If you are planning on traveling, there are a few simple rules about how to make life easier both before and after your journey.
First of all, always check and doublecheck departure (出发) time. It is surprising how few people really do this carefully. Once I arrived at the airport a few minutes after ten. My secretary had got the ticket for me and I thought she had said that the plane left at 10：50. When I arrived at the airport, the person at the departure desk told me that my flight was closed. Therefore, I had to wait three hours for the next one and missed an important meeting.
The second rule is to remember that even in this age of credit cards (信用卡), it is still important to have some local money in cash (现金). Once I arrived at a place at midnight and the bank at the airport was closed. The only way to get to my hotel was by taxi but because I had no dollars, I offered to pay in pounds instead. “Listen! I only take real money！” the driver said angrily. You can imagine how terrible I felt at that moment.
The third and the last rule is to find out as much as you can about the weather at your destination before you leave. I feel sorry for some of my workmates who travel in heavy suits and raincoats in May, when it is still fairly cool in London or Manchester, to places like Athens, Rome or Madrid, where it is already beginning to get quite warm during the day.
A．Britain. B．The USA.
C．Italy. D．Greece.
| A．asked the driver to give him a free ride |
| B．offered to pay in pounds |
| C．gave the driver some fake(假)money |
| D．tried to pay by credit card |
| A．warm and dry | B．cold and dry |
| C．hot and wet | D．cool and rainy |
| A．how to make life easier |
| B．how to be well prepared for a trip |
| C．how to enjoy ourselves on the trip |
| D．how to schedule our trip |
A blind baby is doubly handicapped. Not only is it unable to see, but because it cannot receive the visual stimulus（刺激）from its environment that a sighted child does, it is likely to be slow in intellectual development. Now the ten-month old son of Dr. and Mrs. Dennis Daughters is the subject of an unusual psychological experiment designed to prevent a lag（滞后）in the learning process. With the aid of a sonar-type electronic that he wears on his head, infant(婴儿) Dennis is learning to identify the people and objects in the world around him by means of echoes(回声).
The device is an improvement of the “Sonicguide”, an instrument produced by Telesensory Systems, Inc., of Palo Alto, Calif, and used by blind adults in addition to a smart or guide dog. As adapted for Dennis, it consists of a battery-powered system about the size of a half dollar that is on a headgear. A transmitter sends out an ultrasonic(超声的) pulse that creates an 80 degree cone of sound at 6 feet. Echoes from objects within the cone are perceived (felt) as sounds that vary in pitch(音调) and volume(音量) with the size and distance of the object.
The closer an object is, the lower the pitch, and the larger the object, the louder the signal. Hard surfaces produce a sharp ping, while soft ones send back signals with a slightly fuzzy quality. An object slightly to the right of Denny’s sends back a louder sound to his right ear than to the left. Thus , by simply moving his head right and left and up and down, he can not only locate an object but also get some notion of its shape and size, thanks to the varying qualities of sounds reaching his ears as the cone of ultrasound(超声波) passes its edges. Dennis likes to use the device to play a kind of peek-a-boo with his mother. Standing on her knee and facing her directly, he receives a strong signal in both ears. By turning his head away, he makes her seem to disappear. “From the first time he wore it,” says Mrs. Daughters, “it was like a light going on in his head.”
What remains to be determined is how well the device will help Dennis cope with his surroundings as he begins to walk and venture further into his environment.
Meanwhile, Telesensory, Inc, is working on the development of sonar(声纳) device with somewhat the same sensitivity as Dennis’s for use by school-age children.Dr. and Mrs. Daughters’ research is directed to ________.
| A．helping the blind to see and learn as well as others |
| B．benefiting the learning process of blind children |
| C．solving blind children’s psychological problems |
| D．finding out how children develop intellectually |
Infant Dennis becomes the subject of the experiment most probably because ________.
| A．he already lags behind the sighted children |
| B．he leads a life as normal as any other children |
| C．he is at the early stage of the learning process |
| D．he has the aid of a sonar-type electronic device |
What can we learn about infant Dennis’ device?
| A．Its first design was designed for blind adults. |
| B．Its battery is as small as a half-dollar coin. |
| C．It is functionally similar to a sane and guide dog. |
| D．It has been improved by Telesensory Systems, Inc. |
In the third paragraph, “its edges” refers to ___________ .
| A．the edge of an object |
| B．the edge of the device |
| C．the boundary of Dennis’ movement |
| D．the boundary of the sound pitch. |
Even when you’re extremely busy, you aren’t using your time with 100% efficiency. There are gaps in everyone’s schedule where they aren’t doing anything important. Even if your schedule has no gaps, there is probably lots of time when you aren’t working as fast or as effectively as you possibly could.
Why aren’t you completely efficient? It’s because time isn’t the limiting factor. If it were the limiting factor, people could work non-stop without breaks or any unproductive distractions (消遣). Instead, people, even those who are highly productive, need to take breaks, occasionally procrastinate (拖延) and slow down on tasks throughout the day.
The real and most important limiting factor for productivity is your energy levels to pay attention. Energy levels limit your productivity because when you’re tired, you can have enough time and still not get everything done. Your attention ability is also limited, because even if there are a million things that need to be done, you can only focus on one or two at a time.
You might not be able to insert another 4-5 hours into your schedule without making some sacrifices（牺牲）. But even extremely busy people can add an hour or two into their schedule without cancelling anything. The reason why it’s hard to “find time” isn’t a lack of time. It’s because you don’t have enough energy left to focus on something else that needs to fit into your day.
I first suspected time wasn’t the real problem during an extremely busy period in my life over a year ago. I was extremely busy, but at that time I still exercised regularly. I had daily to-do lists with over twenty items, and I still found time to exercise. However, after a few weeks off, because of illness, I stopped exercising. I was not busy by any standards, in fact, my schedule was very light. Despite this free time, I found it hard to find time to exercise. It seemed to get pushed later and later into my schedule until it was gone. How can I explain this strange experience? I believe you have known it. If someone can’t work with 100% efficiency, the most important limiting factor is ________.
| A．a schedule without gaps |
| B．breaks and distractions |
| C．the limited time |
| D．the limited energy |
According to Paragraph 4, everyone, including the extremely busy people, can ________.
| A．work without any rest |
| B．focus on many things at a time |
| C．find some more time in a day |
| D．do some exercise regularly |
The writer gives the example of himself in the last paragraph in order to ________.
| A．prove what the real limiting factor is |
| B．show us how busily he needs to work |
| C．explain how important a healthy body is |
| D．tell us what a strange experience he has |
What is the best title of the passage?
| A．Do You Really Lack Time? |
| B．How Can You Work Efficiently? |
| C．What Makes Your Energy Limited? |
| D．When Should You Do Exercise? |
In the US, people prefer waiting for a table to sitting with people they don’t know. This means a hostess may not seat a small group until a small table is available, even if a large one is. If you are sitting at a table with people you don’t know, it is impolite to light up a cigarette without first asking if it will disturb them.
At American restaurants and coffee shops you are usually served tap (水龙头)water before you order. You may find the bread and butter is free, and if you order coffee, you may get a free refill(重续).
Most cities and towns have no rules about opening and closing time for stores or restaurants, though they usually do make rules for bars. Especially in large cities, stores may be open 24 hours a day.
Serving in restaurants is often large; too large for many people. If you can’t finish your meal but would like to enjoy the food later, ask your waitress or waiter for a “doggie bag”. It may have a picture of a dog on it, but everybody knows you’re taking the food for yourself.
Tips are not usually added to the check. They are not included in the price of the meal, either. A tip of about 15% is expected and you should leave it on the table when you leave. In some restaurants, a check is brought on a plate and you put your money there. Then the waiter or waitress brings you your change.Which statement is TRUE?
| A．American people like sitting with people they don’t know. |
| B．Hostess always seats a small group at a large table. |
| C．American people never sit with people they don’t know. |
| D．American people would not light a cigarette if the people who sit at the same table mind their smoking. |
What is served before you order?
| A．Cold water. | B．Butter. | C．Coffee. | D． Bread. |
What do American people always do when servings are too large for them?
| A．They take the food home with a doggie bag for their dogs. |
| B．They leave the food on the table and go away. |
| C．They take the food home with a doggie bag and enjoy the food later. |
| D．They ask the waitress or waiter to keep the food for them. |
No one wants to be tested. We would all like to get a driver’s license without answering questionsabout rights of way or showing that we can parallel park a car. Many future lawyers and doctors probablywish they could join their profession without taking an exam.
But tests and standards are a necessary fact of life. They protect us from unskilled drivers, harmful products and dishonest professionals. In schools too exams play a. constructive role. They tell public officials whether new school programs are making a difference and where new investments are likely to pay off.
They tell teachers what their students have learned--and have not. They tell parents how their children aredoing compared with others their age. They encourage students to make more effort.
It is important to recall that for most of century, educators used intelligence tests to decide whichchildren should get a high-quality education. The point of IQ testing was to find out how much children werecapable of learning rather than to test what they had actually learned. Based on IQ scores, millions of children
were assigned todumbed-down programsinstead of solid courses in science, math, history, literature andforeign language.
This history reminds us that tests should be used to improve education. Every child should have accessto a high-quality education. Students should have full opportunity to learn what will be tested; otherwise theirscores will merely reflect whether they come from an educated family.
In the past few years, we have seen the enormous benefits that flow to disadvantaged students becauseof the information provided by state tests. Those who fall behind are now getting extra instruction inafter-school classes and summer programs. In their efforts to improve student performance, states are
increasing teachers salaries, testing new teachers and insisting on better teacher education.
Performance in education means the mastery of both knowledge and skills. This is why it is reasonable totest teachers to make sure they know their subject matter, as well as how to teach it to young children. Andthis is why it is reasonable to assess whether students are ready to advance to the next grade or graduate
from high school.According to the passage, school exams enable ______.
| A．governments to make right policieshave made efforts |
| B．students to meet their teachers' requirements |
| C．teachers to understand if their students |
| D．parents to compare their kids' behavior across schools |
"Dumbed - down programs" in Paragraph 3 refer to the programs which.
| A．lead to high-quality education |
| B．are less academically challenging |
| C．are intended for intelligent students |
| D．enable children to make steady progress |
Which of the following does the author probably agree with?
| A．Disadvantaged students can benefit from state tests. |
| B．Tests should focus on what students have actually learned. |
| C．Intelligent tests decide if children should get a high - quality education. |
| D．Intelligent tests are helpful in separating excellent students from poor ones. |
What is the purpose of the passage?
| A．To re-assess the value of IQ testing. |
| B．To defend the role of testing in education. |
| C．To explain what high-quality education means. |
| D．To call for thorough and complete reform in education. |
STAGE
Keep it in the air:The Chaoyang Theater is one of the Beijing theaters to present acrobatics (杂技) all year round. Top acrobatic artists invited from all over the country perform for Chinese and foreign tourists. The program contains trick cycling, leaping through hoops and Chinese magic tricks. Some of the artists have won prizes in international competitions.
Time: 7:15 p.m. Daily
Place: 36, Dongsanhuan Beilu, Chaoyang District
Tel: 1716, 16818
Use your head:Green Hat is a new drama given by a group of young Chinese actors. It's a rewrite of American writer Nathaniel Hawthorne's famous novel The Scarlet Letter. It describes the heroine's great courage in finding the true love against the public disagreement.
Time: 7:15 p.m. until March 5, except Mondays
Place: China Children's Theater
Tel: 102220, 102210
Mix and match:Story of Puppets tells of a fairy, Zixia, who looks for true love in the human world.After watching a puppet play Peony Pavilion, she thinks there must be true love in reality, so she uses magic to turn the puppet characters into humans, wanting to fall in love with the puppet hero. But things don't go as she planned...Li Liuyi, the director of the play has made several successful attempts topresent different traditional operas in one play. This time he combines Peking Opera, Kunqu Opera, and Pingju Opera along with a band, using the structure of modem drama.
Time: 7:30 p. m. until March 10, except Mondays
Place: Small Playhouse of Beijing People's Art Theater
Tel: 121118
Peking Opera:The Beijing Peking Opera Troupe will give two performances at the Chang'an CrandTheater. Each performance includes two classical excerpts (选段). One is Wenxi (a play focusing on singing and dancing); the other is Wuxi (a play full of acrobatic dancing). The first night will be TheCrossroad and Presenting a Pearl of the Rainbow Bridge. And the second night will see the performance of The Goddess of Heaven Scatte.
Place: Chang'an Grand Theater
Tel: 813108We can learn from the text that _____.
A Story of Puppets is a play held in China Children's Theater
B. the artists who have won prizes will perform magic tricks
C. on March 5 there will be two plays for us to choose
D. the artists in the Beijing Peking Opera Troupe are from all over the countryIf a tourist wants to see a performance on March 15, he can call _____ to book a ticket.
| A．813108 | B．121118 | C．102220 | D．16818 |
According to the text, which of the following statements is true?
| A．The director of the Story of Puppets combines different operas in it. |
| B．Green Hat is based on a famous novel acted by some American artists. |
| C．Top Acrobatic artists will present their performances around our country. |
| D．The Beijing Peking Opera Troupe will give two performances with the same excerpts |