Katharine Meyer Graham was once described as “the most powerful woman in America.” She was not a government official or elected representative. She owned and published The Washington Post. Under her leadership, it became one of the most important newspapers in the country.
Katharine Meyer was born in New York City in 1917. Her father was a successful investment banker and became an important financial official. Her family was very rich. Katharine grew up in large houses in New York and Washington. Her parents were often away from home, traveling and working, Katharine was often lonely. Katherine Meyer graduated from the University of Chicago in Illinois in 1938. In 1933, her father bought a failing newspaper, The Washington Post. It was the least successful one of five newspapers in Washington.
Katharine Graham returned to Washington and got a job editing letters to the editor of her father's newspaper. She married Philip Graham. He was a clerk for Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter but soon accepted a job at his wife's father's newspaper. Mr. Graham improved The Washington Post. He bought Newsweek and several television stations. He also established close ties with important political leaders. However, Mr. Graham treated his wife badly. He had an affair with a young reporter. For many years, Mr. Graham suffered from mental illness. He killed himself in 1963.
Katharine Graham had four children to raise and a newspaper to operate. At first, she was only concerned about finding a way to keep control of The Washington Post until her sons were old enough. She did not think she had the ability to do an important job. She had no training in business or experience in operating a large company. In those days, it was unusual for a woman to be the head of a business. Women were expected to look after their homes and children.
Katharine Graham met with officials of The Washington Post. She was elected president of The Washington Post Company. She had no idea about how to operate a newspaper. So she decided to learn. She began by hiring Benjamin C.Bradlee. He later became chief editor. Mr. Bradlee improved the newspaper. He hired excellent reporters and editors. They began doing important investigative reporting. In 1969, Mrs. Graham became publisher as well as president of The Washington Post Company. In the 1970s, The Washington Post became famous around the world because of two major successes.Katharine Graham is considered powerful because ____________.
A.she was born of a very rich family |
B.she had the most important newspaper |
C.she was in charge of the The Washington Post |
D.she gained much money from newspapers |
We can infer from the second paragraph that Katharine Graham _____________.
A.was one of the top students at university |
B.helped her father in purchasing the paper |
C.didn’t take interest in managing a bank |
D.lived a rich life when she was young |
After Katharine Graham got married ___________.
A.her husband gave up his previous job |
B.she got a job editing letters for the editor |
C.she made The Washington Post improved |
D.her husband wanted to be a political leader |
Faced with the death of Mr. Graham ____________.
A.Katharine Graham had confidence to operate the newspaper well. |
B.Katharine Graham made up her mind to raise the kids. |
C.KatharineGraham thought more about gaining experience. |
D.Katharine Graham seemed to be trapped in the dark world. |
What do you think of Benjamin C. Bradlee?
A. He was an expert when it came to earning money.
B. He brought The Washington Post back to life.
C. He intended to buy The Washington Post.
D. He should have given more help to Katharine Graham.
This is a story told or read to children of young ages.The heroine(女主人公), Cinderella, treated cruelly by her stepmother and her two ugly stepsisters, is helpless until the right magic comes along.She meets her prince and they live together happily.
Just a sweet, pretty tale? Not in the view of Ellen Macintosh, who has written much about fairy tales.Ellen' s main concern is with what the story implies.
"Instead of standing up to her cruel stepmother and stepsisters, Cinderella just waits for a fairy godmother to appear and solve her problem.But wouldn't you want a daughter of yours to show more spirit?"
The story is long lasting, whatever its shortcomings, and it does' t take much to see its influence on a number of recent Hollywood productions.In these versions for the silver screen, the Cinderella character no longer has to clean the house and has no sisters to make her life terrible, though she keeps the way of not showing much courage.The character of the rich and handsome stranger, however, is kept, and in some cases really is a prince.The role of the fairy godmother is often played by luck; we live in a civilized age when even very young children might reject the idea of fairies.In the majority of film versions, the heroine has a profession and is even permitted to continue working after marrying her prince this is the twenty first century, after all.
Doesn't the success of these films indicate that the story has relevance to children even today?” Yes,, admits Ellen, who sees its message as being rooted in a fundamental childhood desire for love and attention." Most children experience a sense of inner loneliness as they are growing up and empathize with (与…共鸣)the character who faces some sort of challenge.This can be seen in the original story of Cinderella, where the fairy godmother tells the heroine that she must learn to be gracious and confident if she is to go to the ball.She has to grow spiritually, and by maturing, she becomes attractive to the prince, thus ensuring that the ending of the story will be happy." "In the later versions, thus element(因素)is missing," says Ellen, " and the theme of the story is simply that a girl' s role in life is to be more beautiful than other girls so that she can carry off the prize: the handsome prince.Is this really what we want girls to grow up believing?"Why does Ellen disapprove of the Cinderella story?
A.The plot is too simple. |
B.The description is not vivid. |
C.The heroine is not brave enough. |
D.The story is unfit for the children today. |
In the film versions of the Cinderella story,_________.
A.luck plays an important role in the heroine' s happy life |
B.Cinderella’s family background remains unchanged |
C.the heroine becomes a successful career woman |
D.the character of the prerace is removed. |
According to Even, the film versions of the story _________
A.succeed because of the happy ending |
B.ignore the children's psychological need' |
C.deliver a mistaken message that beauty is everything |
D.reflect modem people' s attitude towards challenges in life |
What is the purpose of the passage?
A.To analyze the characters of the Cinderella story. |
B.To introduce different versions of the Cinderella story. |
C.To explain the changes of the Cinderella story over time. |
D.To present a different understanding of the Cinderella story. |
You may have heard of the American Dream, an ideal that has powered the hopes of Americans for generations.
It began as a belief that the US was a land of opportunity, and that anyone could achieve success through hard work. At times, the dream has referred to home ownership, a good job, retirement security or each generation doing better than the last.
Yet today, this concept seems to have greatly changed. As Time magazine pointed out, quite different from the older generation, many Millennials (the generation born after 1980) redefine(重新定义) the American Dream as “day-to-day control of your life”. They “prize job mobility, flexible schedules, any work that is more interesting than typing, and the ability to travel”, said the magazine.
Home ownership, once the cornerstone of the American Dream, is becoming a smaller priority for this generation. Meanwhile, nearly 40% of them choose travel as part of their dream. And entrepreneurship(创业) is a rising favorite, as nearly 26% of Millennials consider self-employment as part of their dream.
So what has led to this huge change?
Many point fingers at the poor economy. “Modern young Americans seem bound to face a world stamped by ever narrowing opportunity and social stagnation(停滞),”noted The Daily Beast.
“The rate of 16-to 24-year-olds out of school and out of work is unusually high at 15%. Many college graduates have taken jobs that don’t require a degree,” Time reported.
The magazine worries that these difficulties may lead to a lost generation who are “unable to ever truly find their feet on the corporation’s ladder”.
Dan Kadlec, a reporter of Time, sees Millennials as resetting their expectations.”This situation is different for young adults today,” he wrote. “A true American dream has to feel attainable, and many Millennias are feeling they can only attain a day-today lifestyle that suits them.”The underlined word “cornerstone” in Paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to “ ”.
A.growth | B.balance | C.basis | D.purpose |
What has changed Millennials’ view of the American Dream according to the passage?
A.A lack of confidence in themselves |
B.Fierce competition in the job market |
C.Their dissatisfaction with the government |
D.The discouraging economy and unemployment |
Dan Kadlec thinks Millennials’ new definition of the American Dream is ______.
A.beautiful | B.understandable |
C.worrying | D.positive |
What can be the best title for this passage?
A.Redefinition of American Dream |
B.Meaning of American Dream |
C.Value of Achieving American Dream |
D.History of Changing American Dream |
Decision-thinking is not unlike poker—it often matters not only what you think, but also what others think you think what you think they think you think. The mental process(过程) is similar. Naturally, this card game has often been of considerable interest to people who are, by any standards, good thinkers.
The great mathematician John von Neumann was one of the founders of game theory. In particular, he showed that all games fall into two classes; there are what he called games of 'perfect information', games like chess where the players can't hide anything or play tricks; they don't win by chance, but by means of logic and skills. Then there are games of 'imperfect information', like poker, in which it is impossible to know in advance that one course of action is better than another.
One mistaken idea about business is that it can be treated as a game of perfect information. Quite the reverse Business, life itself are games which we must normally play with very imperfect information. Business decisions are often made with many unknown and unknowable factors(因素), best poker players. But few business people find it comfortable to admit that they are taking a chance, and many still prefer to believe that they are playing chess, not poker.The subject discussed in this text is _________.
A.the process of reaching decisions |
B.the difference between poker and chess. |
C.the secret of making good business plans |
D.the value of information in winning games |
An important factor in a game of imperfect information is ___________.
A.rules | B.luck |
C.time | D.ideas |
Which of the following can be used in place of "Quite the reverse" in paragraph 3?
A.Quite right. | B.True enough. |
C.Most unlikely. | D.Just the opposite. |
In the writer's opinion, when making business decisions one should ___________ .
A.put perfect information before imperfect information |
B.accept the existence of unknown factors |
C.regard business as a game of chess |
D.mix known and unknown factors |
Elizabeth Mitchell’s new “Liberty’s Torch” is the fascinating story of how the Statue of Liberty came to be. The Statue of Liberty’s rough history is explored in “Liberty’s Torch”.
Frederic Auguste Bartholdi is an all-but-forgotten figure in American history. He was, however, responsible for one of the most enduring symbols of the United States: the Statue of Liberty. A Frenchman from Alsace, he designed and built the Statue of Liberty which stood on Bedloe’s Island in New York Harbor. How this statue came to be is the fascinating subject of Elizabeth Michell’s new book “Liberty’s Torch”.
The power of Mitchell’s narrative is convincing(令人信服的). We recognize the Statue of Liberty now as a symbol of hope and opportunity for a nation of immigrants. At the time, though, people could not see that-nor did they even imagine that. Instead, the construction of the statue was born of one man’s desire to set up a great monument.
For this reason, perhaps, “Liberty’s Torch” relies on Bartholdi as the connecting thread. Bartholdi went to Egypt to make photographic copies of the main monuments. On the boat, Bartholdi met and began a lifelong relationship with Ferdinand de Lesseps, the man who would build the Suez Canal. Maybe it was this friendship, or maybe it was seeing Egypt’s huge monuments, but finally the trip inspired Bartholdi’s dream to create the largest statue ever built. Failure to bring this to completion in Egypt, followed by his exile (流放) from Paris, led Bartholdi to sail to America.
By explaining the Statue of Liberty’s hard history and showing Bartholdi’s brave spirit, Mitchell has done a great service. It can be inferred from the text that ________.
A.American people have never forgotten Frederic August Bartholdi |
B.the Statue of Liberty wasn’t originally regarded as a symbol of hope |
C.Bartholdi finished the Suez Canal |
D.Bartholdi was a famous architect from Egypt. |
What was the main reason for Bartholdi to build the Statue of Liberty?
A.To finish his education in the arts. |
B.To mark his friendship with Ferdinand. |
C.To create something better than Egyptian monuments. |
D.To achieve his dream to create the largest statue. |
What type of writing is the passage?
A.A travel guide. | B.A book review |
C.An announcement | D.An architecture report. |
Hello. I’m Jan from Mrs. Lake’s class. My class wants to work together to help the public. We think we have found a great way to do this. Last month we did a class project on the highways near our town. We learned about the Adopt-a-Highway Program. This program brings people together to pick up litter along the roads. We think it would be a great idea for all students in our school to join the program and adopt a highway.
Adopting a highway is not like adopting a pet. When a highway is adopted, only part of the highway is cared for by a group of people. The group agrees to work every week to keep its part of the highway clean. Each group gets its own sign that has the name of the group printed on it. The sign is put up at the side of the road. This sign lets drivers know who is keeping that area of the road clean.
The Adopt-a-Highway Program is a great way for people to help their environment look nicer. Also, the government does not have to send out as many road workers. This saves money. Finally, people may try harder to keep roads clean if they see people, especially teenagers like us, cleaning them up.
We will need helpers to care for our adopted highway. If you want to feel great and keep our roads clean,please come with your parents to the meeting next week. We will meet in Mrs. Lake’ room on Wednesday at 6:00 P.M. At the meeting, we will talk about which roads are the dirtiest as a result of people's unkind acts. Then we' ll
try to pick an area to adopt and clean.
I look forward to seeing you at the meeting. Remember to keep our roads clean!What is the Adopt-a-Highway Program about?
A.Giving names to the highways. |
B.Drawing pictures of highways. |
C.Picking up litter along the roads. |
D.Putting up signs near the roads. |
What should the students do first if they want to join the program?
A.Pick a spot to care for. |
B.Call Mrs. Lake next week. |
C.Write a letter to their parents. |
D.Go to a meeting on Wednesday. |
What is the purpose of this speech?
A.To encourage students to join the program. |
B.To introduce the traffic system. |
C.To show drivers how to drive safely. |
D.To tell a story about adopting a pet. |
Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?
A.Adopt-a-Pet |
B.Adopt-a-Highway |
C.Ways to Protect the Environment |
D.Volunteers on Roads |