For most city people, the elevator is an unremarkable machine that inspires none of the enthusiasm or interest that Americans afford trains, jets，and even bicycles. Dr. Christopher Wilk is a member of a small group of elevator experts who consider this a misunderstanding. Without the elevator, they point out, there could be no downtown skyscrapers or tall buildings, and city life as we know it would be impossible. In that sense, they argue，the elevator’s role in American history has been no less significant than that of cars. In fact, according to Wilk? the car and the elevator have been locked in a “secret war” for over a century, with cars making it possible for people to spread horizontally (水平地)，and elevators pushing them toward life in close groups of towering vertical (垂直的)columns.
If we tend to ignore the significance of elevators, it might be because riding in them tends to be such a brief, boring, and even awkward experience^one that can involve unexpectedly meeting people with whom we have nothing in common, and an unpleasant awareness of the fact that we’re hanging from a cable in a long passage.
In a new book, Lifted, German journalist and cultural studies professor Andreas Bernard directed all his attention to this experience, studying the origins of elevator and its relationship to humankind and finding that riding in an elevator has never been a totally comfortable experience. “After 150 years, we are still not used to it”， Bernard said. “We still have not exactly learned to cope with the mixture of closeness and displeasure.” That mixture, according to Bernard, sets the elevator ride apart from just about every other situation we find ourselves in as we go about our lives.
Today，as the world’s urban population explodes，and cities become more crowded, taller, and more crowded, America’s total number of elevators—900,000 at last count, according to Elevator World magazine’s “2012 Vertical Transportation Industry”一are a force that’s becoming more important than ever. And for the people who really, really love them, it seems like high time that we looked seriously at just what kind of force they are.What does the underlined word “this” in Paragraph 1 refer to?
| A．The general view of elevators. |
| B．The particular interests of experts. |
| C．The desire for a remarkable machine. |
| D．The enthusiasm for transport vehicles. |
The author’s purpose in mentioning cars is .
| A．to contrast their functions with elevators, |
| B．to emphasize the importance of elevators |
| C．to reveal their secret war against elevators |
| D．to explain people’s preference for elevators |
According to Prof. Bernard, what has made the elevator ride different from other life experiences?
| A．Vertical direction. |
| B．Lack of excitement. |
| C．Little physical space. |
| D．Uncomfortable conditions. |
The author urges readers to consider .
| A．the exact number of elevator lovers |
| B．the serious future situation of elevators |
| C．the role of elevators in city development |
| D．the relationship between cars and elevators |
Very few people were coming to eat at the White Rose Restaurant, and its owner did not know what to do. The price was reasonable and the food was of good quality, but nobody seemed to want to eat there.
Then he did something that changed all that, and in a few weeks his restaurant is always full of men with their lady friends. Whenever a gentleman came in with a lady, a smiling waiter gave each of them a menu, The menu looked exactly the same on the outside, but there was an important difference inside. The menu that the waiter gave to the man supplied the correct price for each dish and each bottle of wine. while the menu that he gave to the lady supplied a much higher price! So when the man calmly ordered dish after dish and wine after wine, the lady thought he was much more generous than he really was.According to the passage we can conclude that the people who eat at this restaurant are mostly _______.
| A．poor old people |
| B．rich young people |
| C．parents with their children |
| D．men with their girl friends |
The difference between the two kinds of menu lie in _______.
| A．the color | B．the price |
| C．the shape | D．the food |
According to the passage we can infer that when men with their girl friends eat at this restaurant, the food was paid _______.
| A．always by the ladies only |
| B．sometimes by the ladies |
| C．always by the men only |
| D．either by the men or by the ladies |
According to the passage we can know that, generally speaking,_____.
| A．men are more generous than women |
| B．women are more generous than men |
| C．women like their men friends to be generous |
| D．men like their lady friends to be generous |
A famous doctor once received a little child who was badly ill. Thanks to his skill and care, his young patient got well and was soon able to get up and run about again.
The child's mother was very much obliged to the doctor, and she called on him to thank him for what he had done for her child. "Doctor," she said, "you have saved my little son. I don't know how to thank you enough. I feel that money alone cannot repay you, so I have made this little purse with my own hands, as a sign of my gratitude. I hope you will accept it." The doctor stood up and said coldly, "Madam, a little present like that is very nice between friends, but a doctor needs to be paid properly for what he has done." The lady was so surprised and hurt so much that she could not reply for a moment. Then she said quietly, "Perhaps you will tell me how much your fee is?""Fifty pounds", he answered.
The lady opened the little purse and took out four fifty-pound bank notes. She handed one of them to the doctor, and put the other three back into the purse. She put the purse into her handbag and, saying good bye to the doctor, went out of the room.The lady was thankful to the doctor because ________.
| A．he had saved her life |
| B．he had lent her some money |
| C．he had saved her son's life |
| D．he often called on her |
The doctor refused the lady's purse because he thought ______.
| A．the purse should be given between friends |
| B．the lady just gave him that purse and wouldn't give him the medical fee |
| C．the lady was not kind to him |
| D．the purse was too small |
The money in the purse _______.
| A．was only 150 pounds |
| B．was less than 200 pounds |
| C．was not enough for the medical fee |
| D．was much more than the medical fee |
If we are to help students develop reading skills in a foreign language, it is important to understand what is involved in the reading process itself. If we have a clear idea of how “good readers” read, either in their own or a foreign language, this will enable us to decide whether particular reading techniques are likely to help learners or not.
In considering the reading process, it is important to distinguish between two quite separate activities: reading for meaning (or “silent reading”) and reading aloud. Reading for meaning is the activity we normally engage in when we read books, newspapers, road signs, etc.; it is what you are doing as you read this text. It involves looking at sentences and understanding the message they convey, in other words “making sense” of a written text. It doesn’t normally involve saying the words we read, not even silently inside our heads; there are important reasons for this, which are outlined below.
Reading aloud is a completely different activity; its purpose is not just to understand a text but to convey the information to someone else. It is not an activity we engage in very often outside the classroom; common examples are reading out parts of a newspaper article to a friend, or reading a notice to other people who can’t see it. Obviously, reading aloud involves looking at a text, understanding it and also saying it. Because our attention is divided between reading and speaking, it is a much more difficult activity than reading silently; we often stumble and make mistakes when reading aloud in our own language, and reading aloud in a foreign language is even more difficult.
When we read for meaning, we do not need to read every letter or every word, nor even every word in each sentence. This is because, provided the text makes sense, we can guess much of what it says as we read it.The passage is mainly about ____________.
| A．reading skills | B．silent reading |
| C．reading processes | D．reading aloud |
The underlined word “stumble” in Paragraph 3 means ____________.
| A．step over something and fall |
| B．repeat something or pause for too long |
| C．walk with heavy movements |
| D．speak in a fluent and confident way |
We can infer from the passage that the author will continue to ____________.
| A．discuss in detail how to read aloud |
| B．introduce some more reading activities |
| C．tell how good readers read in their own language |
| D．explain why we needn’t say the words when reading for meaning |
We can conclude that ____________.
| A．reading silently is easier than reading aloud |
| B．to understand a sentence, you have to read all the words in it |
| C．silent reading involves looking at a text and saying the words silently to yourself |
| D．there’s no difference between reading in one’s own language and in a foreign one |
Wisconsin Historical Museum
30 N. Carroll Street on Madison’s Capitol Square
Discover Wisconsin’s history and culture(文化) on four floors of exhibits. Open for public program. Admission is free.
Open Tuesday through Saturday, 9:00am -- 4:00 pm.
(608) 264-6555 www.wisconsinhistory.org/museum
Swiss historical village
612 Seventh Ave., New Glarus
The Swiss Historical Village offers a delightful look at pioneer life in America’s heartland. 14 buildings in the village give a full picture of every day life in the nineteenth-century Midwest.
Tue.—Fri., May 1st –October 31st , 10:00 am—4:00 pm. Admission is $20.
(608) 527-2317 www.swisshistoricalvillage.com
Artisan Gallery & Creamery Café
6858 Paoli Rd., Paoli, WI
One of the largest collections of fine arts and crafts(手工艺品) in Wisconsin. Over 5000 sp. ft. of exhibition space in a historic creamery. While visiting enjoy a wonderfully prepared lunch at our café overlooking the Sugar River. Just minutes from Madison!
Gallery open Tue. –Sun., 10:00 am—5:00 pm.
Café open Wed. –Sat., 11:00 am –3:00 pm.
Sun. brunch with wine, 10:00—3:00 pm.
(608) 845-6600 www.artisangal.com
Christopher Columbus Museum
239 Whitney St., Columbus
World-class exhibit –2000 quality souvenirs(纪念品) marking Chicago’s 1893 World Columbian Exhibition. Tour buses are always welcome.
Open daily, 8:15 am – 4:00 pm.
(920) 623-1992 www.columbusantiquemall.comWhich of the following is on Capitol Square?
| A．Wisconsin Historical Museum. |
| B．Swiss Historical Village. |
| C．Artisan Gallery & Creamery Café. |
| D．Christopher Columbus Museum. |
Where can you go for a visit on Monday?
| A．Wisconsin Historical Museum. |
| B．Swiss Historical Village. |
| C．Artisan Gallery & Creamery café. |
| D．Christopher Columbus Museum. |
Where can visitors have lunch?
| A．At Wisconsin Historical Museum. |
| B．At Swiss Historical Village. |
| C．At Artisan Gallery & Creamery Café. |
| D．At Christopher Columbus Museum. |
We learn from the text that___________.
| A．Swiss Historical Village is open for half a year |
| B．Christopher Columbus Museum overlooks a river |
| C．tickets are needed for Wisconsin Historical Museum |
| D．Artisan Gallery & Creamery Café are open daily for 4 hour |
We do some strange things when we don’t like the way our life is going．Too often we blame(责怪)someone else．‘‘I wish my parents were more understanding．”
“I have such a bad Chemistry teacher!”
“My friends are so boring and self-centered．They make my life worse and worse．’’
Blame! Blame! Blame!
It seems natural to sing this self-pitying song，but the truth is，if you don’t like your life，you should do something about it．No one else knows exactly how you feel or what you need．No one can read your mind correctly．You are the only one with the power to check your life，and if you want it to be different，you can change what you’re doing．
When you’re in trouble，don’t give away your power to decide how you feel about yourself. Choose how you want to think and act．Other people can’t make you unhappy or angry．They only act in their own way and then it’s up to you to decide how you will respond(回应)．For example，your friends go out to lunch without you and you feel very angry．How are you going to act? You may blame your friends，“They are not kind．Who needs them anyway?” Or you may tell your friends how you feel，listen to their explanation，and let them know you’d like to be invited next time．
When you decide everything in your own way，you’re getting hold of your own life and shaping(塑造)it according to your tastes and feelings．You can choose to be happy，to make friends and to build an interesting life．When you blame others for what is or isn’t happening in your life，you have stopped growing or learning．
One of the most important rules is that you can never change another person by your direct action．The only person you have the right to change is yourself．Once you change，the other person has something different to respond to and change is possible．If you want change in your life，begin with yourself．What should we do if we don’t like our life?
| A．Change what we’re doing． | B．Read our minds correctly． |
| C．Sing that self-pitying song． | D．Tell others what we want． |
If the writer’s friends have dinner together without him，he may _________.
| A．ask somebody else to talk to them |
| B．do the same thing to them in return |
| C．talk to them and try to find out why |
| D．forget it and be still friendly with them |
What’s the writer’s idea about how to change others?
| A．He thinks it’s impossible to change others． |
| B．He believes our love can change everything． |
| C．He chooses to talk with others directly． |
| D．He prefers to change ourselves first instead． |
At the beginning of the passage three examples are given __________.
| A．to support the idea that people often blame others |
| B．to suggest that there are various problems in people’s life |
| C．to show that not all chemistry teachers are fit for their job |
| D．to explain the reason why some people’s life is worse and worse |
What’s the best title of the passage?
| A．Blame! Blame! Blame! | B．Who Controls My Life? |
| C．Change! Change! Change! | D．What Makes Me Unhappy? |