Once there lived a young but foolish king and queen in ancient China. One day the queen had a baby daughter. When they saw their baby, they both cried. “My goodness (天哪！)! How small and ugly it is! It has no hair or teeth! It’s a monster!” they sent for all the doctors in the country and ordered them to prepare some medicine for her.
“When she takes your medicine, she must grow up to the right size at once and have hair and teeth when we see her again, ” the king said angrily, “If you can’t do this, you will be dead.”
The doctors all thought it impossible. But they dared not say anything against the king. Just then an old doctor stepped forward. “Oh, we shall certainly obey your order,” he said, “but it takes time. We have to build a wooden house near the Kun Lun Mountains. We must live there till the snow melts (融化) for the second time. The snow melts on those mountains only in six years. So we need twelve years.”
At last the king agreed with him. So the doctors together took the princess (公主) away with them. One her twelfth birthday, the doctors brought their princess back to her parents, with long black hair and beautiful white teeth. The king and queen were excited when they saw their beautiful princess. He gave the doctors a lot of expensive presents happily in return. They all had a happy life.
| A．Because she’s a monster. |
| B．Because she’s only a baby. |
| C．Because she’s a princess. |
| D．Because she’s a disabled girl. |
| A．Foolish. | B．Careless. |
| C．Creative. | D．Knowledgeable. |
| A．The doctors. | B．The farmers. |
| C．The girl herself. | D．The king and queen. |
| A．Once a year. | B．Twice ten years. |
| C．Every six years. | D．Every twelve years. |
| A．The princess became a beautiful girl. |
| B．All the doctors in the country were killed. |
| C．The king and queen had a happy life. |
| D．The doctors raised the princess for twelve years. |
Alfred Nobel, the great Swedish inventor and industrialist, was born in Stockholm on October 21, 1833, but moved to Russia with his parents in 1842, where his father, Immanuel, made a strong position for himself in the engineering industry. Immanuel Nobel invented landmine (地雷) and made a lot of money from the government during the Crimean War, but went bankrupt (破产) soon after. Then, the family returned to Sweden in 1859, where Alfred began his own study of explosives in his father’s lab. He had never been to school or university but had taught himself, and by the time he was twenty, he became a skillful chemist and excellent linguist, speaking Swedish, Russian, German, French and English.
He built up over 80 companies in 20 different countries. He wasalways searching for a meaning to life. He spent much time and money working on how to end the wars, and the peace between nations, until his death in Italy in 1896. His famous last will, in which he left money to provide prizes for outstanding work in physics, chemistry, physiology, medicine, literature and peace, is a memorial to his interests and ideas. And so, the man is remembered and respected long after his death.
Where was Alfred Nobel born？
_____________________________________________________.What did Immanuel Nobel invent during the Crimean War？
_____________________________________________________.Why did Alfred Nobel return to Sweden？
_____________________________________________________. How many companies did Alfred Nobel build up in different countries?
_____________________________________________________. What did Alfred Nobel leave money for？
_____________________________________________________.
With more and more cars on the road, traffic jams (堵车) are inevitable. Traffic jams can lead to increased accidents as there are more cars, with more people trying to get to their destination, all the while getting worse. Although it’s impossible to avoid traffic jams altogether, there are some tips you can follow to reduce the amount of time on the road.
Check for traffic jams before you leave. You can listen to the radio for traffic news, or check on the Internet to get up-to-minute information on traffic. If the route you want to take is heavy with traffic, you can choose another.
Look for a different route all the time. Most traffic jams happen on busy roads. Using country roads could avoid a lot of traffic. Although the distance you may have to travel is further, it can work out quicker.
Set your car radio to receive traffic bulletins. Many new car stereo systems (汽车音响系统) are equipped with a radio system by which you can hear the traffic channel. This way you can get the latest traffic information and change your journey if necessary.
__________ Most traffic jams usually occur(发生) during rush hour, so try to avoid this time period if possible. Some jobs offer flexible working hours so that you can travel to work outside of rush hour. Some jobs even allow you to work at home so as to avoid moving altogether. Ask your manager to see what you can do if traffic is a problem for you.
Use public transport instead. The easiest way to avoid traffic jams is to take buses or the underground instead of driving your own car. Not only will you avoid traffic jams but you will most likely be saving money.
The underlined word “inevitable” in Paragraph 1 probably means _____.
| A．hard to accept | B．impossible to avoid |
| C．getting less serious | D．seen everywhere |
The writer wrote the text in order to ______.
| A．explain why there are traffic jams |
| B．tell us how to save time on the road |
| C．tell us what we can do on the road |
| D．tell us the negative(消极的) effects of traffic jams |
To get the latest traffic information, you could do the following EXCEPT ______.
| A．surfing the Internet |
| B．listening to the radio for traffic news |
| C．listening to the traffic channel |
| D．turning to other drivers for information |
Which of the following can be put in the blank(空白处) in the text?
| A．Choose a job that has flexible working hours |
| B．Make friends with your manager |
| C．Try traveling at different time |
| D．Work from home |
According to the writer, we should use public transport because __________.
| A．it is cheaper and can avoid traffic jams |
| B．it is useful to us |
| C．it is environmentally-friendly |
| D．it is completely free from traffic jams |
Do you believe that you aren’t smarter than 3-year-old Alexis Martin, one of the youngest members of the high IQ club Mensa?Preschooler (学龄前的) Alexis’s IQ is 159, which is only one point lower than Stephen Hawking’s. Doctors say the average IQ of a person is about 100.
She learned to read at the age of 2. She reads at a fifth grade level and has taught herself Spanish on her parents’ iPad!Now, she is a member of the Mensa Club, which only accepts people with an IQ within the top two per cent of people in the world!
Alexis’ father, Ian Martin, said he first realized Alexis was special when she was 12 months old. She could recite (背诵) bedtime stories. “We’d be driving around in the car and she would recite her bedtime stories from the night before. She didn’t just recite them, and she recited them exactly.”Alexis’ father would try to trick her and say that her story went a different way, but she always corrected him.Most 12-month-old children take their first steps on their own and most 18-month-olds can only name a small number of objects and body parts, and follow simple two-step questions.
Even though Alexis is a genius (天才), her parents are faced with lots of challenges like how to teach her to make friends of her own age.
“Will she go into kindergarten early? We are kind of hesitant (迟疑的) because we do want her to get to that social world,” Ian said.
Alexis Martin is a girl who _____________.
| A．has many hobbies | B．has a high IQ |
| C．is good at telling stories | D．likes reading |
According to the report, Stephen Hawking’s IQ is as high as ___________.
| A．158 | B．159 | C．160 | D．101 |
Alexis Martin could recite bedtime stories at ____________.
| A．the age of 2 | B．the age of 1 |
| C．one and a half years old | D．the age of 3 |
What would Alexis do when her father said her bedtime stories went a different way?
| A．She would refuse to listen. |
| B．She would try to recite it. |
| C．She would correct him. |
| D．She would laugh at it. |
Which of the following statements about Alexis is NOT true?
| A．She is accepted by the Mensa Club. |
| B．She has made a lot of friends. |
| C．She learned to read at the age of 2. |
| D．She learned a foreign language by herself. |
| J&M Music Store • Rock, pop and country music • Buy CDs new or used • Listen before you buy • Guitar lessons offered |
Peth Market • Fresh fruit and vegetables • Open Friday to Sunday mornings • Free ice cream for children under 12 |
| Times Coffee Shop • The best coffee in town • Sandwiches, cakes, pies •Open 10：00a.m—11：00 p.m.daily •Jazz music( Wednesday to Sunday) |
Macon's B&B • Feel like home • We have different kinds of rooms • Delicious homemade breakfast |
You can________ at J&M Music Store.
| A．receive guitar lessons |
| B．borrow new or used CDs |
| C．learn pop music history |
| D．buy all kinds of music books |
You can go to Times Coffee Shop to have coffee and pies at_______.
| A．8：30 a.m. | B．9：30 a.m. |
| C．10：30 p.m. | D．11：30 p.m. |
If your friend is coming for a visit, where will he stay for a night?
A. In J&M Music Store.B. In Peth Market
C. At Times Coffee Shop.D. At Macon's B&B.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. There is no breakfast at Macon's B&B.
B. You can't listen to the CD before you buy it.
C. Times Coffee Shop offers Jazz music every day.
D. Kids under 12 can get free ice cream in Peth Market.Where is the passage probably from?
| A．A dictionary. | B．A newspaper. |
| C．A story book. | D．A science report. |
Blind imitation (模仿) is self-destruction. To those who do not recognize their unique worth， imitation appears attractive： to those who know their strength， imitation is unacceptable.
In the early stages of skill or character development， imitation is helpful. When I first learned to cook， I used recipes (菜谱) and turned out some tasty dishes. But soon I grew bored. Why follow someone else's way of cooking when I could create my own? Imitating role models is like using training wheels on a child's bicycle； they help you get going， but once you find your own balance， you fly faster and farther without relying on them.
In daily life， imitation can hurt us if we subconsciously (下意识地) hold poor role models. If， as a child， you observed people whose lives were bad， you may have accepted their fear and pain as normal and gone on to follow what they did. If you do not make strong choices for yourself， you will get the results of the weak choices of others.
In the field of entertainment， our culture glorifies celebrities. Those stars look great on screen. But when they step off screen， their personal lives may be disastrous. If you are going to follow someone， focus on their talent， not their bad character or unacceptable behaviors.
Blessed is the person willing to act on their sudden desire to create something unique. Think of the movies， books， teachers， and friends that have affected you most deeply. They touched you because their creations were motivated by inspiration， not desperation. The world is changed not by those who do what has been done before them， but by those who do what has been done inside them. Creative people have an endless resource of ideas. The problem a creator faces is not running out of material； it is what to do with the material knocking at the door of imagination.
Study your role models， accept the gifts they have given， and leave behind what does not server. Then you can say， "I stand on the shoulders of my ancestors" tragedies and stories， and know that they are cheering on. Imitation proves useful when you _____.
| A．know you are unique |
| B．lose the balance of life |
| C．begin to learn something new |
| D．get tired of routine practice |
To avoid the bad result of imitation， we should _____.
| A．forget daily fear and pain |
| B．choose the right example |
| C．ask others for decisions |
| D．stay away from stars |
The trouble a creator faces is _____.
| A．the lack of strong motivation |
| B．the absence of practical ideas |
| C．how to search for more materials |
| D．how to use imagination creatively |
What is the author's purpose in writing this passage?
| A．To highlight the importance of creatively. |
| B．To criticize the characters of role models. |
| C．To compare imitation with creation. |
| D．To explain the meaning of success. |