Superstorm Sandy’s march of destruction claimed at least 43 lives and left more than eight million people without electricity by late Tuesday, in one of the largest storms ever to strike the East Coast.
Less violent but still dangerous, the storm swept across Pennsylvania on Tuesday and the northeastern US began its slow process of recovery. As dawn broke Tuesday on the storm’s trail of destruction, it began exposing stories of heroism and tragedy, bad decisions and lucky breaks.
In Broad Channel in New York City, a 29-year-old mother was forced to dive and swim out of her house’s front window with her 8-year-old daughter. And in Freeport, N.Y., Nicole Smith returned home --- to find a boat on her lawn. She asked passers-by for $5 to take a snapshot. A 13-year-old girl was found dead, in her pajamas, a block from her washed-out Staten Island home. On Monday night, Sandy’s waves ripped out the entire deck of Jeffrey Ratner’s home, along with the back wall. Still, Mr. Ratner said, he remains optimistic about the future. “We are going to rebuild it,” he said.
The official warnings to evacuate(疏散)were clear, a couple said. But staying home just seemed easier. “It’s not their fault; it’s ours,” said Mary Norton, 88, head in her hands. “We did not leave.”
New York’s extensive transit system, a lifeline for millions of commuters(上下班往返的人), suffered the greatest damage as floodwaters drowned all seven subway tunnels connecting Manhattan and Brooklyn. Jseph Lhota, Chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, described it as the most destroying in the 108-year history of the New York subway.
Forecaster said Sandy, which had maximum continuing winds of 45 miles an hour Tuesday afternoon, would cross western Pennsylvania on Tuesday night before moving into Canada on Wednesday as it meets cold air fronts. Another inch of rain was expected from the eastern Great Lakes across the mid-Atlantic and into southern New England.The passage mainly talks about________.
| A．New York’s extensive transit system |
| B．when and why superstorm formed |
| C．the latest information about Sandy |
| D．superstorm Sandy’s destruction in America |
Mary Norton and her husband didn’t leave their home because________.
| A．they didn’t know a superstorm was on the way |
| B．they didn’t believe the government’s warnings |
| C．they didn’t want to take the trouble to move |
| D．they had no chance of leaving before Sandy hit the area |
The transit system mentioned in the last paragraph but one refers to_________.
| A．the bus route | B．the ship route |
| C．the flight course | D．the subway route |
Which of the following statements about Sandy is WRONG?
| A．It had killed at least 43 lives when the news was released. |
| B．It would move into Canada on Tuesday night. |
| C．It would bring another rain to the eastern Great Lakes |
| D．It led to power failure in many areas in America. |
A new era is upon us. Call it what you will: the service economy, the information age, the knowledge society. It has changed the way we work. Already we’re partly there. The percentage of people who earn their living by making things has fallen dramatically in the Western World. Today the majority of jobs in America, Europe and Japan (two thirds or more in many of these countries) are in the service industry, and the number is on the rise. More women are in the work force than ever before. There are more part-time jobs. More people are self-employed. But the breadth (广度) of the economic transformation can’t be measured by numbers alone, because it also is giving rise to a basic new way of thinking about the nature of work itself. Long-held concepts about jobs and careers, the skills needed to succeed, even the relation between individuals and employers — all these are being challenged.
We have only to look behind us to get some sense of what may lie ahead. No one looking ahead 20 years possibly could have foreseen the ways in which a single invention, the chip (芯片), would transform our world thanks to its applications in personal computers, digital communications and factory robots. Tomorrow’s achievements in biotechnology, artificial intelligence or even some still unimagined technology could produce a similar wave of dramatic changes. But one thing is certain: information and knowledge will become even more important, and the people who possess it, whether they work in manufacturing (制造业) or services, will have the advantage and produce the wealth. Computer knowledge will become as basic a requirement as the ability to read and write. The ability to solve problems by applying information instead of performing routine tasks will be valued above all else. If you cast your mind ahead 10 years, information services will be predominant (最重要的). It will be the way you do your job.One of the great changes caused by the knowledge society is that ______.
| A．most people have to take part-time jobs |
| B．people have to change their jobs from time to time |
| C．people’s traditional concepts about work are no longer completely true |
| D．the difference between the employee and the employer has become unimportant |
The future will probably belong to those who ______.
| A．have more brains |
| B．are involved in the service industries |
| C．cast their mind ahead instead of looking back |
| D．possess and know how to make use of information |
Which of the following would be the best title of the passage?
| A．Computers and the knowledge society |
| B．Features and meanings of the New Era |
| C．Service Industries in the Modern Society |
| D．Rapid Advancement of Information Technology |
Welcome every morning with a smile. Let your first hour set the theme of success and positive action that is certain to echo through your entire day. Today will never happen again. Don’t waste it with a false start or no start at all. You were not born to fail.
Starting the day right can give good momentum (动力) for the rest of the day. Having a power morning is a key factor for a fruitful day. Here are some tips on getting the most out of the morning.
Wake up early. In theory, there’s no difference in waking up early or late as long as you get the proper amount of sleep. However, there is a psychological advantage when you wake up earlier than the average person and then you’ll have more time to do preparation before engaging in the real world.
Exercise. Good health is always a benefit with exercise, but studies have also shown that morning exercise helps you to sleep better at nights.
Eat breakfast. It’s the most important meal of the day. According to the Mayo Clinic, we should choose three from the following four: fruits and vegetables, grains, dairy, and protein. Did you know that you can actually gain weight when you skip breakfast?
Take a shower. When you shower, do you do it in the morning or at night? I used to shower in the evenings, but I found that morning showers helped me to be more alert.
Prioritize (优先) your To-Do list. Leo coined the acronym MIT to mean “most important tasks.” Our to-do list might be never ending, but put on top of the list a couple of urgent tasks that will define the day to be a successful one.
Check your emails. Only once. Getting a lot of emails can be very distractive. You actually are more productive when you check them only a few times at fixed time of the day. I only do them 2-3 times a day—once in the morning, once at lunch, and one more as it gets toward the end of the day.The purpose for the author to write this passage is to .
| A．tell you to get up early every day |
| B．offer you the best way to start the day |
| C．give you advice about how to arrange a day |
| D．advise you to prioritize your to-do list every morning |
If you don’t have breakfast, you may .
| A．lose weight. | B．be productive. |
| C．put on weight. | D．be more alert. |
The underlined word “coined” in Paragraph 6 means .
| A．invented | B．designed | C．founded | D．defined |
The author advises you to check your emails only once because .
| A．the emails are not important |
| B．reading e-mails is distractive |
| C．you can only read e-mails at fixed time |
| D．getting so many emails can distract your attention |
The fact that blind people can see things using parts of their bodies apart from their eyes may help us to understand our feelings about color．If they can sense color differences, then perhaps we, too, are affected by color without knowing it．Salesmen have discovered by experience over a long period of time that sugar sells badly in green wrappings, that blue foods are considered not agreeable to the taste, and that cosmetics（化妆品） should never be packed in brown．These discoveries have grown into a whole subject of color psychology．
Some of our preferences are clearly psychological．Dark blue is the color of the night sky and therefore connected with calm, while yellow is a day color connected with energy and encouragement．Experiments have shown that colors, partly because they are connected with psychology, also have a direct effect on people's mind．People in bright red surroundings show an increase in breathing speed, heartbeat and blood pressure．Red is exciting．Pure blue has exactly the opposite effect; it is a calming color．Being exciting, red was chosen as the signal for danger, but a closer study shows that a bright yellow can produce a more basic state of alarm, so fire engines in some advanced areas are now rushing around in bright yellow colors that stop buses, trucks and cars．The passage tells us that salesmen have____ ．
| A．tried colors on blind people |
| B．found out that colors affect sales |
| C．developed a special subject of color psychology |
| D．discovered the relationship between color and psychology |
It can be inferred from the passage that__ _．
| A．blind people cannot sense color differences |
| B．foods sell well in green or blue wrappings |
| C．w hat color we prefer depends on our state of mind |
| D．a bright color has exactly the opposite effect to red |
The most effective color in the passage for warning people is____．
| A．red | B．dark blue | C．green | D．bright yellow |
If someone is in an angry mood, which color is better for him to become quiet?
| A．Red． | B．Dark blue． | C．Brown． | D．Bright yellow |
Which of the following do you think is the best title for the passage?
| A．Colors and Feelings |
| B．Colors and Sales |
| C．The Blind and Colors |
| D．Preferences for Colors |
I had the meanest mother in the world．While other kids ate candy for breakfast．I had to have cereal, eggs and toast．Others had cakes and candy for lunch, while we had to eat a sandwich．As you can guess, my supper was different from the other kids'．But at least I was not alone in my suffering．My sister and two brothers had the same mean mother as I did．
My mother insisted on knowing where we were at all times．She had to know who our friends were and what we were doing．We had to wear clean clothes every day．Other kids always wore their clothes for days． We reached the height of disgrace （耻辱） because she made our clothes herself, just to save money．
The worst is yet to come．We had to be in bed by 9:00 each night and up at 7:45 the next morning．So while my friends slept, my mother actually had the courage to break Child Labor Law．She made us work. I believed she lay awake all night thinking up mean things to do to us．Through the years, our friends' report cards had beautiful colors on them, black for passing, red for failing．My mother, however, would only be satisfied with black marks．None of us was allowed the pleasure of being a dropout （辍学者）．
She forced us to grow up into educated and honest adults．Using this as a background, I'm now trying to bring up my three children．I'm filled with pride when my children think I am mean because now I thank God every day for giving me the meanest mother in the world．From the passage we can learn that the writer's mother was____．
| A．not generous at all |
| B．very cruel to her children |
| C．very mean with money matters |
| D．very strict with her children |
Which of the following things did the writer hate to do most?
| A．Eating differently from other kids． |
| B．Letting mother know where they were． |
| C．Going to bed early and getting up early． |
| D．Wearing clean clothes made by mother． |
It can be inferred from the passage that____．
| A．the writer's family lived a miserable life |
| B．all the other kids studied better than the writer |
| C．Mother was punished for breaking the Labor Law |
| D．the writer worked hard and usually got good grades in studies |
Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．The writer is very thankful to her mother． |
| B．The writer has a deep hatred for her mother． |
| C．Mother practiced economy in running her home． |
| D．The writer is strict with her children when bringing them up． |
The passage was written in a way oftone．
| A．humorous | B．hateful | C．ridiculous | D．impatient |
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 of the power toshape the future.
We musteach find our starfish. And if we throw our starfish wisely and well, the worldwill be better.One day, the wise man saw a young man _____.
| A．dancing along the beach |
| B．walking with a dancer |
| C．picking up starfish for sale |
| D．trying to save as many starfishes as possible |
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 |