ElixirWrittenbyEricWalterTwelv-优题课

It is well known that the Japanese people’s love of fish is almost as a bee’s interest in honey. As fish populations were decreasing, fishing companies were forced to fish further and further away from the shore. Then they had a big challenge－how to keep the fish fresh for longer. So they decided to keep the fish stored in freezers on the boats. But the public did not like frozen fish. So again the fishing companies had a new bigger challenge. What they decided to do was to have fish tanks on their boats. After catching fishes, they would put them in the tanks and keep them living there until they got back to shore. But in this protected environment, lacking predators (掠食者)，the fish stopped moving around. The Japanese public felt these dull fish did not taste fresh, which had an unpleasant effect upon sales. Once again the fishing companies had an even bigger challenge ...
Stop for a minute! Before we go any further, I would like to ask “What are your challenges? How do you handle an unexpected challenge?” May I think it this way that you should try to attack your challenges? Conquer them with a Swiss Army knife. Take the most proper and simple tool that you can adopt to deal with your situation.
Now back to our story. How did the Japanese finally figure out the fresh fish problem？Sharks! You might think the same. Sharks were caught and put into the tanks with other fishes. Don’t sharks eat fish? Well, they do eat a few fish, but they did also keep more fish active and alert (警觉的) The fish stay fresh because they are challenged.
Now, try to keep yourself fresh by finding your own shark to offer yourself a challenge in your own business and career.
1.The main reason for the fishing company to fish in the far sea is that .
A. the fish resource near the shore was decreasing
B. the fishes farther away from the sea tasted fresher
C. people would prefer eating fresh fishes to less fresh ones
D. it was getting harder and harder to keep fishes fresh
2.The relationship between fishes and sharks is similar to that between in nature.
A. dogs and cats B. monkeys and mosquitoes
C. wolves and antelopes D. children and lions
3.The underlined part of the last paragraph means “ .”
A. If you went fishing, you might do as the fishing companies did
B. Try to find a big shark, and you will meet your challenge
C. To succeed in life, you should always be ready to meet challenges
D. Sharks are usually compared to the challenges in people’s life
4.The purpose for the author to write the passage is to .
A. tell the readers “no pains, no gains”
B. tell the readers how the Japanese keep the fish fresh
C. suggest readers looking for challenges to make progress
D. advise readers to find something difficult to do

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A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Being the head of a high school for many years, I grew tired of budget meeting, funding cuts, and many other administrative chores (杂务). I started to dream of retirement. Sitting in traffic on a weekday morning, I would find my mind wandering, I would imagine spending time with my grandchildren, quiet evenings with my wife, traveling, or rediscovering some great books. I told myself that I wouldn’t sign myself up for any committees, any classes, or anything requiring a schedule.
My first day of retirement came at last! I cooked a great breakfast for my wife and me, leisurely read the paper, cleaned a bit of the house, and wrote a few letters to friends. On the second day, I cooked breakfast, read the paper … On the third day, … This is retirement? I tried to tell myself that it was just the transition（过渡）, that those golden moments were right round the corner, and that I would enjoy them soon enough, But something was missing.
A former colleague asked a favor. A group of students was going to Jamaica to work with children in the poorest neighborhoods. Would I interrupt my new found “happiness” and return to the students, just this once? One trip. That’s all, My bags were packed and by the door.
The trip was very inspiring. I was moved not only by the poverty I saw but also by the sense of responsibility of the young people on the trip. When I returned home, I offered to work one day a week with a local youth organization. The experience was so positive that I was soon volunteering nearly full-time, working with students across North America to assist them in their voluntary work.
Now, it seems, the tables have turned. Some days I am the teacher, other days I am the student. These young people have reawakened my commitment (责任感) to social justice issues by challenging me to learn more about the situation in the world today, where people are still poor and suffer because of greed, corruption and war, Most important, they have given me the opportunity to continue to participate in helping to find solutions. In return, I help them do their charitable projects overseas. I’ve gone from running one school to helping oversee the construction of schools in twenty-one countries!
1.What did the writer expect to do after he retired?
A. To stay away from busy schedules. B. To write some great books.
C. To do some voluntary work D. To plan for his future.
2.Why did the writer decide to go to Jamaica?
A. He missed his students in that country.
B. He couldn’t refuse his colleague’s favor.
C. He was concerned about the people there.
D. He was not satisfied with his retired life.
3.The underlined part “the tables have turned”(Paragraph 5) means that the writer .
A. improved the situation in his school
B. felt happy to work with students again
C. became a learner rather than a teacher
D. changed his attitude toward his retired life
4.What does the writer think of his retired life now?
A. Disappointing B. Troublesome C. Promising D. Meaningful

E
Does your older brother think he’s cleverer than you ? Well, he’s probably right． According to a new research published in the journal Intelligence, the oldest children in families are likely to have the highest IQs and the youngest the lowest ,
A number of studies have suggested that IQ scores decline with birth order． In the most recent study, at Vrije University, Amsterdam,researchers looked at men and women whose IQ had been tested at the ages of 5，12 ，and 18．
The results , which show a trend for the oldest to score better than the youngest in each test, involved about 200,000people． That showed that first-borns had a three-point IQ advantage over the second-born, who was a point ahead of the next in line．
The order of birth can also affect personality, achievement, and career, with first-borns being more academically successful and more likely to win Nobel prizes． However,eldset children are less likely to be radical and pioneering ． Charles Darwin, for example, was the fifth child of six．
Exactly why there should be such differences is not clear, and there are a number of theories on environmental influences on the child．
The so-called dilution(稀释法) theory suggests that as family resources, both emotional and physical, as well as economic, are limited, it follows that, as a result , as more children come along, the levels of parental attention and encouragement will drop． Another theory is that the intellectual(智力) environment in the family favors the first-born who has, at least for some time, the benefit of individual care and help．
The theory which enjoys the most support is that the extra time and patience that the earlier-borns get from their parents, compared with those arriving later, gives them an advantage．
1．What is the passage mainly about?
A．IQ scores have little to do with the order of birth．
B．Intellectual families favor the first-born
C．The order of birth can have an effect on IQ
D．The order of birth can affect personality, achievement, and carrer．
2．By using Charles Darwin as an example, the author wants to prove that
A．eldest children are the smartest in a family
B．youngest children will usually become experts
C．first-borns are more likely to win Nobel prizes
D．eldest children are less likely to try something new
3．What do we know about the dilution theory?
A．Intellectual parents love the first –born better
B．Parents’ attention will drop with more children coming
C．Family resources,both emotional and physical are endless．
D．First-born get less care and help from their parents．
4．The passage is developed mainly by
A．offering opinion with further explanation
B．pointing out similarities and difference
C．comparing opinions from different fields
D．providing typical examples

D
Chocolate which hepls you lose weight by actually burning calories as you eat it ? It sounds wonderful．
But unfortunately , for anyone who spent ￡ 37 on a 40-day supply of Slim Choc, the idea is nothing more than daydream．
The product was one of a lot of “miracle cures” marketed to Britons which had no evidence to back up their grandiose(夸大的) claims, according to the Office of Fair Trading．
The OFT said that such tricks affect 200,000 of us a year, at a cost ￡ 20 million ． Some 78 per cent of the victims(受害人)are female, but a large number of men are also taken in by “cures”for hair loss．
OFT Director of Consumer Protection Mike Haley said,“Miracle health tricks target people who are eager to lose weight or find a cure． The products are often worthless and can even be dangerous with untested and possibly harmful ingredients（成分）。”
The OFT yesterday warned consumers about the adverts for Slim-Choc, which were contained in junk mail sent to thousands of homes acorss Britain．
The company chaimed that eating the “slimming chocolate”could help users lose 20lbs in just 20 days, without exercising or cutting back on food．
The tricks claimed this was a “brand new revolutionary cure for the overweight”,and it was “the first and only cholcolate that burns off fat”． Thousands were persuaded to pay ￡ 37 for a 40-day supply．
Alice Tuff, of the Sense About Science charity, said :“The emotional and financial costs for the people who get drawn in can be huge and it is very important that we keep promoting public vigilance（警惕）in dealing with this serious problem．”
1．Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
A．Chocolate And Health B．Dangerous Chocolate
C．Too Good To Be True D．Weight-loss Chocolate
2．Which of the following best states Mike’s idea?
A．The emotional and financial costs for victims can be great
B．Eating the “slimming chocolate” could help users lose weight．
C．We should deal with this weight-loss chocolate problem seriously．
D．Weight-loss chocolate may contain dangerous ingredients．
3．The company promises if you pay ￡ 37 for the product, you will
A．turn to normal in 40 days, B．loss weight without exercising
C．lose 40lbs in 20 days D．lose weight anywhere anytime
4．The passage is written mainly for
A．doctors B．experts C．consumers D．advertisers

I am trying to muster(鼓起)the courage to toss away my mobile phone to enjoy a more peaceful and ring –free life．
Can you imagine not having your mobile phone? In our high-tech, in-a-hurry age, a cell-free life is a hard concept to swallow． Our mobile phones can now access the Internet, and many people feel the need to express their every thought on their blog pages． If I gave up my cellphone, people would think I was mad．
I wish I had the strength to toss away my technology ． I have an office phone, a home phone, e-mail and if people want to contact me． they can． If I’m out, people can leave a message． Do they really need to find me 24/7 ? However, I’m a bit like Frodo in the movie Lord of the Rings． The power of the ring is too strong and I can’t let it go．
Mobile phones have become necessary tools in our busy life． For most people , they hold all contacts and many of us don't write up address books any more． The latest phones carry our music, pictures, movies and everything else． We feel lost without this device and when we do misplace it , we feel cut off from our fellow,
“Where have you been?” said a friend, who saw me a week after I lost my cell, “I tried calling you , but you disappeared． You disappeared off the face of the Earth。” See, when you don’t have a mobile phone, you don’t exist．
I’m not really going to toss my mobile phone away, in fact． We humans are such social animals and mobile phones serve us well． So in 2009, I’ve dicided not to serve my mobile phone． Like all machine, I can always turn it off．
1．What does the underslined phrase“toss away”mean?
A．give away B．get away C．break away D．throw away
2．The writer mentions Frodo to
A．show it is difficult to get rid of the mobile phone
B．show how much he likes Frodo
C．suggest a cell-free life is what he wants
D．introduce a film character to us
3．What do we know about mobile phones in the 4 th paragraph?
A．Mobile phones can do anything for us ．
B．Mobile phones have become very important in our life
C．We could not live without mobile phones
D．We would be cut off by our fellow without mobile phones
4．What can be inferred from the last paragraph?
A．The writer is not really going to toss his mobile phone away．
B．When you don't have a mobile phone, you don’t exist．
C．The writer decides not to serve his mobile phone
D．We humans can control ourselves and machines will．