E
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. |
They say that soon, we will be able to receive more than 500 television networks on cable or by satellite. Some people think that it’s useless to have that many channels. Their usual criticism(批评) goes something like this: "I already get more channels on my TV than I have time to watch. No one needs to see that much TV. There’s not enough time in the day to watch all that!"They also say that most of what’s on television now isn’t worth watching in the first place.
I think they’re missing the point. If the local library wanted to add another 5,000 books, would we say, "That’s silly, we’ll never have time to read all those books"? The point is that we would have more choices.
I don’t believe that most people should watch more television. And if we had 500 or even 1,000 channels to choose from, we wouldn’t have to spend more time watching TV. We would, however, have more programs to choose from. That means that the quality of our viewing time would be improved.
I think the more channels we have, the better. Give me more choices! If they’re not worth my time, I’ll just hit the "off" button.The purpose of writing this passage is to ______.
| A.make a suggestion | B.express an opinion |
| C.give important information | D.complain about cable television |
From the passage we know that the author wants to ______.
| A.read more books | B.rent more TV sets |
| C.have more choices | D.watch more sports |
The number of television channels is ______.
| A.increasing fast |
| B.decreasing fast |
| C.never going to be more than 1,000 |
| D.the same as that of books in the library |
To make his point, the author compares the development of TV networks to that of ______.
| A.schoolyards | B.computers | C.libraries | D.satellites |
What does the phrase "hit the 'off’ button" refer to?
| A.Go to the library. | B.Switch over the TV channels. |
| C.Turn off the TV. | D.Have more TV networks. |
The consumer(消费者) plays a very important role in the global efforts to reduce C02 emissions(排放). Households use one third of the final energy and produce around two thirds of city waste in the European Union. Besides,housing, food,and private transport make up almost 80% of environmental pressures. Therefore there’s no doubt that consumers can make a real difference in fighting climate change.
To direct consumers towards more environmentally-friendly decisions,we need clear and simple instructions to guide consumption behavior. Actually, two thirds of consumers find it hard to figure out which products are better for the environment, for 58% Europeans think that many businesses just pretend to be green so as to charge higher prices. Thus industry should work harder to give consumers more information about the carbon footprint of their product. For example, inform customers of products made from materials that are recycled,renewable, and/or less carbon-intensive.
People prefer high-quality products that will last long and won’t go out of style, though they might sometimes cost more, especially in time of crisis. Firms that make durable(持久耐用的) or recyclable products cause people to behave more responsibly, which may help put an end to our “throw-way” culture.
However, it is not enough to remind people of green products. It’s more important to direct people to follow a practical lifestyle model. Regulations(规则) alone cannot achieve this purpose. We call for good business communities to create a loyal group of “sustainable(可持续的) consumers”. According to the passage, the key to going greener globally is.
| A.to provide enough information about sustainable products |
| B.to get the government involved in protecting the environment |
| C.to encourage consumers to make their efforts to live a green way |
| D.to direct companies to provide environmentally-friendly products |
The second paragraph tried to tell us that .
| A.people are buying sustainable products to have a lighter carbon footprint |
| B.most European consumers lack confidence in making responsible choices |
| C.companies have done enough to allow consumers to make greener choices |
| D.companies can make more money by making less carbon-intensive products |
It’s advised that companies had betterespecially in the time of crisis.
| A.throw away old materials |
| B.reduce the cost of production |
| C.make more durable products |
| D.replace their products frequently |
The last paragraph puts emphasis on ___________.
| A.the quality of products. |
| B.the honesty of companies. |
| C.the government regulations. |
| D.the importance of lifestyle. |
United States and Canada are multicultural countries with many national, religious and cultural differences, where people attach great importance to individualism—the uniqueness among people. Teachers value the qualities that make each student special and different. You can see such values through their educational systems. For example, students needn’t memorize lots of information. Instead, they work independently and find answers on their own. There are discussions for children to show their own ideas and opinions.
By contrast, people have the same language, history, and culture in most Asian societies. As a result, Asia’s educational system reflects society’s belief in group goals and purposes rather than individualism. Children in China, Japan, and Korea learn to work together and help one another in assignments. And the teaching methods are often very formal and serious. In class, teachers give lectures while students listen and take notes. Discussion is replaced by reciting rules of information that have been memorized.
These two systems both have advantages and disadvantages. One advantage in Japan is that there is much more math and science than American students learn by the end of high school. In addition, students study more hours each day and more days each year than North Americans do. The difficult system also prepares students for a society that place emphasis on discipline(纪律) and self-control. However, while memorization is an important learning method in Japanese schools, yet many students admit forgetting much of the information that they have memorized after exams.
On the other hand, the educational system in North American has an advantage that students learn to think for themselves, which prepares them for a society that values creativity. The disadvantage is that when they graduate from high school, they haven’t recited as many basic rules and facts as students in other countries have.People in multicultural countries such as the US or Canada lay more stress on __________.
| A.team work | B.self-control | C.discipline | D.individualism |
What is the advantage of the educational system in North America?
| A.There is not much discussion. |
| B.Learning to think for themselves |
| C.Learning much less math and science |
| D.They haven’t memorized basic rules and facts. |
Which words is most suitable to describe the author's attitude in writing this passage?
| A.Supportive | B.Opposite | C.Objective(客观) | D.Subjective(主观) |
The main idea of this passage is___________.
| A.cultural differences in countries such as the United States or Canada |
| B.comparisons of educational system between North America and Asia |
| C.there are more advantages of Asian education system of than that of North American |
| D.there are more disadvantages of Asian education system than that of North American |
1Art exhibition: The 16th Asian International Art exhibition from Dec.18, 2005 to Jan.10, 2006 at the Guangdong Museum of Art.
The exhibition will highlight over 300 works from Japan, Korea, China Mainland, China Hong Kong, China Macau, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippine, Indonesia and Australia.
RMB 70, 90, 100
Booking Tel: 88677766
2Concert: Christmas Concert performed by German organist Thorsten Macder and the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Yu Feng.
RMB 80,120,180,230
8pm on Dec 23
Symphony performing Hall. Guangdong Xinghai Concert Hall.
Booking Tel: 87352222
3Thailand cuisine festival: In the Greenery Café at Garden Hotel from Dec.20, 2005 to Feb 20,2006.
Booking Tel: 87675443
4Performance: At Sun Yatsen Memorial Hall; 8pm on December 6,7,9
RMB 100,160,200,260
Tel: 89785656The group of the advertisements are mainly about in Guangzhou Morning Post.
| A.sports | B.business trade | C.city life | D.city guide |
If you want to go to the concert with your two friends, you will at least carry ____ yuan with you.
| A.240 | B.160 | C.80 | D.190 |
The countries in the 16th Asian International Art Exhibition are all in Asia except.
| A.Korea | B.China Macau | C.Indonesia | D.Australia |
If you want to enjoy yourself on December 7, you will probably dial the telephone number .
| A.89785656 | B.87675443 | C.87352222 | D.88677766 |
We can make mistakes at any age. Some mistakes we make are about money. But most mistakes are about people. “Did Jerry really care when I broke up(分开) with Helen?” “When I got that great job, did Jim, as a friend, really feel good about it?” “And was Paul friendly just because I had a car?” When we look back, these thoughts can make us feel bad. But when we look back, it is too late.
Why do we go wrong with our friends, or our enemies? Sometimes what people say hides their real meanings. And if we do not really listen, we miss the feeling behind the words. When someone tells you, “You’re a lucky dog!” Is he really on your side? If he says, “You’re a lucky guy!” That is being friendly. But “a lucky dog”? There is a bit of envy (嫉妒) in those words. What he may be saying is that he does not think you deserve (应得) your luck.
“Just think of all the things you have to be thankful for” is another phrase(短语) that says one thing and means another. It could mean that the speaker is trying to get you to see your problem. But this phrase contains the thought that your problem is not at all important.
How can you tell the real meaning behind someone’s words? One way is to take a good look at the person talking. Do his words fit the way he looks? Is what he says shown by the tone of voice? The look in his eyes? Stop and think. The minute you spend thinking about the real meaning of what people say to you may save your another mistake. When the writer thinks of some of the things that happened between him and his friends, he .
| A.feels happy, thinking how nice his friends are to him |
| B.feels he might not have understood his friend’s true feelings |
| C.thinks it a mistake to have broken up with his girl friend |
| D.is sorry that his friends let him down |
When the writer talks about the saying, “You’re a lucky dog!”, he is saying that .
| A.the speaker is just friendly |
| B.this sentence suggests the same as “You’re a lucky guy!” |
| C.the word “dog” should not be used to apply to(运用到) people. |
| D.sometimes the words show that the speaker is a bit envious. |
This passage tries to tell you how to .
| A.avoid mistakes about money and friends |
| B.get an idea of friendly people |
| C.avoid mistakes in understanding what people tell you |
| D.keep people friendly without trusting them |
The writer suggests that should be trusted.
| A.everybody | B.nobody | C.all the people | D.not all the people |