Strange it may sound, this is a true story about a lesson of honesty happening between a lucky thief and a worthy professor.
Once a thief won a lottery ticket but left it at his crime(犯罪) scene when he stole a suitcase from a professor. To his great surprise, his victim, who picked up the ticket and took the prize money of ￡25 000, managed to get in touch with him in order to return him the case. The robbery took place when John Smith, a math professor was changing a tyre on the motorway. The thief happened to pass by. He appeared to be a warm-hearted guy and stopped “to help”. When the professor found his suitcase in the car missing, the thief had driven off as fast as he could. The professor picked up the dropped ticket on the floor and put it in his pocket before driving home.
John Smith didn’t realize it was a winner until he knew the lottery results on TV. He got the prize money and began a battle with himself silently in his heart. At last，he decided not to keep the money although he just had been robbed of his suitcase by the owner of the ticket. He set out to advertise in newspapers and on radio for finding the owner, “ Don’t be surprised that I’m trying to find the man who robbed me in order to returned him the ￡25 000—a lottery win. Please meet me without telling me your real name if you don’t want to. ”.
Later John received tens of hundreds of calls from people around the country trying to trick him into handing them the cash. But he didn’t arrange to meet the right person in the park until he recognized the voice. The robber, was moved into tears when he returned the suitcase. “Why didn’t you keep the money？”he asked, not believing what was happening. The honest professor replied simply, “Because it’s not mine.” With these words, he walked off，spurningthe thief’s offer of a reward.The underlined sentence “Then he began a battle with himself silently.” suggested that .
| A．he made an immediate decision on knowing the lottery results |
| B．he silently decided to punish the robber by keeping the ticket |
| C．he realized that money played an important role as honesty . |
| D．he hesitated about how to deal with the ticket for some time |
Hundreds of people phoned the professor because they _______.
| A．lost their lottery ticket |
| B．hoped to take the money |
| C．knew who the robber was |
| D．wanted to make fun of him |
The underlined word “spurning” in the last sentence is similar to______ .
| A．forgetting | B．accepting |
| C．refusing | D．making |
Which of the following can be used as the best title for the passage?
| A．A Magical Lottery |
| B．A Thief’s Lucky Day |
| C．A Stubborn Professor |
| D．A Reward of Honesty |
One day while shopping in a small town in southern California, it was my misfortune to be approached by a clerk．He seemed most unfriendly and not at all concerned about my intended purchase．I bought nothing, and marched angrily out of the store．
On the outside was a dark-skinned young man in his early twenties．His expressive brown eyes met and held mine, and in the next instant a beautiful, bright smile covered his face．I gave in immediately．The power of that broad smile dissolved all bitterness within me, and I felt the muscles in my own face happily responding．
“Beautiful day, isn’t it?” I remarked, in passing．Then I turned back． “I really owe you a debt of thanks,” I said softly．
His smile deepened, but he made no attempt to answer．A Mexican woman and two men were standing nearby．The woman stepped forward and volunteered, “Sir, but he doesn't speak English．Do you want me to tell him something?” In that moment I felt transformed．The young man's smile had made a big person of me．My friendliness and good will toward all mankind stand ten feet tall．
“Yes,” my reply was enthusiastic and sincere, “tell him I said, ‘Thank you’!”
“Thank you?” The woman seemed slightly puzzled．
I gave her arm a friendly pat as I turned to leave． “Just tell him that,” I insisted. “He'll understand．I am sure!”.
Oh, what a smile can do! Although I have never seen that young man again, I shall never forget the lesson he taught me that morning．From that day on, I became smile-conscious, and I practice the art diligently anywhere and everywhere, with everybody．Why did the author leave the store angrily?
| A．He couldn't buy what he wanted. |
| B．The clerk treated him unkindly. |
| C．The clerk didn't speak English. |
| D．The store's goods were too dear. |
By saying "I felt the muscles in my own face happily responding"(in Para. 2), the author means _____.
| A．he smiled back at the young man |
| B．he did not want to smile |
| C．he would thank the young man |
| D．he was still in a bad mood |
The author asked the woman to say “Thank you!” to the young man because the young man _____.
| A．had helped the author before |
| B．taught the author how to smile |
| C．taught the author a valuable lesson |
| D．was a kind employee of the store |
In the passage, the author seems to suggest that we should _____.
| A．be generous to strangers |
| B．practice smiling every day |
| C．help people in trouble |
| D．smile at other people |
How to Be a Winner
Sir Steven Redgrave
Winner of 5 Olympic Gold Medals
“In 1997 I was found to have developed diabetes（糖尿病）. Believing my career was over, I felt extremely low. Then one of the specialists said there was no reason why I should stop training and competing. That was it — the encouragement I needed. I could still be a winner if I believed in myself. I am not saying that it isn’t difficult sometimes. But I wanted to prove to myself that I wasn't finished yet. Nothing is to stand in my way.”
Karen Pickering
Swimming World Champion
“I swim 4 hours a day, 6 days a week. I manage that sort of workload by putting it on top of my diary. This is the key to success — you can’t follow a career in any field without being well-organized. List what you believe you can achieve. Trust yourself, write down your goals for the day, however small they are, and you’ll be a step closer to achieving them.”
Kirsten Best
Poet & Writer
“When things are getting hard, a voice inside my head tells me that I can’t achieve something. Then, there are other distractions, such as family or hobbies. The key is to concentrate. When I feel tense, it helps a lot to repeat words such as ‘calm’, ‘peace’ or ‘focus’, either out loud or silently in my mind. It makes me feel more in control and increases my confidence. This is a habit that can become second nature quite easily and is a powerful psychological tool．”What does Sir Steven Redgrave mainly talk about?
| A．Difficulties influenced his career． |
| B．Specialists offered him medical advice． |
| C．Training helped him defeat his disease． |
| D．He overcame the shadow of illness to win． |
What does Karen Pickering put on top of her diary?
| A．Her sports career． |
| B．Her achievements． |
| C．Her daily happenings． |
| D．Her training schedule． |
What does the underlined word “distractions” probably refer to？
| A．Ways that help one to focus． |
| B．Words that help one to feel less tense． |
| C．Activities that turn one's attention away． |
| D．Habits that make it hard for one to relax． |
According to the passage, what do the three people have in common?
| A．Self-confidence． | B．Hard work． |
| C．Devotion． | D．Courage． |
Onceupon a time there was a wise man that used to go to the sea to do his writing. Hehad a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work.One day he waswalking along the shore. As he looked down at the beach, he saw a human figuremoving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought that someone woulddance on the beach. So he began to walk faster to catch up. As he got closer, hesaw that it was a young man and the young man wasn’t dancing, but instead he wasreaching down to the shore, picking up something and throwing itinto the ocean. As he got closer, he called out, “Good morning! What are youdoing?’’
Theyoung man paused, looked up and replied, “Throwingstarfishes(海星)in theocean.”
“I guess I should have asked, why are you throwing starfishes in the ocean?”
“The sun is up and the tide is going out.And if I don’t throw them in, they’ll die”.
“But, young man, don’t you realize thatthere are miles and miles of beach and starfishes all along it. You can’tpossibly make a difference!”
Theyoung man listened politely. Then he bent down, picked another starfish andthrew it into the sea, and said, “It made a difference for that one.”Thereissomething very special in each and every one of us. We have all beengifted with the ability to make a difference. And if we can know that gift, wewill gain through the strength of our vision the power(力量)toshape the future.
We musteach find our starfish. And if we throw our starfish wisely and well, the worldwill be better.The underlined words “something very special” refers to _____.
| A．the gifts from friends |
| B．the strength of making decision |
| C．our own starfish |
| D．the ability to make a difference |
From the last two paragraphs, we can learn that _____.
| A．the wise man realized something new and important |
| B．the wise man thought it was foolish of the young man to throw starfishes in the ocean |
| C．the young man had the ability to make a difference |
| D．it is necessary for us to save starfish on the beach |
The writer told this story to show us _____.
| A．how and where we can write a good article |
| B．everyone can do something for the future |
| C．wise men are sometimes stupid |
| D．young men are in fact wiser than old people |
For some people, the prospect of starting college, especially going away to school, is scary. It’s probably the first time that you’ll be totally responsible for your own schedule. What if you intend to go to college but just don’t feel ready to start yet-for whatever reason-and you don’t want to take on a full-time job after graduation? You might want to take a year off to pause and regroup. This practice is common in some countries, like the United Kingdom, where it’s called a “gapyear”.
Taking time off doesn’t mean you should ignore the idea of applying to college. In fact, you may want to consider making your college plans before you become involved in other things, especially if you’ll be travelling. Apply to schools and make your choice, then ask for a deferred admission. Rachel took a year off and worked in New York City between college and medical school. She says that she had to be extremely well organized about planning for medical school so she didn’t miss any of her deadlines. “Not only did I have to apply to schools and make plans to take my MCAT exams, I also had to make all my living arrangements and other plans for my year off!”
Even if you decide not to apply to college, it can be a great idea to take a year to do something you may not have an opportunity to do again. Lots of volunteer organizations would welcome your time and energy and would provide you with a wonderful learning experience. If you take a year off you will learn some great life skills-like living on a tight budget! If you take a year off you’ll pay your way while you are traveling or doing volunteer work.What’s the best title of the passage?
| A．Taking Time Off |
| B．Disadvantages of a “Gap Year” |
| C．Plans after Graduation |
| D．How to Apply to College |
Going on a “gap year” means _____.
| A．asking for a year’s leave to rest at home |
| B．taking a year off to pause and regroup |
| C．ignoring the idea of applying to college |
| D．travelling around the world before going to college |
The author takes Rachel for example in the second paragraph in order to show _____.
| A．it’s not easy to take a year off |
| B．it’s interesting to take a “gap year” |
| C．what taking time off is like |
| D．how to apply to schools |
Which of the following is NOT the benefit of taking a year off?
| A．You’ll learn some great life skills. |
| B．You’ll make full preparation for starting college. |
| C．You’ll earn much money by taking on a full-time job. |
| D．You’ll gain a wonderful learning experience by joining in a volunteer organization. |
In 1826, a Frenchman named Niepce needed pictures for his business, but he was not a good artist. So he invented a very simple camera. He put it in a window of his house and took a picture of his yard. That was the first photograph.
The next important date in the history of photography was 1837. That year, Daguerre, another Frenchman, took a picture of his studio. He used a new kind of camera and a different process. This kind of photograph was called a daguerreotype. Soon, other people began to use Daguerre’s process. In about 1840, the process was improved. Then photographers could take pictures of people and moving things.
Matthew Brady was one well-known American photographer. He took many portraits of famous people. The portraits were unusual because they were very life-like and full of personality.
In the 1880s, new inventions began to change photography. Photographers could buy film ready-made in rolls. And finally, the invention of the small handheld camera made photography less expensive. With the small camera, anyone could be a photographer. People began to use cameras just for fun. They took pictures of their families, friends and favorite places. They called these pictures “snapshots”.
Photography also turned into a form of art by the end the 19th century, some photographs were not just copies of the real world. They showed ideas and feelings, like other art forms.Matthew Brady was well-known for _______.
| A．inventing daguerreotype |
| B．taking pictures of French cities |
| C．taking portraits of famous people |
| D．inventing the first camera |
The new inventions in photography made it possible for ________.
| A．Brady to take pictures of famous people |
| B．anyone to be a photographer |
| C．only rich people to take pictures |
| D．people to use daguerreotype |
Photography can also be an art form because artists can _________.
| A．take pictures to show the real world |
| B．make documentaries |
| C．show ideas and feelings in pictures |
| D．copy old pictures |