WHAT can help you make a fortune in the future? Graduating from a top university might not be enough. A new study from the University of Essex in Britain has shown that the more friends you have in school, the more money you’ll earn later.
The idea that popularity could have a serious influence on one’s earning potential shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise. The researchers noted that if you want to get ahead in life, social skills and networking are easily as powerful as talent and hard work.
“If a person has lots of friends, it means that he or she has the ability to get along with others in all kinds of different situations,” said Xu Yanchun, 17, from Nantou High School in Shenzhen, who totally agreed with the recent finding. “Also, friends always help each other. They not only create wider social circles for you but lift your mood when you are occasionally in low spirits,” said Xu. She believed that all this helps you “earn a higher salary.”
Maybe that’s why some people think the younger generations are in the age of Friendalholism (交友狂症). A woman even complained that the networking website Facebook’s 5,000-friend limit was too low for her large reserve of social contacts.
But what does a friend mean? Should friends be regarded as a form of currency?
“Call me uncool, but I think of a friend as an actual person with whom I have an actual history and whom I enjoy actually seeing. It seems, however, that this is no longer the definition of friend”, said Meghan Daum, who works with The Los Angeles Times in the US.
Daum dislikes the idea that quantity trumps quality in the age of Friendaholism. She thought the idea of friendship, at least among the growing population of Internet social networkers, was to get as many of not-really-friends as possible. For example, a friend might be someone you might know personally but who could just as easily be the friend of a friend of some other Facebook friend you don’t actually know. Although she agreed that social ties grease (润滑) the wheels of life, she also warned. “Too bad one thing money can’t buy is a real friend.”What will be needed if you are to achieve success according to the researchers?
| A．Social skills, friends, good mood and fortune. |
| B．Social skills, networking, talent and hard work. |
| C．Social skills, networking, potential and fortune. |
| D．Social skills, talent, hard work and the facebook. |
What can friends do in the eyes of Xu Yanchun?
| A．They can help you with your schoolwork. |
| B．They teach you how to make more money. |
| C．They help you get rid of sadness and cheer up. |
| D．They always get on well with you. |
We learn that Meghan Daum’s attitude towards friends is somewhat _______.
| A．up-to-date | B．optimistic |
| C．confused | D．traditional |
What does the word “trumps” in the last paragraph mean?
| A．is better than | B．is equal to |
| C．is worse than | D．is similar to |
D
Parties, iPods, concerts, movies, TV shows, video games, traffic. All of these things of the modern world make life entertaining and enjoyable. But our 21st-century lifestyle is also loud and, if we don’t take notice, it can have an effect on our hearing.
Most teenagers don’t think about hearing loss. But if you experience any of the following symptoms（症状）, you may already be hearing damaged: you make efforts to hear normal talk, you have to turn up the TV or radio so high that others complain, you watch other people’s expressions to understand what they are saying, you ask people to repeat themselves, you misunderstand what people are saying or you hear ringing in your ears.
iPods and other MP3 players are as common as the clothes you wear, and just as fashionable. But if you turn up an iPod to more than 60 percent of its maximum volume（最大音量）, and listen to music for more than an hour, you are asking for trouble. And, it does not matter if the music you play is classical, rock or heavy metal.
Some researchers find that young people who break the so-called 60-percent/60-minute rule in listening to iPods are at the risk of suffering hearing loss.
Why is an iPod dangerous? With ear buds placed directly in the ear canal and high-volume music played over a long period of time, it’s like working in a loud factory all day, being a maintenance（修理）person under a jet airplane or using a jackhammer（手提钻）on a building site.
Similarly, iPod music can cause a short time or permanent（永久的）hearing damage. A loud iPod can cause a ruptured（破裂的）eardrum and, over time, may cause permanent damage to the tiny hairs in the inner ear. If these tiny hairs are damaged, they cannot effectively send sounds to the auditory nerves（听觉神经）that connect to the brain. If this happens, hearing loss becomes permanent.Which of the following shows that you are suffering hearing loss?
| A．You are interested to listen to others’ talking. |
| B．You have to read others’ expressions to understand them. |
| C．You can only understand others over the phone. |
| D．You always think you hear the ringing of the phone. |
Which of the following is TRUE when you listen to music?
| A．Listen at least an hour every time. |
| B．Turn up the volume to the highest level. |
| C．keep the sound lower than 60% of its highest volume. |
| D．Choose classical, rock or heavy metal music. |
What is the correct order of causing permanent hearing loss?
a. The eardrum is broken.
b. The auditory nerves cannot receive sounds.
c. Tiny hairs are damaged.
d. Ear buds are placed directly in the ear canal.
e. High-volume music is played over a long time.
| A．d-a-c-b-e | B．e-c-a-b-d | C．b-c-a-d-e | D．d-e-a-c-b |
This passage is mainly about.
| A．music that teenagers like | B．hearing problems caused by the loud world |
| C．ways that teenagers enjoy music | D．dangerous modern lifestyles of teenagers. |
C
| Arriving in New York There are three airports in New York. When you arrive at one of them, you can take a bus or a taxi to any place in New York. |
| Eating out There are many kinds of food in New York. And you shouldn't eat at McDonald's every day. There are good restaurants in Little Italy and Chinatown, for example. |
| Hotels There are lots of good hotels in New York. The best is the Plaza on the the 5th Avenue, but you don't have to spend a lot in the city, there are lots of smaller hotels and the YMCA near the Central Park is great for young people. |
| Public Transport In New York, there's a good bus and subway service. If you are planning to use the subway a lot, you should buy a subway ticket for the journey because it's cheaper. But you don' t have to use the public transport-there are lots of places you can go to on foot, such as the Empire State Building, the 5th Avenue and the Central Park. The New Taxis are a part of the city experience, so you should take at least one taxi during your visit! |
| Places to see Finally, there are a lot of places to see in New York-the Times Square, the Statue of Liberty, and so on. And you shouldn't go home without climbing the Statue of Liberty to enjoy the scenery of the city. |
| Shopping Shopping in New York is fun. There are big shops on the 5th Avenue. They are seven days a week. But be careful when you look at the prices; you have to pay a special 8% tax(税) on everything you buy in New York |
"The Plaza" here is the name of ________.
| A．a restaurant | B．a hotel | C．an airport | D．a shop |
How much do you have to pay if you buy a book of $10 in New York?
| A．$10.8 | B．$10.08 | C．$18 | D．$10 |
When you visit New York, You should
| A．eat at McDonald's every day | B．take a taxi whenever you go out |
| C．stay at the best hotel | D．climb the Statue of Liberty |
From the passage, we can learn that
| A．people can visit many places of interest in New York on foot |
| B．New York is not a good place for shopping |
| C．people must travel using the public transport in New York |
| D．people have to eat only one kind of food in New York |
B
As an effect of the high fuel prices spent on bus transportation, some American schools are changing to a four-day week. That means longer days instead of the traditional Monday through Friday schedule.
Having been approved for three years and beginning in the fall, students in the Maccray school district in Minnesota will be in school from Tuesday to Friday. Each school day will be 65 minutes longer. Officials say the district expects to save about sixty-five thousand dollars a year in transportation costs.
In new Mexico, the first school district changed to a four-day week in 1974 because of the Arab oil boycott(抵制). Now, 17 out of 89 districts use it.
In Custer, South Dakota, students have been going to school four days a week since 1995. Superintendent Tim Creal says the change has saved about one million dollars over just the past eight years. He sees other benefits, too. Students get more instructional time, and activities that used to take up class time are now held on non-school days. He says that in the future, the growth of online classes could make it possible to require even fewer days in school. High fuel prices are driving college students to take more online classes.
A four-day school week sounds like a great idea for students and teachers, but working parents may have to pay for child care for that fifth day.According to Tim Creal, what makes it possible to have even fewer days in school?
| A．The increasing number of private tutors.(私人教师) |
| B．The development of teaching methods. |
| C．The increase in the number of online classes. |
| D．The growth in the income of Americans. |
It can be learned from the passage that______
| A．students will be in school from Monday to Tuesday. |
| B．four-day week was first carried out in South Dakota. |
| C．Maccray will save one million dollars every year. |
| D．Minnesota state has approved the four-day week plan |
The passage is mainly about______
| A．some school’s four-day week plan | B．districts using a four-day week. |
| C．how to save on transportation fees. | D．expense of school transportation. |
A
On the first day of the 11th grade, our new math teacher Mr Washington asked me to go to the blackboard to do a math problem. I told him that I couldn’t do it. He asked, “Why not?” I paused, and then I said, “Because I’m educable mentally retarded (可教育智能迟滞).”
He came from behind his desk and looked at me. “Don’t ever say that again. Someone’s opinion of you does not have to become your reality,” he said.
It was a very special moment for me. Doctors said that I was educable mentally retarded in the fifth grade, and I was put back into the fourth grade. When I was in the eighth grade, I failed again.
But Mr Washington changed my life. This person always gave students the feeling that he had high expectations of them, and then all of the students did their best to live up to what those expectations were. He often said, “You have greatness within you.”
One day, I caught up with him in the parking place and said, “Mr Washington, is there greatness within me, sir?”
He said, “Yes, Mr Brown.”
“But what about the fact that I failed English, math, and history? What about that, sir? I’m slower than most kids.”
“It doesn’t matter. It just means that you have to work harder. Your grades don’t determine who you are or what you can produce in your life.”
“I want to buy my mother a house.”
“It is possible, Mr Brown. You can do that.” And he turned to walk away.
“Mr Washington?”
“What do you want now?”
“Uh, I’m the one, sir. One day you’re going to hear my name. I’m the one, sir.”
School was a real struggle for me. Mr Washington put many demands on me. He made me believe that I could do it. At the end of that year, I was on the honor roll for the first time in my life.
Years later, I produced five programs on public television. When one of my programs was shown on the educational television channel, I had some friends call him. I was sitting by the phone waiting when he called me. He said, “May I speak to Mr Brown, please?”
“Oh, Mr Washington, is that you?”
“Yes, it’s me. You were the one, weren’t you?”
“Yes, sir, I was.”What does Mr Washington mean by saying “Someone’s opinion of you does not have to become your reality”?
| A．You needn’t have the same opinion as others. |
| B．You should believe what other people say. |
| C．What other people say about you may not be correct. |
| D．The doctor made a mistake. |
What happened to the author at last?
| A．He entered a good university. | B．He earned much honor. |
| C．He got a good job. | D．He made television programs. |
In the passage, the author implies that _________.
| A．people shouldn’t believe what doctors say |
| B．no one can be successful with hard work and confidence |
| C．no one is really educable mentally retarded |
| D．a good teacher can change a student’s life |
The best title for the passage would be “__________”.
| A．Don’t believe others | B．I am the one |
| C．My best teacher | D．I succeeded at last |
D
Weall know about “Brother Sharp” , “King of Calm” and “Brother Buckteeth”----names that netizens(网民) have given those with special characteristics, or who have done something special.
Recently, a new name has been added to that list----“Brother Banner(横幅)”. What did he do to get the name?
“Brother Banner” is Chen Yihua, a Senior 1 student at Guangzhou No.16 High School. On the afternoon of May 4, he made a banner, dressed in school uniform, and stood outside a Line 1 subway station in Guangzhou.
Chen was protesting(抗议)Guangzhou Metro(地铁) Company’s renovation(整修) project for the line.
The company was planning to renew 16 stations on the line over three years. It said that the station would be renovated in similar styles, and the cost of the project would be 92.27 million yuan.
The banner that Chen held said: “The special features of Line 1 stations will disappear. The program is also a waste of resources. I hope you will help my protest be signing my subway petition(请愿) against the renovation .”
His action attracted the attention of passers-by. In three days, Chen collected more than 300 signatures(签名) from the public.
The metro company also noticed Chen, and responded to him, three times, over the following week.
On May 6, the company announced that the project was to replace aging equipment that has been running for a long time, because it had “safety risks”. The public was unsatisfied with the response.
The next day, the company met with Chen and gave further details of the project. Chen remained unconvinced.
The company made a 180-degree turn in its third response to Chen’s protest on May 10.
Zhong Xuejun, spokesman for the company, said the renovation would be based on the principle of saving energy and being economical. It would focus on the old equipment and the look of the stations wouldn’t be changed much.
Finally, Chen’s voice had been heard.What do “Brother sharp”, “King of Calm” and “Brother Buckteeth” have in common?
| A．They’re handsome. |
| B．They only exist in the net. |
| C．They’re characters(角色,特征) of a novel. |
| D．They have done something special or have special character. |
How many times has the metro company responded？
| A．1 | B．2 | C．3 | D．4 |
Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．“Brother Banner” is a Senior 1 student. |
| B．“Brother Banner” collected more than 300 signatures in three days. |
| C．“Brother Banner” has made a difference through his action. |
| D．“Brother Banner” is not a normal student. |