness and respect.After that,somepne usually offers to shake hands.
But in the east,typical(典型的)introductions often begin and end with bowing(鞠躬)rather than shaking hands.Sometimes even a small nod(点头) of the head is enough.Some Westerners visiting Asia misunderstand shaking hands as a sign of unfriendliness.Such a mistake could be harmful to the start of a new frienship.According to the passage,which of the following is true?
| A．All experts agree that only 30% of communication comes from talking. |
| B．Typical introductions often begin and end with shaking hands in Western culture. |
| C．In different countries,the same gesture may mean different meaning. |
| D．If you don’t know the culture of a country , you will not misunderstand the gesture. |
What is the main idea of the last paragraph?
| A．Misunderstanding will stop the frienship from developing. |
| B．Nodding is just OK. |
| C．Introduction can build friendship. |
| D．Shaking hands is most important. |
Which is NOT mentioned in the passage?
| A．You must stand up when you are introduced. |
| B．You should show your politeness when you are introduced. |
| C．You will do the same when you are introduced. |
| D．Our gestures and other nonverbal actions are very important. |
How do you understand the underlined sentence?
| A．Before you speak. |
| B．Knowing the different cultures is clever. |
| C．As soon as you talk. |
| D．Understanding the different cultures can help you communicate well. |
In the past,when people had problems,they went to their families or friends to get advice.Today it is possible to get advice from radio shows.TV programs or telephone hot lines,too.A hot line is a telephone line that offers a direct way of getting in touch with advicers.Most hot lines are completely anonymous(匿名的)—callers do not have to say their names or telephone numbers.Most hot lines are usually free,too.Callers do not have to pay for their advice or the phone calls—even if the calls are long distance.At some hot lines,the advicers are volunteers.Other hot lines pay their advicers for their work.Usually the advicers are full-job people with years of education and experience,but sometimes the advicers have only taken a short class before starting to work on the hot line.All the advicers listen to the people and help them solve their problems.A hot line is a telephone line ______.
| A．that is hot |
| B．through which people get advice |
| C．whose number no one knows |
| D．through which callers take a short class |
When people call the hot line advicers,they______.
| A．often give their names and telephone numbers |
| B．generally have to pay for the long distance calls |
| C．usually pay nothing for most of the calls and advice |
| D．always try to get in touch with the volunteer advicers |
The advicers working at hot lines______.
| A．are not all paid |
| B．have all been trained for a short time |
| C．are all volunteers |
| D．all have years of education and experience |
The writer of the article seems to think that______.
| A．with hot lines people won’t get advice from their families and friends |
| B．hot lines help the callers a lot |
| C．people had better pay for the advice and phone calls |
| D．the hot line advicers will solve all of the callers’ problems |