The world’s richest man might seem to have it all，but Bill Gates has one regret．The self-made billionaire said he felt stupid for not knowing any foreign languages．
Speaking in his third Ask Me Anything question-and-answer session for online forum Reddit(红迪网)，the Microsoft founder said that he wished he spoke French，Arabic or Chinese．
He said：“I took Latin and Greek in high school and got A's and I guess it helps my vocabulary．I keep hoping to get time to study one of these—probably French because it is the easiest．I did Duolingo for a while but didn’t keep it up．”
Gates，who is worth $79．3 billion，praised Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg for surprising an audience in Beijing when he spoke fluent Chinese．“Mark Zuckerberg amazingly leamed Chinese and did a Q&A with Chinese students—unbelievable，isn’t it?”he said．
This isn’t the first time for Gates to admit his regret over language．He also showed his habits at home and personal insights．
Last February, Gates said he likes to do the dishes himself—to his own special standards every night and also told the interviewer that his wife，Melinda，would likely want Samuel L．Jackson to play her husband in a biopic(传记片)．
He also admitted that he would pick up a $100 bill if he found it on the street．
As he took the top spot on Forbes(福布斯)28th Annual Billionaires list last year for the fourth time，he said he is pretty basic when it comes to so ending on clothes and food，but that he enjoys investing in shoes and racquets(球拍)when he plays tennis．
When asked a life lesson he had to learn the hard way，the billionaire said staying up too late is a habit he is still trying to break．‘‘Don’t stay up too late even if the book is really exciting．You will regret it in the morning．Pam still working on this problem，”he said．Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?
| A．An Interview with Bill Gates |
| B．How Bill Gates Succeeded |
| C．Bill Gates’Regret |
| D．The Richest Billionaire |
The underlined part in Paragraph 8 may actually mean that_____．
| A．it is important to lay a good foundation of life |
| B．food and clothing are basic needs for people’s life |
| C．he doesn’t spend much money on food and clothes |
| D．he never cares about buying food and clothing |
What advice did Bill Gates give?
| A．Avoid staying up too late． |
| B．Be a good language learner． |
| C．Do the dishes yourself at home． |
| D．Pick up the $100 bills in the streets． |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．Bill Gates is also the founder of Facebook |
| B．Bill Gates topped the list of Forbes 28 times． |
| C．Bill Gates was good at learning languages in high schoo1． |
| D．Bill Gates’wife wants Samuel to play a game with Gates． |
All over the world people enjoy sports, Sports help to keep people healthy and happy, and to live longer.
Many people like to watch others play games. They buy tickets or turn on their TVs to watch the games. Often they get very excited when “their” player or team wins.
Some sports are so interesting that people everywhere go in for(参加) them. Football, for example, has spread(展开)around the world. Swimming is popular in all countries near the sea or in those with many rivers. What fun it is to jump into a pool or lake, whether in China, Egypt or Italy! And think of people in cold countries. Think how many love to skate or ski (滑雪) in Japan, Norway or Canada.
Some sports or games go back thousands of years, like running or jumping. Chinese wushu, for example, has a very long history. But basketball and volleyball are rather new. Neither one is a hundred years old yet. People are inventing new sports or games all the time. Water-skiing is one of the newest in the family of sports.
People from different countries may not be able to understand each other, but after a game together they often become good friends. Sports help to train a person’s character. One learns to fight hard but fight fair, to win without pride and to lose with grace(胜不骄，败不馁).Why do people all over the world enjoy sports?
| A．Because they are healthy. |
| B．Because they are happy. |
| C．Because they want to live longer. |
| D．All the above. |
Why do some people get excited when they watch a game? Because___________.
| A．their favourite team wins | B．they win the game |
| C．they get the good news | D．they can’t help themselves |
Why do people from different countries often become friends after a game together? Because____________.
| A．they train their character in the game |
| B．they understand each other |
| C．they are friendly to each other |
| D．they help each other |
When someone says, “Well，I guess I’ll have to face the music”， it doesn’t mean that he is planning to go to hear a singer or attend a concert. It is something far less unhappy than you are called in by your leader to explain why you did this and that or why you did not do this or that.
At some time or another, every one of us has to “face the music”, especially as children. We can all remember father’s angry words “I want to talk to you”. And only because we did not listen to him. What a bad thing it was！
In the middle or at the end of every term, we students have to “face the music”. The result of the exam will decide whether we will face the music or not. If...that means parents cold faces and contempt (轻视) of the teachers and classmates.
“To face the music” is well known to every American, young or old. It is at least 100 years old. It really means that you have to do something, no matter how terrible the whole thing might be, because you know you have no choice. “To face the music” means “to__________”.
| A．do something that we don’t like to |
| B．go to the theatre |
| C．go to the music show |
| D．do something that we want to |
In the third paragraph， “If…”really means “If__________”．
| A．we don’t do a good job | B．we get an “A” in the exam |
| C．the exam is easy | D．the exam is difficult |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．“To face the music” is well known in the United States． |
| B．“To face the music” has a history of more than 100 years． |
| C．The young Americans know what “to face the music” means． |
| D．Only the old in the United States know the meaning of “to face the music”． |
The clock struck eleven at night. The whole house was quiet. Everyone was in bed except me. Under the strong light, I looked sadly before a huge pile of troublesome stuff they call “books”.
I was going to have my examination the next day. “When can I go to bed?” I asked myself. I didn’t answer, in fact I dared not.
The clock struck 12. “Oh, dear!” I cried, “ten more books to read before I can go to bed!” We pupils are the most wretched creatures ( 可怜的人 ) in the world. Dad does not agree with me on this. He did not have to work so hard when he was a boy.
The clock struck one. I was quite hopeless now. I forgot all I had learnt. I was too tired to go on. I did the only thing I could. I prayed, “Oh, God, Please help me pass the exam tomorrow. I do promise to work hard afterwards, Amen.” My eyes were heavy, so heavy that I could hardly open them. A few minutes later, with my head on the desk, I fell asleep.When the author was going over his lessons, all the others in the house were_____ .
| A．asleep | B．working in bed | C．outside | D．quietly laughing at him |
Reviewing his lessons didn’t help him because ________.
| A．it was too late at night |
| B．he was very tired |
| C．his eyes lids were so heavy that he couldn’t keep them open |
| D．he hadn’t studied hard before the examination |
What do you suppose happened to the author？
| A．He went to a church to pray again |
| B．He passed the exam by luck |
| C．He failed in the exam |
| D．He was punished by his teacher |
The best title for the passage would be __________ .
| A．The Night Before the Examination |
| B．Working Far into the Night |
| C．A Slow Student |
| D．Going Over My Lessons |
Interest in pursuing international careers has soared (increased sharply) in recent years, enhanced by chronic (lasting) personnel shortages that are causing companies to search beyond their home borders for talents.
Professionals seek career experience outside of their home countries for a variety of reasons. They may feel the need to recharge their batteries with a new challenge. They may want a position with more responsibility that encourages creativity and initiative. Or they may wish to expose their children to another culture, and the opportunity to learn a second language.
When applying for a job, one usually has to submit (present—v.) a resume or curriculum vitae (CV). The two terms generally mean the same thing: a one-or two-page document describing one's educational qualifications and professional experience. However, guidelines for preparing a resume are constantly changing. The best advice is to find out what is appropriate regarding the corporate (company) culture, the country culture, and the culture of the person making the hiring decision. The challenge will be to embrace (include) two or more cultures in one document. The following list is a good place to start.
● "Educational requirements differ from country to country. In almost every case of 'cross-border' job hunting, just stating the title of your degree will not mean adequate description. Provide the reader with details about your studies and any related experience."
●Pay attention to the resume format you use—chronological or reverse-chronological order. Chronological order means listing your 'oldest' work experience first. Reverse-chronological order means listing your current or most recent experience first. Most countries have preferences about which format is most acceptable. If you find no specific guidelines, the general preference is for the reverse-chronological format.
●If you are submitting your resume in English, find out if the recipient uses British English or American English because there are variations between the two versions. For example, university education is often referred to as 'tertiary education' in the United Kingdom, but this term is almost never used in the United States. A reader who is unfamiliar with these variations may assume that your resume contains errors.Companies are hiring more foreign employees because ________.
| A．they have difficulty finding qualified personnel at home |
| B．they find foreign employees are usually more talented |
| C．they need original ideas from employees hired overseas |
| D．they want to expand their business beyond home borders |
The author believes that an individual who applies to work overseas ________.
A. is usually creative and full of initiative
B. aims to improve his foreign language skills
C. seeks either his own or his children's development
D is dissatisfied with his own life at homeWhen it comes to resume writing, it is best to ________.
| A．learn about the company's hiring process |
| B．follow appropriate guidelines for job hunting |
| C．take cultural factors into consideration |
| D．know the employer's personal likes and dislikes |
According to the author's last piece of advice, the applicants should be aware of ________.
| A．the different educational systems in the US and the UK |
| B．the recipient's preference with regard to the format |
| C．the distinctive features of American and British cultures |
| D．the differences between the varieties of English |
Plants are flowering faster than scientists predict in reaction to climate change, which could have long damaging effects on food chains and ecosystems.
“Global warming is having a great effect on hundreds of plant and animal species around the world, changing some living patterns.” scientists say.
Increased carbon dioxide (CO2) in the air from burning coal and oil can have an effect on how plants produce oxygen, while higher temperatures and changeable rainfall patterns can change their patterns of growth.
“Predicting species’ reaction to climate change is a major challenge in ecology,” said the researchers of several U.S. Universities. They said plants had been the key object of study because their reaction to climate change could have an effect on food chains and ecosystem services.
The study, published on the Nature website, uses the findings from plant life cycle studies and experiments across four continents and 1,634 species. It found that some experiments had underestimated the speed of flowering by 8.5 times and leafing by 4 times.
“Across all species, the experiments underestimated the speed of the advance—for both leafing and flowering—that results from temperature increases,” the study said.
“The design of future experiments may need to be improved to better predict how plants will react to climate change,” it said.
Plants are necessary for life on the Earth. They are the base of the food chain, using photosynthesis (光合作用) to produce sugar from carbon dioxide and water. They let out oxygen which is needed by nearly every organism on the planet.
Scientists believe the world’s average temperature has risen by about 0.8 ℃ since 1900, and nearly 0.2 ℃ every ten years since 1979.
So far, efforts to cut emissions of planet-warming greenhouse gases are not seen as enough to prevent the Earth heating up beyond 2 ℃ this century—a point scientists say will bring the danger of a changeable climate in which weather extremes are common, leading to drought, floods, crop failures and rising sea levels.What is the key information the author wants to give in Paragraph 1?
| A．The increasing speed of flowering is beyond scientists’ expectation. |
| B．Climate change leads to the change of food production patterns. |
| C．Plants’ reaction to weather could have damaging effects on ecosystem. |
| D．Food chains have been seriously damaged because of weather. |
We can learn from the study published on the Nature website that _____.
| A．scientists should improve the design of the experiments |
| B．plants’ flowering is 8.5 times faster than leafing |
| C．there are 1,634 plant species on the four continents |
| D．the experiments failed to predict how plants react to climate change |
Scientists pay special attention to the study of plants because _____.
| A．they can prove the climate change clearly |
| B．they are very important in the food chains |
| C．they play a leading role in reducing global warming |
| D．they are growing and flowering much faster than before |
What can be inferred from the last two paragraphs about the world’s temperature?
| A．It has risen nearly 0.2 ℃ since 1979. |
| B．It is 0.8 ℃ higher in 1979 than that of 1990. |
| C．It needs to be controlled within 2 ℃ in this century. |
| D．Its change will lead to weather extremes. |