Every year Chris Brogan posts his three words for a new year. Many others and I have followed his lead for the past three or four years. They helped me a lot. My words for last year were “passion”, “focus” and “delegate” and I stayed true to them. This year, 2013, my goals are more personal and less professional.
FOCUS
Focus is making a repeat appearance on my list this year because I’m too much of a multitasker. The problem is that I have trouble finishing one thing with so many things calling me. When I was working as a writer, all my projects were handled via a schedule, I’m putting a fitness and housekeeping routine into my schedule.
HEALTH
I get so busy taking care of everyone else, and I forget to take care of myself and this has to change. My health suffers and my weight suffers. I have to get my health in check, not only for me but because I promised my 9-year-old son. I’ll make good food and lifestyle choices. I miss being thin, and it’s time to get it back.
CELEBRATE
What good is having it if I’m not taking time to enjoy it? I have a wonderful job, a happy family, and so much to be thankful for. So how come I spend all my time working? Last summer my family took our first vacation in four years, the best thing I’ve done for myself and my family in a long time. This year, I’m making sure to take time to enjoy life and celebrate its many blessings.
Do you have any words for 2014?
| A．makes a living by writing |
| B．always fails to finish a task on time |
| C．has several things to do at the same time |
| D．pays more attention to fitness and housekeeping |
| A．He wants to take better care of others. |
| B．He’s gaining weight and feeling bad. |
| C．He did not take any exercise in the past. |
| D．He got the idea from his son. |
| A．The word “CELEBRATE” can remind the writer to enjoy life. |
| B．The writer has a vacation with his family every four years. |
| C．The word “FOCUS” can help the writer focus on his family. |
| D．The writer used to be overweight for lack of exercise. |
"But Ijust paid 1．69 for this bottle of wine last week．How is it that the price is 2.25?"
There are at least three things going on that have caused the price of wine to rise．All haveto do with the supply and demand factors of economics．
The first factor is that people are drinking more wine than ever before．This demand formore wine has increased wine sales in America at the rate of 15 percent a year．
The second factor is that the supply of wine has stayed relatively the same, which meansthat the same number of bottles is produced each year．Wine producers are trying to open upnew land to grow more grapes．But in at least three wine producing areas of the world-France,Germany, and California --- new vineyards（葡萄园）will not be useable in the near future．Wines are produced in other countries, such as Italy, Spain, and Portugal, as well as Argentine,Australia, Austria, and Chile．And these wines will be seen more often on the American market．But none of these countries will be able to fill the good wines．
The third factor is that costs of wine production are soaring．The workers who make wineare asking for more money, and the machinery needed to press the grapes is becoming moreexpensive．
When the demand for something is greater than the supply, prices go up．When productioncosts, meaning the price of labor and machinery rise, the producer adds this increase to theprice of the wine．For these reasons, that bottle of wine now costs 2．25 instead of 1．69．What is the main idea of this passage?
| A．Every year people drink more wine． |
| B．Countries won't be able to fill the demand for good wines． |
| C．The prices of things go up when the demand for them is greater than the supply． |
| D．The supply of wine will always be less than demand． |
This passage is written to．
| A．describe where wine is produced |
| B．persuade people drink more beer |
| C．explain why the price of wine is rising |
| D．describe why wine is a favorite drink to many Americans |
Theunderlined word "soaring" means"___ .
| A．adding quickly | B．reducing fast |
| C．demanding badly | D．increasing fast |
People can be addicted to different things— e．g．alcohol, drug, certain foods，or eventelevision．People who have such an addiction are compulsive: they have a very powerfulpsychological need that they feel they must satisfy．According to psychologists, many peopleare compulsive spenders．They feel that they must spend money．This compulsion, like mostothers, is impossible to explain reasonably．For compulsive spenders who buy on credit, chargeaccounts are even more exciting than money．In other words, compulsive spenders feel thatwith credit, they can do anything．Their pleasure in spending large amounts is actually greaterthan the pleasure that they get from the things they buy．
There is even a special psychology of bargain hunting．To save money, of course, mostpeople look for sales, low prices, and discounts．Compulsive bargain hunters，however, oftenbuy things that they don't need just because they are cheap．They want to believe that they arehelping their budgets, but they are really playing an exciting game．When they can buysomething for less than other people, they feel that they are winners．Most people, expertsclaim, have two reasons for their behavior: a good reason for the things that they do and thereal reason．
It is not only scientists, of course, who understand the psychology of spending habits, butalso business people．Stores, companies, and advertisers use psychology to increase business．They consider people's needs for love, power, or influence, their basic values, their beliefs andopinions, and so on in their advertising and sales methods．
Psychologists often use a method called "behavior therapy（疗法）"to help individuals solvetheir personality problems．In the same way, they can help people who feel that they haveproblems with money．According to psychologists, a compulsive spender is one who spends large amounts ofmoney．
| A．and takes great pleasure from what he or she buys |
| B．in order to satisfy his or her basic needs in life |
| C．just to meet his or her strong psychological need |
| D．entirely with an irrational eagerness |
According to the passage, compulsive bargain hunters are often in search of the lowest possible prices.
| A．because they feel satisfied if they spend less money than others |
| B．because they like to show off their success in getting things for less money |
| C．because they have money problem |
| D．because they want to save money to help heir budget |
The passage is mainly talking about．
| A．the psychology of money-spending habits |
| B．the purchasing habits of compulsive spenders |
| C．a special psychology of bargain hunting |
| D．the use of the psychology of spending habits in business |
From the passage we may safely conclude that compulsive spenders or compulsive bargainhunters .
| A．are really unreasonable |
| B．need special treatment |
| C．can't be cured |
| D．can never get any help to solve their problems with money |
Dr．Sylvia Earle wants you to stop eating fish．It's not because fish are endangered，thoughwild fish stocks in many oceans are very low．It's not because they're bad for you, though fishin many areas are exposed to poisonous substances in the water．It's because they're smart．
"Fish are sensitive, they have personalities’，says the marine biologist．For Earle, eating afish would be like eating a dog or a cat．“I would never eat anyone I know personally.”
There's a lot more to fish than meets the eye: they talk to each other, they like to betouched, and they engage in behavior that can seem very human．They can remember thingsand learn from experience．Earle and a growing number of animal rights activists see these asstrong arguments against eating fish altogether．
The activists also point out that fish feel pain and fish suffer horribly on their way fromthe sea to the supermarket．“While it may seem obvious that fish are able to feel pain, likeevery other animal, some people think of fish as swimming vegetables，” says Dr. LynneSneddon. “Really，it's kind of a moral question．Is the enjoyment you get from fishing （oreating fish） more important than the pain of the fish?”
Fishermen and （fried） fish lovers are doubtful．"I've never seen a smart fish," says MarieSwaringen as she finishes off a plate of fish at a Seattle seafood restaurant．“If they were verysmart, they wouldn't get caught．"
“For years, everyone's been telling us to eat fish because it's so good for us，” says anotherdiner．‘‘Now I've got to feel guilty while I'm eating my fish? What are they going to think ofnext? Don't eat salad because cucumbers have feelings?"Dr．Sylvia Earle discourage people from eating fish because．
| A．there are not that many wild fish in the ocean |
| B．fish actually are sensitive and have personalities |
| C．some ocean fish contain poisonous substances |
| D．fish are like dogs or cats that people know personally |
We can infer from the passage that．
| A．all people don't agree with the idea to stop eating fish |
| B．people will be persuaded not to eat fish in the future |
| C．stopping eating fish will lead to people's not eating vegetables |
| D．we shouldn't care too much about the feeling of fish |
By saying "There's a lot more to fish than meets the eye, "the writer means．
| A．there are far more fish than other animals in the world |
| B．there are more fish in the world than people can see |
| C．people can see more fish if they pay more attention |
| D．fish are not that simple as they appear to people's eyes |
What is the writer's attitude towards people eating fish?
| A．Neutral． | B．Indifferent． | C．Approving． | D．Opposed． |
Being the head of a high school for many years, I grew tired of budget meetings, fundingcuts, and many other administrative chores and started to dream of retirement．Sitting in trafficon a weekday morning, I would find my mind wandering．I would imagine spending time withmy grandchildren, quiet evenings with my wife, traveling, or rediscovering some great books．Itold myself that I wouldn't sign myself up for any committees, any classes, or anythingrequiring 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 thesecond day, I cooked breakfast, read the paper …On the third day, ...This is retirement? Itried to tell myself that it was just the transition, that those golden moments were right roundthe 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 withchildren in the poorest neighbourhood．Would I interrupt my newfound "happiness" and returnto 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 thesense of responsibility of the young people on the trip．When I returned home, I offered to workone day a week with a local youth organization．The experience was so positive that I was soonvolunteering nearly full-time, working with students across North America to assist them intheir voluntary work．
Now，it seems, the tables have turned ．Some days I am the teacher, other days I am thestudent．These young people have reawakened my commitment to social justice issues bychallenging me to learn more about the situation in the world today, where people are still poorand suffer because of greed, corruption and war．Most importantly, they have given me theopportunity to continue to participate in helping to find solutions．In return, I help them do theircharitable projects overseas．I've gone from running one school to helping oversee theconstruction of schools in twenty-one countries!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． |
Why did the writer decide to go to Jamaica?
| A．He missed his students in that country． |
| B．He couldn't reflise his colleague's favor． |
| C．He was concerned about the people there． |
| D．He was not satisfied with his retired life． |
The underlined part "the tables have turned" （Paragraph 5 ） means that thewriter．
| 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 |
What does the writer think of his retired life now?
| A．Disappointing． | B．Troublesome． |
| C．Promising． | D．Meaningful． |
| INVITATION TO A GOING-AWAY PARTY Sunday, June12 Dear Li Yang and Lu Ming, You are invited to a party for our foreign teacher Miss Green’s return to England for her holiday. She leaves on June 21. The best part of the party will be when we sing and dance together. Party given by: Students’ Union Date: Saturday, June 18,2006 Time: 6:00p.m. to 9:30p.m. Place: The Students’ Dining Hall Reply by: Friday, June 17 Food and drinks will be provided at the party. Zhang Yu PS: This event is NOT to be missed! We hope to see you there! |
When will they have the party?
| A．On Sunday, June12th. | B．On Friday,June 17th. |
| C．On Saturday, June18th. | D．On Tuesday,June21th. |
How long will the party last?
| A．For three hours. | B．For two hours and a half. |
| C．For four hours and a half. | D．For three hours and a half. |
According to the invitation, which sentence is TRUE ?
| A．Miss Green leaves on Tuesday. | B．They are not going to sing. |
| C．They are not going to dance. | D．They can’t eat food at the party. |
Who are Li Yang and Lu Ming?
| A．Zhang Yu’s teachers. | B．Zhang Yu’s students |
| C．Zhang Yu’s schoolmates. | D．Zhang Yu’s sisters. |