Imagination and fantasy can play an important role in achieving the things we fear. Children know this very well. Fred Epstein, in his book If I Make It to Five, tells a story he heard from one of his friends about Tom, a four-year-old boy with a cancer in his back bone. He came through several operations and a lot of pain by mastering his imagination.
Tom loved to pretend, and he particularly loved to play super-heroes. Dr. Epstein explained that it was actually a brilliant way for his young mind to handle the terrifying and painful life he led.
The day before his third trip to the operating room, Tom was terribly afraid. " Maybe I could go as Superman " ，he whispered to his mom. Hearing this, the mother hesitated for a while. She had a-voided buying the expensive costume (戏装），but finally she a-greed.
The next day Tom appeared as the powerful Superman, showing off through the hospital halls and coolly waving his hand to the people greeting him along the way. And Tom, with the strength of his fantasy, successfully made it through the operation.
The power of for imagination need not be reserved for children only. We all have the power to use our fantasies to attempt things we never thought possible, to go through those things that seem impossible, and to achieve what we never believed we could. Just as Dr. Epstein puts it, “If you can dream it, you can do it.”
It doesn't mean that you should dress as a superhero for your next job interview. But, next time you are tested in a way that seems impossible, imagine what it would take to overcome it. Become the person you need to become to win over your challenge and do it in your mind first. So, let your imagination run wild, and dare to dream. What do we know about Tom?
| A．He was seriously ill. | B．He was a dishonest boy. |
| C．He was crazy about magic. | D．He was Dr. Epstein's patient. |
What can be inferred about Tom's mother?
| A．She was a rich lady. |
| B．She refused Tom's request. |
| C．She wanted Tom to be a superhero. |
| D．She wanted to get Tom through the pain. |
When Tom went for the third operation, he _________.
| A．pretended to be painful | B．acted like a superhero |
| C．appeared in poor spirits | D．argued with his mother |
In the last paragraph, you are advised _________.
| A．to go through some difficult tests |
| B．to wake up from your wild dreams |
| C．to become a powerful person in your mind |
| D．to wear expensive clothes for job interviews |
What is the purpose of the passage?
| A．To tell us an interesting story. |
| B．To help us make right decisions. |
| C．To advise us to care about children. |
| D．To encourage us to use our imagination. |
Helen Thomas, the pioneering White House reporter known for putting presidents on the hot seat, died at 92．
To those who regularly watch presidential press conferences, Helen Thomas is a familiar figure．Usually dressed in red and always seated in the front row, she is always the first or second reporter the president calls upon．It is an honor she has earned．Besides, it affords her the perfect opportunity to do what she does best - challenge the president and other public officials to tell the plain truth．She said, "We reporters' priority（首要事情） is the people's right to know - without fear or favor．We are the people's servants．"
Helen Thomas was born in Kentucky in 1920．All the nine Thomas children were brought up to value education, and all were expected to make something of themselves through working hard．She made up her mind while still in high school to become a reporter after writing for the student newspaper．After receiving her bachelor's degree in 1942, Thomas headed straight for Washington, D．C．in search of a newspaper job．Before long, she landed one at Washington Daily News．Her duty included fetching coffee and doughnuts for the paper's reporters and editors．The eager young woman found the atmosphere exciting and was convinced she had made the right career choice．
Her big break came when she was sent to Florida to report on the vacation of President-elect John F．Kennedy and his family．Once President Kennedy took office, Thomas changed her focus from the president's family to his policies．She began attending the daily press briefings at the White House as well as presidential press conferences．Thomas has covered every president since Kennedy．Over the years, Thomas found her job "thrilling and inspiring," but never boring．And she took very seriously her duty to "keep an eye on the president" and keep American people informed．What can we learn about Helen Thomas from the passage?
| A．Her career took off after covering the Kennedys． |
| B．Her first job was to deliver doughnuts to a news agency． |
| C．She was born to a large family in Kentucky in 1942． |
| D．She decided to be a reporter while in college． |
Paragraph 3 is written to show Helen Thomas
| A．is a good decision maker for her career |
| B．appreciates education and hard work |
| C．wants to be famous by writing reports |
| D．has great support from her family |
What does Helen Thomas think other work?
| A．Unbearable． | B．Exciting． | C．Challenging． | D．Unforgettable． |
What can be the best title for the text?
| A．A reporter sticking to the facts． |
| B．A reporter challenging President Kennedy． |
| C．A reporter from an ordinary family． |
| D．A reporter for Washington Daily News． |
If you see a group of people dancing and singing on the street or in the railway station, you don't need to feel surprised．They are a flash mob （快闪族）, which is a group of people who come together suddenly in a public place, do something unusual for a brief period of time, and then quickly break up．They are usually organized with the help of the Internet or other digital communication network．At a predetermined time, they gather and perform some distractions（消遣） such as waving their hands and exchanging books, Then, they quickly break up before the police can arrive．Using mobile phones, the flash mob can change its location if the first one has been replaced for any reason．
Bill Lasik, senior editor of Harper’s Magazine, organized the first flash mob in Manhattan in May 2003 and the first successful flash mob came together on June 3, 2003 - after the first attempt was foiled at Macy's department store．Lasik claimed that the activity was designed to make fun of hipsters （起时髦的人）, and call attention to the cultural atmosphere．
Flash mob gatherings can sometimes shock people．Such an activity might seem amusing and untrue, but it also might frighten people who are not aware of what is taking place．Undoubtedly, flash mobs can serve as good political tools in any direction．They also have great economic potential, such as using flash mobs to advertise a product．
The flash mob is now becoming more and more popular．People use it to do many things．For example, in 2009, Michael Jackson's fans took part in a flash mob to remember him．Hundreds of his fans gathered singing and dancing Michael's famous song "Beat It" together．Flash mobs give people from all walks of life an opportunity to come together to create a memory．The undefined word "foiled" in Paragraph 2 can be replaced by _。
| A．forgotten | B．prevented | C．announced | D．confirmed |
What can you learn about the flash mob from the passage?
| A．The flash mob usually breaks up quickly for lacking enough time． |
| B．Once the place for the activity is determined, it can't be changed． |
| C．The flash mob can be made use offing many fields just for fun． |
| D．It gives people the chance to come together to do something unusual． |
The main purpose of the passage is -
| A．to entertain | B．to encourage |
| C．to inform | D．to persuade |
The writer's attitude towards the flash mob is
| A．negative | B．favorable | C．objective | D．doubtful |
How cool can libraries be in an era（时代）of iPods and Kindles? More than you think．Only if you know where to go．
Central Library: Seattle, Washington, United States
The Central Library in Seattle is modern and fashionable and has tourists from around the world paying visits and taking tours．It was designed by Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas and American designer Joshua Ramus．Tours began in 2006, two years after its opening．The library holds various art exhibitions, book signings and other events, while visitors can stop by the Chocolate cart for a coffee and scan through the gift shop anytime
Trinity College Library: Dublin, Ireland
The Trinity College Library in Dublin is the oldest library in Ireland, founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I．It is the largest single library in the world, also known as the Long Room, which contains more than 200,000 0fthe library's oldest books．The Long Room houses one of the oldest harps（竖琴） in Ireland．Dating to the 15th century, the old harp is the model for the symbol foreland．
Geisel Library, University of California: San Diego, United States
At first glance, it looks like a spaceship．Architect William Pereira, who helped design actual space launch facilities at Cape Canaveral in Houston, Texas, designed the library in 1970．It has been featured in sci-fi films, short stories and novels．The library hosts "Dinner in the Library," which invites readers for cocktails, and also a special speech from distinguished authors．
TU Delft Library: The Netherlands
The library at the Delft University of Technology was constructed in 1997 and has more than 862,000 books, 16,000 magazine subscriptions and its own museum．The building itself exists beneath the ground, so you can't really see the actual Library．What makes it interesting is the roof, which is a grassy hill．The roof covers 5,500 square meters．And it has become one of the most striking and greenest structures in the area．Which of the four libraries has the longest history?
| A．Central Library． |
| B．Trinity College Library． |
| C．Geisel Library． |
| D．TU Delft Library． |
What makes Geisel Library different from the others is that
| A．famous writers often deliver speeches there |
| B．it has a reoffer grassy hill |
| C．Queen Elizabeth I founded the library |
| D．it is the largest single library in the world |
In Central Library, you can
| A．buy souvenirs |
| B．drink cocktails |
| C．enjoy sci-fi films |
| D．see the old harp |
When we talk about intelligence, we do not mean the ability to get good scores in certain kinds of tests or even the ability to do well in school. By intelligence we mean a way of living and behaving, especially in a new or anxious situation. If we want to test intelligence, we need to find out how a person acts instead of how much he knows what to do.
For example, when in a new situation, an intelligent person thinks about the situation, not about himself or what might happen to him. He tries to find out all he can, and then he acts immediately and tries to do something about it. He probably isn’t sure how it will all work out, but at least he tries. And, if he can’t make things work out right, he doesn’t feel ashamed that he fails; he just tries to learn from his mistakes. An intelligent person, even if he is very young, has a special outlook(人生观) on life, special feeling about life, and knows how he fits into it.
If you look at children, you’ll see great difference between what we call “bright” children and “not bright” children. They are actually two different kinds of people, not just the same kind with different amounts of intelligence. For example, the bright child really wants to find out more about life --- he tries to get in touch with everything around him. But the unintelligent child keeps more to himself and his own dream-world; he seems to have a wall between him and life in general.What’s the main idea of the passage?
| A．What’s real meaning of intelligence |
| B．What’s the “bright” children’s behavior |
| C．What’s a special outlook on life |
| D．How to live and behave in a new situation |
In the author’s opinion the biggest difference between “bright” children and “not bright” children lies in ____________.
| A．the amount of intelligence |
| B．the different situations they face |
| C．the different attitudes to life |
| D．the background of life |
What might the author continue to talk about in the passage that follows?
| A．how to determine what intelligence is |
| B．How an unintelligent person should be taught |
| C．how to judge whether a person is intelligent |
| D．how education should be changed |
If you have a chance to go to Finland, you will probably be surprised to find how “foolish” the Finnish people are.
Take the taxi drivers for example. Taxis in Finland are mostly high-class Benz with a fare of two US dollars a kilometer. You can go anywhere in one, tell the driver to drop you at any place, say that you have some business to attend to, and then walk off without paying your fare. The driver would not show the least sign of anxiety.
The dining rooms in all big hotels not only serve their guests, but also serve outside diners. Hotel guests have their meals free, so they naturally go to the free dining rooms to have their meals. The most they would do to show their good faith is to wave their registration card to the waiter. With such a loose check, you can easily use any old registration card to take a couple of friends to dine free of charge.
The Finnish workers are paid by the hour. They are very much on their own as soon as they have agreed with the boss on the rate(价钱). From then on, they just say how many hours they have worked and they will be paid accordingly(相应地).
With so many loopholes(漏洞) in everyday life, surely Finland must be a heaven to those who love to take “petty advantages”. But the strange thing is, all the taxi passengers would always come back to pay their fare after they have attended to their business; not a single outsider has ever been found in the free hotel dining rooms. And workers always give an honest account of the exact hours they put in. As the Finns always act on good faith in everything they do, living in such a society has turned everyone into a real “gentleman”.
In a society of such high moral practice, what need is there for people to be on guard against others?While taking a taxi in Finland, _____.
| A．a passenger can go anywhere without having to pay the driver |
| B．a passenger pays two US dollars for a taxi ride |
| C．a passenger can never be turned down by the taxi driver wherever he wants to go |
| D．a passenger needs to provide good faith demonstration (证明) before leaving without paying |
We know from the passage that big hotels in Finland ________.
| A．are mostly poorly managed |
| B．provide meals for any diners |
| C．provide free wine and charge for food |
| D．provide meal for only those who live in the hotels |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．The workers in Finland are paid by the hour. |
| B．The workers are always honest with their working hours. |
| C．The workers and their bosses will make an agreement in advance about the pay. |
| D．The bosses in Finland are too busy to check the working hours of their employees. |
The word “those” in the last but one paragraph probably refers to _____.
| A．people who are dishonest |
| B．people who often have meals in big hotels |
| C．people who often take taxis |
| D．people who are worthy of trust |