Nails in the Fence篱笆上的钉子
There once was a little boy who had a bad temper(脾气). His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer(用锤子锤) a nail into the back of the fence.
The first day he had driven 37 nails into the fence. Over the next few weeks, as he learned to control (控制)his anger, the number of nails hammered daily gradually dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into fence.
Finally the day came when the boy didn't lose his temper at all. He told his father about it and the father suggested that now pull out(拔出) one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper. The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone.
The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. He said," You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say thing in anger, they have a scar(伤疤) just like these holes. You can put a knife in a man and draw it out. It won't matter how many times you say 'I am sorry ', the wound is still there. A verbal(言语上的) wound is as bad as physical one."
The little boy then understood how powerful his words were. He looked at his father and said “ I hope you can forgive(原谅) me ,father, for the holes I put in you.”
“of course I can,” said the father.When the boy lost his temper, he must _________ as his father told him.
| A．break some plates and glasses |
| B．pull out one nail of the back of the fence |
| C．hammer a nail into the back of the fence |
| D．tell his anger to others. |
The father let his son to hammer the nails into the back of the fence and draw out in order to _____________.
| A．punish him for his losing his temper |
| B．reward him for his controlling his temper |
| C．educate him in this way |
| D．tell him how to control his temper |
The underlined(划线) expression dwindled down means ____________.
| A．become gradually smaller |
| B．become gradually larger |
| C．get more and more happy |
| D．get more and more sad |
When the boy finally told his father that all the nails were gone, his father______.
| A．took him to the fence and look at the holes |
| B．asked him to pull out one nail of the back of the fence |
| C．asked him to focus his time on study |
| D．told him to have a rest |
When you say something with anger, they will leave a scar just as you put a nail in and then draw it out. It means ______________.
| A．you shouldn’t put a nail in the fence |
| B．if you put a nail into the fence, you shouldn’t draw it out |
| C．it will leave a scar when you draw a nail out |
| D．you will hurt somebody when you lose your temper. |
From this article, we can learn that _______________.
| A．when we hurt somebody, only a sorry is enough |
| B．when we lose temper to someone, we should say sorry to him in time |
| C．the way we educate our children is of no importance |
| D．we should try our best not to hurt others in our daily life once done, it is hard to make up for (弥补). |
Looking back on my childhood, I am convinced that naturalists are born and not made. Although we were brought up in the same way, my brothers and sisters soon abandoned their pressed flowers and insects. Unlike them, I had no ear for music and languages. I was not an early reader and I could not do mental math.
Before World War I we spent out summer holidays in Hungary. I have only the dim(模糊的)memory of the house we lived in, of my room and my toys, Nor do I recall clearly the large family of grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins who gathered next door. But I do have a crystal clear memory of dogs, the farm animals, the local birds and above all, the insects.
I am a naturalist, not a scientist. I have a strong love of the natural world, and my enthusiasm has led me into various investigations. I love discussing my favorite topics and enjoy burning the midnight oil reading about other people’s observations and discoveries. Then something happens that brings these observations together in my conscious mind. Suddenly you fancy you see the answer to the riddle. Because it all seems to fit together. This has resulted in my publishing 300 papers and books, which some may light honor, with the title of scientific research.
But curiosity, a keen eye ,a good memory and enjoyment of the animal and plant world do not make a scientist: one of the outstanding and essential qualities required is self-discipline, a quality I lack, A scientist can be made a naturalist. If you can combine the two, you get the best of both worlds.According to the author, a born naturalist should first of all be
| A．full of ambition | B．self-disciplined |
| C．full of enthusiasm | D．knowledgeable |
The first paragraph tells us that the author
| A．lost his hearing when he was a child |
| B．didn’t like his brothers and sisters |
| C．was interested in flowers and insects in his childhood |
| D．was born to a naturalist’s family |
The author says that his a naturalist rather than a scientist probably because he thinks he
| A．just reads about other people’s observations and discoveries |
| B．lacks some of the qualities required of scientist |
| C．has a great deal of trouble doing mental arithmetic |
| D．comes up with solutions in most natural ways. |
The author can’t remember his clearly because
| A．He didn’t live very long with them |
| B．He was too young when he lived with them |
| C．The family was extremely large |
| D．He was fully occupied with observing nature |
Which of the following statements is true?
| A．The author believes that a born naturalist cannot be a scientist |
| B．The author read a lot of books about the natural world and oil industry |
| C．The author’s brothers and sisters were good at music and languages |
| D．The author spent a lot of time working on riddles. |
【改编】Electrical devices could soon use power made by human energy. Scientists say they have developed an experimental device that produces electricity from the physical movement of a person walking. British scientist Max Donelan and other scientists in Canada and the United States developed the device.
The device connects to a person’s knee. As the person walks, the device captures energy each time the person slows down. To do this, the device helps with the slowing down movement of the leg. The movements of the walking person push parts of a small machine that produces electricity. Using the device, an adult walking quickly could produce thirteen watts of electricity in just a minute. Donelan says walking at that speed could produce enough power to operate a laptop computer for six minutes.
There are several possible uses for the device. Developers say it could help people who work in areas without electricity to operate small computers. The device could also be used in hospitals to operate heart pacemakers(起搏器). It could even be used to assist in the movement of robotic arms and legs.
The experimental version of the device weighs about one and a half kilograms, but it is too costly for most people to buy. But the researchers hope to make a lighter, less costly version. An improved version shou1d be ready in one year.
The developers hope the device will one day help developing countries. Nearly twenty five percent of people around the world live without electric power.
A similar product was invented in 2005 by Larry Rome of the University of Pennsylvania. He created a bag carried on a person’s back that also produces power from wa1king.
The knee device does not produce as much electricity as the bag. But the bag requires the walker to carry a load of twenty to thirty kilograms.From the passage we can know the electrical devices _____.
| A．are environmentally-friendly |
| B．need to be charged |
| C．produce electricity to make people walk faster |
| D．are invented by German scientists. |
Which of the following statement is wrong?
| A．The device is beneficial to human. |
| B．The device can even be used in robots. |
| C．An improved version of the device has been made. |
| D．The device is expected to be used in developing countries. |
In which aspect the electrical device should be improved?
| A．Its cost should be lowered. |
| B．The electricity it produces should be used in daily life. |
| C．Its weight should be lightened. |
| D．Its inconvenience should be avoided . |
Compared with the knee device, the bag invented by Larry Rome _____.
| A．is more expensive. | B．is much heavier. |
| C．is less effective. | D．is much cheaper. |
In which part of the newspaper can you find this passage?
| A．Recreation and Entertainment |
| B．Occupation and Employment. |
| C．Medicine and Health. |
| D．Science and Technology. |
【原创】Amazon is taking a leap into movie production, planning to fund a dozen original feature films each year, and to compress the time it takes to move them from theatres to viewers’ homes.
The first film projects are expected to begin production at Amazon Studios later this year, and to make their first public appearance in U.S. theatres. But Amazon plans to push them to its Prime Instant Video subscription service as little as 30 to 60 days later.
The long-standing timeline for movie releases is already under pressure, and Amazon’s latest move is another step toward collapsing it to satisfy increasingly impatient audiences. But where competitor Netflix Inc. has sought to do away with wait times entirely.
When Netflix promised last October to commission a sequel to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and to release it on its streaming site the same day when it would open in theatres in the fall of 2015, cinema owners refused. “We believe the theatrical window is an important part of the overall movie sales cycle,” a spokesperson for theatre chain said.
Paul, a senior media analyst, expects many of Amazon’s original movies will have the feel of independent films with their more challenging subject matter, often made for $10-million or less. The goal isn’t to go toe to toe with “the big blockbuster machine,” with their $100-million-plus production budgets.“I don’t see this as laying down the gauntlet,” Mr. Dergarabedian said. “It’s a strategy of co-existence.”
Prime Instant Video offers online access to a wide array of films and television shows for $99 (U.S.) a year. But it is not currently available in Canada, unless viewers use a virtual private network to disguise their location.
The new company, Amazon Original Movies, will be led by Ted Hope, an American independent filmmaker.
“Audiences already recognize Amazon has raised the bar with productions in the episodic realm, coping with bold material in unique ways and teaming with top talent, both established and emerging,” Mr. Hope said.Why does Amazon begin to make original feature films?
| A．To attract more Prime Instant Video customers |
| B．To win the Golden Globe Award |
| C．To cooperate with Netflix Inc. |
| D．To contribute to the film industry. |
The original films that Amazon release _______.
| A．may not use new actors |
| B．will first be shown in Canadian theatres |
| C．may be seen at home two months after they are released |
| D．may not be welcome in the US |
From the passage we can infer the theatre _______.
| A．doesn’t want to show Amazon’s new films |
| B．prefers to co-operate with Netflix Inc. |
| C．will make more profits because Amazon’ films cost less. |
| D．doesn’t like the time being shortened from theatres to homes |
What does the underlined word “compress” mean?
| A．Lengthen. | B．Shorten. | C．Increase. | D．Quit. |
What can be the best title?
| A．Amazon comes into world market. |
| B．Amazon has a bright future. |
| C．Amazon jumps into movies |
| D．The competition in film industry becomes serious. |
【改编】However urban life strikes you, cities worldwide have been growing ever more rapidly. Some of this growth has occurred in the developed world, but the most dramatic increase has been in the Third World. Almost all the world’s population growth over the next 30 years will take place in the cities of developing countries
By the year 2030, for the first time in history, 60 percent of the world’s people will be living in cities.
This is actually good news in some ways. “Cities are the fundamental building blocks of prosperity,” says Marc Weiss, chairman of the Prague Institute for Global Urban Development, “ both for the nation and for families.” Industrial and commercial activities in urban areas account for between 50 and 80 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) in most countries of the world“ there’s the crazy notion that the way to deal with a city’s problems is to keep people out of them, ”Weiss continued. “But the problems of the rural life are even more serious than those of the city.” For better or worse, urban-watchers are clear on one point: The quality of life for most people in the future will be determined by the quality of cities. Those cities will be bigger than ever. And yet, population numbers by themselves don’t determine a city’s prospects; after all, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and Hamburg, Germany, have the same population. Nor is explosive growth necessarily the determining factor. “City problems,” one authority points out, “mostly have to do with weak, ineffective, and usually unrepresentative city governments.”What is the topic of this passage?
| A．The development of population. |
| B．The problems in big cities. |
| C．The development of big cities. |
| D．The improvement of people’s life quality. |
What is Marc Weiss’s attitude toward city growth?
| A．Negative. | B．Optimistic. |
| C．Unclear. | D．Doubtful. |
According to the passage ,Addis Ababa may be _______.
| A．a state. | B．a rural country. |
| C．a country. | D．a city. |
Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
| A．A city’s prospects is determined by its population numbers. |
| B．The problems of the rural life are less serious than those of the city. |
| C．The population will mainly grow in developing countries in the following three decades. |
| D．By 2030, three fourths of the population in the world will live in urban areas. |
What is the determining factor of the city problems?
| A．An ineffective city government. |
| B．The population explosion. |
| C．Urban-watchers. |
| D．Fast expansion of the city. |
Audrey Hepburn（奥黛丽·赫本）won an Academy Award as Best Actress for her first major American movie, Roman Holiday, which was released in 1953,But she is remem bered as much for her aid work as for her acting.
Born in Belgium in 1929, Audrey’s father was British and her mother was Dutch, Audrey was sent to live at a British school for part of her childhood , During World war ll , she lived and studied in the Netherlands , Her mother thought it would be safe from German attacks ,Audrey studied dance as a teenager and during college when she returned to London after the war, But she realized she wasn’t going to be a ballerina（芭蕾舞女演员）,So she began taking acting parts in stage shows, Later she began to get small parts in movies.
But it was Audrey Hepburn’s move to America that brought her true fame ,In 1951 she played the character “Gigi”in the Broadway play of the same name to great critical praise, Two years later, Roman Holiday made her a star at the age of 24.
Audrey make more than 25 movies, Among her most popular roles was Hoolly Golinghtly in Breakfast at Tiffany’s in 1961, There years later she played Eliza Doolittle in my Fair Lady.
She was married two times and had one by each husband, In 1989,the UN Children’s Fund named Audrey a goodwill ambassador, She travelled all over the world in support of UNICEF(联合国儿童基金会) projects ,The UN agency said she was a tireless worker, She often gave 15 interviews a day to gain money and support for UNICEF projects.
Audrey Hepburn often said her loyalty to UNICEF was the result of her experiences as a child during World War II, She said she knew what it was like to be starving and to be saved by international aid, She was a goodwill ambassador until her death in 1993 from colon cancer.In Paragraph 1, “her aid work” means .
| A．winning an Academy Award as Best Actress |
| B．taking acting parts in stage shows |
| C．making her own movies |
| D．acting as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF |
The reason why Audrey lived and studied in the Netherlands was that.
| A．she wanted to be a ballerina |
| B．her parents were from Britain |
| C．it was safe there |
| D．the education there was excellent |
We can infer from the passage that.
| A．Audrey’s parents lived in Germany during World War II |
| B．Audrey lived in America in the 1950s |
| C．Audrey was made to give up dancing |
| D．the character “Gigi”in the Broadway play was her most popular role |
is NOT mentioned in the passage about Audrey Hepburn
| A．Marriage | B．Identity |
| C．Contribution | D．Religion |
is the right order for Audrey’s life.
①The first time she began to play in movies
②She returned to London from the Netherlands
③She won an Academy Award as Best Actress
④She travelled all over the world in support of UNICEF projects
⑤She played a part in My Fair Lady
| A．②①③⑤④ | B．①②③⑤④ |
| C．②①⑤③④ | D．①②⑤③④ |