Jerry was the kind of guy you love to hate from the bottom of your heart, for he was always in a good mood and always had something positive to say. When asked how he was able to do so, he would reply,“ If I were any better, I would be twins!”
There was no doubt that Jerry was unique because he had several followers who were in his shadow from restaurant to restaurant. Obviously, these colleagues were greatly touched by Jerry’s attitude so as to follow him here and there. Being a natural motivator, Jerry was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation whenever he or she was having a bad day.
Curious about his style, I went up to Jerry and asked him, “ I can’t believe it! You can’t be a positive person all the time. How do you do it? ” Jerry replied, “ Each morning I wake up and say to myself, ‘Jerry, you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or in a bad mood.’ I choose to be in a good mood. Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or to learn from it. I choose to learn from it. Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or to point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life.”
“Yeah, right, it’s not that easy,” I protested. “ Yes, it is,” Jerry said. “ Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people will affect your mood. You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom line: It’s your choice how you live life.”
I reflected on what Jerry said. Soon after I left the restaurant industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often thought about him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it.
Several years later, I heard that Jerry did something you are never supposed to do in a restaurant business: he left the back door open one morning and was held up at gunpoint by three armed robbers. While trying to open the safe, his hand, shaking from nervousness, slipped off the combination(密码组合). The robbers panicked and shot him. Luckily, Jerry was found relatively quickly and rushed to the local hospital. After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, Jerry was released from the hospital with fragments(碎片) of the bullets still in his body.
I bumped into Jerry about six months after the terrifying accident. When I asked him how he was, he replied, “ If I were any better, I’d be twins. Want to see my scars(伤疤)？” I declined to see his wounds, but did ask him what had gone through his mind as the robbery took place. “The first thing that went through my mind was that I should have locked the back door,” Jerry replied. “ Then, as I lay on the floor, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live, or I could choose to die. I chose to live.” “Weren’t you scared?” I asked.
Jerry continued, “The paramedics(护理人员)were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the emergency room and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read,‘ He’s a dead man.’ I knew I needed to take action.” “What did you do?” I asked. “Well, there was a big nurse shouting questions at me,” said Jerry. “She asked if I was allergic to anything. ‘Yes’ I replied. The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled, ‘Bullets(子弹)！’. Over their laughter I told them, ‘I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead.’ ”
Jerry lived thanks to the skill of his experienced doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude. I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully.By saying “If I were any better, I would be twins！”(Paragraphs 1&7), Jerry means that_________.
| A．he felt depressed in life |
| B．he was content with his life |
| C．he regretted not having a twin brother |
| D．he attempted to live as good a life as his twin brother |
According to Paragraph 3, what did the writer think of Jerry’s positive thinking style at first?
| A．He accepted it and tried to copy it. |
| B．He was jealous of and even hated it. |
| C．He was in favor of and reflected on it. |
| D．He failed to understand it and tended to confirm it. |
Why did Jerry think he needed to take action in hospital?
| A．He couldn’t bear the rudeness of a big nurse. |
| B．The medical staff were not skilled enough to save him. |
| C．He was in danger and had to follow the nurses’ instructions. |
| D．He had to encourage the doctors and nurses for the operation. |
The underlined part” declined to”(Paragraph 7) can best be replaced by__________.
| A．refused to | B．promised to |
| C．agreed to | D．intended to |
Which of the following would best describe Jerry according to the passage?
| A．Humorous and optimistic. |
| B．Unique(独特) and unselfish. |
| C．Positive and cautious. |
| D．Outstanding and ambitious. |
Which of the following is conveyed in this article?
| A．Jerry’s survival is a miracle (奇迹). |
| B．Unique people may achieve success. |
| C．Attitude is everything. |
| D．Choices mean success. |
Handball(手球)is a hugely popular sport in Europe and Asia, and it is one of the fastest and most exciting sports in the world．It combines basketball and soccer with the attracting saves of water polo．
Handball is played on an indoor court(the size of two basketball courts)and there are goals at each end．There are twelve players on each team，two goal keepers and ten field players，but there is a maximum of one goalkeeper and six field players from each team allowed on the court at any one time．The idea is simple：score more goals than the other team．
The ball is made of leather or synthetic material and it must be round．The surface must not be shiny or slippery．The size and weight of the ball varies for male and female teams，and adult and junior teams．
Handball has the same free-ranging play as basketball，with all players except the goalkeeper constantly moving from attack to defence．The goalkeeper uses hands, feet，head and body to keep out the other team’s shots．The origins of handball are unclear．Many people believe that it developed as a training game for soccer，to be played in the off season，or when it snowing．Now，in countries where handball is popular，players can earn large sums of money，and indoor stadiums seating over ten thousand people sell out regularly．Handball has been played at the Olympics since 1972．The passage states that handball was most probably developed__________．
| A．as a replacement for basketball |
| B．by supporters of water polo |
| C．as a training game |
| D．for the 1972 Olympics |
The statement，“The idea is simple”，emphasizes that in handball the _____ ．
| A．game has only one purpose |
| B．court is clearly marked |
| C．players can change positions |
| D．goalkeeper is the last defense |
It is clear that the writer believes the sport of handball __________.
| A．is more popular for men than for women |
| B．is great fun for the audience |
| C．requires an unusually shaped ball |
| D．should only be played in winter |
In which order does the information appear in the passage?
a．type of ballb．court size
c．beginning of the sport d．team members
| A． c—a—b—d | B．b—a—d—c |
| C．c—d—a—b | D．b—d—a—c |
Helen Thayer，one of the greatest explorers of the 20th century，loves challenges. She says，"I like to see what's on the other side of the hill." She has gone almost everywhere to do that.
In 1988，at the age of 50，she became the first woman to travel alone to the North Pole. She pulled her own sled (雪橇) piled with 160 pounds of supplies，and during her trip no one brought her fresh supplies. Accompanied (陪伴) only by her dog Charlie，she survived cold weather and meetings with polar bears. In fact，Charlie saved her life when one of them attacked her. Near the end of her trip，a forceful wind blew away the majority of her supplies. The last week of the trip，she survived on a handful of nuts and a little water each day.
Helen goes to challenging places not only for adventure，but also for education. Before her Arctic journey，she started a website called Adventure Classroom. On the site，she shares her adventures in order to motivate (激发) students. She explains，"Although kids often see the world in a negative way，without hope for their future，we work to inspire them to set goals，plan for success and never give up..."
Helen grew up in New Zealand. Her parents were athletes and mountain climbers. Following her parents' example，she climbed her first mountain at 9. Later，she climbed the highest mountains in North and South America，the former USSR and New Zealand.
In 1996，she took on another challenge--the Sahara Desert. She and her husband，Bill，walked 2,400 miles across it！In 2001，she and Bill traveled on foot from west to east through the Gobi Desert in Mongolia. They hope to travel in mainland China into Sichuan and Tibet to study pandas this year.
Helen plans to continue taking trips. She'll use her explorations，writing，photography and environmental work to create programs for her Adventure Classroom website. She wants to inspire her students never to stop facing challenges!We learn from Paragraph 2 that ________.
| A．Helen Thayer is the first person to reach the North Pole |
| B．Helen Thayer ate nothing during the last week of her trip |
| C．Charlie prevented Helen being attacked by polar bears |
| D．Helen Thayer traveled to the North Pole together with her husband |
Why does Helen travel to different places worldwide?
| A．For education. | B．For fun. |
| C．For money. | D．For fame. |
Which is the best title for the text?
| A．The Woman Who Loves Adventure | B．A Famous Woman |
| C．A Woman Mountain Climber | D．The Owner of Adventure Classroom |
Which of the following places has Helen not visited yet?
| A．The North Pole | B．The Sahara Desert |
| C．The Gobi Desert | D．Sichuan and Tibet |
Opposition is growing to the Berlin Zoo’s plans to find a new home for Knut, the moneymaking celebrity polar bear whose popularity has been exploited by environmentalists and even Canadian tourism promoters.
No longer cute, and just days before his second birthday, Knut will be given a new home that is expected to include a potential mating partner.
The Berlin Zoo, facing the global economic crisis, can’t afford the estimated $ 13 million it would take to acquire a female and a new home for them to share. “It’s time for him to go—the sooner he gets a new home the better,” said senior bear keeper Heiner Kloes.
But some Berliners are beginning a campaign, collecting petition (情愿书) signatures and arguing that he’s a tourist draw and a symbol as important as the Brandenburg Gate. “He means a lot to many people. When you’re with him you forget your problems,” Hartmut Wiedenroth, co-founder of the campaign, told Spiegel Online.
Knut became an international celebrity in 2007, drawing huge crowds to his cage and triggering sales of thousands of Knut toys and Knut-shaped candies.
The Vancouver-based Canadian Tourism Commission made Knut a major part of its “Canada—Keep Exploring” campaign to draw tourists to the country— and especially to polar bear country in northern Manitoba to see them in their natural habitat. Environmentalists also used the bear to promote the fight against global warming.
But Knut’s popularity diminished as his size increased to 210 kilograms, He was photographed at one point snapping (咬) at a child near his cage. In September his keeper, Thomas Doerflein, died of a heart attack. Doerflein, who became a celebrity himself after nursing the tiny ball of white fur when Knut’s mother rejected him, had been re-assigned shortly after Knut’s first birthday. Some animal rights critics said Knut has been showing unusually aggressive behavior because of his unnatural upbringing.The Berlin Zoo intends to find a new home for Knut mainly because of .
| A．the mother bear deserting him |
| B．Knut’s aggressive behavior |
| C．lacking a skillful bear keeper |
| D．its financial problem |
A campaign is being launched in Berlin .
| A．in order to keep Knut in the zoo |
| B．by selling Knut-shaped candies |
| C．to draw tourists to northern Manitoba |
| D．to warn people of global warming |
The underlined word “triggering” in Paragraph 5 can be replaced by “”.
| A．decreasing | B．preventing |
| C．promoting | D．conducting |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Doerflein, a celebrity of Germany |
| B．Zoo says Knut must go |
| C．The polar bear capital of the world |
| D．Polar bears in Canada |
The way we get about has a deep influence on the way we live－affecting where we set up home, work and holiday. So what changes might come in the way we get around? What big ideas are out there, and do they have any chance of coming true?
Personal Air Travel
The idea: flying cars
Developments in light small plane technology will make it possible for everyone to own what are, in fact, flying cars. They will have closed cabins, heating, stereos and room for two people.
You will take off from a field near your home and fly to towns and cities. After landing, you will take off the fixed wing and continue your journey by road just as if you were traveling by car.
Fuel efficient engines and the advantage of being able to travel in the sky will keep costs and the environmental influence down.
Flying for Fun
The idea: Jet Packs
The idea was a hit when a stuntman (特技演员) flew around on one during the opening ceremony of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, which was very successful.
You’ll be able to use the equipment－roughly the size of two scuba tanks fastened to your back－for short journeys.
They will be handy for cleaning hard-to-reach windows, arriving in style at a party and shopping.
Taxis
The idea: driverless taxis
These computer-controlled taxis will take you wherever you want along a fixed route, whenever you want to go.
For the price of one person’s bus fare, several people can ride at speeds of up to 25 mph, and there will be fences to guard against accidents.
There will be little, if any, wait for the use of the taxis, which will leave from stations and will be used by prepaid cards.
The taxis, which will travel on a 1.5 m-wide track, will use 75% less energy per passenger than a car and 50% less than a bus.The passage is mainly about ________.
| A．future travel | B．big ideas and dreams |
| C．advanced technology | D．the influence of travel |
We learn from the passage that flying cars ________.
| A．will operate only in the sky |
| B．will be more expensive than common cars |
| C．will have few bad effects on the environment |
| D．won’t be equipped with things similar to what cars have |
With Jet Packs, we can do all the following EXCEPT ________.
| A．attend a party | B．clean high windows |
| C．go shopping | D．have a long journey |
As for driverless taxis, we can infer that ________.
| A．we can go wherever we want in them |
| B．they will be both convenient and safe |
| C．it costs more to take them than to take ordinary cars |
| D．they will be operated by computers as well as by people |
The Peales were a famous family of American artists. Charles Willson Peale is best remembered for his portraits of leading figures of the American Revolution. He painted portraits of Franklin and Jefferson and over a dozen of George Washington. His life-size portrait of his sons Raphaelle and Titian was so realistic that George Washington reportedly once tipped his hat to the figures in the picture.
Charles Willson Peale gave up painting in his middle age and devoted his life to the Peale museum, which he founded in Philadelphia. The world’s first popular museum of art and natural science mainly covered paintings by Peale and his family as well as displays of animals in their natural settings. Peale found the animals himself and found a method to make the exhibits more lifelike. The museum’s most popular display was the skeleton (骷髅) of a huge, extinct elephant, which Peale unearthed on a New York farm in 1801.
Three of Peale’s seventeen children were also famous artists. Raphaelle Peale often painted still lives of flowers, fruit, and cheese. His brother Rembrandt studied under his father and painted portraits of many noted people, including one of George Washington. Another brother, Rubens Peale, painted mostly landscapes and portraits.
James Peale, the brother of Charles Willson Peale, specialized in miniatures (小画像). His daughter Sarah Miriam Peale was probably the first professional female portrait painter in America.What is the main topic of the passage?
| A．The life of Charles Willson Peale. |
| B．Portraits in the 18th century. |
| C．The Peale Museum. |
| D．A family of artists. |
The author mentions in Paragraph 1 that Washington tipped his hat to the figures in the painting to show that _______.
| A．Charles Willson Peale’s painting was very lifelike |
| B．Washington respected Charles Willson Peale’s work |
| C．Washington was friendly with Raphaelle and Titian Peale |
| D．the painting of the two brothers was very large |
Which of the following is NOT the child of Charles Willson Peale?
| A．Titian Peale. | B．Rubens Peale. |
| C．Raphaelle Peale. | D．Sarah Miriam Peale. |
The author’s attitude toward the Peales is in general _______.
| A．puzzled | B．excited | C．admiring | D．disappointed |