In 1978, I was 18 and was working as a nurse in a small town about 270 km away from Sydney, Australia. I was looking forward to having five days off from duty. Unfortunately, the only one train a day back to my home in Sydney had already left. So I thought I’d hitch a ride (搭便车).
I waited by the side of the highway for three hours but no one stopped for me. Finally, a man walked over and introduced himself as Gordon. He said that although he couldn’t give me a lift, I should come back to his house for lunch. He noticed me standing for hours in the November heat and thought I must be hungry. I was doubtful as a young girl but he assured （使…放心）me I was safe, and he also offered to help me find a lift home afterwards. When we arrived at his house, he made us sandwiches. After lunch, he helped me find a lift home.
Twenty-five years later, in 2003, while I was driving to a nearby town one day, I saw an elderly man standing in the glaring heat, trying to hitch a ride. I thought it was another chance to repay someone for the favour I’d been given decades earlier. I pulled over and picked him up. I made him comfortable on the back seat and offered him some water.
After a few moments of small talk, the man said to me, “You haven’t changed a bit, even your red hair is still the same.”
I couldn’t remember where I’d met him. He then told me he was the man who had given me lunch and helped me find a lift all those years ago. It was Gordon.The author had to hitch a ride one day in 1978 because .
| A．her work delayed her trip to Sydney |
| B．she was going home for her holidays |
| C．the town was far away from Sydney |
| D．she missed the only train back home |
Which of the following did Gordon do according to Paragraph 2?
| A．He helped the girl find a ride. |
| B．He gave the girl a ride back home. |
| C．He bought sandwiches for the girl. |
| D．He watched the girl for three hours. |
The reason why the author offered a lift to the elderly man was that .
| A．she realized he was Gordon |
| B．she had known him for decades |
| C．she was going to the nearby town |
| D．she wanted to repay the favour she once got |
What does the author want to tell the readers through the story?
| A．Giving sometimes produces nice results. |
| B．Those who give rides will be rapid. |
| C．Good manners bring about happiness. |
| D．People should offer free rides to others. |
If women are mercilessly exploited(剥削) year after year, they have only themselves to blame. Because they tremble at the thought of being seen in public in clothes that are out of fashion, they are always taken advantage of by the designers and the big stores. Clothes which have been worn only a few times have to be put aside because of the change of fashion.
Changing fashions are nothing more than the intentional creation of waste. Many women spend large sums of money each year to replace clothes that have hardly been worn. Women who cannot afford to throw away clothing in this way, waste hours of their time changing their old-fashioned dresses. Skirts are lengthened or shortened; neck-lines are lowered or raised, and so on.
No one can claim that the fashion industry contributes anything really important to society. Fashion designers are rarely concerned with necessary things like warmth, comfort and durability (耐用). They are only interested in outward appearance and they take advantage of the fact that women will put up with any amount of discomfort, as long as they look right. There can hardly be a man who hasn’t at some time in his life smiled at the sight of a woman shaking in a thin dress on a winter day, or picking her way through deep snow in high heeled shoes.
When comparing men and women in the matter of fashion, the conclusions to be drawn are obvious. Do the constantly changing fashions of women’s clothes, one wonders, reflect basic qualities of inconstancy and instability? Men are too clever to let themselves be cheated by fashion designers. Do their unchanging styles of dress reflect basic qualities of stability and reliability(稳定耐用)? That is for you to decide.Designers and big stores always make money _______.
| A． by mercilessly exploiting women workers in the clothing industry |
| B． because they are capable of predicting new fashions |
| C． by constantly changing the fashions in women’s clothing |
| D． because they attach great importance to quality in women’s clothing |
To the writer, the fact that women change their old-fashioned dresses is seen as _______.
| A．a waste of money | B．a waste of time |
| C．an expression of taste | D．an expression of creativity |
New fashions in clothing are created for _______.
| A．the commercial exploitation of women |
| B． the women’s strength of character |
| C． basic qualities of inconstancy and instability |
| D． an important contribution to society |
When did you last see a polar bear(北极熊)? On a trip to a zoo, perhaps? If you had attended a winter activity in New York a few years ago, you would have seen a whole polar bear club. These "Polar Bears" are people who meet frequently in the winter to swim in freezing cold water. That day, the air temperature was 3℃,and the water temperature was a little higher. The members of the Polar Bear Club at Coney Island, New York are usually about the age of 60. Members must satisfy two requirements. First, they must get along well with everyone else in the group; this is very important because there are so many different kinds of people in the club. Polar Bears must also agree to swim outdoors at least twice a month from November through February.
Doctors don't agree about the medical effects of cold-winter swimming. Some are worried about the dangers of a condition in which the body's temperature drops so low that finally the heart stops. Other doctors, however, point out that there is more danger of a heart attack during summer swimming because the difference between the air temperature and water temperature is much greater in summer than in winter.
The Polar Bears themselves are satisfied with the benefits of cold-water swimming. They say that their favorite form of exercise is very good for the circulatory system(循环系统) because it forces the blood to move fast to keep the body warm. Cold-water swimmers usually turn bright red after a few minutes in the water. A person who turns blue probably has a very poor circulatory system and should not try cold-water swimming.
The main benefits of cold-water swimming are probably mental. The Polar Bears love to swim all year round; they find it fun and relaxing. As one 70-year-old woman says, "When I go into water, I pour my troubles into the ocean and let them float away." The members of the Polar Bear Club must meet the following requirements except that____.
| A．they must swim outdoors at least 8 times in the four cold months |
| B．they must reach the age of 60 |
| C．they should be easy to make friends with |
| D．they must agree to swim outdoors from November through February |
According to the passage, some doctors believe it is true that_____.
| A．polar Bears are bears swimming in freezing water |
| B．cold-water swimming can make the body temperature dangerously high |
| C．you are healthy if cold-water swimming turns your skin color blue |
| D．cold-water swimming causes more heart attacks in summer than in winter |
The Polar Bears like to swim year-round, for_____.
| A．it is an easy way to keep the body warm in winter |
| B．they can remain young |
| C．they find it enjoyable and interesting |
| D．they might meet fewer troubles in life |
The passage is mainly about_____.
| A．the requirements of the Polar Bear Club |
| B．a group of cold-water-swimming lovers |
| C．the Polar Bears' life in New York |
| D．doctors' ideas about cold-water swimming |
Recently a Beijing father sent in a question at an Internet forum (论坛) asking what "PK" meant.
"My family has been watching the 'Super Girl' singing competition TV program. My little daughter asked me what 'PK' meant, but I had no idea," explained the puzzled father.
To a lot of Chinese young people who have been playing games online, it is impossible not to know this term. In such Internet games, "PK" is short for "Player Kill", in which two players fight until one ends the life of the other.
In the case of the "Super Girl" singing competition, "PK" was used to refer to the stage where two singers have to compete with each other for only one chance to go up in competition ranking.
Like this father, Chinese teachers at high schools have also been finding their students' compositions using Internet words which are difficult to understand. A high school teacher from Tianjin asked her students to write compositions with simple language, but they came up with a lot of Internet words that she didn't understand.
"My 'GG' came back this summer from college. He told me I've grown up to be a 'PLMM'. I loved to 'FB' with him together; he always took me to the 'KPM'," went one composition.
"GG" means Ge Ge (Chinese pinyin for brother). "PLMM" refers to Piao Liang Mei Mei (beautiful girl). "FB" means Fu Bai (corruption). "KPM" is short for KFC, Pizza Hut and McDonald's.
Some specialists welcome Internet words as a new development in language.
If you do not even know what a Kong Long (dinosaur, referring to an ugly looking female) or a Qing Wa (frog, referring to an ugly looking male) is, you will possibly be regarded as a Cai Niao! By writing the article, the writer tries to ________ .
| A．explain some Internet language | B．suggest common Internet language |
| C．laugh at the Beijing father | D．draw our attention to Internet language |
What does the writer think about the term "PK"?
| A．Fathers can't possibly know it. | B．The daughter should understand it. |
| C．Online game players may know it. | D．"Super Girl" shouldn't have used it. |
The examples of the Beijing father and the Tianjin teacher are used to show that Internet words ________ .
| A．are used not only online | B．can be understood very well |
| C．are welcomed by all the people | D．cause trouble to our mother tongue |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．A puzzled father | B．Do you speak Internetish? |
| C．Keep away from Internetish | D．Kong Long or Qing Wa? |
A walk along the Wall -- Beijing Hikers is organizing a hike in a village along the Great Wall in Changping District, north of downtown Beijing. The walk will take around three hours covering a distance of 10 kilometres.
Time: 8:30 a.m-4:30p.m, Dec.4
Cost: 200 yuan (US $25) per adult, 150 yuan (US $18.50) for under-12s.
Meeting place: 8:30a.m. in front of Starbucks at Lido Holiday Inn, Jiangtai Lu
To sign-up (one day before the hike) and more information, contact Huijie at info@beijinghikers.com or 139-1002-5516.
Skiing and hot springs -- Cycle China plans a day’s skiing fun at a resort（度假中心） around Beijing followed by an outdoor hot spring bath for your sore body.
Cost: 350 yuan (US $43.40) & Time: 8:30 a.m-6:30p.m, Dec.4
Location: Meet at the office of Cycle China, opposite to the east gate of Jingshan Park, Xicheng District.
For more information and reservation, email reserve@cyclechina.com or call 139-1188-6524.
Horse riding -- This is a trip to a professional horse-riding club with well-trained bilingual instructors, offering lessons to people who love riding and those willing to learn more. The club is located in Hebei Province next to the Kangxi Grassland.
Time: 1:30 a.m-4:30p.m, Dec.4
Cost: 330yuan (US $40.74) including one hour’s riding, transportation, guide, lunch
To sign-up and more information, contact Lucy at 8580-5080, 130-1117-1326 or Lucy@highclub.cn.This passage is written mainly for _______.
| A．reporters | B．holiday-makers | C．guides | D．sportsmen |
If Mary, who is ten years old, wants to hike along the Great Wall with her parents, they will pay _____ dollars.
| A．400 | B．450 | C．68.50 | D．65 |
If you are interested in the knowledge about horse-riding, you’ll contact ____
| A．reserve@cyclechina.com | B．139-1188-6524 |
| C．130-1117-1326 | D．139-1002-5516 |
Cycle China is ________.
| A．a website which offers traveling information | B．a traveling agency（旅行社） |
| C．a trainer for skiing | D．a resort which offers hot spring bath |
You might say that Barack Obama was elected President of the US because he knows how to give a speech. In 2004, the little-known Obama gave a speech at the Democratic National Convention (民主党全国会议). It was a great speech — poetic, and inspiring. The people who heard it would remember it for a long time.
Since 2004, Obama has written and delivered thousands of speeches. There are usually praised for two reasons: he treats the audiences like intelligent adults, and he is able to express complicated ideas in a straightforward, natural way.
Before becoming President, Obama was a lawyer, a college professor, and a successful writer – his two memoirs (回忆录) have become best sellers. The skills he needed to succeed in his previous jobs have also contributed to his success as a speechmaker.
As a lawyer, Obama learned how to make strong, convincing arguments. As a professor, he learned how to explain complex subjects in ways that helped students understand without boring them. As a writer, he learned how to use languages to have a powerful influence on his audience. A famous American musician even turned one of Obama’s early speeches into a song during the election campaign.
Secret weapons of Obama
Writing team: Obama has a team of people who write his speeches. The writers chat with Obama for hours about what he wants to say. Then listen to recordings of past presidential addresses and seek advice from advisers. Obama usually edits and rewrites the drafts several times.
Make fun of the guests: Obama starts his speech by gently making fun of his guests. His opening lines attract the audience’s attention while giving them an opportunity to relax and laugh at themselves and each other.
Make fun of himself: Obama laughs at his past mistakes and is never afraid of showing them to the public.
Obama delivers speeches to audiences large and small. He can make his audiences laugh or cry. His speeches are always thoughtful, well written and just right for each occasion.The third and fourth paragraph mainly talk about _______.
| A．why Obama’s speeches are praised |
| B．how Obama acquired his speaking ability |
| C．what subjects Obama’s speeches are about |
| D．Obama’s success as a writer and a lawyer |
What do we know about Obama’s writing team according to the passage?
| A．They always seek advice from the ordinary people. |
| B．They analyze the speeches given by former US Presidents. |
| C．They usually have to finish writing a speech in a short time. |
| D．They try not to mention Obama’s past mistakes in the speeches. |
When delivering a speech, Obama __________.
| A．usually starts with some famous saying |
| B．sometimes turns his speech into a song |
| C．sometimes shares a joke with the audience |
| D．is very strict most of the time |
What’s the author’s attitude towards Obama’s speeches?
| A．negative | B．indifferent(漠不关心的) | C．positive | D．doubtful |