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 |
A year ago August, Dave Fuss lost his job driving a truck for a small company in west Michigan. His wife, Gerrie, was still working in the local school cafeteria, but work for Dave was scarce, and the price of everything was rising. The Fusses were at risk of joining the millions of Americans who have lost their homes in recent years. Then Dave and Gerrie received a timely gift——$7,000,a legacy (遗产) from their neighbors Ish and Arlene Hatch, who died in an accident . “It really made a difference when we were going under financially.” says Dave.
But the Fusses weren’t the only folks in Alto and the neighboring town of Lowell to receive unexpected legacy from the Hatches. Dozens of other families were touched by the Hatches’ generosity. In some cases, it was a few thousand dollars; in other, it was more than $100,000.
It surprised nearly everyone that the Hatches had so much money , more than $3 million—they were an elderly couple who lived in an old house on what was left of the family farm .
Children of the Great Depression, Ish and Arlene were known for their habit of saving. They thrived on (喜欢) comparison shopping and would routinely go from store to store, checking prices before making a new purchase .
Through the years, the Hatches paid for local children to attend summer camp when their parents couldn’t afford it. “Ish and Arlene never asked if you needed anything,” says their friend Sandy Van Weelden, “They could see things they could do to make you happier, and they would do them.”
Even more extraordinary was that the Hatches had their farmland distributed. It was the Hatches’ wish that their legacy——a legacy of kindness as much as one of dollars and cent ——should enrich the whole community and last for generations to come.
Neighbors helping neighbors ——that was Ish and Arlene Hatch’s story .
According go the text , the Fusses .
A.were employed by a truck company | B.were in financial difficulty |
C.worked in a school cafeteria | D.lost their home |
Which of the following is true of the Hatches?
A.They had their children during the Great Depression. |
B.They left the family farm to live in an old house. |
C.They gave away their possessions to their neighbors. |
D.They helped their neighbors to find jobs. |
Why would the Hatches routinely go from store to store?
A.They decided to open a store |
B.They wanted to save money |
C.They couldn’t afford expensive things |
D.They wanted to buy gifts for local kids |
According to Sandy Van Weelden, the Hatches were .
A.understanding | B.optimistic | C.childlike | D.curious |
If you want to be a volunteer, you have to answer the following typical questions. Do you want to work with people, animals or machines? Do you want to work indoors or outdoors, directly serve people in need or serve people behind the scenes? Every year, thousands of people in the west offer volunteer service. Volunteering greatly strengthens the community because it helps the old, the young, the weak, the sick, and the disabled and the injured to solve problems.
Volunteers usually help in many different ways. They may give people advice, offer friendship to the young, drive the elderly to church (if up to the driving age), advise kids against drugs, work as assistants in schools or nursing homes, raise funds, plant trees, help out in local libraries and do many other things. Volunteering can be a few hours a week or a few hours a month. Anybody who wants to serve people in need can become a volunteer.
In fact, the art of volunteering is a process of both giving and receiving. Volunteering allows volunteers to meet new people, make new friends and mix with people from all walks of life. Volunteering is an excellent way to experiment and try out new techniques and skills, discover your individual talents and explore career choice. Being a volunteer will take you on a wonderful journey and help you learn more than what you can get from books.
As a volunteer, only when you grow old enough can you _______.
A.plant trees on hills | B.drive the elderly to church |
C.give advice to others | D.help out in local libraries |
. How is the second paragraph mainly developed?
A.By listing examples. | B.By comparing. |
C.By giving explanations. | D.By discussing. |
It can be inferred from the passage that to be a volunteer, _______.
A.you can do experiments | B.you must be very strong |
C.you need to work very long | D.you can get something valuable |
What’s the best title of the passage?
A.How to hunt for jobs | B.Volunteer service in the west |
C.How to make friends | D.How to work with animals |
Nowadays, more and more villagers have left to make a living in big cities. As a result, their children have become leftover children and they need more care. The survey below is from villages in Yongzhou, Hunan Province. Three hundred children were chosen to answer the questions.
What they want |
![]() |
Money |
Freedom |
Control |
Something![]() |
||
40% |
18% |
28% |
10% |
4% |
|||
Whom to communicate with |
Oneself |
Family members |
No one |
||||
27% |
55% |
18% |
|||||
Whether they can communicate with their parents freely |
Yes |
A little difficult |
No |
||||
46% |
44% |
10% |
|||||
The way they prefer to live |
Living with parents |
Living without parents |
No idea |
||||
58% |
14% |
28% |
|||||
What they think of their parents’ working in cities |
Bad |
Good |
No idea |
||||
20% |
39% |
41% |
|||||
Happiest place |
School |
Home |
Friend’s homes |
||||
48% |
34% |
18% |
|||||
Of all the five needs, the leftover children need _______ most.
A.love | B.money | C.control | D.freedom |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A.About one out of every two children has no one to talk with. |
B.All of the children prefer to stay at home without their parents. |
C.About 1/3 of the children think their parents’ working in cities is bad. |
D.More than half of the children think it good to live with their parents. |
How many children think their happiest place is their school?
A.48. | B.102. | C.144. | D.156. |
We can learn from the survey that _______.
A.most leftover children want more freedom without parents |
B.over 40% of the children have difficulty talking to parents freely |
C.all the leftover children dream of making money in big![]() |
D.most villagers prefer living a peaceful life in the countryside |
At 7:49 a.m. local time on Wednesday, April 14th, a huge earthquake struck Yushu County in Qinghai, China, described as “end of the earth” in a famous poem of the Tang Dynasty.
The earthquake destroyed many houses, cut off power and caused over 2,000 deaths and injuries. On the night when the earthquake happened, many survivors had to sit or lie on the ground in terrible darkness. Some brought their own tents and others turned on the lights of motorcycles. It seemed that the earth was at an end. But their natural character made them get together to fight the early spring’s cold nights. Facing the disaster, they chose to be stronger and standing still and firmly like Yushu, the name of their hometown meaning “Standing like Trees”.
The disaster drew much attention both at home and abroad. Our country leaders ordered rescuers(营救人员) to value every life and never to give up. Thousands of rescuers and medical teams rushed to Yushu from many areas of China, bringing machines, medicines and something necessary to the quake-hit town. They entered every village to search for survivors. Governments, organizations and volunteers are offering money and materials to the areas.
We believe that under the leadership of the Central Government, people in the disaster areas are sure to restore production and rebuild homeland as soon as possible. And the overall victory can be achieved in the earthquake rescue work.
In Paragraph 2, the writer refers to the meaning of “Yushu” to show that _______.
A.the strong trees stand still to fight the early spring’s cold nights |
B.some trees were cut down to make tents to live through the disaster |
C.the big tree standing still brings the local people good luck |
D.people there are brave and strong when facing the earthquake |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?
A.Yushu, a young town, was destroyed in the terrible earthquake. |
B.A huge earthquake once hit Yushu County in the Tang Dynasty. |
C.The whole nation does its best to help rebuild the new homeland. |
D.There was still electricity after the earthquake struck the town. |
The underlined word “restore” in Paragraph 4 probably means _______.
A.战胜 | B.储存 | C.恢复 | D.修理 |
Lacrosse(长曲棍球)is a popular sport in Canada. It is one of the oldest organized sports in America. The Indians in northern New York State and southern Ontario, Canada, invented it. They used it to train for war. They invented this game before Columbus arrived in the New World.
People play lacrosse outdoors. The lacrosse field is seven metres long. At each end of the field there is a net. There are ten players on each team. Each player has a stick called “crosse”. The players hit a ball that is 21 centimetres around and weighs 140 grams. They try to hit the ball into the net as many times as pos
sible. Lacrosse is a very fast game because the players can catch and pass the ball at a high s
peed with their sticks.
At one time lacrosse was the national summer sport in Canada. It is also popular in Britain and Australia.
________ invented the popular sport — Lacrosse.
A.The British | B.The Spanish | C.The Indians | D.The Australians |
Lacrosse was invented because it was used to ________.
A.honour God | B.have fun | C.lose weight | D.train for war |
The seven-metre-long lacrosse field has _________.
A.only one net | B.one net at each end |
C.two nets at each end | D.four nets at each end |
Who will be the winner in the lacrosse game? ________.
A.The team who hit the ball into the net more times |
B.The team who catch and pass the ball faster |
C.The team who have many more stronger players |
D.The team who use sticks to hit the ball farther |