In China, if you are not married by the time you are 30, you are in for trouble: social blame and pressure from family and friends can get you down. And if you are a woman, it’s even worse.
Many young people get married simply to get other people off their backs (免受别人的指责) . This is a serious compromise. One ends up not marrying the ideal partner.
There are, however, a few young people who refuse to compromise: if they can’t find a good marriage partner, they say, they would rather not marry at all.
34-year-old Kate is a university lecturer in English. She said she would not describe herself as celibatarian (独身主义者) but simply a woman who hasn’t come across the right man yet. She has sharp comments for the way in which the old generation looks at marriage.
“Many people think marriage is a duty---to your parents, family and society. Nobody cares if your marriage is happy or not, she said, I think this is very wrong and I intend to live and act according to my own will.”
Happily for her, her parents are open-minded and not lay stress on her. But the same does not apply to her friends. They are constantly trying to get her together with some young man or another. She always refuses politely.The main idea of this passage is that _________.
| A．marriage is a duty to society |
| B．people should get married before 30 years old |
| C．late marriage should be respected |
| D．women should get married earlier than men |
Miss Kate refuses to get together with some young man or another because __________.
| A．she doesn’t think he is the right man she wants |
| B．he is either too old or too young |
| C．he is either important or little learned |
| D．he doesn’t have good manners |
In the first paragraph the underlined words “in for” refer to _________.
| A．interested in | B．satisfied with |
| C．worried about | D．likely to suffer |
Which is NOT TRUE according to this passage?
| A．In China, one may face social blame and family pressure if one hasn’t got married by 30. |
| B．Miss Kate’s parents are always worried about her marriage. |
| C．Miss Kate won’t compromise if she can’t have her ideal marriage. |
| D．Miss Kate wants to marry a worthy young man. |
If marriage is regarded as a duty to society, __________.
| A．everybody will be happy and satisfied |
| B．nobody will pay attention to whether you are happy or not in your family life |
| C．you can easily find an ideal partner |
| D．young people will have nothing to worry about in marriage |
One spring, when I was 10, during one of my father's layoffs, I could tell my mother was dispiriteD．I decided to cheer her up by buying her a special Mother's Day gift．
One day after school I rode my bike to the Agins, which, I learned years later, was known for its high-end fashions and style．I introduced myself to Sylvia Agins, telling her I was looking for a Mather's Day present．
"Do you think she'd like a purse?" she askeD．I told her．I thought she might．
She took out an Italian handbag made of leather． She asked me what I thought, and I told her that my mom would like it．
"How much money do you have?" she asked．
"Twelve bucks," I said．
“You’re in luck,” she told me． "It's only $11． You have a dollar left over for the card．" She gift-wrapped the purse and thanked me for my business, and I rode off home with the package under my arm.
When my mother opened the gift the next Sunday morning, she asked in an accusing tone, “Where did you get this?"
"I bought it at the Agins． It cost me $11．" I said．
My mother was shocked into silence．
It wasn't until many years later, when I learned that the purse was worth several hundred dollars, that I appreciated just how wonderful Sylvia Agins had been to me． I always felt bad that I never had a chance to properly thank her．
"You know, my son, what really amazes me to this day," my mother saiD．"Letting you have the purse for just a few dollars was unbelievable enough． But the fact that she let you leave the store with a dollar for the card was a touch of kindness that I'll never forget． "The author bought his mother a purse to _____．
| A．surprise his mother |
| B．make his mother happy |
| C．show his ability of making money |
| D．thank his mother for buying him a bike |
Why was the author's mother shocked?
| A．She wasn't expecting a gift from her son． |
| B．The purse was bought from the Agins． |
| C．The author bought a card to go with the purse． |
| D．The Agins charged so little money for the purse． |
Sylvia Agins behavior shows that_____．
| A．she is good at making money | B．she is kind and thoughtful |
| C．she knows how to choose presents | D．she is critical and mean |
Which of the following can be the best title for the text?
| A．An Unforgettable Event． | B．A Considerate Mother． |
| C．A Priceless Mother's Day Gift． | D．A Kind-hearted Shop Owner． |
A victim of climate change
A polar bear's dead body found on the Arctic island of Svalbard, the northernmost part of Norway, has shocked experts who say climate change may be to blame for the animal’s death.The starved polar bear in Norway was said to be in good health in April when the Norwegian Polar Institute examined and labeled it． However, the animal was reduced to skin and bones by the time a group of explorers came across its body in July．
The bear is thought to have been heading north in a desperate search for sea ice that would allow it to hunt for seals.
"From his lying position in death the bear appears to simply have starved and died where he dropped," polar bear expert Dr. Ian Stirling, a professor at the University of Alberta said, "He had external suggestion of any remaining fat, having been reduced to little more than skin and bone．"
Stirling believes the bear starved to death as a result of a lack of sea ice which the animals use as a platform for hunting seals． That may also explain why the 16-year-old male bear was found about 155 miles north of where it was seen in April．
Arctic sea ice reached a record low in 2012, according to a report released this week by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that pointed to continued signs of climate change．
The International Union for Conservation of Nature currently classifies polar bears as vulnerable on its Red List of Threatened Species．How did Stirling know the reason for the death of the polar bear?
| A．By the food he ate |
| B．By doing further experiments |
| C．By observing other polar bears |
| D．By his lying position in death |
The underlined word "vulnerable" probably means _____
| A．easily hurt | B．difficult to hunt |
| C．dangerous | D．amazing |
What is the author's attitude to the incident?
| A．Favorable． | B．Uncaring |
| C．Doubtful． | D．Concerned |
Where does this text probably come from?
| A．A novel． | B．A guidebook |
| C．A news report． | D．An advertisement |
Global Positioning Systems are now a part of everyday driving in many countries. These satellite-based systems provide turn-by-turn directions to help people get to where they want to go. But they can also cause a lot of problems, sending you to the wrong place or leave you completely lost. Many times, the driver is to blame. Sometimes a GPS error is responsible. Most often, says Barry Brown, it is a combination of the two.
Barry Brown is with the Mobile Life Centre in Stockholm, Sweden. The center studies human-computer interaction, or HCI, especially communications involving wireless devices. We spoke to Mr. Brown by Skype. He told us about an incident involving a friend who had flown to an airport in the eastern United States. There he borrowed a GPS-equipped car to use during his stay.
Barry Brown: “And they just plugged in an address and then set off to their destination. And, then it wasn’t until they were driving for thirty minutes that they realized they had put in a destination back on the West Coast where they lived. They actually put their home address in. So again, the GPS is kind of “garbage in garbage out”. Mr. Brown says this is a common human error. But, he says, what makes the problem worse has to do with some of the shortcomings, or failures, of GPS equipment.
Barry Brown: “One problem with many GPS units is they have a very small screen and they just tell you the next turn. Because they just give you the next turn, sometimes that means that it is not really giving you the overview that you would need to know that it’s going to the wrong place.”
Barry Brown formerly served as a professor with the University of California, San Diego. While there, he worked on a project with Eric Laurier from the University of Edinburgh. The two men studied the effects of GPS devices on driving by placing cameras in people’s cars. They wrote a paper based on their research. It is called “The Normal, Natural Troubles of Driving with GPS.”
Barry Brown: “One of the things that struck us, perhaps the most important thing was that you have to know what you’re doing when you use a GPS. There are these new skills that people have developed. There are these new competencies that you need to have to be able to use a GPS because they sometimes go wrong.” Barry Brown says this goes against a common belief that GPS systems are for passive drivers who lack navigational (导航) skills.
“The Normal, Natural Troubles of Driving with GPS” lists several areas where GPS systems can cause confusion for drivers. These include maps that are outdated, incorrect or difficult to understand. They also include timing issues related to when GPS commands are given.
Barry Brown says to make GPS systems better we need a better understanding of how drivers, passengers and GPS systems work together.What is the best title for this passage?
| A．Is GPS system reliable to use? | B．What is the use of GPS? |
| C．How to make the most of GPS? | D．Blame! GPS or Passengers? |
What is the implication of the underlined part?
| A．GPS is just a garbage device. |
| B．GPS will not correct human errors. |
| C．GPS adjusts your wrong destination. |
| D．GPS is just as smart as human beings. |
Which is NOT mentioned as a GPS shortcoming in the passage?
| A．Small screen. | B．Timing of commands. |
| C．Outdated maps. | D．Dear cameras GPS uses. |
According to the passage, people commonly believe that ___________.
| A．you have to know where to go when using GPS |
| B．you need to have new competencies to use GPS well |
| C．GPS is proper for drivers with little sense of direction |
| D．GPS is fit for people having good understanding of maps |
“Image is everything.” An entire industry has been built upon the assumption that image is everything, but when it comes down to it, an appealing image is not enough. If there is no substance（事实）behind the image, the product, service or person will fail eventually.
First of all, one should consider how important image is in the selling of products and services. Advertising agencies have raised the art of creating an image to a state of near perfection. Public concept of that product or service is certainly managed by the images created by the advertising agencies．But if the product or service does not live up to the image that was created, the customer will be very dissatisfied and possibly ask for their money back. For example, the Arthur Andersen accounting firm had spent decades building up an image of trustworthiness. But the recent scandal (丑闻) showed that behind that image, it cheated in business practices. Despite the previous positive image, the firm is being accused of criminal actions and it will probably not survive as a business unit. Although the image had been nearly perfect, the reality behind the image has led to the downfall of the world famous accounting firm.
Similarly, personal advisers can build up a public image for politicians and movie stars. Putting out positive news releases, making sure that only the best photographs are published, and ensuring that the person is seen in all the right places can build up a very positive image in the view of the general commons. But once again, history is filled with examples of both politicians and movie stars that fell from grace like the story of the Hollywood actor giving in to the pressures of fame and fortune. With people, just as with products and services, image is certainly important, but without positive substance behind the image, failure is close.
To summarize, it is clear that an appealing image is extremely important to success, whether that image is related to selling a product or service or to the “selling” of a person. But image is only half of the equation. What lies behind that image is every bit as important as the image itself —— the person or product must deliver on that image or there is little chance for long-term success.The downfall of the Arthour Andersen accounting firm is due to ___________.
| A．its dishonesty in business | B．its previous images |
| C．its bad management | D．its poor service |
Why did some famous people fall from grace?
| A．Their images were not well built up. |
| B．They failed to live up to their images. |
| C．They felt much pressure from the public. |
| D．They paid little attention to fame and fortune. |
The structure of the passage is ___________.
A: Argument P: Point C: Conclusion
The author tries to argue that ___________.
| A．image creates everything |
| B．image is the key to success. |
| C．truth is unlikely ever to be equaled |
| D．truth and image are equally important |
Today is National Bike-to-Work Day. And on New York City’s jammed streets, people are cycling on hundreds of miles of new bike lanes. But New York’s widespread efforts to make streets safer for bikes have also left some locals complaining about the loss of parking spots and lanes for cars.
When the weather is good, Aaron Naparstek likes to pedal（用踏板踩）his two young kids to school on a special Dutch-made bicycle. Naparstek supports the new lane.
Aaron: The bike lane on Prospect Park West is really introducing a lot of new people to the idea that it’s possible to use a bike in New York City for transportation or to travel around. This is what 21st century New York City looks like.
Prospect Park West is still a one-way road, but where it used to have three lanes of car traffic, now it has two, plus a protected bike lane. Supporters say that makes the road safer for everyone, including pedestrians, by slowing down cars and taking bikes off the sidewalk. But some longtime residents disagree. Lois Carswell is president of a group called Seniors for Safety. She says the two-way bike lane is dangerous to older residents who are used to one-way traffic.
Lois: We wanted a lane — the right kind of lane that would keep everybody safe, that would keep the bikers safe. But we want it to be done the right way. And it has not been done the right way.
Craig Palmer builds bars and restaurants in Manhattan. I was interviewing him for a different story when he brought up the bike lanes all on his own.
Craig: I think the biggest problem is that Bloomberg put all these bike lanes in. You took what used to be a full street and you’re shrinking it.
Then there are the Hasidic Jews in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, who forced the city to remove a bike lane through their neighborhood. But polls show that the majority of New Yorkers support bike lanes by a margin of 56% to 39%. Bicycle advocate Caroline Samponaro of Transportation Alternatives calls that a mandate.
Caroline: If this was an election, we would have already had our victory. The public has spoken and they keep speaking. And I think, more importantly, the public is starting to vote with their pedals.What does Aaron mean by saying “This is what 21st century New York City looks like.”?
| A．There are hundreds of miles of new bike lanes in 21 st century New York City. |
| B．Drivers slow down their cars and bikes are taken off the sidewalk in New York. |
| C．Bikes are used as a means of transport in 21 st century New York City. |
| D．It’s possible to make the streets safe for pedestrians in New York. |
According to the passage, which of the following CANNOT support the opponents of these new bike lanes?
| A．Drivers lose parking spots and lanes for cars. |
| B．The two-way bike lane is dangerous to older residents. |
| C．We took what used to be a full street so the road is broader than before. |
| D．The removal of one bike lane through a neighbourhood in Brooklyn was not supported. |
“A mandate” in Paragraph 8 was referred to a demand or command from ___________.
| A．the authority | B．the public |
| C．the supporters | D．the government |
What of the following might be the best title of the passage?
| A．Ride on National Bike-to-Work Day |
| B．A New Bike Lane Appears in New York |
| C．A Bike Lane Divides New Yorkers |
| D．Who Wins an Election |