Wealth starts with a goal saving a dollar at a time. Call it the piggy bank strategy(策略). There are lessons in that time-honored coin-saving container.
Any huge task seems easier when reduced to baby steps. I f you wished to climb a 12,000-foot mountain, and could do it a day at a time, you would only have to climb 33 feet daily to reach the top in a year. If you want to take a really nice trip in 10 years for a special occasion, to collect the $15,000 cost, you have to save $3.93 a day. If you drop that into a piggy bank and then once a year put $1,434 in a savings account at 1% interest rate after-tax, you will have your trip money.
When I was a child, my parents gave me a piggy bank to teach me that, if I wanted something, I should save money to buy it. We associate piggy banks with children, but in many countries, the little containers are also popular with adults. Europeans see a piggy bank as a sign of good fortune and wealth. Around the world, many believe a gift of a piggy bank on New Year’s Day brings good luck and financial success. Ah, but you have to put something in it.
Why is a pig used as a symbol of saving? Why not an elephant bank, which is bigger and holds more coins? In the Middle Ages, before modern banking and credit instruments, people saved money at home, a few coins at a time dropped into a jar or dish. Potters(制陶工) made these inexpensive containers from an orange-colored clay(黏土) called “pygg,” and folks saved coins in pygg jars.The Middle English word for pig was “pigge”. While the Saxons pronounced pygg, referring to the clay, as “pug”, eventually the two words changed into the same pronunciation, sounding the “i” as in pig or piggy. As the word became less associated with the orange clay and more with the animal, a clever potter fashioned a pygg jar in the shape of a pig, delighting children and adults. The piggy bank was born.
Originally you had to break the bank to get to the money, bringing in a sense of seriousness into savings. While piggy banks teach children the wisdom of saving, adults often need to relearn childhood lessons. Think about the things in life that require large amounts of money--- college education, weddings, cars, medical care, starting a business, buying a home, and fun stuff like great trips. So when you have money, take off the top 10%, put it aside, save and invest wisely.What is the piggy bank strategy?
| A．Paying 1% income tax at a time. |
| B．Setting a goal before making a travel plan. |
| C．Putting aside a little money regularly for future use. |
| D．Aiming high even when doing small things. |
Why did the writer’s parents give him a piggy bank as a gift?
| A．To delight him with the latest fashion. |
| B．To encourage him to climb mountains. |
| C．To teach him English pronunciation. |
| D．To help him form the habit of saving. |
The piggy bank originally was ________.
| A．a cheap clay container |
| B．a potter’s instrument |
| C．an animal-shaped dish |
| D．a pig-like toy for children |
The last paragraph talks about ________.
| A．the seriousness of educating children |
| B．the enjoyment of taking a great trip |
| C．the difficulty of starting a business |
| D．the importance of managing money |
When it comes to friends, I desire those who will share my happiness, who possess wings of their own and who will fly with me. I seek friends whose qualities illuminate（照亮）me and train me up for love. It is for these people that I reserve the glowing hours, too good not to share.
When I was in the eighth grade, I had a friend. We were shy and “too serious” about our studies when it was becoming fashionable with our classmates to learn acceptable social behaviors. We said little at school, but she would come to my house and we would sit down with pencils and paper, and one of us would say:“Let’s start with a train whistle today.” We would sit quietly together and write separate poems or stories that grew out of a train whistle. Then we would read them aloud. At the end of that school year, we, too, were changing into social creatures and the stories and poems stopped.
When I lived for a time in London, I had a friend, He was in despair(失望)and I was in despair. But our friendship was based on the idea in each of us that we would be sorry later if we did not explore this great city because we had felt bad at the time. We met every Sunday for five weeks and found many excellent things. We walked until our despairs disappeared and then we parted. We gave London to each other.
For almost four years I have had remarkable friend whose imagination illuminates mine. We write long letters in which we often discover our strangest selves. Each of us appears, sometimes in a funny way, in the other’s dreams. She and I agree that, at certain times, we seem to be parts of the same mind. In my most interesting moments, I often think: “Yes, I must tell….”We have never met.
It is such comforting companions I wish to keep. One bright hour with their kind is worth more to me than the lifetime services of a psychologist（心理学家），who will only fill up the healing（愈合的）silence necessary to those darkest moments in which I would rather be my own best friend.In the eighth grade, what the author did before developing proper social behavior was to ______.
| A．become serious about her study |
| B．go to her friend’s house regularly |
| C．learn from her classmates at school |
| D．share poems and stories with her friend |
In Paragraph 3, “We gave London to each other” probably means ______.
| A．our exploration of London was a memorable gift to both of us |
| B．we were unwilling to tear ourselves away from London |
| C．our unpleasant feeling about London disappeared |
| D．we parted with each other in London |
According to Paragraph 4, the author and her friend _______.
| A．call each other regularly |
| B．have similar personalities |
| C．enjoy writing to each other |
| D．dream of meeting each other |
In the darkest moments, the author would prefer to ______.
| A．seek professional help | B．be left alone |
| C．stay with her best friend | |
| D．break the silence |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．Unforgettable Experiences |
| B．Remarkable Imagination |
| C．Lifelong Friendship |
| D．Noble Companions |
“如何真正处理好孩子与父母间的关系”一直是我们非常关注和想了解的话题。沟通是必要的方式之一，可如何能够进行真正心灵上的沟通？我们，作为父母的，作为孩子的，都得需要思索。这篇文章会给你一定的启示. . . .
I was 13 years old. My family had moved to Southern California from North Florida a year before. I hit adolescence with a vengeance. I was angry and rebellious, with little regard for anything my parents had to say, particularly if it had to do with me. Like so many teenagers, I struggled to escape from anything that didn't agree with my picture of the world. A "brilliant without need of guidance" kid, I rejected any overt offering of love. In fact, I got angry at the mention of the word love.
One night, after a particularly difficult day, I _____________, shut the door and got into bed. As I lay down in the privacy of my bed, my hands slipped under my pillow. There was an envelope. I pulled it out and on the envelope it said, "To read when you're alone. "
Since I was alone, no one would know whether I read it or not, so I opened it. It said "Mike, I know life is hard right now, I know you are frustrated and I know we don't do everything right. I also know that I love you completely and nothing you do or say will ever change that. I am here for you if you ever need to talk, and if you don't, that's okay. Just know that no matter where you go or what you do in your life, I will always love you and be proud that you are my son. I'm here for you and I love you—hat will never change. Love, Mom.
That was the first of several "To read when you're alone" letters. They were never mentioned until I was an adult.
Today I travel the world helping people. I was in Sarasota, Florida, teaching a seminar when, at the end of the day, a lady came up to me and shared the difficulty she was having with her son. We walked out to the beach, and I told her of my mom's undying love and about the "To read when you're alone" letters. Several weeks later, I got a card that said she had written her first letter and left it for her son.
That night as I went to bed, I put my hands under my pillow and remembered the relief I felt every time I got a letter. In the midst of my turbulent teen years, the letters were the calm assurance that I could be loved in spite of me, not because of me. Just before I fell asleep I thanked God that my mom knew what I, an angry teenager, needed. Today when the seas of life get stormy, I know that just under my pillow there is that calm assurance that love - consistent, abiding, unconditional love - changes lives.1. What’s the best title of the passage?2. Which sentence in the passage is the closest in meaning to the following one?I reached out my hands for the letter under the pillow that night when I went to bed, and I always felt relief with the letter under my pillow.3. Please fill in the blank in the passage with proper words or phrases to complete the sentence.（within ten words）4. What do you learn after reading the passage? （within 30 words）5. Translate the underlined sentence into Chinese.
These days we hear a lot about how air pollution is changing temperatures on the earth. New evidence from a mountaintop in China now suggests that pollution can also change the amount of rain and snow that falls in some places.
Usually, more rain falls in mountainous places than in flat areas upwind from the mountains. That’s because air can hold a lot of water. When wind blows wet air up a mountainside, the air gets colder. This temperature change often forces water to fall as rain or snow.
In recent years, however, many mountainous areas in the western United States have been getting less rain than normal. Mountains that are downwind from cities have experienced the biggest drops.
Some scientists have theorized（推理）that pollution drifts （趋势）from the cities into the mountains, affecting rainfall, but proving this link has been difficult.
Searching for answers, a team led by a scientist from the Hebrew University went to s mountain in China called Mount Hua, which is 2,060 meters tall and lies about 120 kilometers east of the Chinese city Xi’an. Since 1954, scientists have been collecting details about rainfall, humidity（湿度）, and visibility（能见度）in the area.
Using this data, the scientists compared rainfall on Mount Hua to rainfall in the nearest city, Huayin, on days with different levels of visibility. When the air was clear and people could see as far as 20 km, the scientists found that 65% more rain fell on the mountain than in the city.
But when the air was smoggy, allowing only 8 km of visibility through the mist, the mountain received just 20% more rain than the city. The new data supports the theory that pollution affects rainfall.
Some scientists believe that there are other explanations for the numbers. It’s possible, for example, that natural particles（微粒）in the air, rather than particles produced by pollution, are affecting visibility.According to the 1st paragraph, air pollution is changing the following EXCEPT ______.
| A．the temperature | B．the amount of rain |
| C．the habit of eating | D．the amount of snow |
According to the passage, what will probably happen when the wet air in the sky gets colder?
| A．It will probably rain or snow | B．It will probably be cloudy. |
| C．It will probably wind | D．It will probably become dry. |
Why did the team led by a scientist go to Mount Hua?
| A．They wanted to pay a visit to Mount Hua. |
| B．They wanted to collect the data for their theory. |
| C．They wanted to measure Mount Hua. |
| D．They wanted to have a good rest on Mount Hua. |
You can most probably read the passage in _______.
| A．a travel guide |
| B．a telephone book |
| C．a cartoon book |
| D．a science book |
Over three years ago, the French director Jean—Pierre Jeunet and actress Audery Tautou won people's hearts with their popular comedy "Amelie". The fairytale-like film tells the story of a single waitress who helps lonely people find love.
Now, the pair are back with another film. "A Very Long Engagement" is a film about World War I. It received 12 nominations（提名）from France's Cesar Awards last week, including best film, best director and best actress.
Mathilde （Audrey Tautou） is a young woman who becomes disabled after suffering from a disease as a chilD．She lives on a farm with her aunt Benedicte （Chantal Neuwith） and uncle Sylvain （Dominique Pinon）. She receives a regular income from the wealth left to her by parents. She has a fierce and loyal love for Manech （Gaspard Ulliel）, her childhood boyfriend and fiance‘（未婚夫）. He is the son of a lighthouse keeper. When he goes off to the battle fields of World War I, she is lonely, but confident he will return. Early on in the film, five French soldiers are sentenced to death because of intentionally hurting themselves to escape duty. They are pushed into the German's line of fire. They are made to protect themselves without guns. One of them is Manech. Mathilde firmly believes that Manech is alive. She is determined to find him. She hires a private detective to find out what really happened to those French soldiers. Through letters, photographs, interviews with people who remain alive after the war, and wartime papers, Mathilde discovers how cruel the war is. She also sees the heroism of ordinary men, trying to stay alive on the battle field.
It's funny, sweet and sometimes sad to watch. Jeunet gives a realistic portrait of warfare. Tautou remains the emotional center of the film. She shines as Mathilde, a woman who suffers one failure after another, but refuses to give up her seek for her lover. It's a film for all romantic people who are in search of true love.How many actors and actresses are mentioned in the passage?
A．2 B．5 C．4 5．6The underlined phrase “the pair” refers to ___________.
| A．Pierre Jeunet; Audery Tautou | B．Pierre Jeunet; Dominique Pinon |
| C．Audery Tautou; Chantal Neuwith | D．Audery Tautou; Gaspard Ulliel |
What do we learn about Mathilde from the passage?
| A．She becomes disabled after a car accident. |
| B．She was a strong-willed woman. |
| C．She lives on a farm with her parents. |
| D．She has a fierce and loyal love for Gaspard Ulliel. |
According to the passage, why are the soldiers made to protect themselves without guns?
| A．Because they are very strong and needn’t call for guns. |
| B．Because they don’t know how to use guns. |
| C．Because their guns have been lost. |
| D．Because they are punished for trying to escape duty. |
Imagine being able to recall just about anything, your mind functioning as a nearly endless encyclopedic（百科全书的）book of names, pictures, dates and events.
Brad Williams’ excellent memory recall makes him a personified version（个人版）of Google. His wide memory allows him to recall almost any news event and anything he has experienced, including specific dates and even the weather. “I was sort of a human Google for my family. I’ve always been able to recall things,” the 51-yearold said on Good Morning America in his first television interview.
Williams’ type of detailed, complete memory is called hyperthymesia and few known cases exist. Brad’s brain scan are now being studied by scientists at the Center for Neurobiology（神经生物学）of Learning and Memory, at the University of California.
At first, the drive-time radio broadcaster didn’t think his ability to recall so much was anything special. Gradually, over the years, other people noticed how much he was able to remember in detail about events. Then in 2006, he read an article about a wman whom scietists called AJ, which prompted Williams to come forward. AJ is a writwer of a medical journal, and the only scientifically-documented case of superior memory.
“When I read about AJ, my immediate thought was : Oh my God. That’s Brad!” said williams’ brother, Eric Williams.
Eric Williams is eager to learn about the inner working of his brother’s mind. He is in the process of making documentary（纪录片）about Brad, appropriately titled: “Unforgettable.” In the film, which hasn’t been finished yet, Williams takes on a person who is Googling answers to 20 questions. He answers 18 of them correctly and is 11 minutes faster than the Google user.
“All of us have the ability to store this information, but the difference with Brad is that he can recall it,” Eric Williams said.According to the passage, which of the following is true about Brad Williams?
| A．He has worked for Google, so he recall any news events. |
| B．He may be one of the rare cases of people with a superior memory. |
| C．He is now the host of Good Morning America. |
| D．He is working as a teacher in California. |
Why does Brad Williams have such a good memory?
| A．Because he was born with a rare ability. |
| B．Because his work requires a good memory. |
| C．Because he has to answer others’ questions. |
| D．Because he was specially trained in his chilhood. |
The underlined word “prompted” most probably means _______.
| A．helped | B．wanted | C．warned | D．encouraged |
The best title for this passage might be ___________.
| A．The Ability to Store All Information |
| B．A Documentary called Unforgettable |
| C．“Google Man” Recalls Nearly Every Thing |
| D．Brad Williams and Google User |