Fear and its companion pain are two of the most useful things that men and animals possess, if they are properly used. If fire did not hurt when it burnt, children would play with it until their hands were burnt away. Similarly, if pain existed but fear didn’t, a child would burn himself or herself again and again, because fear would not warn himself or herself to keep away from the fire that had burnt himself or herself before. A really fearless soldier—and some do exist, is not a good soldier because he is soon killed; and a dead soldier is of no use to his army. Fear and pain are therefore two guards without which men and animals might soon die out.
In our first sentence we suggested that fear should be properly used. If, for example, you never go out of your house because of the danger of being knocked down and killed in the street by a car, you are letting fear rule you too much. Even in your house you are not absolutely safe: an aeroplane may crash on your house, or ants may eat away some of the beams in your roof so that the latter falls on you, or you may get cancer!
The important thing is not to let fear rule you, but instead to use fear as your servant and guide. Fear will warn you of dangers; then you have to decide what action to take.
In many cases, you can take quick and successful action to avoid the danger. For example, you see a car coming straight towards you. Fear warns you, you jump out of the way, and all is well.
In some cases, however, you decide that there is nothing that you can do to avoid the danger. For example, you can’t prevent an aeroplane crashing onto your house. In this case, fear has given you its warning; you have examined it and decided on your course of action, so fear of this particular danger is no longer of any use to you, and you have to try to overcome it.Children would play with fire until their hands were burnt away if _________.
| A．they were given no warning beforehand |
| B．they had never burnt themselves |
| C．they had no sense of pain |
| D．they were fearful of the fire |
A really fearless soldier _____________.
| A．is of great use to the army |
| B．is not a real soldier |
| C．is nothing but a dead soldier |
| D．easily gets killed in a battle |
People sometimes succeed in timely avoiding the danger because _________.
| A．they have gained experience |
| B．they jump out of the way in time |
| C．they are calm in the face of danger |
| D．they are warned of the danger by fear and take quick action |
What's the writer's suggestion when the danger can't be avoided?
| A．You have to try to overcome it. |
| B．Fear can really help you to run away. |
| C．Fear always helps you stay safe. |
| D．Fear is of great use to you. |
Recently I met a former student Jeanie, for lunch. She had been one of my sixth grade students. Before she had moved away, I had been asked to speak as someone who had been a motivator. I spoke telling the crowd gathered that she was a blessing and encouragement to me. She was a child that had come from a family with some problems. When we finally met, she told me that the thing that made me her favorite teacher was the speech I gave every year. I tell my students that when they wake each morning and come to school, they spend more time with me than they spend with their parents. They may be in the same house, but that does not mean that they spend time with them. I told them that my job was to teach them, comfort them, encourage them, and discipline them as needed. However, my most important job was to love them so that they could put away all other thoughts and prepare to learn. I have no losers in my class. They should therefore consider me their mom away from home.
Over lunch, Jeanie asked if she could have the honor of calling me “Mom”, because over the years I have always been a second mom to her. She said she has heard from many friends and this is what they all remember about me That I was not only their teacher, but their mom; someone to comfort them, guide them and teach them.Which of the following statements is NOT true about Jeanie ？
| A．She is a former student of the author. |
| B．She is one of sixth grade students. |
| C．She was from a family with problems. |
| D．She was a blessing to the author. |
It can be concluded that the author is her job.
| A．tired of. | B．worried about. | C．crazy about | D．fond of. |
By saying “I have always been a second mom to her”, Jeanie meant that “”.
| A．I was a teacher as good as a mother. |
| B．She was so lucky to have two moms. |
| C．She would treat me as her mom forever. |
| D．I was always less concerned about her. |
What is the most important job for the author ?
| A．To teach students. | B．To comfort students. |
| C．To encourage students. | D．To love students. |
Which of the following is the best title ?
| A．Former Students. | B．Second Mom. |
| C．Good Teachers. | D．Unforgettable Speech. |
More women are graduating from colleges than men.The situation is causing some people to worry about the future.The trend could cause social problems，according to a report on July 8 by the Washington Post.
Women received about 57 percent of the bachelor’s degrees awarded this year from colleges and universities in the United States.The figure of 57 percent has been the highest since World War Ⅱ ended in 1945.During the war，many men were in the military.
The gap between men and women is greater among African Americans and Hispanics.Two AfricanAmerican women receive a degree for every AfricanAmerican man.Only 40 percent of Hispanics who get a degree are males.
The USA Department of Education estimates 698,000 females received bachelor’s degree this year.The number of male graduates was 529,000.The trend toward more female graduates began in the mid1980s.Nobody seems to know why.However，many theories exist.
Researchers say the trend could lead to social problems.They also say this may indicate two things.It may reflect the increasing success of women.But it also may show the educational problems affecting men.
High school graduation rates are slightly lower for men than for women.Males also make up the vast majority of students in special education classes.
The Business Roundtable is studying the trend.The group is an organization of chief executives of some of the nation’s largest corporations.Susan Traiman is the director of the group’s education policy.Traiman said the nation couldn’t afford to let half its population fail to develop skills needed for the future.Some people worry about the future because ________.
| A．there are many social problems in America |
| B．more and more men don’t like the life in college |
| C．more AfricanAmerican women receive a degree |
| D．fewer and fewer men receive a degree than women in America |
Which one of the following statements is right according to this passage?
| A．There must be something wrong with the education system. |
| B．40% of the Hispanics get a degree in America. |
| C．Nobody knows the reason why more women get a degree than men. |
| D．More than half of the men received bachelor’s degrees this year. |
The underlined word “estimates” in the fourth paragraph means ________.
| A．guesses | B．explains | C．introduces | D．discovers |
What Susan Traiman said means that ________.
| A．the nation should prevent the women from receiving further education |
| B．the nation would be too poor to develop its education |
| C．the nation didn’t have enough money for women’s further education |
| D．the nation should encourage men to develop skills for the future |
What is the main subject discussed in the text?
| A．Women are more successful in America than men. |
| B．More women than men are graduating from college. |
| C．Men are more successful in America than women. |
| D．There are two kinds of social problems in America. |
Recently，scientists attending a meeting in Chicago presented new studies showing how food and its production affect global warming.They offered some suggestions for how to eat in a more environmentally friendly way.
For many years，scientists have warned us that our planet is getting warmer.If current trends continue，animals may start to die off and life could get very difficult for everyone.The temperature is rising because humans have been releasing massive amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere，which surround the planet and keep heat from escaping.One of these gases is carbon dioxide.
Most carbon dioxide we produce comes from the process of making and eating food，the scientists reported in Chicago.The production of meat contributes to a lot of carbon dioxide.And much of meat’s contribution comes from beef，which is responsible for releasing even more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
The process of making a hamburger，for example，requires a lot of energy.A cow has to be fed and raised，and cow’s wastes are a major source of greenhouse gases.After the cow is killed，the meat has to be processed and shipped to a consumer，which takes fuel.And most of the cow won’t even be used for meat people eat.
By the time a hamburger finally lands on a dinner plate，it has taken a heavy toll on the environment.It is believed that the process of making a halfpound allbeef burger adds about 19 times the weight of hamburgers in carbon dioxide.
The message is clear：We can greatly reduce the production of greenhouse gases by eating less beef.Other kinds of meat like pork and chicken do less harm to the environment—at least in terms of the amount of greenhouse gases released.Nathan Pelletier，a scientist at Dalhousie University in Canada，reported that if everyone in industrial countries ate chicken instead of beef，we would cut the Earth’s greenhouse gases by more than half.
All kinds of meat，the scientists reported，are harder on the planet than vegetables.To grow and eat a pound of potatoes，for example，sends less than one quarter pound of carbon dioxide into the air.So shifting our diet to less meat and more vegetables may do the world some good.The text mainly tells us ________.
| A．what we eat can affect the whole planet |
| B．the way we live affects the environment |
| C．how we can save energy on the Earth |
| D．how we can produce environmentfriendly food |
What is likely to happen if the climate is getting warmer according to the passage?
| A．Sea level will continue to rise sharply. |
| B．Human beings won’t have enough food. |
| C．It would be very hard for man to survive. |
| D．All the animals and plants will disappear. |
Why does the author mention the process of making a hamburger?
| A．To show meat is usually part of a hamburger. |
| B．To illustrate that our food contributes to greenhouse gases. |
| C．To prove making a hamburger is a complex process. |
| D．To suggest a lot of energy is needed to make hamburgers. |
The author believes one effective way to fight global warming is ________.
| A．we should eat no pork and no chicken |
| B．we should eat more chicken than beef |
| C．we should eat not meat but vegetables |
| D．we should eat less meat and more vegetables |
Which of the following statements would Nathan Pelletier agree to?
| A．Eating pork and chicken is more environmentally friendly. |
| B．Meat consumption is the main cause of greenhouse gases. |
| C．People in industrial countries consume more beef than fish. |
| D．Eating more beef is a more efficient way to save more energy. |
Scientists have created a way to control a robot with signals from human brain.By generating the proper brainwaves—picked up by a cap with electrodes (电极) that sense the signals and reflect a person’s instructions—scientists can instruct a humanoid(类人的) robot to move to specific locations and pick up certain objects.
The commands are limited to moving forward，picking up one of two objects and bringing it to one of two locations.The researchers have achieved 94 percent accuracy between the thought commands and the robot’s movements.
“This is really a proofofconcept demonstration，” said Rajesh Rao，a researcher from the University of Washington who leads the project.“It suggests that one day we might be able to use semiautonomous robots for such jobs as helping disabled people or performing routine tasks in a person’s home.”
The person wearing the electrode cap watches the robot’s movements on a computer screen through two cameras installed on and above the robot.
When the robot’s cameras see the objects that are to be picked up they pass on the information to the user’s computer screen.Each object lights up randomly on the computer screen.When a person wants something picked up and it happens to light up，the brain registers surprise and sends this brain activity to the computer and then to the robot.The robot then proceeds to pick up the object.
A similar algorithm(计算程序) is used to decide where the robot will go.
“One of the important things about this demonstration is that we’re using a ‘noisy’ brain signal to control the robot，” Rao said.“That means we can only obtain brain signals indirectly from sensors on the surface of the head，not where they are generated deep in the brain.As a result，the user can only generate highlevel commands such as indicating which object to pick up or which location to go to，and the robot needs to be autonomous enough to be able to execute such commands.”
In the future，the researchers hope to make the robots more adaptive to the environment by having them carry out more complex commands.What is special about the robot introduced in the passage?
| A．It is controlled by human thoughts. |
| B．It can be made humanoid. |
| C．It can be used to help the disabled. |
| D．It has high intelligence itself. |
Which of the following is TRUE about the robot?
| A．It can move forward and backward and pick up two objects at the same time. |
| B．It can move forward，pick up both objects and bring them to either location. |
| C．It can only move forward，pick up one object and put it in one location. |
| D．It can read all human thought demands and do as instructed. |
What Rao said suggests that the new robot________.
| A．is still at its early stage of development |
| B．will be widely used in our daily routine soon |
| C．is autonomous enough to complete complex commands |
| D．is only limited to doing routine work at home |
The sixth paragraph mainly describes ________.
| A．how the robot reacts to a person’s instructions |
| B．how the robot picks up the right object |
| C．the functions of the computer |
| D．how the robot finds out where to go |
The underlined word “registers” in the passage can be best replaced by “________”．
| A．receives | B．shows | C．writes down | D．picks up |
Children are often far more gifted than what their parents or teachers can realize.IQ tests do not measure creative talents.By depending on them to measure intelligence，therefore，we miss out on the talents of many of our most gifted youngsters.Most children start life with valuable creative potential.Unfortunately，many of them have it knocked out of them，so to speak，by the time they reach the 4th grade.It is not that parents and teachers deliberately squelch(限制) creativity；or rather，they fail to recognize it.By simply observing the child at work or at play，you may detect creativity，if you look for the following key signs：
*Curiosity.The child’s questioning is persistent and purposeful.He is not content with given explanations，and he would rather dig under the surface.
*Flexibility.If one approach doesn’t work，the child quickly thinks of another.
*Sensitivity to Problem.He is quick to see gaps in information.He is sensitive to contradictions between prior rules and what he hears or reads.
*Selffeeling.He has a feeling of being somebody in particular.He is selfmotivated，selfdirected，and can work alone for long periods provided it’s on his own project.
*Originality.He has surprising，uncommon，interesting ideas.His drawings and stories have a style that marks them as his own.
*Insight.He has easy access to realms(领域) of the mind that noncreative people visit only in their dreams.He toys with ideas that easily come to him.
Qualities like these count very little in IQ tests，which measure memory，vocabulary，mathematical ability and general reasoning.These abilities are valuable，and the creative child does usually have them.However，the child with a socalled genius IQ of 180 is in reality no more likely to be a genius than the child with a slightly aboveaverage IQ of 120.In fact，evidence suggests that some children with high IQs may develop memory and logical reasoning powers at the expense of insight，imagination，and adventurous qualities that are essential to geniuses.The main purpose of the passage is to tell us________.
| A．why IQ tests are not accurate |
| B．to encourage creativity in children |
| C．no to squelch creativity in children |
| D．the difference between intelligence and talents |
The author believes that IQ tests mainly measure ________.
| A．creative potential | B．talents |
| C．intelligence | D．general reasoning |
The passage doesn’t clearly state but implies that ________.
| A．the education nowadays does not provide much space for creativity |
| B．intelligence makes no contributions to creativity |
| C．signs of creativity in children are hard to detect |
| D．IQ tests are often used to measure children’s talents |
Which of the following best illustrates a child’s originality?
| A．He can tell whether a given explanation is convincing or not. |
| B．He can find different ways to solve a problem. |
| C．He can work on an interesting project with concentration. |
| D．He can draw a picture or tell a story in his own style. |
According to the passage，children with high IQs ________.
| A．may lack the qualities essential to geniuses |
| B．will probably turn into geniuses |
| C．are more likely to be geniuses than those with low IQs |
| D．also have qualities essential to geniuses |