You wake up in the morning, the day is beautiful and the plans for the day are what you have been looking forward to for a long time. Then the telephone rings, you say hello, and the play starts. The person on the other end has a sad tone in his voice as he starts to tell you how terrible his morning is and that there is nothing to look forward to. Yon are still in a wonderful mood(心情)? Impossible!
Communicating with negative people can wash out your happiness. It may not change what you think, but communicating long enough with them will make you feel unhappy for a moment or a long time.
Life brings ups and downs, but some people are trapped in the wrong idea that life has no happiness to offer. They only feel glad when they make others feel bad. It is not strange that they can hardly win others’ pity or respect.
When you communicate with happy people，you will stay happy. When the knife of a negative person is put in you, you feel the heavy feeling that, all in all, brings you down.
Sometimes we have no choice but to communicate with negative people. This could be a co-worker, or relative. In this situation, say what needs to be said as little as possible. Sometimes it feels good to let out your anger back to the negative person，but all this cannot reduce your bad feelings and they won’t feel ashamed(羞愧) of themselves about that.
Unhappiness often influences happiness without even being realized. The depressing(令人沮丧的) words of another at the start of the day can be with you throughout the rest of your day，which makes you feel bad and steals your happiness. Life is too short to feel unhappy.
| A．make a comparison(比较) | B．offer an evidence(证据) |
| C．introduce a topic | D．describe a daily scene |
| A．By influencing our feelings. |
| B．By telling people the nature of life. |
| C．By changing our way of thinking. |
| D．By comparing their attitude to life with ours. |
| A．other people’s pity for them | B．making other people unhappy |
| C．holding an active attitude | D．other people’s respect for them |
| A．to change negative people’s attitude to life |
| B．to show our dislike to negative people |
| C．to make negative people feel ashamed of themselves |
| D．to communicate with negative people as little as possible |
Going Green
For career（职业） changers thinking about growth and advancement potential, forget the blue-collar and white-collar categories: Green is the way to go. According to Bracken Hendricks, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Progress, careers that promote environmental responsibility will become main stream within a decade. “The growth in green careers will be like the Internet boom, which not only created new jobs, but also had an influence on the overall economy（经济）,” he says.
The increasing environmental problems and need for eco-friendly products and services are creating a new job section of green-collar jobs. Many countries of the world have realized the importance and need for energy-saving products and services. It is expected that by 2025 about 25% of the jobs in developed countries will be of green-collar jobs. Doesn’t the data look promising for the future?
Green-collar jobs have become a bright career chances for all. And jobs will pop up at every income level, from environmental manager to gardener. For example, many countries including the United States have understood that fossil fuels have negative effect on the environment which can later become a serious danger to mankind. As a result, possibilities are being explored to find alternatives to satisfy demands in a better way. The increasing demand of newer resources（资源） has creating the need for experts and researchers who can find better ways to deal with the ongoing needs. In addition, in order to meet the increasing demands of environment-friendly equipment, both green product designer and educated and trained workers are needed. Management of environmental organizations also demands a large number of environmental managers.
Where can you find green-collar jobs? Internet is undoubtedly the best way to find information on almost any matter. Nowadays, different kinds of jobs are being posted online. Search through a couple of job websites to look for a bright future in energy conversion and recycling of waste management. Check regularly and find the right work for yourself. People who read newspapers can also find different kinds of green-collar jobs.Why does Bracken Hendricks mention the Internet Boom in Paragraph One?
| A．To explain the importance of technology. |
| B．To provide evidence of his recent research. |
| C．To indicate the bright future of green careers. |
| D．To inform us of the way of finding green-collar jobs. |
Which of the following probably creates green-collar jobs?
| A．Promoting services. |
| B．Training employees. |
| C．Consuming fossil fuels. |
| D．Developing new resources. |
What is mainly talked about in Paragraph 3?
| A．The requirements for green employees. |
| B．The development of the green industry. |
| C．The economic influence of green careers. |
| D．The job chances in the environmental industry. |
The passage is written to _______.
| A．discuss eco-friendly services |
| B．introduce promising career chances |
| C．suggest ways of saving energy at work |
| D．explain the best method of finding jobs |
Museums in Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia is a great place for visitors seeking a little culture. There are Atlanta museums of all kinds, to interest adults and children. The history of the area is a fascinating one and it is documented in many of the museums. There are also collections of art and science based institutions and displays from the natural world.
The city is famous for many reasons, one of them being the World of Coca-Cola Museum. It's a worldwide product with a long history and the collection contains memorabilia（大事记） and handmade objects. Some of the documents go back to 1905. Visitors can see how a bottling plant operates and there are films about the history of the company. This Atlanta museum has a Pop Culture Gallery that shows paintings with the Coca-Cola image. At the end of the tour, visitors can buy a souvenir at the gift store.
The Atlanta History Center，established in 1926, is most well-known for its civil war collection. There is also the exhibition of folk arts and the displays on the history of golf in the US.
The state is also proud of its famous daughter, novelist Margaret Mitchell. The Margaret Mitchell House and Museum was founded in the house that the author shared with her husband from 1925 until 1932. It was here that she wrote her great book, Gone with the Wind. Much of this Atlanta museum is focused on the 1939 Hollywood film of the book.
Families and school outings are fortunate in having the Fernbank Science Center. It serves the local educational community and the public also enjoys the displays. There are a wide variety of exhibitions, including a collection of dinosaur skeletons, an electron microscope and a Apollo spacecraft. The museum also has an impressive botanical collection.
The Georgia Aquarium(水族馆) is the largest one in the world and almost all the tourists place it high on their travel plan when visiting the city. There are numerous species to see and learn about. The highlights include whale sharks, electric fish, Japanese spider crabs, Californian sea lions and African black-footed penguins.
Atlanta museums have something for everyone and will never disappoint you. The underlined word plant in Paragraph 2 refers to _______.
| A．factory | B．movie | C．soft drink | D．handmade object |
Visitors interested in literature will probably go to _________.
| A．The Georgia Aquarium |
| B．Fernbank Science Center |
| C．The Atlanta History Center |
| D．The Margaret Mitchell House and Museum |
Visitors who go to Pop Culture Gallery can see _____.
| A．exhibition of folk arts |
| B．pictures of sea animals |
| C．collections of the civil war |
| D．paintings with the Coca-Cola image |
We can learn from the passage that ________.
| A．Coca-Cola is popular with young visitors |
| B．most tourists want to visit the Georgia Aquarium |
| C．Science Center was set up by the local community |
| D．Atlanta museums mainly focus on art and literatur |
Worlds of Fun
Location: Worlds of Fun is located off Highway 435 in Kansas City, Missouri.
History: Worlds of Fun was opened on May 26, 1973, at a cost of 25 million dollars. Loosely themed around the Jules Verne book, Around the World in Eighty Days, the park was founded by Hunt Midwest Company. In 1982, Hunt Midwest bought a nearby waterpark, Oceans of Fun. In 2013, Worlds of Fun and Oceans of Fun were combined to a one ticket admission, providing all guests with access to 235 acres of amusement and water rides.
Hours: Worlds of Fun is open from April through Halloween.
Tickets: Buy and print online. Always try to buy your tickets in advance, to save time when you get to the park.
Reservations: Worlds of Fun sells “Fast Lane” cards that save riders’ time by allowing them to bypass the majority of wait for most of rides and attractions including Mamba, Prowler, and Patriot. Ride as many times as you want all day long.
Strategy(策略): Most visitors tend to begin the day with Prowler, the hottest attraction in the park. Use that tendency to your advantage and head to the Patriot first. After that, try the Dragons. Then work your way back to the Prowler. After riding the Prowler, there is only one coaster left, Mamba. Hit it next. If the park is not very crowded, you can ride Boomerang on the way to Mamba. After riding Mamba, head back for a ride on the Wolf. By then you will have tried most of the popular rides and attractions in the shortest possible time.
News: In 2014, Worlds of Fun is adding Steel Hawk, a ride that will take guests up 301 feet in the air and spin them at a 45-degree angle for a 60-second flight. Wait to have a try!When did Hunt Midwest’s two parks start to share one ticket?
| A．In 1973. | B．In 1982. | C．In 2013. | D．In 2014. |
With a “Fast Lane” card, the visitor can _________.
| A．save some money |
| B．buy tickets online |
| C．avoid lining up for long |
| D．enjoy all the rides for free |
What is talked about in the part of Strategy?
| A．The best visiting route. |
| B．The highest ride in the park. |
| C．The most popular tour season. |
| D．The hottest attractions in the park. |
When I was quite young, my father had one of the first telephones in our neighborhood. I remember well the polished old case fastened to the wall. The shiny receiver hung on the side of the box. I was too little to reach the telephone, but used to listen with great interest when my mother used to talk to it.
Then I discovered that somewhere inside the wonderful device lived an amazing person— her name was Information Please and there was nothing she did not know. Information Please could supply anybody’s number.
My first personal experience with Information Please came one day while my mother was visiting a neighbor. I accidentally hit my finger with a hammer. The pain was terrible, but there didn’t seem to be any reason in crying because there was no one home to give sympathy. I walked around the house sucking my hurting finger, finally arriving at the stairway—the telephone! Climbing up I unhooked the receiver and held it to my ear. “Information Please,” I said.
A click or two and a small clear voice spoke into my ear, “Information.”
“I hurt my finger…” I cried. The tears came readily enough now that I had an audience. “Isn’t your mother home?” came the question. “Nobody’s home but me.” I sobbed. “Are you bleeding?” “No,” I replied. “I hit my finger with the hammer and it hurts.” “Can you open your icebox?” she asked. I said I could. “Then chip off a little piece of ice and hold it to your finger.”
After that I called Information Please for everything. I asked her for help with my geography and she told me where Philadelphia was. And there was the time that Petey, our pet canary (金丝雀) died. I called Information Please and told her the sad story. She listened, and then said the usual things grown-ups say to comfort a child. But I was unconsoled. Why is it that birds should sing so beautifully and bring joy to all families, only to end up as a heap of feathers, feet up on the bottom of a cage?
She must have sensed my deep concern, for she said quietly, “Paul, always remember that there are other worlds to sing in.” Somehow I felt better.
Another day I was on the telephone. “Information Please.” “Information,” said the now familiar voice. “How do you spell fix?” I asked.
All this took place in a small town in the Pacific Northwest. Then when I was 9 years old, we moved to Boston. I missed my friend very much. Information Please belonged to that old wooden box in former home, and I somehow never thought of trying the tall, shiny new phone that sat on the hall table.
Yet as I grew into my teens, the memories of those childhood conversations never really left me; often in moments of doubt and sadness I would recall the sense of security I had then. I appreciated now how patient, understanding, and kind she was to have spent her time on a little boy.
A few years later, on my way west to college, my plane put down in Seattle. I had about half an hour or so between planes, and I spent 15 minutes or so on the phone with my sister, who lived there now. Then without thinking what I was doing, I dialed my hometown operator and said, “Information Please.”
Unexpectedly, I heard again the small, clear voice I knew so well, “Information.” I hadn’t planned this but I heard myself saying, “Could you tell me please how to spell fix?” There was a long pause. Then came the soft spoken answer, “I guess that your finger must have healed by now.”
I laughed, “So it’s really still you,” I said. “I wonder if you have any idea how much you meant to me during that time.”
“I wonder,” she said, “if you know how much your calls meant to me. I never had any children, and I used to look forward to your calls.”
I told her how often I had thought of her over the years and I asked if I could call her again when I came back to visit my sister.
“Please do; just ask of Sally.”
Just three months later I was back in Seattle…. A different voice answered Information and I asked for Sally.
“Are you a friend?” “Yes, a very old friend.” “Then I’m sorry to have to tell you. Sally has been working part-time the last few years because she was sick. She passed away five weeks ago.” But before I could hang up she said, “Wait a minute. Did you say your name was Paul?”
“Yes!”
“Well, Sally left a message for you. She wrote it down. Here it is. I’ll read it. “Tell him I still say there are other worlds to sing in. He’ll know what I mean.”
I thanked her and hung up. I did know what Sally meant. According to the text, Information Please is actually ________.
| A．a robot | B．the author’s mother | C．a telephone operator | D．the telephone itself |
The author picked up the telephone for the first time to ________.
| A．call his mother who was visiting a neighbor |
| B．call the doctor for his wounded finger |
| C．find out what exactly lived in the telephone |
| D．find someone to give him sympathy |
The underlined word “unconsoled” in paragraph 6 means ________.
| A．too sad to have a talk | B．difficult to deal with somebody |
| C．hard to communicate with somebody | D．unable to accept comfort |
What did Sally mean by saying those underlined words in the message?
| A．The author didn’t need to feel sad for her death. |
| B．She went to another place to make a living as a singer |
| C．The world without her would still be good to the author. |
| D．The author should explore new worlds for his new life. |
Why did the writer never think of trying the new phone after moving to Boston?
| A．He hadn’t got used to the line service in Boston yet. |
| B．There was something wrong with the new phone. |
| C．He missed Information Please in the old phone so much. |
| D．He didn’t like the tall and shiny style of the new phone. |
When did you last visit a shopping mall? In many places, the answer would be “last weekend.” Some people go even more often. Why? For one thing, malls offer goods and services that people need all in one place: food, clothing, things for their houses, entertainment, even medical services. So, are malls one of the highlights of modern civilization? Environmental activists would say No! They would go even further and say that consumer behavior is causing a huge environmental disaster. They cause consumers of ignorance of the side effect of their shopping—urban sprawl (扩大) .
Social scientists agree that patterns of development have changed the landscape a great deal in the last half century. Before 1950, most people lived in towns or cities and either walked to work or took public transportation. Only very wealthy people had automobiles. Farmers lived in rural areas or isolated villages and came into town only when they needed things they couldn’t produce themselves. If you gazed at the landscape you would see towns surrounded by countryside. Then a massive change occurred.
Automobiles became affordable and people were quick to adopt them. Now ambitious workers could live in the suburbs, the areas just outside cities, which started to grow rapidly. As long as there was lots of cheap land in the suburbs, no one paid much attention to the usage of that land. Malls, fast food restaurants, cinemas, and car dealerships spread out in large, flat buildings. These one–storey buildings and their parking lot took up a great deal space. Well– meaning farmers thought they were better off selling their land than growing crops. In ignorance, no one realized that once the land was built up in urban sprawl, the good farming land would be ruined forever. There was no way to preserve it.
Only in recent years have people come to mourn the old way of life as they have developed insight into the problems. Now people realize that urban sprawl has come with serious environmental problems. The negative aspects of sprawl include air and water pollution, loss of agricultural land, traffic jams, and the death of businesses in the old town centers. Many scholars think the time has come to analyze the problems better so we can develop appropriate policies to control further sprawl. Some think the best way to do is to educate citizens about their priceless environment.What is mainly discussed in the passage?
| A．Weekend Fun | B．Urban Sprawl | C．New Automobiles | D．Isolated Villages |
What does the underlined word “They” refer to in the first paragraph?
| A．Scientists | B．Activists. | C．Farmers. | D．Malls |
Who do environmental activists blame for environmental problems?
| A．Endangered animals. | B．Shopping mall owners. |
| C．Unthinking shoppers. | D．Ambitious farmers. |
What do scholars think should be done about urban sprawl?
| A．Understand the situations better. | B．Follow customary policies. |
| C．Start school in shopping malls. | D．Charge polluters a lot of money. |
What is the scholars’ attitude toward urban sprawl?
| A．Respectful. | B．Negative. | C．Positive. | D．Doubtful. |