I would never forget the time when we were standing at the top of a church tower．My father had brought me to this spot in a small town not far from our home in Rome．I wondered why．
“Look down, Elsa，” Father said．I gathered all my courage and looked down．I saw the square in the center of the village．And I saw the crisscross （纵横交错） of streets leading to the square．“See, my dear，” Father said gently．“There is more than one way to the square．Life is like that．If you can't get to the place where you want to go by one road, try another．”
Now I understood why I was there．Earlier that day I had begged my mother to do something about the awful lunches that were served at school．But she refused because she didn't believe the lunches were as bad as I said．
When I turned to Father for help, he would not interfere （干涉）．Instead, he brought me to this high tower to give me a lesson．By the time we reached home, I had a plan．
At school the next day, I secretly poured my lunch soup into a bottle and brought it home．Then I asked our cook to serve it to Mother at dinner．The plan worked perfectly．She swallowed one spoonful and sputtered, “The cook must have gone bad！” Quickly I told what I had done, and Mother stated firmly that she would deal with the matter of lunches at school the next day!
In the following years I often remembered the lesson Father taught me．I began to work as a fashion designer two years ago．I wouldn't stop working until I tried every possible means to my goal．Father's wise words always remind me that there is more than one way to the square．The author's father took her to the top of a church tower to ________．
| A．find out how many ways lead to the square |
| B．enjoy the beautiful scenery of the whole town |
| C．help her forget some unpleasant things earlier that day |
| D．inspire her to find out another way to solve her problem |
What did the author want her mother to do earlier that day?
| A．Do something delicious for lunch． |
| B．Speak to the school about lunch． |
| C．Taste her awful lunch． |
| D．Dismiss the cook． |
The underlined sentence in the fifth paragraph means ________．
| A．the cook agreed to serve the soup to Mother |
| B．the matter of lunch was successfully settled |
| C．her father persuaded her mother successfully |
| D．the method the author thought of was effective |
Habits，whether good or bad，are gradually formed when a person does a certain thing again.He is driven by some unseen force to do the same thing repeatedly, and then a habit is formed．Once a habit is formed，it is difficult，and sometimes impossible，to get rid of．It is therefore very important that we should pay great attention to the formation of habits．Children often form bad habits, some of which remain with them as long as they live older. Persons also form bad habits lasting as long as they live，and sometimes become ruined by them．
There are other habits which，when formed in early life，are of great help．Many successful men say that much of their success has something to do with certain habits in early life，such as early rising，honesty and so on．
Among the habits which children should not form are laziness，lying，stealing and so on．These habits are all easily formed．Unfortunately older persons often form habits which could have been avoided．
We should keep away from all these bad habits，and try to form such habits as will be good for ourselves and others.are formed little by little.
| A．Good habits | B．Bad habits |
| C．Both good habits and bad habits | D．Neither good habits nor bad habits |
The underlined word“them”in the first paragraph refers to_______.
| A．bad habits | B．good habits | C．children | D．other persons |
Generally speaking, it’s difficult for one______ and easy for them______ which should be avoided．
| A．to form bad habits；to form good habits |
| B．to form good habits；to form bad habits |
| C．to form such habits as wilI be good；to get rid of bad habits |
| D．to get rid of bad habits；to form good habits |
The kings of ancient Egypt built strong tombs（坟墓）to keep their bodies safe after death and to hold their treasures. The Great Pyramid was built thousands of years ago for a king called Khufu. It is located on the west bank of Nile River not far from Cairo. In fact all the pyramids along the Nile are on its west bank. The ancient Egyptians compared the rising of the sun to the beginning of life and the setting of the sun to the end of life. This is why their dead bodies were buried on the west bank of the Nile. The people of Mexico also built pyramids. They did not build the pyramids for tombs. They used to build a pyramid and then a temple on top of it. The pyramids of Mexico are not as high as the pyramids of Egypt, but they are big. Each of the pyramids has a wide stairway that goes from the bottom to the top.
The biggest pyramid in Mexico is almost 2000 years old. Scientists think it took 10,000 men more than ten years to build it. On the top they built a temple of the sun. The temple is no longer there but people still call it the Pyramid of the Sun. Near it is another huge pyramid, the Pyramid of the Moon. In ancient Egypt pyramids were built.
| A．for visitors to see | B．for kings to live in |
| C．as the kings’ tombs | D．for king Khufu |
All the pyramids along the Nile are on its west bank, because in ancient Egypt people thought
| A．they died in the west |
| B．the sun sets in the west |
| C．the end of their lives was like the setting of the sun |
| D．they would go to the west after death |
Which of the following is Wrong?
| A．The kings of ancient Egypt built strong tombs only to hold treasures. |
| B．The ancient Egyptians compared the rising of the sun to the beginning of life and the setting of the sun to the end of life. |
| C．The biggest pyramid in Mexico is nearly 2000 years old. |
| D．Near the Pyramid of the Sun, there is the Pyramid of the Moon. |
These days it’s cheaper to throw that broken DVD player, cell-phone or TV out and buy a new one. This “ replace-rather-than-repair” mentality is polluting the planet with electronic waste. According to the UN Environment Program, we are throwing away an estimated 50 million metric tonnes of electronics waste (e-waste) per year. But this is not ordinary garbage. Our electronics leak harmful heavy metals — such as mercury and arsenic — along with equally poisonous chemicals that end up in our soil and eventually our water.
You’ve probably participated in a community recycling event and left feeling good about shipping off that old computer to be recycled. Chances are it was shipped overseas where it’s polluting someone else’community.
Guiyu city in Southeastern China has become known as the e-waste city where low-paid workers use whatever means available to remove electronics in hopes of recovering the copper, microchips, aluminum, gold and silver and plastic that can be resold. Any leftover waste is simply thrown into the nearby river or piled up high in the streets, poisoning the children growing up here.
So what can you do with your e-waste? Robert Houghton, President and founder of Redemtech, an asset management and recovery firm, recommends you vote with your dollar. Buy from companies who have a take-back program that guarantees your discarde electronics are handled proper.
“ Consumers want to do business with companies who are demonstrably good with corporate responsibility and dealing with e-waste, ” said Houghton.
There are plenty of charitable organizations that will take your used electronics and donate them for charitable causes:
• Electronic Recycling Association (Canada) (ERA) collects old computers for donation to libraries and other organizations across Canada.
• eBay’s Rethink Initiative pairs up consumers with businesses that refurbish (再磨光)old computers for donation.
• TechSoup has a thorough listing of resources for those who would like to donate or recycle hardware，buy recycled hardware or find a refurbisher.
• The Charitable Recycling Program accepts all cell-phones and has a listing of charities it helps with its program.
• Call2 Recycle has set up drop off points across Canada in a number of stores. You can drop off your cell-phone and also your rechargeable batteries from handheld electronic products.When there is something wrong with electronics, what is a popular trend among people nowadays?
| A．To keep a DIY way. | B．To put them away themselves. |
| C．To purchase what they like. | D．To donate them to charities. |
Guiyu city in Southeastern China is mentioned here to show us ____.
| A．there is an ideal place in the world for e-waste |
| B．there is a good example in the world for recycling |
| C．the recycling events in Canada benefit people overseas |
| D．people should find a scientific and thorough way to recycle |
In the writer’s opinion, who can first shoulder the great responsibility to guarantee e-waste is handled proper in the future?
| A．The UN Environment Program. |
| B．Consumers who buy electronics. |
| C．President and founder of Redemtech. |
| D．Guiyu city in Southeastern China. |
In Canada, which charity organization will most possibly take all your unwanted electronics?
| A．Call2 Recycle. | B．TechSoup. |
| C．eBay’s Rethink Initiative. | D．Electronic Recycling Association. |
One of my fondest memories as a child is going by the river and sitting idly on the bank. There I would enjoy the peace and quiet, watch the water rush downstream and listen to the singing of birds and the rustling of leaves in the trees. I would also watch the bamboo trees bend under pressure from the wind and watch them return gracefully to their original position after the wind had died down.
When I think about the bamboo trees’ ability to bounce back or return to its original position, the word “resilience” comes to my mind. When used in reference to a person, this word means the ability to readily recover from shock, depression or any other negative situation that stretches the limits of a person’s emotions.
Have you ever felt like you are about to lose control of your emotions? Have you ever felt like you are at your breaking point? Thankfully, you have survived the experience to live to talk about it.
During the experience you probably felt a mix of emotions that threatened your health.You felt emotionally
tired, mentally exhausted and you most likely bored unpleasant physical symptoms.
Life is a mixture of good times and bad times, happy moments and unhappy moments. The next time you are experiencing one of those bad times or unhappy moments that take you close to your breaking point, bend, but don’t break. Try your best not to let the situation get the best of you.
A measure of hope will take you through the unpleasant moments. Will hope for a better tomorrow or a better situation, things may not be as bad as they seem to be. The unpleasant moment may be easier to deal with if the end result is worth having.
If the situation gets tough and you are at your breaking point, show resilience. Like the bamboo trees, bend, but don’t break!What does the underlined word “resilience” mean in Paragraph 2?
| A．The ability to overcome any difficulty. |
| B．The quality of hoping for a better tomorrow. |
| C．The quality of being brave at the breaking point. |
| D．The ability to recover easily and quickly from unpleasant or damaging events. |
Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?
| A．Life is like a bamboo tree that never breaks. |
| B．Whatever difficulties we may meet with in our life, we can bend, but can never break. |
| C．Life is a mixture of good times and bad times, happy moments and unhappy moments. |
| D．If you get over your breaking point, you can survive to live longer and more happily than others. |
According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?
| A．The author was an idle child when he was living near the river. |
| B．We should try our best not to let our bad times get the best of us. |
| C．Our being likely to lose control of our emotions is common in our life. |
| D．We should always believe things may not be as bad as they seem to be. |
Which of the following would be the best title of the passage?
| A．Bend, but don’t break. | B． My wonderful childhood. |
| C．The bamboo trees. | D． Love the bamboo trees and your life. |
Today’s youth seem content to take the easy route and enjoy the ride of life. When tough situations arise, they often get annoyed and complain. How you live your teen years will have a profound influence on the rest of your life.
You must learn to use your time wisely. You may not see it now, but developing leadership characteristics at a young age is very important. As we get older, it becomes harder to overcome bad habits and replace them with good ones. Possessing leadership qualities is essential, both in this life and in the world to come. There are certain qualities that one needs to develop in order to become a leader: justice, judgment, dependability, initiative, decisiveness, tact, integrity, enthusiasm, poise, unselfishness, courage, knowledge and loyalty. You may recognize these as good qualities to have, without realizing how they apply to leadership. The more these qualities are part of your nature, the more productive and enjoyable your life will be. All of these are qualities that one must possess to one degree or another.
Contrary to popular opinion, leadership is something that is learned. No one is born a leader. We are all capable of exhibiting the leadership qualities mentioned above — some just choose not to. Of course, not veryone can be the “top dog”, let alone all the time. However, everyone does have the capacity to lead in some way — but action is required! Understand that learning is a fact of life—learning to ride a bike, learning to drive, learning to type, learning mathematics, etc. All of these activities require action. While we are born with many different abilities, if we do not use and develop them, those abilities will never come to fruition. Youth is an excellent time to start developing leadership characteristics. Take the time to study each one in detail. Put them into practice as you interact with other people. Determine which areas you are weak in, striving to always improve. Observe the leaders, and how they handle situations and carry themselves. Also, study the lives of great leaders. The results will serve you in this life — and beyond!The purpose of the second paragraph is to show that .
| A．one must overcome bad habits at first |
| B．all leaders have the mentioned leadership characteristics |
| C．the earlier and the more you develop leadership characteristics, the better it is |
| D．one must know how to apply the mentioned leadership characteristics first |
Not everyone can be a leader because______.
| A．they are lazy | B．they don’t learn |
| C．they don’t have the qualities mentioned | D．they don’t develop their abilities |
What does the underlined sentence mean?
| A．Everyone can be a leader all the time. |
| B．Everyone can not be a leader all the time. |
| C．Nobody can be a top leader all the time. |
| D．Nobody can not be a leader all the time. |
What is the best title for this passage?
| A．Learn to be a leader. | B．Everyone can be a leader. |
| C．Leadership characteristics. | D．Leadership is something that is learned. |