Like many of my generation, I have a weakness for hero worship. At some point, however, we all begin to question our heroes and our need for them. This leads us to ask: What is a hero?
Despite immense differences in cultures, heroes around the world generally share a number of characteristics that instruct and inspire people.
A hero does something worth talking about. A hero has a story of adventure to tell and community who will listen. But a hero goes beyond mere fame.
Heroes serve powers or principles larger than themselves. Like high-voltage transformers, heroes take the energy of higher powers and step it down so that it can be used by ordinary people.
The hero lives a life worthy of imitation. Those who imitate a genuine hero experience life with new depth, enthusiasm, and meaning. A sure test for would-be heroes is what or whom do they serve? What are they willing to live and die for? If the answer or evidence suggests they serve only their own fame, they may be famous persons but not heroes. Madonna and Michael Jackson are famous, but who would claim that their fans find life more abundant?
Heroes are catalysts (催化剂) for change. They have a vision from the mountaintop. They have the skill and the charm to move the masses. They create new possibilities. Without Gandhi, India might still be part of the British Empire. Without Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, Jr., we might still have segregated (隔离的) buses, restaurants, and parks. It may be possible for large-scale change to occur without leaders with magnetic personalities, but the pace of change would be slow, the vision uncertain, and the committee meetings endless.Although heroes may come from different cultures, they __________.
| A．generally possess certain inspiring characteristics |
| B．probably share some weaknesses of ordinary people |
| C．are often influenced by previous generations |
| D．all unknowingly attract a large number of fans |
According to the passage, heroes are compared to high-voltage transformers in that _______.
| A．they have a vision from the mountaintop |
| B．they have warm feelings and emotions |
| C．they can serve as concrete examples of noble principles |
| D．they can make people feel stronger and more confident |
Madonna and Michael Jackson are not considered heroes because __________.
| A．they are popular only among certain groups of people |
| B．their performances do not improve their fans morally |
| C．their primary concern is their own financial interests |
| D．they are not clear about the principles they should follow |
The author concludes that historical changes would __________.
| A．be delayed without leaders with inspiring personal qualities |
| B．not happen without heroes making the necessary sacrifices |
| C．take place if there were heroes to lead the people |
| D．produce leaders with attractive personalities |
The World Health Organization says there has been a sharp increase in the number of over-weight children in developing countries. In African countries, the WHO says the number of over-weight or obese children is twice as high as it was 20 years ago. Around the world, about 43 million children under the age of five were overweight in 2013.
Overweight and obese children are more likely to become overweight and obese adults. The condition can generate serious health problems like heart diseases.
Francesco Branca is the director of the WHO Department of Nutrition for Health and Development. He says urban lifestyle makes people eat processed food more often ,which has a high sugar ,fat and salt content. He also says people are gaining weight because of their lack of activities. They travel in cars or other vehicles more than on foot.
The WHO experts say to lower obesity rates is especially complex in countries that also deal with high rates of infectious(感染性的) diseases.
The WHO has some basic solutions for individuals and countries. The organization says you should lower your intake of fat, sugar, salt and processed food and eat more fruits,' vegetables and increase physical activity. The WHO says these actions are especially important for children.
And WHO expert Branca says mothers should breastfeed their babies for at least the first six months of life, if possible. More importantly, governments should consider providing vitamins for children and educational campaigns about problems linked to obesity would also help. In his view, government policies should deal with how food is marketed to children and food producers must balance quality and taste with the dangers of sugar, fat and salt. "Reducing the number of overweight children will not be easy. The goal is difficult to meet even in wealthy countries. " he adds.What is the main idea of Paragraph l?
| A．Children in developing countries generally weigh too much. |
| B．Overweight children in developing countries have increased greatly. |
| C．The number of overweight children in the world has doubled. |
| D．The World Health Organization has increased greatly. |
According to Branca , people are becoming overweight because of their changes in _______
| A．lifestyles | B．transportation |
| C．physical condition | D．school educational . |
Which of the following word can best replace the underlined word in Paragraph 2?
| A．cure | B．prevent | C．worsen | D．cause |
According to WHO, which of the following is true?
| A．Poor nutrition is often related to children obesity. |
| B．To lower infectious disease rates is more complex than to lower obesity rates. |
| C．Eating less sugar and more vegetables helps lower obesity rates. |
| D．Increasing physical activity is most effective to lower obesity rates. |
What can we learn from the last Paragraph?
| A．Babies breastfed aren't likely to become overweight. |
| B．Governments should play a necessary role in fighting obesity. |
| C．Food producers should be stopped from marketing, food to children. |
| D．The number of overweight children decreases easily in wealthy countries. |
My daughter and I collected the empty cans and bottles in our home .this morning, We had 6 full garbage bags later so I knew we would be spending a bit more of time at the recycling center. When we got there , a man and his kids were also doing the morning recycling and were using two of the four machines to recycle their plastic and cans. Luckily ,we were able to use the 2 remaining machines.
Of course, there were others that came, but when they saw the two families with garbage bags full of recycled things, they quickly left. However, one woman came in with just 5 cans and looked as if she was in a hurry. So I stopped what I was doing and let her in to recycle her cans. Of course, she was grateful, and it felt good to let her go ahead of me. But that was not the whole story.
My daughter and I continued to work through the bags, but the plastic recycling machine stopped working because it was full. My daughter was left with nothing to, do. The other family was still using the other two plastic recycling machines, but it. seemed that they were almost done .I just told my daughter we would have to wait until they were done. But the man of the other family came through with another act of kindness. He offered to let us go ahead of him. I was really surprised, because we had more than 5 bottles, but he didn’t seem to mind. I happily accepted it.
It was great to give and then to get an act of kindness in turn. It was small, I didn't expect it, but it surely brightened up my day.What can we learn from Paragraph l?
| A．The writer did collecting every morning. |
| B．The writer usually had 6 bags of cans to recycle. |
| C．There were four recycling machines in all. |
| D．Most people did recycling in the morning. |
Why did the writer let the woman recycle her cans first?
| A．Because there were many other families there. |
| B．Because the woman seemed to be in a hurry. |
| C．Because the writer wanted to hear a story. |
| D．Because the woman was very grateful. |
Why couldn't the writer finish her recycling in time?
| A．Because her daughter' s machine stopped working. |
| B．Because the other family was still using the machines. |
| C．Because she let the other family use her machine first. |
| D．Because she helped recycle the other family's bags first. |
What does the underlined word "it" in Paragraph 3 refer to?
| A．The kindness. | B．The offer. |
| C．The machine. | D．The 5 bottles. |
Which of the following best describes the topic of this passage?
| A．A good name is sooner-lost than won. |
| B．A little is better than none. |
| C．All men cannot be first. |
| D．One good turn deserves another. |
Noah Webster, born on October 16, 1758 , is known for The American Dictionary of the English Language. He has been called the " Father of American Scholarship and Education. " His " Blue-Backed Speller" books were used to teach spelling and reading to five generations of American children. But how much .do you know about him beyond that?
At the age of 16, Noah Webster began attending ,Yale College. Unfortunately, he spent his four years at Yale during the American Revolutionary War, and, because of food shortages, many of his college classes were held in Glastonbury, Connecticut. Later, he served in the army.
Having graduated from Yale in 1778, Webster wanted to continue his education in order to earn his law degree. He had to teach school in order to pay for his education. He set up many small schools that didn't survive, but he was a good teacher because instead of forcing his students to learn, like most teachers did, he rewarded them. He earned his law degree in 1781, but did not practice law until 1789. Once he started he found the law was not to his liking.
Webster did not have much money. In 1793 , Alexander Hamilton lent him $ 1500 to move to New York City to edit a newspaper. In December, he founded New York ' s first daily newspaper, American Minerva, and edited it for four years. For decades, he published . textbooks, political essays, a report on some diseases, and newspaper articles for his party, He wrote so much that a modern list of his published works required 655 pages .Noah Webster died on May 28, 1843 and was buried in the Grove Street Cemetery.What's the main idea of Paragraph l?
| A． Webster's famous dictionarie . |
| B．Webster's daily routines. |
| C． Webster's main achievements. |
| D．Webster's college education. |
Which of the following best describes Webster's life at Yale?
| A．Tough. | B．Smooth. | C．Normal. | D．Tiring. |
What did Noah want to be after graduation from Yale?
| A．A teacher. | B．A lawyer. | C．A headmaster. | D．A scholar. |
Why was Webster a good teacher?
| A．Because he set up many small schools. |
| B．Because he graduated from Yale College, |
| C．Because he forced his students to learn. |
| D．Because he often rewarded his students. |
What can we infer from Paragraph 4?
| A．Webster was a most productive author. |
| B．Webster led a miserable life in New York City. |
| C．Webster's books added up to 655 pages. |
| D．Webster didn't write any polifical works. |
When Luca first heard of the Island of Inventions, he was still very young. But its wonders sounded so incredible that they were forever burned in his memory. From that moment, he never stopped searching for clues which might lead him to the island. He read hundreds of adventure books, histories, volumes of physics and chemistry, even music.
Over time, he pieced together his idea of what the Island of Inventions was like. It was a secret place, where all the great wise men of the world would meet to learn and invent together. Access to the island was totally restricted. To join, you had to have created some great invention for humanity. Only then could you receive the special invitation — which came with directions to the island.
So Luca spent his youth studying and inventing. Every new idea he got, he made it into an invention, and if there were something he didn't understand, he’d seek others to help him. Soon he met other young inventors and he told them about the Island of Inventions. They too dreamed of one day receiving an invitation letter.
As years passed, the disappointment of not receiving their invitation made Luca and his friends work harder and co-operate more. They would meet in Luca's house, share their ideas and build new machines. Their inventions became known throughout the world, and improved the lives of millions.
But still, no invitation came.
They didn’t lose heart. They continued learning and inventing every day, trying to come up with more and better ideas. Fresh young talent joined their group, as more inventors dreamed of getting to the island.
One day many years later, Luca, already very old, was speaking with a brilliant young man named Roberts, who had written to him, asking him to join the group. Luca started telling the man of the wonderful Island of Inventions, and of how he was sure that some day they would receive an invitation. Surprised, the young inventor interrupted: “You mean this place isn’t the Island of Inventions? Isn't the letter you sent me the real invitation?”
It was only then that Luca realised that his dream had become true in his very own house. No island could exist which would be better than where he was now. No place of invention would be better than what he and his friends had created. Luca felt happy to know that he had always been on the island, and that his life of invention and study had been a truly happy one.Why did Luca and his colleagues probably never receive an invitation to the island?
| A．Their ideas were not considered worthy enough. |
| B．They were too concerned with acquiring fame. |
| C．The organization had already broken up. |
| D．The island was not a real place. |
What did Luca learn at the end of the story?
| A．The island of inventions did not exist. |
| B．He had wasted most of his life. |
| C．He had unknowingly built his own dreamland. |
| D．He finally would receive his invitation. |
Which of the following best describes Luca?
| A．Aggressive. | B．Trusting. | C．Creative. | D．Easy-going. |
Tired of all the pushing in supermarkets? Fed up with waiting in endless lines to pay for what you have bought? Angry at wasting time in traffic jams only to find no parking spaces when you eventually arrive at the store? If this is you, then online shopping is the answer to your dreams of trouble-free shopping. Or is it?
Online shopping brings its own challenges. Here are a few things to bear in mind when browsing (浏览) various websites. The claim made by online sites is that shopping online is a safe and secure way to make purchases. The evidence challenges this. In any case, you only have to be the victim of fraud (诈骗) once to experience all the problems that come with this form of stealing. Use only sites that have a trusted history and an excellent reputation.
Another problem is the appearance of items in reality is often quite different from what you see on your computer screen. This might not be a problem if you are buying washing up powder but could be a major disappointment when that beautiful blue dress you ordered turns up in green. Also, product descriptions are sometimes simply untrue. Perhaps the wisest plan is to purchase items where design and color are not essential to customer satisfaction.
Some even argue that online shopping indirectly contributes to global warming. Yes, your car can stay parked but how are online goods delivered? Often by some large vans pouring out carbon monoxide and adding to our already desperate traffic problems. You are also by now becoming increasingly irritated (使烦恼) by the fact that the delivery is late and you have wasted the leave from work you have taken to receive it!
Without question, online shopping is here to stay and it has its benefits. However, perhaps it is not as wonderful as some of its supporters claim it to be.The author lists several questions in Para. 1 to.
| A．support online shopping |
| B．collect answers from readers |
| C．show his dislike of going shopping |
| D．introduce the topic of the passage |
By what can online shoppers avoid fraud?
| A．Using only trusted websites. |
| B．Choosing big websites. |
| C．Collecting shopping evidence. |
| D．Seeking advice from the police. |
The author agrees with the fact that ______.
| A．customers are never satisfied with products |
| B．online shopping is a safe way to make purchases |
| C．online shopping has nothing to do with global warming |
| D．delivery delay often makes online shoppers unhappy |
What is the author’s attitude towards online shopping?
| A．Very popular. | B．A wise choice. | C．Not trouble free. | D．A waste of time. |