They say there are three ways to experience the Grand Canyon; on foot, on mules(骡子) or by air. We chose the first. Up early; my husband and I and our three children couldn’t wait to get started. We decided to walk along a lovely path named Bright Angel Trail.
As we set out, I was shocked at how narrow the path was. And I couldn’t help noticing that the other tourists weren’t like us. They had heavy backpacks, water bottles, and hats. But as usual we were dressed, As the sun rose higher, Arizona’s famous heat seemed to roast(烘烤) us. There was no shade and our legs were aching. We decided to go back, with the girl on my back and the boys far behind. By the time we finally got back, our legs were like jelly.
The next day, after we’d had a long rest and a good breakfast, we were ready for another view of the Canyon by air. After our last walk, this would be the easiest thing in the world.
We called to each other excitedly as the plane took off and circled around the Canyon. But the smiles on our faces disappeared as the pilot tossed(翻转) the plane around, pretending he was going to hit the ground. I shouted, “STOP, TAKE US BACK!” When we finally arrived back on land, once again our legs were like jelly. We hardly spoke as we drove back.
As I said, there are three ways to view the Grand Canyon. We never tried the mules, but personally I’d suggest a fourth: buy yourself a good magazine like National Geographic. That way, you can see the Canyon, without fear or tiredness. Which of the following is true according to the second paragraph?
| A．They made a careful preparation before the trip |
| B．They children were more joyful than their parents. |
| C．Bright Angel Trail was not as lovely as they expected. |
| D．The summer heat prevented them from enjoying the view. |
The underlined expression “Our legs were like jelly” probably means .
we were weak
B. we were unhappy
C. we were dissatisfied
D. we were disappointed Which of the following best describes their Canyon trip by air?
| A．It proved to be frightening. |
| B．It was more comfortable |
| C．It turned out to be exciting |
| D．It made each of them tired. |
We can infer from the passage that .
| A．experiencing the Canyon on mules would be the best way |
| B．one needs to dress less when visiting the Grand Canyon. |
| C．the writer was not serious when she made the suggestion. |
| D．the whole family narrowly escaped from the air accident. |
A caring mother is the single most important factor in preventing teenagers from abusing(滥用)drugs and alcohol，researchers said on Friday. An international study showed that teenagers living with both parents are less likely to suffer from alcohol and drug problems，and a strong maternal bond is the most effective way to fight against them.
“These findings suggest that living with both parents may prevent drug use．”said Dr.McArdle，of Newcastle University in northern England, who led the study. “They also suggest that attachment(感情眷念)，particularly to mothers，is a more effective factor and that this is truly across cultures and substances.” The report, which is published in the journal Addiction, involved nearly 4,000 teenagers in England，Ireland，Italy，Germany and the Netherlands. They were questioned about their use of several kinds of drugs and alcohol. The teenagers also filled in questionnaires about their relationship with their parents and grandparents, how well they were supervised(监护)after school and whether they were allowed to meet friends at home.
“Both the quality of family relationships and the structure of families have significant influences on youth drug use,” McArdle said in a statement. But he added that a strong maternal bond offered the greatest protection against developing drug habits. The rate of drug abuse among teenagers living with both parents and who had a good relationship with their mother was 16.6 percent. If either fact
or was missing, the drug abuse rate rose to 32 percent．More than 42 percent of teenagers living in one parent families who did not have a strong bond with their mother used drugs．
Drug prevention campaigns in British schools and on television warn teenagers about the danger of drugs and alcohol but McArdle said no one is dealing with the problem of their parents’ responsibilityThe phrase“maternal bond” appears twice in this passage. Guess its meaning__________．
| A．物质的奖励 | B．母亲的约束 | C．法律的制裁 | D．学校的指导 |
According to McArdle,which is most likely to have the drug abuse problem_________?
| A．16-year-old Tom from a happy big family |
| B．17-year-old Kate supervised by her single mother． |
| C．18-year-old Juliet living with her single father． |
| D．19-year-old Mark cared by his parents. |
Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage__________?
| A．Teenagers with both parents won’t have the drug use problem. |
| B．Teenagers from several countries filled in the questionnaire. |
| C．Teenagers were asked about their relationship with parents． |
D．Teenagers in British schools are warned against drug s abuse. |
The last paragraph suggests that________.
| A．schools should answer for the drug problem |
| B．television and media are to blame |
| C．parents and the society are responsible for the drug problem |
| D．mothers are the cause of youth drug use． |
One of the big challenges that students face in applying to universities abroad is writing the application essay．
The essay topics all have something in common. They attempt to get at what type of person you are, what motivates you，and what you feel passion for. In a single 500-word piece of writing，
admissions officers(招生负责人)attempt to gather all about you. So your task is of your personality on the essay and make yourself special.
You can try and guess what the admissions officers like. But that won’t work．The essay will sound empty and become another dull piece of writing，which admissions officers get thousands of each year．
It is true that admissions officers aren’t exactly looking for anything. The answer is just as open-ended as the question itself. If they ask for someone who has inspired you, it could be anyone. It could be a grandmother, a teacher, or even a character from a movie. A lot of people will say their dad. But since you really feel it, you’ll have a lot to write about.
There are some important things to remember．These admissions officers want good writers. You don't have to be Ernest Hemingway, but you have to be able to form an interesting story．That means revision(校对)and editing，cutting out stupid grammar mistakes，reading it over several times，leaving it for a few days and looking at it again. Whatever you do, make sure the essay is as good as possible.
Also，you should use exciting language and really make the reader feel the same passion as you do. It also means finding something unique about your point of view, something that other people might not think of．For example，if you want to write about your dad, you can focus on a specific anecdote(趣闻)about him .Admissions officers love personal stories that ring true．The purpose of the passage is to give advice on how to_________.
A. choose an essay topicB. read the officers’ minds
C. be a good writer D write an effective applicationThe underlined part of paragraph 2 suggests that you__________.
| A．stick enough stamps before posting your application essay |
| B．write something unique in an essay to impress the readers |
| C．take the task of showing off yourself seriously |
| D．pay attention to your personal essay |
When admissions officers ask who has inspired you，they mean to________.
| A．know about your family members | B．understand you better |
| C．find out what your father does | D．discover your personal affairs |
According to the writer, it is wise to produce an essay with__________.
| A．500 beautiful words | B．many funny things | C．truthful specific stories | D．indirect answers |
When something goes wrong，it can be very satisfying to say，”Well, it’s so-and-so’s fault.” or “I know I’m late，but it’s not my fault；the car broke down.” It is probably not your fault，but once you form the habit of blaming somebody or something else for a bad situation，you are a loser. You have no power and could do nothing that helps change the situation. However, you can have great power over what happens to you if you stop focusing on whom to blame and start focusing on how to remedy the situation. This is the winner’s key to success.
Winners are great at overcoming problems. For example, if you were late because your car broke down, maybe you need to have your car examined more regularly. Or, you might start to carry along with you the useful phone numbers, so you could call for help when in need. For another example, if your colleague causes you problems on the job for lack of responsibility or ability, find ways of dealing with his irresponsibility or inability rather than simply blame the person. Ask to work with a different person, or don’t rely on the person. You should accept that the person is not reliable and find creative ways to work successfully regardless of how your colleague fails to do his job well.
This is what being a winner is all about—creatively using your skills and talents so that you are successful no matter what happens. Winners don’t have fewer problems in their lives; they have just as many difficult situations to face as anybody else. They are just better at seeing those problems as challenges and opportunities to develop their own talents. So, stop focusing on “whose fault it is.” Once you are confident about your power over bad situations, problems are just stepping stones for success.According to the passage, winners .
| A．deal with problems rather than blame others | B．meet with fewer difficulties in their lives |
| C．have responsible and able colleagues | D．blame themselves rather that others |
The underlined word remedy in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to .
| A．avoid | B．accept | C． improve |
D．consider |
When your colleague brings about a problem, you should .
| A．blame him for his lack of responsibility | B．find a better way to handle the problem |
| C．tell him to find the cause of the problem | D．ask a more able colleague for help |
When problems occur, winners take them as
| A．excuses for their failures | B．barriers to greater power |
| C．challenges to their colleagues | D．chances for self-development |
Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
| A．A Winner’s Problem. | B．A Winner’s Secret. |
| C．A Winner’s Opportunity. | D．A Winner’s Achievement. |
Do you know of anyone who uses the truth to deceive (欺骗)? When someone tells you something that is true, but leaves out important information that should be included, he can give you a false picture.
For example, some might say, “I just won a hundred dollars on the lottery (彩票). It was great. I took that dollar ticket back to the store and turned it in for one hundred dollars!”
This guy’s a winner, right? Maybe, maybe not. We then discover that he bought $200 worth of tickets, an
d only one was a winner. He’s really a big loser!
He didn’t say anything that was false, but he left out important information on purpose. That’s called a half-truth. Half-truths are not lies, but they are just as dishonest.
Some politicians often use this trick. Let’s say that during Governor Smith’s last term, her state lost one million jobs and gained three million jobs. Then she seeks another term. One of her opponents(对手) says, “During Governor Smith’s term, the state lost one million jobs!” That’s true. However, and honest statement would have been, “During Governor Smith’s term, the state had a net gain of two million jobs.”
Advertisers(广告商) will sometimes use half-truths. It’s against the law to make false statements so they try to mislead you with the truth. An advertisement might say, “Nine out of ten doctors advised their patients to take Yucky Pills to cure toothache.” It fails to mention that they only asked ten doctors and nine of them work for the Yucky Company.
This kind of deception happens too often. It’s a sad fact of life: Lies are lies, and sometimes the truth can lie as well.How much did the lottery winner lose?
| A．One hundred dollars. | B．Two hundred dollars. |
| C．Three hundred dollars. | D．Four hundred dollars. |
We may infer (推断) that the author believes people should _______.
| A．buy lottery tickets | B．make use of half-truths |
| C．not trust anything without careful thoughts | D．not trust the Yucky Company |
What do the underline words “net gain” in Paragraph 5 mean?
| A．big advantage. | B．large share. | C．total loss. | D．final increase. |
What can we know from the example of the Yucky Pill advertisement?
| A．False statements are easy to see through. | B．Half-truths are often used to mislead people. |
| C．Doctors like to act in advertisements. | D．Advertisements are based on facts. |
Modern inventions have speeded up people’s loves amazingly. Motor-cars cover a hundred miles in little more than an hour, aircraft cross the world inside a day, while computers operate at lightning speed. Indeed, this love of speed seems never-ending. Every year motor-cars are produced which go even faster and each new computer boasts (吹嘘) of saving precious seconds in handling tasks.
All this saves time, but at a price. When we lose or gain half a day in speeding across the world in an airplane, our bodies tell us so. We get the uncomfortable feeling known as jet-lag; our bodies feel that they have been left behind on another time zone. Again, spending too long at computers results in painful wrists and fingers. Mobile phones also have their dangers, according to some scientists; too much use may transmit harmful radiation into our brains, a consequence we do not like to think about.
However, what do we do with the time we have saved? Certainly not relax, or so it seems. We are so accustomed to constant activity that we find it difficult to sit and do nothing or even just one thing at a time. Perhaps the days are long gone when we might listen quietly to a story on the radio, letting imagination take us into another world.
There was a time when some people’s lives were devoted simply to the cultivation of the land or the care of cattle. No multi-tasking there; their lives went on at a much gentler pace, and in a familiar pattern. There is much that we might envy about a way of life like this. Yet before we do so, we must think of the hard tasks our ancestor faced: they farmed with bare hands, often lived close to hunger, and had to fashion tools from wood and stone. Modern machinery has freed people from that primitive existence.The new products become more and more time-saving because.
| A．our love of speed seems never-ending | B．time is limited. |
| C．the prices are increasingly high. | D．the manufactures boast a lot. |
What does “the days” in Paragraph 3 refer to?
| A．Imaginary life | B．Simple life in the past. |
| C．Times of inventions | D．Time for constant activity. |
What does the passage mainly discuss?
| A．The present and past times. | B．Machinery and human beings. |
| C．Modern technology and its influence. | D．Imaginations and inventions. |