Awinterwonderlandontheoutskirt-优题课

Who’s in control of your life? Who is pulling your string? For the majority of us, it’s other people – society, colleagues, friends, family or our religious community．We learned this way of operating when we were very young, of course．We were brainwashed．We discovered that feeling important and feeling accepted was a nice experience and so we learned to do everything we could to make other people like us．As Oscar Wilde puts it，“Most people are other people．Their thoughts are someone else’s opinions，their lives a mimicry（模仿），their passions a quotation．”
So when people tell us how wonderful we are，it makes us feel good．We long for this good feeling like a drug—we are addicted to it and seek it out wherever we can．Therefore，we are so eager for the approval of others that we live unhappy and limited lives，failing to do the things we really want to．Just as drug addicts and alcoholics live worsened lives to keep getting theirfix（一剂毒品），we worsen our own existence to get our own constant fix of approval．
But just as with any drug，there is a price to pay．The price of the approval drug is freedom--the freedom to be ourselves．The truth is that we cannot control what other people think．People have their own agenda，and they come with their own baggage and，in the end，they’re more interested in themselves than in you．Furthermore，if we try to live by the opinions of others，we will build our life on sinking sand．Everyone has a different way of thinking，and people change their opinions all the time．The person who tries to please everyone will only end up getting exhausted and probably pleasing no one in the process．
So how can we take back control? I think there’s only one way--make a conscious decision to stop caring what other people think．We should guide ourselves by means of a set of values—not values imposed from the outside by others，but innate values which come from within．If we are driven by these values and not by the changing opinions and value systems of others，we will live a more authentic，effective，purposeful and happy life．
1．What Oscar Wilde says implies that ___________．
A．we have thoughts similar to those of others
B．most people have a variety of thoughts
C．other people’s thoughts are more important
D．most people’s thoughts are controlled by others
2．What does the author try to argue in the third paragraph?
A．Changing opinions may cost us our freedom．
B．We may lose ourselves to please others．
C．We need to pay for what we want to get．
D．The price of taking the drug is freedom．
3．It can be concluded from the passage that _________________．
A． it’s better to do what we like B．we shouldn’t care what others think
C．we shouldn’t change our own opinions D．it's important to accept others’ opinions
4．The author tries to persuade the readers to accept his arguments mainly by ___________．
A．analyzing causes and effects B．providing examples and facts
C．discussing questions D．making suggestions

Vancouver（温哥华）
Natural Resources：
As a major centre for the global forestry industry, Vancouver is host to many international forestry conferences and events, and the natural home of the massive BC forestry business．Companies such as Canfor and West Fraser Timber Co．, the second and third largest lumber（木材）producers in the world, are headquartered in Vancouver．Vancouver is also a major centre for the mining industry．
International trade：
International trade is a key part for Vancouver's economy．The city has Canada's largest port and is one of North America's major gateways for Pan-Pacific（泛太平洋）trade．The Port of Vancouver ranks first in North America in total foreign exports and second on the West Coast in total goods volume．
Banking and Financial：
The headquarters for HSBC Canada （汇丰银行）is located in the Financial District in downtown．Canada's third largest commercial entity（实体）, Jim Pattison Group is also based in Vancouver．
International relation：
Vancouver is a major centre for diplomacy（外交） and foreign relations．Most countries of the world have consulate（领事馆）or general offices in the Central Business District．In fact, many major diplomatic conferences are hosted by the city - including the world famous G7 summit with President Clinton, APEC, and the World Trade Organization．Greenpeace has its world headquarters in the city．Therefore, Vancouver was among the first North American cities to declare itself a Nuclear Weapons Free Zone．
Tourism：
Tourism is a leading industry to Vancouver．The Whistler-Blackcomb Resort is among the most popular skiing resorts in North America, and will be the site of the downhill events of the 2010 Winter Olympics．Vancouver's beaches, parks, waterfronts, and mountain backdrops and its multi- cultural character attract more and more tourists．
Film：
Vancouver was the source of the sobriquet（绰号）"Hollywood North", for hosting the production of about ten percent of Hollywood's movies．Many U．S．television and films series are shot exclusively in Vancouver．This has partly been because of the favorable Canadian dollar exchange rate．
1．Which of the following description about Vancouver is NOT true according to the passage?
A．The Port of Vancouver ranks first in North America in total foreign exports
B．Vancouver is a film production centre and called “Hollywood North"．
C．International forestry conferences and events were held in Vancouver．
D．Vancouver is a leading centre for the global agriculture and industry．
2．Which of the following organizations or events is not related to Vancouver?
A．Jim Pattison GroupB．WHO
C．Greenpeace D．The 2010 Winter Olympics
3．If you are a graduate from Shanghai Finance and Economics University, what is it that will probably attract you to visit Vancouver?
A．HSBC Canada B．Its film industry
C．Its international trade． D．Its beautiful natural scenery
4．We can infer______ from the part: International relation．
A．Vancouver is a major centre for foreign relations．
B．Vancouver has hosted many major diplomatic conferences．
C．APEC and WTO are headquartered in Vancouver
D．Canada is a peace-loving country．
5．The passage is probably taken from________．
A．a magazine B．a geography book
C．a newspaper D．an entertainment book

ENTRY-EXIT INSPECTION AND QUARANTINE
THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA
HEALTH AND QUARANTINE DECLARATION FORM ON ENTRY
Name: Shirley_Booth Sex: Male √ Female
Birth Date: 1959_yy_02_mm Nationality（Region）: American
Time of Arrival: 17:20_hh_ Place of arrival: Shenzhen
From（Country/Region）: USA Passport No．: CA5728019
Vehicle/ Ship/Flight No．: Flight_UA_3625 Seat No．: 16E
Destination: Changsha,_Hunan
1．Please list the countries and cities（towns） that you have visited in the past 4 weeks:
New_York,_Paris,_Tokyo_and_Hong_Kong
2．The contact address and telephone number in the next 14 days:
Changsha_Friendship_Hotel
3．Please mark “√” before the items of following symptoms or illness if you have any now．
Fever Cough Other disease
Shortness of breath Difficulty breathing
4．Have you had close contact with any probable or suspected H1N1 case in the past 14 days? Yes √ No
5．Please mark “√”before the items of following articles if you bring any of them．
Animal Animal products Plant Plant products
√ Biological products Waste and used clothing Soil
I hereby declare that all the information given above is true and correct．
Date: April_16,_2009 Signature: Shirley_Booth
Note:
1． For the health of all, please give true and correct information;
2． You will be sued according to related laws if you give the false information;
3． No entry shall be allowed without the declaration;
4． Body temperature: 37°C
1．When does one need to fill in this form?
A．Permissions for a foreigner to take the Chinese nationality．
B．Entry to China from other countries or regions．
C．Exit to other countries or regions from China．
D．Anyone planning to take animals to China from other countries or regions．
2．The underlined word “sued” can be taken the place of by _____．
A．charged B．sentencedC．prevented D．analyzed
3．Which of the following statements is false according to the form?
A．It was not by ship that Shirley Booth came to China．
B．Shirley Booth went to at least three continents during March16-April 16, 2009．
C．Shirley Booth brought some biological products with her．
D．From the form we know Shirley Booth was not in good health．

第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题，每小题2分，满分40分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项。
When Charles Stratton was five, he stopped growing．His mother took him to see the famous showman, P．T．Barnum．Mr．Barnum thought a small person would be the perfect addition to his show．He hired Charles’ parents along with him, and they traveled the world together．
He gave the two-foot-tall Charles a name, General Tom Thumb．He taught Tom how to sing, dance, act and tell jokes．When he felt Tom was ready to perform on stage, he made up ads．To stir up great interest, he said that Tom was eleven years old and had come from England．
During the show, Tom fought battles pretendedly with tall people．He also danced upon a wooden plate held by a person who was eight feet tall．Tom’s act was very popular and brought in a lot of money．By the time Tom was an adult, he had grown very rich．He had become a billionaire at the age of twenty five．
Fortunately for Tom, Mr．Barnum added more little people to his show, and Tom became lucky in love as well．One of the little people was Lavinia Warren, a schoolteacher．Tom was able to win her love, and they married．
The ceremony and reception were the talk of the town．They were attended by many rich and famous people and by about 2000 guests．Crowds filled the streets of New York to have a look at their tiny wedding marriage．The couple even met with President Abraham Lincoln on their honeymoon just before going to live in Tom’s house in Connecticut．
Their wedding, which took place during the Civil War, provided a welcome escape from the sad problems of war．Not willing to let this bit of sunshine fade, communities throughout the country sponsored（发起） “Tom Thumb” weddings．In these weddings, small boys and girls, all dressed up, went through marriage ceremony for fun．
1．“Talk of the town” means_________．
A．it was in the newspaper B．people spread bad rumors about it
C．it was the most popular happenings D．it was discussed in a city meeting
2．What does the author think about Tom’s wedding?
A．It helped people cheer up in a dark time．B．People gave it too much of their attention．
C．It was funny and ridiculous．D．Tom and Lavinia were stupid．
3．Tom would dance on a wooden plate held by a person who was eight feet tall because______．
A．the wooden plate would make it sound as if Tom was dancing
B．it made Tom look taller
C．the eight–foot–tall man was the only tall person Tom trusted
D．the difference between them would make Tom look even smaller
4．What is the main idea of the last paragraph?
A．Weddings always make people feel full of sunshine．
B．People are always disappointed during war time．
C．Entertainment can serve an important purpose．
D．People should be married when they are small children．

Students throughout the world spend their money in different ways. A detailed study on student spending indicated that young people's spending habits have changed greatly over the past few years. The study also says that the change is about the same around the world, however. Here are some examples of popular student spending habits---both healthy and also unhealthy---around the world today.
Students these days have too much brand awareness, so their spending on clothes is now quite high. On average, students buy one or two complete sets of new clothes each month, and this makes their total spending higher.
Student spending shows quite an up-and-down pattern as they get older. Students spend a lot more money in high school than before their high school years because when they enter high school, their exposure (接触到) to branded goods increases. As the students get close to graduation, their expenses start to go down. This is the time when they have to become more responsible about money and start to understand its importance.
Students also spend a lot more on entertainment than their parents did when they were young, because of the easy access to entertainment these days. Shopping is considered to be quite entertaining because of all the different forms of amusement presented by shopping malls. These attract students to buy things.
Student spending on food hasn't increased much, but there has been a marked increase in the use of alcohol. There are several more places in which students can drink now. The culture of having parties has also grown a lot among students too, and students usually end up spending a lot on alcohol in such places.
This is not such a bad situation, actually. The study indicates that although student spending has shot through the roof, at the same time, they are financially much stronger today than they were in the past. This is compensation (补偿，回报), and probably it is just another branch of the life that we are living in this speedily advancing world.
1. What is the passage mainly about?
A. Unhealthy student spending habits. B. Why student spending is changing.
C. How a student should spend money. D. A study on student spending.
2. Why do students spend less money just before graduation?
A. They see fewer products.
B. They are more conscious of the value of money.
C. They have no time to entertain themselves or go shopping.
D. Their spending on clothing goes down.
3. What can we learn from the passage?
A. Student spending habits are becoming worse and worse.
B. Today's students spend more money on entertainment than on clothing.
C. Today's students are better at earning money than their parents.
D. Student spending on food has increased the least.
4. Which of the following best shows the structure of the passage?
①Paragraph 1; ②="Paragraph" 2; ③="Paragraph" 3; ④="Paragraph" 4;
⑤="Paragraph" 5; ⑥="Paragraph" 6;