It all began with a stop at a red light.
Kevin Salwen was driving his 14-year-old daughter, Hannah, back from a sleepover in 2006 . While waiting at a traffic light, they saw a black Mercedes Coupe on one side and a homeless man begging for food on the other.
“Dad, if that man had a less nice car, that man there could have a meal.”Hannah protested. The light changed and they drove on, but Hannah was too young to be reasonable. She pestered （纠缠）her parents about inequity, insisting that she wanted to do something.
“What do you want to do?” her mom responded. “Sell our house?”
Warning! Never suggest a grand gesture to an idealistic teenager. Hannah seized upon the idea of selling the luxurious family home and donating half the proceeds to charity, while using the other half to buy a more modest replacement home.
Eventually, that’s what the family did. The project —crazy, impetuous（鲁莽的）and utterly inspiring — is written down in detail in a book by father and daughter scheduled to be published next month: “The Power of Half.” It’s a book that, frankly, I’d be nervous about leaving around where my own teenage kids might find it. An impressionable child reads this, and the next thing you know your whole family is out on the street.
At a time of enormous needs in Haiti and elsewhere, when so many Americans are trying to help Haitians by sending everything from text messages to shoes, the Salwens offer an example of a family that came together to make a difference — for themselves as much as the people they were trying to help. In a column a week ago, it described neurological evidence from brain scans that unselfishness lights up parts of the brain normally associated with more primary satisfaction. The Salwens’ experience confirms the selfish pleasures of selflessness.
Mr. Salwen and his wife, Joan, had always assumed that their kids would be better off in a bigger house. But after they downsized, there was much less space to retreat to, so the family members spent more time around each other. A smaller house unexpectedly turned out to be a more family-friendly house.The best title for the passage should be “______”.
| A．The Less, the Better |
| B．An Expected Satisfaction |
| C．Something We Can Live Without |
| D．Somewhat Crazy but Inspiring |
What does the underlined word “inequity” most probably mean in Paragraph 3?
| A．Unfairness. | B．Satisfaction. |
| C．Personal attitude. | D．Reasonable statement. |
What does the underlined sentence “Never suggest a grand gesture to an idealistic teenager.” mean? ______
| A．Never give a quick answer to an idealistic teenager. |
| B．Unless a child is realistic, never give an answer immediately. |
| C．Give an answer if the child is reasonable. |
| D．Don’t respond to a child's demands firmly without consideration. |
What can we learn from the last paragraph?
| A．The Salwens regretted selling their house. |
| B．The relationship between the family members of the Salwens is much closer. |
| C．Small houses can bring happiness. |
| D．The Salwens intend to buy another big house. |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Mercedes Coupe is only an ordinary car which is quite cheap. |
| B．Unselfishness has nothing to do with people’s primary satisfaction. |
| C．Hannah asked her parents to do something charitable and they sold their house. |
| D．The writer’s children asked him to sell their house. |
Way back in 1662，John Evelyn，a brilliant Englishman known for his detailed diaries，wrote about disastrous effects of coal-burning on the city of London .In it,he described an infernal scene of smog．air filled with “Columns and Clouds of Smoke’’given out by small industries and residences that burned coal for fuel．
I found the description in the 2003 book When Smoke Ran like Water，by epidemiologist(流行病学家)and environmental advocator(倡导者)Devra Davis．In it,Davis looks back at several historic pollution events and their disastrous effect on human human health-and at how these phenomena were often Ignored or even actively covered up by then people in charge at that time.
As Davis points out，John Evelyn was ahead of his time when writing about how London’s polluted air affected the well-being of its residents．It wasn’t until nearly 300 years later,after what became well-known as the Great Smog of 1952，that the government began to address the problem in a systematic way．
For four days．Between December 5th“and 9th“，due to all accident of the weather pattern，the city was buried in a heavy fog .People were still burning coal for fuel，and low-grade coal at that time， because 0f wartime condition．A temperature inversion(转向)trapped the smoke from the city’s fires， creating a black cloud in which people could barely find their way down the most familiar streets
Some tried to protect themselves，but most people simply went about their business. But l952’s fog was far worse than any other in memory．In the same week of the previous year, 1852 people had died in London；inl952，that number was 4703 And the deaths didn’t stop when the weather changed and the fog lifted．Davis and her colleagues analyzed data from the next several months and found that about 13000 more people died between December and March than one would have predicted from historical averages Many of them died of pneumonia(肺炎)．The government，she writes．Tried to blame a bad flu season．Her detailed analysis found that explanation simply did
not pan out．
Davis writes that even today in this country ,we still have not completely absorbed the lessons of similar events．Sixty years the killer fog lifted in London，people are dying preventable deaths and suffering life．changing illnesses，simply because they must breathe the air of the cities where they liveThe passage is written to
| A．warn people of the danger from air pollution |
| B．introduce London’s Great Smog of l952 |
| C．blame the government for the smog |
| D．explain the reasons for air pollution |
The underlined word‘‘infernal” in the first paragraph probably means“ ”
| A．imaginary | B．adventurous | C．unbelievable | D．annoying |
One of the reasons for the Great Smog of l952wasthat——
| A．people burned wood for fuel |
| B．a forest fire created a black cloud over the city |
| C．the government ignored the smog |
| D．most people went abouttheirbusine00 |
How does the writer feel about the present air condition in London?
A. lndifferent B Concerned C．Hopeless．D. Panic
Most people know that awkward feeling when you walk into an elevator with other people and try not to make eye contact(接触). But a new research suggests it may be down to a subconscious power struggle being played out as you make your way up and down.
A study found that people decide where they stand based on a micro social status，established within seconds of entering the lift.
Rebekah Rousi．a Ph. D．student in cognitive(认知)science，conducted an ethnographic(人种论)
Study of elevator behaviour in two of the tallest office buildings in Adelaide，Australia.As part of her research，she took a total of 30 lift rides in the two buildings，and discovered .There was an established order to where people tended to stand
In a blog she writes that more senior men seemed to direct themselves towards the back of the elevator She said：“In front of them were younger men，and in front of them were women of aII ages.”She also notice there
was a difference in where people directed their gaze(注视)half way through the ride．“Men watched the monitors，looked in the side mirrors(in one building)to see themseIves．And in the door mirrors(of the other building)to also watch others Women would watch the monitors and avoid eye contact with other users(unless in conversation)and the mirrors，”she writes．
She concluded it could be that people who are shyer stand toward the front，where they can’t see other passengers，whereas confident people stand in the back，where they have a view of everyone else.The passage is mainly about
A. elevator riding manners
B communication in the elevator
C. elevator riders’ standing positions
D. micro social status in the elevatorThe underlined word“it”in the first paragraph probably refers to“”
| A．an elevator | B．the new research | C．eye contact | D．social status |
A person who stands in the back of the lift is probably
A confident B shy C honestThe conclusion of the research in the passage is
A. subjective B．objective C critical D doubtful
A new study of 8,000 young people in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior shows that although love can make adults live healthily and happily, it is a bad thing for young people. Puppy love (早恋) may bring stress for young people and can lead to depression. The study shows that girls become more depressed than boys, and younger girls are the worst of all.
The possible reason for the connection between love and higher risk of depression for girls is “loss of self”. According to the study, even though boys would say “lose themselves in a romantic relationship”, this “loss of self” is much more likely to lead to depression when it happens to girls. Young girls who have romantic relationships usually like hiding their feelings and opinions. They won’t tell that to their parents.
Dr Marian Kaufman, an expert on young people problems, says 15% to 20% young people will have depression during their growing. Trying romance often causes the depression. She advises kids not to jump into romance too early. During growing up, it is important for young people to build strong friendships and a strong sense of self. She also suggests the parents should encourage their kids to keep close to their friends, attend more interesting school activities and spend enough time with family.
Parents should watch for signs of depression--eating or mood changes--and if they see signs from their daughters or sons, they need to give help. The good news is that the connection between romance and depression seems to become weak with age. Love will always make us feel young, but only maturity (成熟) gives us a chance to avoid its bad side effects.Which of the following is more likely to have depression?
| A．Young people who have a strong sense of selfishness. |
| B．Young girls who always hide their feelings and opinions. |
| C．Young boys whose parents watch for their behavior. |
| D．Careless parents whose children are deep in love. |
What can be inferred from the passage?
| A．The older a woman is, the less likely she seems to lose herself in romance. |
| B．Lacking love can lead young people to grow up more quickly. |
| C．Early love makes young people keep close to their friends and parents. |
| D．Parents should help their children to be aware of the signs of depression. |
What’s the author’s attitude towards puppy love?
| A．Confused. | B．Disinterested. | C．Scared. | D．Disapproving. |
What’s the main idea of the passage?
| A．Puppy love may bring young people depression. |
| B．Parents should forbid their children’s love. |
| C．Romance is a two? edged sword for adults. |
| D．Romance is good for young people. |
Maybe it is true that we do not know what we have got until we lose it, but it is also true that we do not know what we have been missing until it arrives.
It takes an hour to like someone, and a day to love someone, but it takes a lifetime to forget someone. Giving someone all your love is never an assurance that they will love you back. Do not expect love in return; but if it does not, be content it has grown in yours. Do not rely on one’s appearance; it can trick you. Do not rely on wealth; even that fades away. Rely on someone who makes you smile, because it takes only a smile to make a dark day seem bright.
There are moments in life when you miss someone so much that you just want to pick them from your dreams and hug them. Dream what you want to dream; go where you want to go; be what you want to be, because you have only one life and one chance to do all the things you want to do.
The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past. You cannot go on well in life until you let your past failures and heartaches go off. May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trails to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human, enough hope to make you happy. The happiest of people do not necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way. Happiness waits for those who cry, those appreciate the importance of people who have touched their lives. Always put yourself in others’ shoes. If you feel that it hurts you, it probably hurts the other person, too.
When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling. Live your life so that when you die, you are the one who is smiling and everyone around you is crying.In this passage, the writer wants to tell us ______.
| A．what to do in our life |
| B．where to go with other persons |
| C．how to treat our life |
| D．how to get on well with other persons |
Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
| A．If you give someone your love, you are sure to receive love in return. |
| B．We often don’t know what we have lost until it happens someday. |
| C．It is wise not to rely on anybody because you are likely to be cheated. |
| D．If it takes you a short time to love someone, you will easily forget the person. |
If you put yourself in another person’s position, ______.
| A．you shouldn’t do what will hurt other people |
| B．you should put on other people’s shoes |
| C．you should believe in other people |
| D．you should depend on your imagination |
In the last paragraph the writer is actually telling us that a person in the world should be one who ______.
| A．can accept the suggestions made by others |
| B．can live happily and forget the past |
| C．does good to other people and is respected and loved by them |
| D．has made a lot of money for himself before he dies |
(NEW YORK) A French tourist highly praised for rescuing a two-year-old girl in Manhattan said he didn’t think twice before diving into the freezing East River.
Tuesday’s Daily News said 29-year-old Julien Duret from France was the man who left the spot quickly after the rescue last Saturday.
He lifted the little girl out of the water after she fell off the bank at the South Street Seaport museum. He handed the girl to her father, David Anderson, who had dived in after him.
“I didn’t think at all,” Duret told the Daily News. “It happened very fast. I reacted very fast.”
Duret, an engineer on vacation, was walking with his girlfriend along the pier(码头) when he saw something falling into the water. He thought it was a doll, but realized it was a child when he approached the river. Immediately, he took off his coat and jumped into the water.
When he reached the girl, she appeared lifeless, he said. Fortunately, when she was out of the water, she opened her eyes.
Anderson said his daughter slipped off the bank when he was adjusting his camera. An ambulance came later for her, said Duret, who was handed dry clothes from onlookers. Duret caught a taxi with his girlfriend shortly after.
The rescue happened on the day before he left for France. Duret said he didn’t realize his story of heroism had greatly moved New York until he was leaving the city the next morning.
“I don’t really think I’m a hero,” said Duret. “Anyone would do the same thing.”Why was Duret in New York?
| A．To meet his girlfriend. | B．To spend his holiday. |
| C．To work as an engineer. | D．To visit the Andersons. |
What did Duret do shortly after the ambulance came?
| A．He was interviewed by a newspaper. |
| B．He went to the hospital in the ambulance. |
| C．He disappeared from the spot quickly. |
| D．He asked his girlfriend for his dry clothes. |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Duret thought twice before he jumped into the cold water. |
| B．Duret dived into the water before the girl’s father. |
| C．The rescue happened on the day Duret left for France. |
| D．Duret didn’t think he was brave enough to be a hero. |
What is probably the headline of this news report?
| A．A Careless Father | B．A Poor Girl |
| C．Warm-hearted Onlookers | D．Brave Frenchman Found |