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It was a warm April day when a big fat envelope came in the mail from the only college I had ever imagined attending. I tore open the packet. My eyes were fixed on the word “congratulations. ”I don’t remember ever smiling so wide.
Then I looked at my financial package.
The cost of Dream School’s tuition , room and board was around $ 40,000- an impossible sum! How could I afford to attend? What good reasons did I have to go there when three other fine colleges were offering me free tuition? My other choices were good, solid schools even if they weren’t as famous as my first choice.
In my mind, attending my dream university would be the only way to realize my dream of becoming a world-class writer. My parents understood how I felt. They told me that even though it would be a financial problem, I could go wherever I would be happiest. But as I was always careful with money, I wasn’t sure what to do.
One of the schools that offered me a full ride had an informational dinner one night in the spring. Considering my parents’ financial difficulties, I decided to drive the 45 minutes and attend. At first, all I had planned to do was smile politely, eat free food, listen quietly. But I surprised myself.
At dinner the president of the university talked about the wonderful activities on campus including guest lectures and social gatherings. He also made it perfectly clear that free food would be offered at all future events. He continued with explanations of professors, class sizes, activities, and sporting events on campus. As he spoke, I began to realize that this school, though not as good as my first choice, might be the best one for me. It seemed small yet with many great programs. It seemed challenging yet caring.
As the president ended his speech, we clapped politely and pushed back our chairs. As I walked out that door, a feeling of comfort washed over me. Looking at the campus that night, I realized that I would be spending the next four years right there.
In all honesty, my university is not as well-known as my “dream”university. However, it turned out to be the right choice of schools for me.What can we learn from the first paragragh?
| A．The writer only applied to one college. |
| B．The writer was admitted to his dream college. |
| C．The writer decided to attend his dream college. |
| D．The writer was uncertain which school to go to. |
We can learn from the passage that the writer was_________.
| A．honest | B．mean | C．smart | D．selfish |
The college chosen by the writer has the following advantages except that____________.
| A．it would charge me nothing for tuition |
| B．it is as famous as his first choice |
| C．there are all kinds of wonderful activities. |
| D．it would offer free meals at all events |
What message does the author want to convey?
| A．You should consider comfort in your choice of schools. |
| B．You should try your best to attend your dream school. |
| C．Your choice of schools should be based on their fame. |
| D．Your second-choice college may actually by your best fit. |
Very soon a computer will be able to teach you English. It will also be able to translate any language for you，too. It's just one more incredible result of the development of microprocessors - those tiny parts of a computer commonly known as "silicon chips". So give up going to classes, stop buying more textbooks and relax. In a couple of years you won't need the international language of English.
Already Texas Instruments in the United States is developing an electronic translation machine. Imagine a Spanish secretary, for example, who wants to type a letter from the boss to a businessman in Sweden. All he or she will have to do is this: first type the letter in Spanish. The letter will appear on a television screen. After a few seconds the translated letter will appear on another television screen in Stockholm in perfect Swedish.
And that's not all. Soon a computer will be able to teach you English, if you really want to learn the language. You'll sit in front of a television screen and practice endless structures. The computer will tell you when you are correct and when you are wrong. It will even talk to you because the silicon chips can change electrical impulses into sounds. And clever programmers can predict the responses you, the learner, are likely to make.
So think of it．You will be able to teach yourself at your own pace．You will waste very little time，and you can work at home．And if after all that，you still can't speak English，you can always use the translating machine．In a few years，therefore，perhaps there will be no need for BBC Modern English，or BBC English by Radio programmes - no more textbooks or teachers of English．Instead of buying an exciting new textbook，the computer will ask you to replace it with a microprocessor．Fast，reliable and efficient language learning and translating facilities will be available to you．Think of that，no more tears or embarrassing moments．One little problem is that a computer can't laugh yet - but the scientists are working on it．Happy learning！According to the writer, "you won't need the international language of English" because _____.
| A．learning English will no longer be a difficult task |
| B．textbooks are no longer necessary |
| C．it's better to buy a computer than to go to classes |
| D．the computer will be able to translate any language for you |
You will _____ if you use a computer to learn the language.
| A．waste much of your time |
| B． speak better English |
| C．need no translating machine |
| D．do everything at your own pace |
This passage is mainly about _____
| A．someone who learns English with the help of a computer |
| B．the computer teaching the language |
| C．fast, reliable and efficient language learning |
| D．what language learning could be like when computerized |
Caffeine not only gives us a daily jump start, but new research suggests it also can strengthen long-term memory.
According to the US Food and Drug Administration, nearly 90 percent of people worldwide consume about 200 milligrams of caffeine each day. That' s equivalent to about one strong cup of coffee a day. Writing in " Nature Neuroscience" , Johns Hopkins University researchers say their findings show that caffeine strengthens certain memories for up to 24 hours after being taken in.
" We've always known that caffeine has cognitive-enhancing effects (促智效果) , but its particular effects on strengthening memories and making them resistant to forgetting has never been examined in detail in humans, " said senior author of the paper Michael Yassa. " We re- port for the first time a specific effect of caffeine on reducing forgetting over 24 hours. " Conducting a double-blind trial, the researchers worked with a test group of people who didn't regularly consume caffeinated products. Five minutes after studying a series of images, the test subjects were given either a placebo(无效对照剂) or a 200-milligram caffeine tablet.
To check the caffeine levels of their test subjects, the research team took saliva samples (唾液样品) from them before they took their tablets and again one, three and 24 hours afterwards.
Both groups of test participants ( those who took the placebo and those who took the caffeine tablet) were tested the following day to see if they could recognize the images they' d seen the previous day.
The test included showing the test subjects another series of images that included some new images , those that were shown the previous day, as well as other images that were similar, but not the same as those they had viewed earlier.
The researchers found that more members of the group who were given the caffeine tablets were able to correctly identify some of the new images as " similar" to previously viewed images rather than incorrectly identifying them as the same.
"We also know that caffeine is associated with health and longevity(长寿) and may have some protective effects from cognitive decline like Alzheimer' s disease (阿尔茨海默症). " said Yassa.The purpose of the new research is ____________.
| A．to examine caffeine ' s memory-strengthening effects in detail |
| B．to write the paper " Nature Neuroscience" |
| C．to prove caffeine has cognitive-enhancing effects |
| D．to survey how much caffeine people consume a day |
During the research , the researchers did the following things EXCEPT ________.
| A．giving the test subjects placebos or caffeine tablets |
| B．checking the caffeine levels of the test subjects |
| C．showing the test subjects series of images |
| D．encouraging the test subjects to drink more coffee |
How did the test subjects show the caffeine ' s memory-strengthening effects?
| A．By taking the caffeine tablets instead of placebos. |
| B．By recognizing images they ' d seen the previous day. |
| C．By identifying the new images as the same. |
| D．By telling the differences between new images. |
What will the next part of the text possibly talk about?
| A．Ways to achieve health and longevity. |
| B．The harmful effects of cognitive decline. |
| C．The treatment for Alzheimer' s disease. |
| D．The effects caffeine has on health. |
Here is an astonishing and significant fact: Mental work alone can’t make us tired. It sounds absurd. But a years ago, scientists tried to find out how long the human brain could labor without reaching a stage of fatigue (疲劳). To the amazement of these scientists, they discovered that blood passing through the brain, when it is active, shows no fatigue at all! If we took a drop of blood from a day laborer, we would find it full of fatigue toxins(毒素) and fatigue products. But if we took blood from the brain of an Albert Einstein, it would show no fatigue toxins at the end of the day.
So far as the brain is concerned, it can work as well and swiftly at the end of eight or even twelve hours of effort as at the beginning. The brain is totally tireless. So what makes us tired?
Some scientists declare that most of our fatigue comes from our mental and emotional(情绪的) attitudes. One of England’s most outstanding scientists, J.A. Hadfield, says, “The greater part of the fatigue from which we suffer is of mental origin. In fact, fatigue of purely physical origin is rare.” Dr. Brill, a famous American scientist, goes even further. He declares, “One hundred percent of the fatigue of sitting worker in good health is due to emotional problems.”
What kinds of emotions make sitting workers tired Joy Satisfaction No! A feeling of being bored, anger, anxiety, tenseness, worry, a feeling of not being appreciated---those are the emotions that tire sitting workers. Hard work by itself seldom causes fatigue. We get tired because our emotions produce nervousness in the body.What surprised the scientists a few years ago?
| A．Fatigue toxins could hardly be found in a laborer’s blood. |
| B．The brain could work for many hours without fatigue. |
| C．Albert Einstein didn’t feel worn after a day’s work. |
| D．A mental worker’s blood was filled with fatigue toxins. |
According to the author, which of the following can make sitting workers tired?
| A．Challenging mental work. | B．Endless tasks. |
| C．Physical labor. | D．Unpleasant emotions. |
Which of the following is properly used to describe the author’s attitude to the scientists’ idea?
| A．He hesitates to accept them. | B．He doubts them. |
| C．He argues against them. | D．He agrees with them. |
It is implied in the passage that in order to stay energetic, sitting workers need to ___________.
| A．enjoy their work | B．have some good food. |
| C．exercise regularly | D．discover fatigue toxins |
完形填空，阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A, B, C和D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。
A young businessman was traveling down a narrow street, driving a bit too fast in his new Benz. He was watching for kids darting out from between parked cars and ________ when he thought he saw something.
As his car passed, one child appeared, and a brick smashed into the Benz’s side door. He slammed on the brakes and ________ the Benz back to the spot from ________ the brick had been thrown.
He jumped out of the car, ________ some kid and pushed him up against a parked car, shouting “What was that all about and who are you? Just what on earth are you doing?” ________ a head of steam, he went on “That’s a new car and that brick you threw is gonna cost a lot of money. Why did you do it?” “Please, mister, please, I’m sorry. I didn’t know what else to do!” pleaded the youngster.
“It’s my brother,” he said. “He rolled ________ the stairs and fell out of his wheelchair and I can’t ________ him up.”
________, the boy asked the businessman, “Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He’s hurt and he’s too heavy for me.”
Moved beyond words, the driver tried to swallow the ________ swelling lump in his ________ . He lifted the young man back into the wheelchair and took out his handkerchief and wiped the ________ , checking ________ that everything was going to be okay.
“Thank you, sir. And God bless you,” the ________ child said to him. The man then watched the little boy push his brother to the sidewalk toward their home.
It was a long walk back to his Benz...a long, ________ walk. He never did ________ the side door. He kept the damage to remind him not to ________life so fast that someone has to ________ a brick at you to get your attention.
Life whispers in your soul and ________ to your heart. Sometimes, when you don’t have the time to listen...Life throws a brick at your head.
It’s your choice: Listen to the whispers of your soul ________ wait for the brick!
Do you sometimes ignore loved ones because your life is too fast and busy ________ them to wonder whether you really love them?
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The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) says more than half of the world’s wildlife population has been lost, which the conservation group says has placed the health of the planet at risk.
The WWF recently released its 10th Flagship Living Planet Report. The group warns the condition of the world's animals is worse than its earlier reports showed, indicating worldwide action is needed.
The WWF is worried about the loss of and damage to Earth’s environment. The report provides information about more than 10,000 animal populations from 1970 to 2010. These populations are called “vertebrate species,” or animals with backbones — like fish, birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles. The report shows these populations have dropped by 52 percent in just 40 years. It warns freshwater species have fallen by 76 percent, which is almost twice the loss of land and ocean species. Most of these losses are in the tropics, with the biggest drop in Latin America.
Marco Lambertini, the WWF’s International Director-General said, “This is about losing natural habitats. This is about converting forests, grasslands, and wetlands into agriculture mainly, and it is about unsustainable use of wildlife. Illegal hunting has been actually increasing over the last 10 years, which definitely a driving force for extinction, particularly of large species.”
The report also notes what it calls the world’s “Ecological Footprint”, that is, the effect of human activities on the planet. Mr. Lambertini says there has been an increase in carbon dioxide gases and the pouring of nitrogen into oceans and rivers from fertilizers used in agriculture, which certainly cannot continue.
“We are consuming on average every year about the equivalent of about 1.5, one and a half times the resources available to the planet. That means we are cutting trees more quickly than they can be restored. We are fishing the oceans more quickly than fishing stocks can reproduce, and we are emitting in the atmosphere more CO2 than the natural systems can actually absorb, which is clearly not sustainable.”
Mr. Lambertini warns climate change affects almost everyone on the planet and that whole species may disappear if the world does not reduce the effects of humans on the climate.According to the passage, what kind of species faces the biggest drop in population?
| A．Land and ocean species. |
| B．Animals with backbones. |
| C．Freshwater species in Latin America. |
| D．Freshwater species in the tropics. |
All the following can contribute to the loss of world’s wildlife population EXCEPT ________.
| A．turning wildlife habitats into agriculture land. |
| B．making sustainable use of wildlife. |
| C．hunting illegally. |
| D．emitting CO2 gases and pouring nitrogen. |
Which does the underlined word “converting” in paragraph 4 mean?
| A．Conserving. | B．Conveying. |
| C．Exchanging. | D．Transforming. |
It can be inferred from the passage that _______.
| A．Marco is much concerned about human’s current behaviors towards wildlife. |
| B．what the planet provides now can satisfy human’s sustainable development. |
| C．more than half of the world’s wildlife population has been lost. |
| D．if humans reduce the effects on the climate, the whole species will not disappear. |