BookingopensforBeckettShortson-优题课

In Colombia , there are some unwritten rules that people are used to , These rules are not officially established , but people do respect them . For example , on a bus , a person keeps a distance from another person , and people don’t like to touch each other . Many people come to work late because they prefer to wait for another bus if the first one is too crowded . They don’t want to have to stand too close to another person , or maybe they are afraid of starting a conversation .
A friend of mine in Colombia once said his mom got angry because he came home late , so he asked her , “ Mom , what do you think of most people arriving at their jobs so late ? ” That gave her the answer to her question since everyone knows no one wants to get on a bus that is too crowded . His mother realized at that moment that customs have a big influence on a person’s life .
Sometimes , people don’t like to make any kind of conversation or make eye contact with others . For example , when they are in line at a bank , they prefer to look up or down rather than look at other people .
Moreover , people usually look down when they are in an elevator . Not only on a bus , in line at a bank , and in an elevator do people usually avoid talking to other people , but also in the streets when they are walking , they prefer to look down and to avoid contact with others .
. Why do many people get to work late in Colombia ?

A．They always think the next bus will be better .

B．They don’t want to get on crowded buses .

C．It’s an official rule in Colombia .

D．They get into conversations and miss their buses .

. From the text we learn that __________ .

A．customs influence people’s lives	B．a mother always understands her son
C．people respect each other in Colombia	D．people like to talk in elevators in Colombia

. When people in Colombia are in line at banks , they __________ .

A．make eye contact	B．look at other people
C．make conversation	D．look up or down

. What would be the best title for the text ?

A．What People Do in Different Situations	B．Avoid Getting on a Crowded Bus
C．Special Customs in Colombia	D．Obeying Unwritten Rules

If you had been in my classes in the early McKee days , you would have seen a skinny young man in his late twenties with messy black hair , eyes that looked with a sign of infection , bad teeth and the hangdog look you see on immigrants in Ellis Island photographs or on pickpockets being arrested .
There were reasons for the hangdog look .
I was born in New York and taken to Ireland before I was four . I had three brothers . My father , an alcoholic , wild man , great patriot , always ready to die for Ireland , abandoned us when I was ten . A baby sister died , twin boys died , two boys were born . My mother begged for food , clothing , and coal to boil water for the tea . Neighbors told her to place us in an orphanage , a place for homeless kids . No , no , never . The shame of it . She hung on . We grew . My brothers and I left school at fourteen , worked , dreamed of America and , one by one , sailed away . my mother followed with the youngest , expecting to live happily ever after . That’s what you are supposed to do in America , but she never had a moment of happy-ever-after .
In New York I worked at laboring jobs till I was put into the United States Army . After two years in Germany I went to college on the GI Bill program to become a teacher . In college there were courses on literature and composition . There were courses on how to teach by professors who did not know how to teach . After college I went to McKee , where I put what I had learnt to trial and embarrassed myself when the students considered me a fool .
. What is a hangdog look ?

A．happy

B．disappointed

C．discouraged

D．angry

. It can be inferred from this passage that __________ .

A．before the author went to Ireland , he lived in New York .

B．the mother is living a joyful life in America with her little son

C．there are four sons in this Irish family living in America

D．the author is now a young teacher in his twenties teaching in a high school

. Which of the following statements is TRUE ?

A．Someone recommended the mother give the children away to kind people .

B．The author’s father sacrificed himself for his beloved homeland .

C．The author got into college because he was hard-working .

D．The author didn’t know much about how to teach when he first started .

. In what way is the passage mainly developed ?

A．Presenting effects and analyzing the causes .

B．Giving typical examples .

C．Describing things in space order .

D．Presenting an idea and arguing in favor of it .

Sunday is more like Monday than it used to be. Places of business that used to keep daytime “business hours” are now open late into the night. And on the Internet, the hour of the day and the day of the week have become irrelevant. A half century ago in the United States, most people experienced strong and precise dividing lines between days of rest and days of work, school time and summer time. Today the boundaries still exist, but they seem not clear.
The law in almost all states used to require stores to close on Sunday; in most, it no longer does. It used to keep the schools open in all seasons except summer; in most, it still does. And whether the work week should strengthen its legal limits, or whether it should become more “flexible,” is often debated. How should we, as a society, organize our time? Should we go even further in relaxing the boundaries of time until we live in a world in which every minute is much like every other?
These are not easy questions even to ask. Part of the difficulty is that we rarely recognize the “law of time” even when we meet it face to face. We know as children that we have to attend school a certain number of hours, a certain number of days, a certain number of years — but unless we meet the truant officer （学监）, we may well think that we should go to school due to social custom and parents’ demand rather than to the law. As adults we are familiar with “extra pay for overtime working,” but less familiar with the fact that what constitutes （构成） “overtime” is a matter of legal definition. When we turn the clock forward to start daylight-saving time, have we ever thought to ourselves: “Here is the law in action”? As we shall see, there is a lot of law that has great influence on how we organize and use time: compulsory education law, overtime law, and daylight-saving law — as well as law about Sunday closing, holidays, being late to work, time zones, and so on. Once we begin to look for it, we will have no trouble finding a law of time to examine and assess.
. By saying “Sunday is more like Monday than it used to be”, the writer means that .

A．work time is equal to rest time

B．many people have a day off on Monday

C．it is hard for people to decide when to rest

D．the line between work time and rest time is unclear

The author raises the questions in Paragraph 2 to introduce the fact that people ________ .

A．fail to make full use of their time	B．enjoy working overtime for extra pay
C．are unaware of the law of time	D．welcome flexible working hours

According to the passage, most children tend to believe that they go to school because they ______.

A．need to acquire knowledge

B．have to obey their parents

C．need to find companions

D．have to observe the law

The underlined word “it” in the last paragraph probably refers to ________ .

A．influence

B．overtime

C．a law of time

D．being late to work

What is the main idea of the passage?

A．Our life is governed by the law of time.
B．How to organize time is not worth debating.	C．New ways of using time change our society.
D．Our time schedule is decided by social customs.

Movies in the theater get their recognition at awards ceremonies, such as the Oscars. But how about movies for phones? They are getting their turn at MoFilm—the first mobile film festival.

The first MoFilm competition received 250 entries from more than 100 countries. Entries were restricted to films that were five minutes or less in length—ideal for viewing and sharing on mobile phones. An independent jury then selected a shortlist of five film-makers. The winner was chosen from the shortlist by an audience voting using their phones.
New Platforms
The awards highlight the increasing impact that mobile phones are making in the entertainment industry. Many grassroots filmmakers start out with short films. They are thwarted by the lack of opportunities to screen their work. Therefore, mobile phones are increasingly being seen as a new platform for these short works.
It is a good place for anyone who wants to express themselves and find a way to have that expression be seen by a wide audience. Just think about how many people have mobile phones in the world!
New Technology Advances
MoFilm is pioneering content for mobile and online services that is a world away from Hollywood. The majority of films made for mobiles are now short in length, taking into account the screen size. However this could be overcome as technology advances.
In the near future, longer films will likely be seen on the mobile phone. And there are mobile companies creating phones where users can watch movies at higher quality.
Wherever you see movies, one thing is certain: the quality of work, the simple ability at story telling, and the thing that inspires someone to tell a story can really come from anywhere
At the first MoFilm, .

A．movies in the theater got their recognition

B．more than 100 countries took part in the competition

C．ideal films were five minutes or less in length

D．the winner was chosen by experts' voting

They are thwarted by the lack of opportunities to screen their work. The underlined word means “ ”.

A．disappointed

B．surprised

C．frightened

D．encouraged

Nowadays the majority of films made for mobiles are short in length because of .

A．online services

B．the mobile phone

C．technology advances

D．the screen size

What’s the best title for the passage?

A．Putting Movies on Mobiles

B．Introduction of Latest Mobile Phones

C．Mobile Phones’ Ceremonies

D．Film Awards Broadcast on Mobile Phones

Which statement is NOT true?

A．MoFilm is not a part of Hollywood.

B．Mobile phones are considered to be a new platform for short films.

C．MoFilm get their recognition through Oscars.

D．Films made for mobiles will likely be cleaner.

Like distance runners on a measured course, all of us will move through time in a roughly predictable pattern.
In the first stage of our lives, we develop and grow, reaching toward the top of physical vitality (活力,生气).
After we grow up, however, the body begins a process of gradually wearing out.
A new awareness of physical fitness may help lengthen our years of health and vitality, yet nothing we do will work to stop the unavoidable force of aging.
Most of the changes of aging take place deep inside the body. The lungs become less able to take in oxygen. Powerful muscles gradually lose their strength. The heart loses power and pumps less blood. Bones grow easier to break.
Finally, we meet a stress, a stress that is greater than our physical resistance. Often, it is only a minor accident or chance infection (a disease caused by virus), but this time, it brings life to an end.
In 1932, a classic experiment nearly doubled the lifetime of rats, simply by cutting back the calories in their diet. The reason for the effect was then unknown.
Today, at the University of California at Berkley, Dr. Paul Seagle has also greatly lengthened the normal lifetime of rats. The result was achieved through a special protein limited diet, which had a great effect on the chemistry of the brain. Seagle showed that within the brain, specific chemicals control many of the signals that influence aging. By changing that chemical balance, the clock of aging can be reset.
For the first time, the mystery of why we age is being seriously challenged. Scientists in many fields are now making striking and far-reaching discoveries.
An average lifetime lasts 75 years, yet in each of us lies a potential for a longer life. If we could keep the vitality and resistance to disease that we have at age twenty, we would live for 800 years.
What does the underlined word “it” refer to?

A．Physical vitality.

B．Stress.

C．Aging.

D．Physical resistance.

Which of the following is not a change of aging?

A．The lungs become unable to take in oxygen.

B．People gradually lose their muscle strength.

C．The heart loses power and pumps less blood.

D．Bones tend to break more easily.

The author believes the following except that ________.

A．human’s life pattern is predictable

B．physical fitness can’t stop the force of aging

C．human’s lifetime will last longer than 75 years

D．all of the changes of aging take place deep inside the body

How did Dr. Paul Seagle lengthen the lifetime of rats in his experiment?

A．By limiting the protein in their diet.	B．By cutting the calories in their diet.
C．By resetting their clock of aging.	D．By keeping their physical fitness.

What is probably the best title for the article?

A．Two Great Experiments	B．The Mystery of Human Life
C．Ways to lengthen Human Life	D．The Breakthrough in the Study of Aging

A．In person.	B．By telephone.
C．By fax.	D．By post .

A．in person	B．by telephone
C．by fax	D．by post

A．01789 295623.	B．0541 541051.
C．01789 261174.	D．01862 387665.