In China, if you are not married by the time you are 30, you are in for trouble social blame and pressure from family and friends can get you down. And if you are a woman, it’s even worse.
Many young people get married simply to get other people off their backs (免受别人的指责) . This is a serious compromise. One ends up not marrying the ideal partner.
There are, however, a few young people who refuse to compromise if they can’t find a good marriage partner, they say, they would rather not marry at all.
34-year-old Kate is a university lecturer in English. She said she would not describe herself as celibatarian (独身主义者) but simply a woman who hasn’t come across the right man yet. She has sharp comments for the way in which the old generation looks at marriage.
“Many people think marriage is a duty---to your parents, family and society. Nobody cares if your marriage is happy or not, she said, I think this is very wrong and I intend to live and act according to my own will.”
Happily for her, her parents are open-minded and not lay stress on her. But the same does not apply to her friends. They are constantly trying to get her together with some young man or another. She always refuses politely.The main idea of the passage is that
| A．marriage is a duty to society |
| B．people should get married before 30 years old |
| C．late marriage should be respected |
| D．women should get married earlier than men |
| A．she doesn’t think he is the right man she wants |
| B．he is either too old or too young |
| C．he is either important or little learned |
| D．he doesn’t have good manners |
| A．interested in | B．satisfied with |
| C．worried about | D．likely to suffer |
| A．In China, one may face social blame and family pressure if one hasn’t got married by 30. |
| B．Miss Kate’s parents are always worried about her marriage. |
| C．Miss Kate won’t compromise if she can’t have her ideal marriage. |
| D．Miss Kate wants to marry a worthy young man. |
| A．everybody will be happy and satisfied |
| B．nobody will pay attention to whether you are happy or not in your family life |
| C．you can easily find an ideal partner |
| D．young people will have nothing to worry about in marriage |
Does Fame Drive You Crazy?
Although being famous might sound like a dream come true, today’s star, feeling like zoo animals, face pressures that few of us can imagine. They are at the center of much of the world’s attention. Paparazzi (狗仔队) camp outside their homes, cameras ready. Tabloids (小报) publish thrilling stories about their personal lives. Just imagine not being able to do anything without being photographed or interrupted for a signature.
According to psychologist Christina Villareal, celebrities — famous people — worry constantly about their public appearance. Eventually, they start to lose track of who they really are, seeing themselves the way their fans imagine them, not as the people they were before everyone knew their names. “Over time,” Villareal says, “they feel separated and alone.”
The phenomenon of tracking celebrities has been around for ages. In the 4th century B.C., painters followed Alexander the Great into battle, hoping to picture his victories for his admirers. When Charles Dickens visited America in the 19th century, his sold-out readings attracted thousands of fans, leading him to complain about his lack of privacy. Tabloids of the 1920s and 1930s ran articles about film-stars in much the same way that modern tabloids and websites do.
Being a public figure today, however, is a lot more difficult than it used to be. Superstars cannot move about without worrying about photographers with modern cameras. When they say something silly or do something ridiculous, there is always the Internet to spread the news in minutes and keep their “story” alive forever.
If fame is so troublesome, why aren’t all celebrities running away from it? The answer is there are still ways to deal with it. Some stars stay calm by surrounding themselves with trusted friends and family or by escaping to remote places away from big cities. They focus not on how famous they are but on what they love to do or whatever made them famous in the first place.
Sometimes a few celebrities can get a little justice. Still, even stars who enjoy full justice often complain about how hard their lives are. They are tired of being famous already.
| A．are often misunderstood by the public |
| B．can no longer have their privacy protected |
| C．spend too much on their public appearance |
| D．care little about how they have come into fame |
| A．Great heroes of the past were generally admired. |
| B．The problem faced by celebrities has a long history. |
| C．Well-known actors are usually targets of tabloids. |
| D．Works of popular writers often have a lot of readers. |
| A．Availability of modern media. |
| B．Inadequate social recognition. |
| C．Lack of favorable chances. |
| D．Huge population of fans. |
| A．Sincere. | B．Skeptical. |
| C．Disapproving. | D．Sympathetic. |
Hi, I’m your tooth. I’ve been asked to represent the rest of your teeth. We need your help. We like to be clean when you show us off with your big, wide smiles.
First, let me tell you a little about us. You weren’t born with the baby teeth, they developed when you were about six or seven months old. You went from milk to real food in no time thanks to your twenty primary teeth. Eventually, they loosened and fell out, one at a time, probably about the time you were six or seven years old.
Then we came into your life. We are your permanent teeth, all twenty-eight of us. Some people may even have thirty-two depending on those wisdom teeth in the back. Sometimes they are able to help, and sometimes they cause trouble. Many times wisdom teeth are sideways and have to be pulled. Some people don’t even have them at all!
On a more personal note, I am an incisor, and you have seven more just like me, here in the front of your mouth. We do the biting on those chocolate chip cookies you like so much. Next to us are the canines, four sharp teeth, two on either side. Their job is to tear food; pizza is a good one for them. Behind them are eight premolars and eight to twelve molars, depending on those wisdom teeth. The molars do the majority of the work chewing the food that you eat. They do a great job on those carrots you like so much!
Did you know we not only help you bite and chew but also help you talk? That’s right. Try to say “tooth” without letting your tongue touch the back of your teeth. It sounds pretty funny, doesn’t it?How many teeth does a four-year-old boy usually have according to the passage?
| A．20. | B．24. | C．28. | D．32. |
Why are the wisdom teeth pulled sometimes?
| A．Because they are useless. |
| B．Because they are in the back. |
| C．Because they are ugly. |
| D．Because they grow in wrong directions. |
The word “I” in the passage refers to a _____.
| A．wisdom tooth | B．baby tooth |
| C．molar | D．permanent tooth |
“Clean your plate!” and “Be a member of the clean-plate club!” Just about every kid in the US heard this from a parent or grandparent. Often, it’s accompanied by an appeal(呼吁): “Just think about those starving orphans in Africa.” Sure, we should be grateful for every bite of food. Unfortunately, many people in the US take too many bites. Instead of “cleaning the plate’, perhaps we should save some food for tomorrow.
According to news reports, US restaurants are partly to blame for the growing bellies(胃口,食欲). A waiter puts a plate of food in front of each customer, with two to four times the amount recommended by the government, according to a USA Today story. Americans traditionally associate quantity with value and most restaurants try to give them that. They prefer to have customers complain about too much food rather than too little.
Barbara Rolls, a nutrition professor at Pennsylvania State University, told USA Today that restaurant portion(一分,份额) sizes began (or grew) in the 1970s, the same time that the American waistline(腰围) began to expand.
Health experts have tried to get many restaurants to serve smaller portions. Now, apparently, some customers are calling for this too. The restaurant industry trade magazine QSR reported last month that 57 percent of more than 4,000 people surveyed believe restaurants serve portions that are too large; 23 percent had no opinion; 20 percent disagreed. But a closer look at the survey indicates that many Americans who can’t afford fine dining still prefer large portions. Seventy percent of those earning at least $150,000 per year prefer smaller portions; but only 45 percent of those earning less than $25,000 want smaller.
It’s not that working-class Americans don’t want to eat healthily. It’s just that, “after long hours at low-paying jobs, getting less on their plate hardly seems like a good deal. They live from paycheck, happy to save a little money for next year’s Christmas presents.”Parents in the United States tend to ask their children _______.
| A．not to save food |
| B．to wash the dishes |
| C．not to eat too much |
| D．not to waste food |
Why do American restaurants serve large portions?
| A．Because Americans associate quantity with value. |
| B．Because Americans have big bellies. |
| C．Because Americans are good eaters. |
| D．Because Americans are greedy. |
Which of the following is NOT true of working-class Americans?
| A．They work long hours. |
| B．They live from paycheck to paycheck. |
| C．They don’t want to be healthy eaters. |
| D．They want to save money for their children. |
What happened in the 1970s?
| A．The US government recommended the amount of food a restaurant gave to a customer. |
| B．Health experts persuaded restaurants to serve smaller portions. |
| C．The United Stated produced more grain than needed. |
| D．The American waistline started to expand. |
The China Daily newspaper group is looking for English-language senior business editors, senior copy editors, copy editors and graphic designers to strengthen its international team. We offer a competitive salary package, accommodation(住宿) with utilities(水电费) paid for 90 percent, medical reimbursement(报销), a seven-day paid leave, eleven-day public holidays and a return ticket to the country of residence(居住国).
Senior Business Editor
You must：
assist the business editor in setting goals and working on achieving them；
be an excellent team person who can generate ideas and think creatively and be able to rewrite totally if needed and mentor junior staff；
ideally have been working or have worked in a position of responsibility and understand what leadership entails；
have had at least five years’ editing experience working on editing the Business Desk and be familiar with industry software.
Senior Copy Editor
You must：
work on shifts in the Business Desk and usually have the last word before the page is sent to print；
edit or rewrite copy and give snappy headlines and captions；
have had at least two years’ editing experience working on editing desks and be familiar with industry software.
Copy Editor
You must：
be good at editing or rewriting copy and writing snappy headlines and captions；
be able to work on shifts for different pages, and usually have the last word before the page is sent to print；
have two years of editing experience working on copy desks, and be familiar with industry software.
Graphic Designer
You must：
have excellent skills in information graphics；
be good at illustrations and freehand drawings；
be experienced in newspaper or magazine layouts；
have a good sense of typography；
have good news judgment；
be well versed with Macintosh software, including In Design, Illustrator and Photoshop；
be fluent in English.
For enquiries or to apply, write to job @ chinadaily.com.cn.What is not required about Graphic Designer?
| A．Be well-versed with Photoshop. |
| B．Have excellent skills in information graphics. |
| C．Having a good sense of typography. |
| D．Writing snappy headlines and captions. |
How many positions need editing experience?
| A．2. | B．1. | C．3. | D．4. |
Which can be the title of the advertisement?
| A．China Daily：New Employees Wanted |
| B．China Daily：Newspaper |
| C．China Daily：An International Team |
| D．China Daily：The Best Working Condition |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．free accommodations are available to the workers. |
| B．The workers there can enjoy a seven-day leave without pay. |
| C．The employees have the right to enjoy eleven-day public holidays. |
| D．The senior business editor’s only job is to help the business editor to set goals. |
I had a very special teacher in high school many years ago whose husband unexpectedly died of a heart attack. About a week after his death, she shared some of her views with a classroom of students.
As the sunlight came in through the classroom windows and the class was nearly over, she moved a few things aside on the edge of her desk and sat down there. She paused and said, “Before class is over, I would like to share with all of you a thought that is unrelated to class, but which I feel is important. Each of us comes to this world to learn, share, love, appreciate and give. None of us knows when this fantastic experience will end. It can be taken away at any moment.”
Her eyes beginning to water, she went on:
“So I would like you all to make me a promise. From now on, on your way to school, or on your way home, find something beautiful to notice. It doesn’t have to be something you see. It could be a scent of freshly baked bread from someone’s house, or it could be the sound of the wind slightly rustling the leaves in the trees…”
The class was completely quiet. We all picked up our books and left the room silently. That afternoon, I noticed more things on my way home from school.
Take notice of something special you see on your way home today. Go barefoot on the beach at sunset. For as we get older, it is not the things we did that we often regret, but the things we didn’t do.What is the purpose of the author’s writing the passage?
| A．To show his respect to his teacher |
| B．To ask us to appreciate every moment of our life |
| C．To ask us never to give in when facing difficulty |
| D．To show the influence that a teacher has on her students |
Why did the teacher talk about something unrelated to class?
| A．Because she had finished her class task |
| B．Because she could hardly control her feeling |
| C．Because she thought the class were not thoughtful enough |
| D．Because she wanted to share some of her views with the class |
What does the underlined word “scent” mean in Paragraph 4?
| A．smell | B．piece |
| C．color | D．taste |
What do we learn from the last sentence?
| A．We will be happy when we are old. |
| B．We will regret the mistakes that we made when we were young. |
| C．We will regret what we didn’t do though we might do it. |
| D．We will do what we couldn’t do in the past |