Jimmy is an automotive mechanic, but he lost his job a few months ago. He has a good heart, but always feared applying for a new job.
One day, he gathered up all his strength and decided to attend a job interview. While waiting for a bus to the office where he was supposed to be interviewed, he saw an elderly man wildly kicking the tyre of his car. It seemed that there was something wrong with the car. Jimmy immediately went up to lend him a hand. When Jimmy finished working on the car, the old man asked him how much he should pay for the service. Jimmy said there was no need to pay him; he just helped someone in need, and he had to rush for an interview. Then the old man said, “Well, I could take you to the office for your interview. It’s the least I could do. Please, I insist.” Jimmy agreed.
Upon arrival, Jimmy found a long line of interviewees waiting there. Jimmy still had dirt on him after the car repair, but he did not have much time to wash it off or have a change of shirt. One by one, the interviewees left the office with disappointed look on their faces. Finally his name was called. The interviewer was sitting on a large chair facing the office window. Rocking the chair back and forth, he asked, “Do you really need to be interviewed?” Jimmy’s heart sank. “With the way I look now, how could I possibly pass this interview?” he thought to himself.
Then the interviewer turned the chair and to Jimmy’s surprise, it was the old man he helped earlier in the morning. It turned out he was the General Manager of the company.
“Sorry I had to keep you waiting, but I was pretty sure I made the right decision to have you as part of our workforce before you even stepped into the office. I just know you’d be a trustworthy worker. Congratulations!” Jimmy sat down and they shared a cup of well-deserved coffee as he landed himself a new job.Why did Jimmy look for a new job?
A.He was out of work |
B.He was bored with his job |
C.He wanted a higher position |
D.He hoped to find a better boss |
What did Jimmy see on the way to the interview?
A.A friend’s car was out of order |
B.a wild man was pushing a car |
C.a terrible accident happened |
D.an old man’s car broke down |
Why did the old man offer Jimmy a ride?
A.He was also to be interviewed |
B.He needed a traveling companion |
C.He always helped people in need |
D.He was thankful to Jimmy |
How did Jimmy feel on hearing the interviewer’s question?
A.He was sorry for the other interviewees |
B.There was no hope for him to get the job |
C.He regretted helping the old man |
D.The interviewer was very rude |
What can we learn from Jimmy’s experience?
A.Where there is a will, there’s a way |
B.A friend in need is a friend indeed |
C.A good deed is never lost |
D.Two heads are better than one |
If you walk slowly through downtown Helsinki(芬兰首都)during the day, taking in the splendid 19th century buildings, white boats and noise of passing trams, you will start to understand why it is called a city of two colors: white and blue
The sea is always present in Helsinki. When you take a walk over the great open space of the central square, you will hear seabirds screaming. When you take the train, suddenly and unexpectedly, you are faced with a calm, shining blue sea. You may notice that people in Helsinki do not rush as in other cities. Instead, they walk along the roads, politely letting other people by
A usual way to see Helsinki for the first time is to start out by the boats. You will walk by the elderly women selling fish and vegetables in the market square and find yourself in front of a beautiful park. You may enjoy a pleasant walk in the park for a few hours and then take the tram. Trams are the perfect way to get around in Helsinki. Watching the old houses, parks, theatres, churches, shops, restaurants and people in the streets, you may have a slightly sad film feeling to it
The pale summer nights are another wonder in the city. Following the waterfront of the city after sunset, you couldn’t help stopping and listening to the sweet silence, interrupted only by the screaming seabirds and leaving fishing boats
However, in some way, Helsinki is also the most modern city in northern Europe. You will surely want to visit the white Glass Palace, the modern art museum, and all those extremely popular cafes and design stores
64. Helsinki is called a city of two colors mainly because of the colors of its_____
A.19th century buildings, boats and parks
B. 19th century buildings, boats and seabirds
C. old houses, parks and trams
D. old buildings, boats and the sea
65. The best way to see most of Helsinki is to go ________
A. by boat B. by bus C. by tram D. on foot
66. The 19th century buildings, the white Glass Palace, popular cafes and design
shops in Helsinki all show that Helsinki is ______
A. both splendid and traditionalB. both quiet and noisy
C. both historical and modern D. both old and new
67.This passage is most likely to be found in _________
A. a story-book B. a geography textbook
C. a research reportD. a travel magazine
We continue our Foreign Student Series on higher education in the United States. Now you move on to college life once you are admitted to a school. The first thing you need to value is a place to live. Housing policies differ from school to school. Students might have to live in a dormitory, at least for the first year there.
Dorms come in all sizes. Some have suites. Six or more students may live in one suite. Other dorms have many rooms along a common hallway, usually with two students in each room . Many students say dormitories provide the best chance to get to know other students. Also, dorms generally cost less than apartments or other housing not owned by the school
Most colleges and universities offer single-sex dorms, but usually males and females live in the same building. They might live on the same floors and share the same common bathrooms. They may live in the same room only if they are married.
Edward Spencer is the associate vice president for student affairs at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg. He says it is important to understand the rules of the building in which you will live. He advises students to ask questions before they decide about their housing. For example, if a student requires a special diet, will the school provide it ? How much privacy can a student expect ? Will the school provide a single room if a student requests one ? And what about any other special needs that a student might have?
Virginia Tech, for example, had a ban against candles in dorms . But it changed that policy to let students light up candles for religious purposes. The university also has several dorms open all year so foreign students have a place to stay during vacation time.
60. Why do some students in the U.S. choose to live in dorms, according to the passage ?
A. Dorms allow students in the U.S. choose to live in dorms
B. Dorms are safer for students to live in most cases
C. Dorms offer the chance to meet other people and are cheap as well
D. In most schools students are required to live in the dorms
61. The second paragraph is mainly about ______
A. what suites in American schools are like
B. what dorms in American schools are like
C. what dorms are owned by schools
D. when people get to know each other
62. We can infer from what Edward Spencer says that ______
A. colleges usually don’t provide a special diet
B. housing rules differ from one building to another
C. a ban against candles in dorms is necessary
D. the U.S. college always satisfies students’ requests
63 .What is the passage mainly about ?
A. Places to live in U.S. colleges
B. housing polices in the U.S
C. Advantages of dormitories
D. Rules of single-sex dorms
第三部分:阅读理解(共20小题,每小题2分,满分40分)
阅读下面的短文,从A,B,C,D四个选项中,选出最佳选项
My elder brother Steve, in the absence of my father who died when I was six, gave me important lessons in values that helped me grow into an adult. For instance, Steve taught me to face the results of my behavior. Once when I returned in tears from a Saturday baseball game, it was Steve who took the time to ask me what happened. When I explained that my baseball had soared through Mrs. Holt’s basement window, breaking the glass with a crash, Steve encouraged me to confess(坦白) to her. After all, I should have been playing in the park down Fifth Street and not in the path between buildings. Although my knees knocked as I explained to Mrs. Holt, I offered to pay for the window from my pocket money if she would return my ball. I also learned from Steve that personal property is a sacred thing. After I found a shiny silver pen in my fifth-grade classroom, I wanted to keep it, but Steve explained that it might be important to someone else. He reminded me of how much I’d hate to lose to someone else the small dog my father carved from a piece of wood. I returned the pen to my teacher, Mrs. Davids, and still remembered the smell of her perfume as she patted me on my shoulder.
Yet of all the instructions Steve gave me, his respect for life is the most vivid in my mind. When I was twelve I killed an old brown bird in the yard with a BB gun. Excited with my accuracy, I screamed to Steve to come from thehouse to take a look. I shall never forget the way he stood for a long moment and stared at the bird on the ground. Then in a dead, quiet voice, he asked, “Did it hurt you first, Mark?” I didn’t know what to answer. He continued with his eyes firm, “The only time you should even think of hurting a living thing is if it hurts you first. And then you think a long, long time. “ I really felt terrible then, but that moment stands out as the most important lesson my brother taught me.
56. What is the main idea of the passage?
A. The relationship between Mark and Steve
B. The important lesson Mark learned in school
C. Steve’s important role in Mark’s growing process.
D. Mark and Steve’s respect for living things.
57. It can be inferred from the passage that when Mark confessed to Mrs. Holt, ____.
A. he felt surprised B. he was light-hearted
C. he felt frightened D. he behaved bravely
58. In the story about the pen, which of the following lessons did Steve teach his brother?
A. Respect for personal property.
B. Respect for life.
C. Sympathy for people with problems.
D. The value of honesty.
59. Which of the follow is true according to the passage?
A. Mark was still a boy when he wrote this passage.
B. Even if a living thing hurts you, you should not kill it without hesitation
C. When a living thing hurts you, you should kill it.
D. Mark lost the small dog his father raised.
Sixteen-year-old Karlos Dearmans’s future is looking much brighter than be might have imagined. “I’ve always been into bikes, but never thought I’d end up working with them,” he says. “This scheme has changed my life.”
Karlos is learning to refurbish(翻新) old bicycles in the workshop of ReCycle Bikes, a local community(社区) charity in Sheffied, which has a contract with the city council to provide training opportunities for young people aged 14 to 16, particularly those dropping out of school.
“It’s about engaging youngsters with education and you thtraining by teaching them work and life skills,” explains Des Pearce, workshop training manager. “These young people have so much potential, but often don’t realize it.”
Established in 2001, ReCycle Bikes repairs bicycles donated by the public, which, once restored, are sold for £20. Abandoned bikes supplied by the council ensure a steady flow of bikes, but a recently formed partnership with Sheffield University should improve further the prospects of the young mechanics.
“The student population presents a large and ready market,” says Pearce. “So we approached the university last year and offered to host bike sales on the campus. They thought it was a great idea, and agreed to supplement our council funding. This means we can train youngsters to repair extra 500 bikes over three years.”
Having set up ReCycle Bikes on his own, Pearce now has the staff and resources to track the career development of those who have passed through his workshop. “However, in the past we depended on the evidence of personal accounts from the schools because of lack of human and material resources,” he says.
That most of the teenagers enjoy the work is, according to Pearce, easily explained. “Most kids have ridden a bike and know how to oil a chain or mend a puncture. As low-cost transport, cycling gives the young and old a sense of freedom and independence, and the impact on their well-being is immense. Add to that a growing concern for the environment, and it’s no surprise that bike sales are on the increase.”
72.What do we know about ReCycle Bikes?
A.It is a popular brand of bikes which are sold in Sheffield.
B.It is a local community charity that provides training opportunities for reenagers.
C.It is a contract signed between a local community charity and the city council.
D.It is a training program offered by the city council to those excluded from school.
73.How did ReCycle Bikes run at the beginning?
A.By repairing bicycles donated by the public and selling them.
B.By donations from the public and Sheffield University.
C.By selling bicycles supplied by the city council.
D.By tuition fees from kids aged between 14 and 16.
74.ReCycle Bikes has formed a partnership with Sheffield University because ____________.
A.students at Sheffield University assure a large and ready market
B.Sheffield University offers many mechanical teachers to ReCycle Bikes
C.Sheffield University donates a lot of money to ReCycle Bikes
D.teenagers at ReCycle Bikes can study at Sheffield University
75.ReCycle Bikes depended on information from the schools in the past because .
A.the schools could give accurate information to improve its service
B.students disliked telling the truth when asked about their personal ideas
C.ReCycle Bikes didn’t have the ability to track students’ career development.
D.most of the training organizations did it this way at that moment
The cost of rice is expected to go up in the coming months, as an improving global economy raises demand, and drought (旱灾) cuts production in countries such as India. Some economists say prices for rice, the Precision Castingstaple food for much of the world's population, could be returning to levels that sparked inflation(通货膨胀) fears in much of Asia last year.
Charuk Singhapreecha is dean of the faculty (系)of economics at Thailand’s Kasetsart University. He says prices – especially for Thai rice – are being pushed higher by new customers coming into the market after the economic slowdown of the past year. “They expect that the world demand will increase andCast steel we expect that the price of rice will increase next year," Charuk said. "There are many new markets for the Thai rice and also we still have for our old customer - China, some Arab countries - they will increase the demand."
Prices on the global market could again near the record above $1,000 a ton set in the middle of 2008. This month, export prices for Southeast Asian rice have jumped from about $550 a ton or less to more than $650.
Vichai Sriprasert, president of the Thai Rice Exporters Association, says further weakness in the US dollar and concerns over drought add to pressure on prices. Market experts say next year India is likely to try to import three million tons of rice – entering the world market for the first time in 21 years – because of a drought.
Vichai also warns that increasing demand for bio-fuels(生物燃料) from grain could reduce food crops, forcing the price of food grains higher. "This is very serious. That's why the price of rice will not go back to the level that we used to see," Vichai said. "It will have to be elevated at a higher level, but I don't know where."
The Philippines this week said it is cutting rice imports because of high prices, even though the country lost more than a million tons of grain to typhoons this year. Officials from Vietnam, a leading export competitor with Thailand, predict prices will reach about $800 a ton by the middle of 2010. This week the Philippines' National Food Authority offered almost $665 a ton for 600,000 tons of Vietnamese rice.
Economists say higher food prices will only increase the problems faced by the region's poor, who are highly dependent on rice as a staple food.
68.Which of the following is NOT true according to paragraph 1?
A.Drought reduces production of rice in India.
B.Prices for rice were lower all the time in 2008.
C.Rice is a major food for the world’s population.
D.The improving global economy increases the need for rice.
69.How many reasons did Vichai mention about rice price’s going up?
A.1. B.2. C.3. D.4.
70.Why does the Philippines plan to cut rice imports?
A.Because of high prices. B.Because of typhoons.
C.Because of civil war. D.Because of drought.
71.What’s the best title of the passage?
A.Higher food prices will increase problems
B.There are many new markets for the Thai rice
C.The global economy is improving
D.Prices for rice are expected to rise