February has long been a month of romance. With the sweet smell of roses in the air, romantic films hit cinemas and love stories fill newspapers and magazines.
On the 14th day, it is a custom for a boy to take his girlfriend out to dinner, buy her flowers and chocolates, write poems, sing to her or even spell out her name with rose petals! This is what you see on Valentine’s Day, a day named after Valentine who was a priest in the third century Rome. When the emperor (皇帝) decided that single men could become better soldiers than those with wives, he didn’t allow marriage.
But Valentine continued to perform marriage ceremonies for young lovers in secret. When his actions were discovered, the emperor sentenced him to death. While in prison, it is said that Valentine fell in love with the daughter of his prison guard. Before his death, he wrote her a letter, which he signed “From your Valentine”, an expression that is still in use today. Valentine died for what he believed in and so he was made a Saint (圣徒), as well as becoming one of history’s most romantic characters.
Nowadays, Valentine’s Day is also popular among Chinese young people. Some students are planning to make Valentine’s cards for parents, teachers and friends. Others want to hold parties at which they will exchange small gifts and eat heart-shaped cakes. The idea is to have fun and encourage people to share in the spirit of St. Valentine.Why did the emperor in Rome not allow marriage in his country?
| A．Because there were few women in his country at that time. |
| B．Because he thought men without wives could be better soldiers. |
| C．Because there wasn’t enough food for so many people. |
| D．Because he wanted to control the birth rate. |
Valentine was put into prison because ______.
| A．he killed one of the soldiers |
| B．he stole a lot of food |
| C．he didn’t obey the emperor’s order |
| D．he didn’t want to be a soldier |
The last paragraph mainly tells us ______.
| A．students in China send cards to their teachers |
| B．it is a good idea to celebrate Valentine’s Day in China |
| C．it is interesting to celebrate Valentine’s Day in China |
| D．Valentine’s Day is also popular in China now |
People celebrate Valentine’s Day to _________.
| A．get gifts | B．honor a priest |
| C．enjoy romance | D．get married |
The best title for this passage should be ______.
| A．Valentine’s Day | B．A Brave Priest |
| C．Valentine’s Day in China | D．A Romantic Man |
For thousands of years, the most important two buildings in any British village have been the church and the pub．Traditionally, the church and the pub are at the heart of any village or town, where the people gather together to socialize and exchange news．
As a result, British pubs are often old and well preserved．Many of them have become historic sites．The most famous example is the pub in the city of Nottingham called " Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem" , which dates back to the year 1189 AD and is probably the oldest pub in England．
However, British pubs are not just for kings and queens; they welcome people from all classes and parts of society．On a cold night, the pub's landlord or landlady can always find a warm place for you by the fire．There is always honest and hearty food and plenty of drinks available at an affordable price．
That's how things used to be．Things are beginning to change．It is said that the credit crunch （信贷紧缩） is causing 39 British pubs in a week to go out of business．People do not have enough spare money to spend on beer．Recently, the UK government banned smoking in all pubs, and that may also have affected the number of customers going to pubs．
This decline is happening despite the fact that in 2005 the UK government started to allow pubs to stay open after 11 p．m．．Previously, with 11 p．m．as closing time, customers would have to drink quite quickly, meaning they sometimes got more drunk than they would if allowed to drink slowly．The British habit of drinking a lot very quickly is known as "binge drinking" , and it causes long-term health problems for people and problems with violent crime for communities．
In order to save their businesses, pubs are trying to change with the market．British pubs now offer something for everyone．A lot of pubs used to be "Working Men's Clubs" , meaning that women could not usually enter．Today, however, women can freely enter 99% of pubs without experiencing any problems．Perhaps things are changing for the better after all．British people have the habit of gathering in the pubs to _____．
| A．have the hearty food |
| B．enjoy the historic sites |
| C．make themselves known |
| D．communicate with each other |
The British pubs are allowed to stay open after 11p．m．to ______．
| A．urge customers to drink quickly |
| B．affect the number of customers |
| C．help reduce social problems |
| D．give pub owners better income |
We can learn from the last paragraph that the author _____．
| A．is against the admission of too many women to the pubs |
| B．holds an optimistic attitude towards the future of the British pubs |
| C．thinks that women in the pubs will cause less social problems |
| D．holds the view that British pubs should offer everything you need |
The passage mainly tells us ______．
| A．the long history of British pubs |
| B．the present situation of British pubs |
| C．the reason why British people go to pubs |
| D．the disadvantages of running pubs in Britain |
The World’s Most Impressive subways
Which of the following gives the passengers the best visual enjoyment?
| A．The Tokyo Metro and Toei Lines． | B．The Moscow Metro． |
| C．The London Metro． | D．The Hong Kong MTR． |
According to the passage, the only subway that can bring more financial gains is ______．
| A．the Tokyo Metro and Toei Lines | B．the Moscow Metro |
| C．the London Metro | D．the Hong Kong MTR |
We can learn from the passage that Shanghai Metro ______．
| A．is the busiest system in the world |
| B．carries the most people each day |
| C．may be larger than the Chicago Subway in the future |
| D．has become the world's largest subway since it opened |
The purpose of the passage is to _____．
| A．give us a brief introduction to some subway systems |
| B．introduce the working system of some railways station |
| C．tell the general background of world-wide transportation |
| D．show the historical development of underground system |
Quit while you're ahead
I am one of those people who are terrible at saying no．I take on too many projects at once, and spend too much of my time doing things I'd rather not be doing．I get work done, but it's not always the best I can do, or the best way I could spend my time．
That's why my newest goal, both as a professional and a person, is to be a quitter．
Being a quitter isn't being someone who gives up, who doesn't see important things through to the end．I aspire （渴望） to be the opposite of that．The quitter I want to be is someone who gets out when there's no value in what he's doing, or when that value comes at the expense of something more important．
A friend of mine once told me, "I knew I was an adult when I could stop reading a book, even after getting 500 pages into it．" Strange though it sounds, we all tend to do this．We get involved in something, realize we don't want to be a part of it, but keep on going．We say "Well, I've already invested so much time in this, I might as well stick it out．"
I propose the opposite: quit as often as possible, regardless of project status or time invested．If you're reading a book, and don't like it, stop reading．Cut your losses, realize that the smartest thing to do is to stop before your losses grow even more, and quit．Instead of reading an entire book you hate, read half of a bad one and half of a good one．Isn't that a better use of your time?
Step back for a second．Let's learn how to say "no" at the beginning, or in the middle, and free up more of our time to do the things we'd like to be doing, and the things actually worth doing． Saying no is hard, and admitting a mistaken yes is even harder．If we do both, we'll start to make sure that we're spending our time creating value, rather than increasing our losses．Let's be quitters together．The author wants to be a quitter, because he _____．
| A．hopes to improve his personality |
| B．wishes to have more time for relaxation |
| C．expects to make more efficient use of his time |
| D．has found it hard to do several things at one time |
In what circumstances does the author suggest quitting is a good idea?
| A．When you feel tired and need a rest． |
| B．When you know a task cannot be finished． |
| C．When you meet with difficulties along the way in your life． |
| D．When you realize what you are doing is not worth the time． |
If you stop reading a book you hate, the author might think that ______．
| A．you are wise to cut your losses |
| B．it's a pity that you have wasted so much time |
| C．you should finish a book that you have started |
| D．you should regret choosing the wrong book |
The message the author tries to convey is to ______．
| A．learn to say no |
| B．live your life to the fullest |
| C．create more value |
| D．stop doing many things at once |
Apple Inc co-founder and former CEO Steve Jobs, counted among the greatest American CEOs of his generation, died on Wednesday at the age of 56, after years-long and highly public battle with cancer．Mourners （ 哀悼者 ） gathered outside his house in Palo Alto, California, and Apple stores around the world．
Steve Jobs made technology fun．As tech leaders, they're really happy if they have one hit in their life．Steve Jobs has the Apple II, the Mac, the iPod, the iPhone, the iPad and Pixar．
Steve Jobs was a college dropout．He was adopted by a machinist and his wife, an accountant． They supported his early interest in electronics．He and his friend Steve Wozniak started Apple Computer —now just called Apple —in 1976．They stayed at the company until 1985．That year, Steve Wozniak returned to college and Steve Jobs left in a debate with the chief executive．
Mr．Jobs then formed his own company, called NeXT Computer．He rejoined Apple in 1997 after it bought NeXT．He helped remake Apple from a business that was in bad shape then to one of the most valuable companies in the world today．However, Steve Jobs stepped down as Apple's chief executive in August because of his health．He died a day after the company released a new iPhone version that met with limited excitement．Steve left behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple．
President Obama said in a statement: by building one of the planet's most successful companies from his garage, Steve Jobs exemplified the spirit of American ingenuity （独创性的）．By making computers personal and putting the Internet in our pockets, he made the information revolution not only accessible, but intuitive （有直觉力的） and fun．
The fact that he was able to redesign American business top to bottom and across is really stunning．He probably will be considered an industrial giant on the scale of Thomas Edison and Henry Ford, so one of the greatest of all time．Steve Jobs not only revolutionized technology, he also revolutionized American business．Steve Jobs was remembered as a "great visionary and leader" and a " marketing genius"．According to the second paragraph, the author wants to show that _____．
| A．Steve Jobs owns many computer companies in America |
| B．Steve Jobs has a lot of inventions in the field of computers |
| C．tech leaders will be really happy when they have one hit in their life |
| D．Steve makes great contributions to mankind in the field of computers |
Which of the following statements about Steve Jobs is TRUE ?
| A．He left Apple in 1985 because he and the CEO had different opinions． |
| B．He built a company called NeXT Computer with his friend Steve Woaniak． |
| C．He died a day after he stepped down as Apple's chief executive． |
| D．He was remembered as the founder of Apple and the Internet． |
The underlined word "stunning" in the last paragraph probably means ______．
| A．effective | B．brilliant | C．practical | D．interesting |
This passage is mainly about _____．
| A．the inventions of Steve Jobs |
| B．the childhood of Steve Jobs |
| C．a brief introduction of Steve Jobs |
| D．the death of Steve Jobs |
There are two basic ways to see growth: one as a product, the other as a process. People have generally viewed personal growth as a result or product that can easily be identified (识别) and measured. The worker who gets a rise, the student whose grades improve, the foreigner who learns a new language—all these are examples of people who have measurable results to show for their efforts.
By contrast, the process of personal growth is much more difficult to determine, since it is a journey and not the specific signposts or landmarks along the way. The process is not the road itself, but rather the attitudes and feelings people have, their caution or courage, as they meet with new experiences and unexpected obstacles (障碍). In this process, the journey never really ends; there are always new ways to experience the world, new ideas to try, new challenges to accept.
In order to grow, to travel new roads, people need to have a willingness to take risks, to face the unknown, and to accept the possibility that they may “fail” at first. How we see ourselves as we try a new way of being is extremely important to our ability to grow. Do we notice ourselves as quick and curious? If so, then we tend to take more chances and to be more open to unfamiliar experiences. Do we think we’re shy and indecisive? Then our sense of fear can cause us to hesitate, to move slowly, and we think we’re slow to adapt to change or that we’re not smart enough to deal with a new challenge. Then we are likely to take a more passive role or not try at all.
These feelings of insecurity (无把握) and self-doubt are both unavoidable and necessary if we are to change and grow. If we protect ourselves too much, then we stop growing. We become trapped inside a shell of our own making.Which of the following can be viewed as the process of personal growing?
| A．Helen was always willing to accept challenges. |
| B．Jane won the first prize in the speech competition. |
| C．Jerry picked up French during his stay in Paris. |
| D．Father’s salary rose from 5,000 to 7,000. |
For personal growth, the writer is in favor of ________.
| A．being cautious(谨慎的) with changes |
| B．having little interest in new things |
| C．staying away from failures and challenges |
| D．having an open mind to new experiences |
How do you understand the last sentence of this passage?
| A．We are trapped and injured. |
| B．Our body is trapped and stops growing. |
| C．We get stuck in what we are doing and can not achieve real growth. |
| D．We can’t protect ourselves and are trapped by others. |
Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
| A．Facing New Challenges | B．Growth—Product or Process |
| C．Two Basic Ways of Growth | D．Overcoming Fears |