A group of graduates, successful in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life.
Before offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and a variety of cups—porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain looking and cheap, some exquisite and expensive—telling them to help themselves to the coffee.
When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said: “If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the best cups… And then you began eyeing each other’s cups.
Now consider this: Life is the coffee; the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain Life, and the type of cup we have does not define, nor change the quality of life we live. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee God has provided for us.”
God brews the coffee, not the cups. Enjoy your coffee!
"The happiest people don't have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything. "[Z
Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.Why did the professor offer his students coffee with varieties of cups?
| A．To give his students many more choices. |
| B．To teach his students how to enjoy coffee. |
| C．To show the students his collection of cups. |
| D．To tell his students the right attitude to life. |
According to the professor, the happiest people are the ones who _____.
| A．get the best type of coffee cups |
| B．make the best of what they have |
| C．have a wide range of coffee cups |
| D．care about social status and wealth |
The best title for the passage would be _____.
| A．God's Coffee | B．The Pressure of Life |
| C．The Happiest People | D．Professor's Coffee Cups |
Nearly 600,000 Americans lost their jobs this past month, pushing the nation’s unemployment rate (失业率) to 7.6 percent. But not all of those fired workers are sitting at home, reading the job advertisements and waiting for the phone to ring. Thousands of people are returning to school, making public colleges and universities among the few bright places in the disappointing US economy.
At a time when many Americans have had their work hours cut or have even lost their jobs, Sherian Huddleston is working overtime. She works at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) where she oversees (监督) the enrollment (注册) of new students. The university’s population grew by 800 students this term —an increase of 4 percent over last spring’s enrollment. Huddleston says seeing the enrollment rise in a failing economy is not unexpected. "When people are out of work," she points out, "they will ask 'What else can I do?’ or 'What other careers can I follow?’ They will often return to school if they have not completed a degree before."
Older returning students aren’t the only ones increasing the enrollment at MTSU. Huddleston says she’s also seeing an increase in student transfers (转移). "Students who went out of state, or even within the state, to more expensive schools are transferring to public schools to make use of the lower cost of going to school here," she explains.Which is the best title for the passage?
| A．The Falling American Economy |
| B．College Enrollment up in a Down Economy |
| C．Colleges Have More Students Than Before |
| D．Going to College Is No Longer Difficult |
According to the passage, many students return to school ______.
| A．to make more money | B．to read job advertisements |
| C．to complete a degree | D．to ask their schoolmates for help |
Many students are transferring to public schools mainly because ______.
| A．public schools provide better education |
| B．public schools offer better jobs to their students |
| C．they don’t want to be influenced by the falling economy |
| D．the cost of public schools is lower and they can save money |
Which of the following is TRUE about Sherian Huddleston?
| A．She is working more hours than before because of the worsening economy. |
| B．She is a student of Middle Tennessee State University. |
| C．She disagrees with those who are returning to school. |
| D．She is surprised to see the enrollment go up. |
I took my 9-year-old daughter，Suzan and 5-year-old son，Robbie to the shopping centre．As we got there，we saw a big sign that said，“Petting Zoo”．The kids jumped up and asked，“Daddy，can we go?”
Both my wife and I were out of work．However，I said，“Sure”，giving them a quarter each. They went away, leaving only fifty cents left in my pocket．
A petting zoo is made up of a hundred of little baby animals of all kinds．Kids pay their money and stay in the enclosure(围场)pleased with the little animals while their parents shop．
A few minutes later，I saw Suzan walking along behind me．I was surprised and asked what was wrong．
She said sadly，“Well，Daddy，a ticket for Petting Zoo costs fifty cents．So I gave Robbie my quarter．” Then she said the most beautiful thing I ever heard．She repeated the family motto(座右铭)，which is “Love is Action!”
I knew clearly no one loves little animals more than Suzan. She had watched both my wife and me do and say "Love is Action!” for years，and now she had put it into her lifestyle．It had become part of her，because she knew the whole family motto．It’s not only “Love is Action”；it’s “Love is SACRIFICAL(牺牲的)Action!" Love always pays a price．
I was moved．We went back to the Petting Zoo．Suzan stood with her hands and chin(下巴)resting on the fence and just watched Robbie go crazy petting and feeding the animals．I had fifty cents burning a hole in my pocket. I put my hand into my pocket and took out the money．Sure，I must do that !What is the best title for this passage?
| A．A Petting Zoo． | B．Try Your Best to Help Others． |
| C．An Attractive Shopping Centre． | D．Love Is Sacrificial Action! |
The underlined part “the most beautiful thing” in Paragraph 5 refers to．
| A．the Petting Zoo | B．the family motto |
| C．their lifestyle | D．the ticket for Petting Zoo |
Which of the following best describes Suzan?
| A．Unselfish． | B．Healthy． | C．Childish． | D．Clever． |
What might happen next according to the story?
| A．The author would buy Suzan some candies． |
| B．The author would get angry with Robbie． |
| C．Suzan would play happily with the little animals． |
| D．The author would play together with Suzan． |
A microscope is a useful instrument for observing small objects. By producing a bigger image, the microscope reveals details that are undetectable to the naked eye(裸眼).
Before using the microscope, please read the instructions below.
CAUTION: Microscopes are both delicate and expensive and must be handled with care.
1. Always carry the microscope with two hands — one supporting the base and the other on the arm.
2. Avoid stretching the wire of the lamp across a walkway.
3. Keep the stage clean and always use a glass slide for specimens(样本).
4. To avoid crushing the glass slide when focusing, begin with the lens close to the specimen and gradually back off to focus.
5. Keep the microscope covered to prevent the dust while it is being stored.
HOW TO USE THE MICROSCOPE:
1. Plug(接通电源) in the lamp.
2. Place a sample of what you wish to observe on a slide.
3. Adjust the mirror so it reflects light from the room up into the objective lens. When the mirror is correctly adjusted, a complete circle of light iwll appear when you look through the eyepiece.
4. Place your slide with the specimen directly over the center of the glass circle on teh stage. If it is a wet slide, be sure the bottom of the slide is dry.
5. With the LOW POWER objective leans placed over the slide, use the coarse focus knob to lower the lens to the lowest point.
6. Look through the eyepiece with one eye while closing the other eye. Slowly raise the lens until teh focus is relatively clear.
7. Use the fine focus knob to fine -tune(微调)the focus.
8. Without changing the focus knobs, switch to the HIGH POWER objective lens. Once you have switched to HIGH POWER, use only the fine focus knob to make the image sharper.Which of the following is the correct way to use a microscope according to the text?
| A．Use one hand to carry the microscope |
| B．Place a sample directly on the clean stage |
| C．When stored, the microscope should be adjusted. |
| D．Look through the eyepiece with one eye. |
If you want to observe a thin piece of hair, which of the following should you do first.?
| A．Switch to objective lens. | B．Adjust the mirror. |
| C．Look through the eyepiece. | D．Place the hair on a glass slide. |
According to the text, you could see a complete circle of light _____.
| A．after correctly adjusting the mirror |
| B．while looking at the specimen on a glass slide |
| C．after slowly raising the objective lens |
| D．before positioning the mirror correctly |
During the early years of American settlement, a new form of English was beginning to develop in the islands of the West Indies and the southern part of the mainland, spoken by the black population. The beginning of the seventeenth century saw the happening of the slave trade. Ships from Europe travelled to the West African coast, where they exchanged cheap goods for black slaves. The slaves were shipped in terrible conditions to the Caribbean islands and the American coast, where they were in turn exchanged for such products as sugar and molasses(糖蜜). The ships then returned to England, completing an “Atlantic triangle”of journeys, and the process began again. Britain and the United States had outlawed the slave trade by 1865, but by that time, nearly 200 years of trading had taken place. By the middle of the nineteenth century, there were over four million black slaves in America.
The policy of the slave-traders was to bring people of different language backgrounds together in the ships, to make it difficult for groups to plan rebellion. The result was the growth of several pidgin (混杂语言) forms of communication, and in particular a pidgin between the slaves and the sailors many of whom spoken English. Once arriving in the Caribbean, this pidgin English continued to act as a major means of communication between teh black population and the new landowners, and among the blacks themselves. Then, when children came to be born, the pidgin became their mother tongue, thus producing the first black Creole(克里奥尔语) speech in the region. This Creole English rapidly came to be used throughout the cotton plantations (种植园), and in the coastal towns and islands. Which of the following shows the route of slave trade correctly?
A．Europe West African coastthe Caribbean islands and the American coastEurope |
| B．EuropeWest African coastEuropethe Caribbean islands and the American coast |
| C．West African coastEuropethe Caribbean islands and the American coastEurope |
D．West African coastEuropethe Caribbean islands and the American coast West African coast |
It can be inferred that the slaves in the same ship ____.
| A．didn’t communicate with each other |
| B．could understand several languages |
| C．spoke different languages |
| D．came from the same place |
Creole speech comes from _____.
| A．Spanish and English |
| B．English and an African language |
| C．a European language and an American language |
| D．an African language and an American language |
What is the text mainly about?
| A．The history of slave trade. | B．“Atlantic triangle” of journeys. |
| C．Languages spoken in America | D．The birth of black English |
The other day I was really annoyed by a friend’s behavior, and when I told my best friend Terry about it, he laughed and said, “ But Jenny, you do that all the time!” Well, that surprised me and set me laughing as well. Terry was absolutely correct. The very thing I had been annoyed at my friend for was a reflection (反映)of my own behavior.
Almost all of us have experienced something like this at some time. When we find ourselves upset or annoyed by situations or by the behaviors of others, it is usually because they are mirroring something in ourselves that we subconsciously (下意识地)know, and we are ready to look at them and make a change.
Understanding this is an important part of self-growth. When we become aware of the characteristics or behaviors we dislike in others, it may be because we are displaying those features in others in order for us to see and deal with them in ourselves. For example, if we need to learn to control our own habit of using sarcasm(讽刺), then we will attract very sarcastic people to us. And we will continue to do so until our lesson in regard to sarcasm is learned.
Recognizing these mirrors helps us do two very important things. It helps us to accept ourselves fully, not just the parts we are happy with. And secondly, it helps us to become more caring and able to love others just as they are. After all, they are only showing us what we do ourselves. Who knows? We could very well be mirrors for them, too.Which can be the best title for the text?
| A．The Importance of Understanding Each Other |
| B．Keep Peace and Calm in Times of Emergency |
| C．Reflections on Bad Behaviors and Situations |
| D．How to Deal with Bad Behaviors and Situations |
The underlined word “them” in the second paragraph refers to ______.
| A．people annoying you | B．bad behaviors | C．big changes | D．previous experiences |
The example mentioned in the third paragraph shows _____.
| A．everybody has his likes and dislikes |
| B．how to attract sarcastic people to us |
| C．what bad behaviors mirror in us helps ourselves develop |
| D．we must learn to control the habit of using sarcasm |
Recognizing these mirrors helps us ____.
| A．accept our bad parts | B．use sarcasm bravely |
| C．make true friends | D．change others’ behaviors |