There’s a small town in the central part of England called Gotham. Some say it’s a town of fools. Others say all the villagers are wise. Let me tell you about the people of Gotham so you can decide for yourself.
Long ago, England was ruled by a cruel king named John. One day, the people of Gotham heard that King John and his men would soon be riding through their town.This worried the villagers, for they knew the greedy king would demand food and accommodation for his men. What’s more, if he saw anything to his liking, he would surely take it.
A town meeting was called. After much discussion, the townspeople decided to cut down a number of huge trees to block the roads leading into Gotham. When King John and his men reached the outskirts of the village, they could not pass. Angry, King John ordered his men to go into the town and punish the villagers.
When the king’s officers finally made their way over the trees, they found a village of fools. Some say that was because the people of Gotham had a plan—they had decided to act like fools since they had never heard of anyone being punished for being a noodlehead. Others say that’s just the way they were.
In the village, the king’s men encountered a man riding a donkey. The man was bent over because he carried a huge bag of grain on his own shoulders. He looked exhausted. One of the king’s men approached him and asked, “Why, in heaven’s name, are you carrying that bag? Why don’t you just put it behind you on your donkey’s back?”
“You see,” replied the man from Gotham, “my donkey is feeling poor today. It’s bad enough that she has to carry me, so I decided to lighten her burden by carrying the bag myself.”
The king’s men said, “But sir, don’t you see that if you’re riding on top of the donkey, she’s
still carrying the weight of the bag?” The man didn’t reply. He just looked at the king’s men as if they were crazy and went on his way. The king’s officers giggled at the foolishness of the man. Before long, they passed a pond where they found a number of villagers in the midst of a great argument. Two of them were holding a big eel. “Quiet down,” commanded one of the king’s men. “What’s the problem here?”
One of the villagers stepped forward and said, “Last year we took all the extra fish we [caught and put them in this pond so they would multiply. But this year when we came back, all we caught was this one huge eel. Obviously it has eaten all of our fish! Since then, we have argued long and hard over how to punish this bad eel. But we have finally agreed on the perfect punishment. We are just about to drown the eel in this very pond!” The king’s officers couldn’t believe their ears. Drown an eel whose home is in the water? These men were sillier than the first man they met!
Before long, they reached the center of the village, where they were in for another surprise. There they found the rest of the townspeople building a towering stone wall. When the soldiers inquired what was going on, one of the villagers replied, “Every spring a cuckoo comes to live in our village. It always brings warm weather. When it leaves, the cold weather returns. Last year we decided that if we could get the cuckoo to stay here all year, we would always have warm weather. We built this stone wall, but it obviously wasn’t high enough because the bird flew away. This year we’re determined to build it so high that the cuckoo can’t escape.”
The king’s officers had heard enough. They couldn’t bring themselves to punish such stupid people. They returned to King John and told him all about the fools of Gotham. Whether it’s fair or not, the people of Gotham have been known as fools ever since.
What do you think? Were the villagers of Gotham wise or foolish?This story is most like___________.
| A．a news article | B．a folktale |
| C．realistic fiction | D．historical fiction |
The story is set in___________.
| A．A city | B．A forest |
| C．A royal palace | D．A small village |
Why do the townspeople cut down the trees?
| A．To make room for their crops. |
| B．To block the roads to the village. |
| C．To create a gift for the king’s men. |
| D．To build accommodation for the king’s men. |
The townspeople are worried about the king’s visit because he will___________.
| A．laugh at them |
| B．cut down their trees |
| C．take anything he wants |
| D．want to move to their town |
Based on the story, why might the townspeople be considered wise?
| A．They trick the king’s men into thinking they are fools. |
| B．They think ahead by putting their extra fish into a pond. |
| C．They make sure their donkeys are healthy enough to work. |
| D．They realize the importance of warm weather to their crops. |
“Can’t hold a candle to” is a popular expression．When there wasn’t electricity, someone would have a servant light his way by holding a candle．The expression meant that the person who cannot hold a candle to you is not fit even to be your servant．Now，it means such a person cannot compare or compete．
Another expression is“hold your tongue．”It means to be still and not talk．“Hold your tongue”is not something you would tell a friend．But a parent or teacher might use the expression to quiet a noisy child．
“Hold out”is an expression one hears often in sports reports and labor news．It means to refuse to play or work．Professional football and baseball players“hold out” if their team refuses to pay them what they think they are worth．
The expression“hold up” has several different meanings．One is a robbery．A man with a gun may say,“This is a hold up．Give me your money．”Another meaning is to delay．A driver who was held up by heavy traffic might be late for work．Another meaning is for a story to be considered true after an investigation．A story can hold up if it is proved true．
“Hold on”is another expression，which means wait or stop．As you leave for school，your brother may say,“Hold on，you forgot your book．” It is used to ask a telephone caller to wait and not hang up his telephone．
Our final expression is“hold the line．”That means to keep a problem or situation from getting worse—to hold steady．For example，the president may say he will“hold the line on taxes．”He means there will be no increase in taxes．The author introduces the expressions mainly by _____________．
| A．giving examples | B．making comparisons |
| C．raising questions | D．quoting famous remarks |
The expression“can’t hold a candle to”call be used when ____________．
| A．some footballers refuse to play a game |
| B．someone else is wanted on the phone |
| C．someone is not qualified for a position |
| D．someone was delayed by heavy traffic |
The tune ofthe phrase“hold your tongue”is probably a little ___________．
| A．amusing | B．polite | C．unfriendly | D．offensive |
If some teachers“hold out”，they probably __________．
| A．change their artitude | B．refuse to work |
| C．make a compromise | D．show their devotion |
Which of the following sentences can convey positive meanings?
| A．I was late as I was held up by a hold up． |
| B．Hold on!You have to pay the bill，sir． |
| C．You can’t even hold a candle to Michael． |
| D．I promise to hold the line on house prices． |
What exactly is a Dream Career? I am sure it means different things to different people. You could presently be unsure about what your final job would be. If you have any doubts about what your dream career is, you may know which careers you definitely would not like to do. For example, if you have an interest in art, and do not like math, you most certainly would not be an engineer .If you love art. and have no artist talent ,maybe you would like to be around art instead, as an art curator (馆长)
A career related to your passion, bobby, or special interest, is the path to follow in finding your dream job. Try thinking about what things you like to do in your spare time. Many are attracted toward turning what they love to do in their off work hours into a full time job. For example, if you like to put together model cars, maybe you would like opening your own hobby shop, or work for someone who owns one.
Once you find what you arc interested in doing, you can then match this to a career which will be similar to what you are passionate about. What you consider a dream career has to centre around what kind of person you actually are. This is called your Career Personality. What type of person do you consider yourself to be? People are naturally attracted to those things which reflect who they are as unique individuals. For example, if you are slightly on the shy side, maybe you would like a job where you work on your own. relatively unsupervised ,behind a computer. If you are outgoing, maybe you would like to work with others, and be the supervisor.
All it may take to find our dream career is to know ourselves a little better, trust in our own judgment, and be realistic about what we can attain occupationally: This is how I found what I am doing now.What is the main purpose of the passage?
| A．To explain what a dream career really is. |
| B．To offer tips on finding a dream career. |
| C．To tell us what Career Personality means. |
| D．To give examples of different personalities. |
Which of the following about Career Personality is TRUE?
| A．One should choose a dream career by his/her personality. |
| B．Choosing a dream career depends on a person's ability. |
| C．One should choose a dream career according to the reality. |
| D．One should try different types of careers by his/her ability. |
Which of the following is what we need to find a dream career?
a. Realizing our ability.
b. Believing in ourselves.
c. Having a better understanding of ourselves.
d. Considering the background of our family.
| A．a, c, d | B．a, b, c | C．b, c, d | D．a, c, d |
From the second paragraph we learn your dream career has something to do with the
following EXCEPT ______.
| A．your hobby | B．your special interest |
| C．your part-time job | D．your passion |
55. It can be inferred from the passage that
| A．a dream job is one that most people are fond of |
| B．people all want to turn their part-time jobs into full-time ones |
| C．finding our dream career should follow different suggestions |
| D．the author's present dream job is chosen by his personality |
Pulling heavy suitcases all day in the summer is hard work, especially when you are a thin 14-year-old boy. That was me in 1940-the youngest and smallest baggage boy at New York City's Pennsylvania Railway Station.
After just a few days on the job, I began noticing that the other fellows were overcharging passengers. I'd like to join them, thinking, "Everyone else is doing it."
When I got home that night, I told my dad what I wanted to do. "You give an honest day's work," he said, looking at me straight in his eye. "They are paying you. If they want to do that, you let them do that."
I followed my dad's advice for the rest of that summer and have lived by his words ever since.
Of all the jobs I've had, it was my experience at Pennsylvania Railway Station that has stuck with me. Now I teach my players to have respect for other people and their possession. Being a member of a team is a totally shared experience. If one person steals, it destroys trust and hurts everyone. I can put up with many things, but not with people who steal. If one of my players were caught stealing, he'd be gone.
Whether you're on a sports team, in an office or a member of a family. if you can't trust one another, there is going to be trouble. What can be inferred about the baggage boys?
| A．They could earn much, but they had to work hard. |
| B．Many of them earned money in a dishonest way. |
| C．They were all from poor families. |
| D．They were thin, young boys. |
What does the father's advice imply?
| A．It is wrong to give more to the passengers. |
| B．Don't believe them if they are paying you more. |
| C．Don't follow others to overcharge the passengers. |
| D．It is difficult to work hard and live as an honest boy. |
The underlined word "it" (in Paragraph 2) refers to______
| A．overcharging passengers |
| B．pulling heavy suitcases all day |
| C．paying passengers money |
| D．working in an honest way |
The writer can't put up with stealing because he thinks that _______
| A．it is a total shared experience |
| B．it is considered as the most dangerous |
| C．it does great harm to human relationship |
| D．it may led to the loss of his sports team. |
It can be concluded from the text that _______
| A．his father's advice helped him to decide which job to take up |
| B．working in the sports team was his most important experience |
| C．he learned much from his shared experience with his team members |
| D．his experience as a baggage boy had a great influence on his late life |
Say you're in the wine store and you want to buy something new. You have nothing to go by outside of the label. Will the label tell you anything you should know? Here's some general advice:
Vintage. This is the first thing we look for ourselves. You don't need to care whether 2001 or 2002 was a better year in the Sierra Foothills. The vast majority of wines at the store are meant to be drunk right away, so you make sure the wine isn't too old, particularly if you're buying it expecting lively, fresh fruitiness. We often see five-year-old Pinot Grigio and two-year-old Beaujolais Nouveau at stores, for example, so as soon as we see that kind of age on wines like those, we know we can skip them and move on(and possibly not shop there again).
Alcohol content. Too many wines have too much alcohol, which leaves them unbalanced. Sure, there are some classic wines with high alcohol levels, but many of today's regular table wines--Merlot, Chardonnay--have levels at 15% or above. Some of those might be terrific, but if we had nothing else to go on, we'd look for alcohol content at about 14% and below.
The more specific the better. A wine that says it's from Napa is probably a better bet than a wine that simply says it's from California. Unfortunately, this will also probably be reflected in the price, so this might not tell you much about value, If you care enough to know a few of famous vineyards for producing high-quality grapes, they might help you make an educated guess about quality.
Old vines. Theoretically, older vines produce fewer, but more flavorful grapes, but the problem is that no one has defined what an "old vine" is, so anyone can put this on the label. Just ignore it.
A phone number. You'd be surprised many small-production wines these days include a phone number on the back and an invitation to call the winerY, which is a sign of a highly personal winerY. We have called those numbers many times over the years and it's amazing how often the winemaker or winerY owner answers the phone. The underlined word "Vintage" in the second paragraph probably means "________ " .
| A．the place where the wine was made | B．the year when the wine was made |
| C．the freshness of the wine | D．the label of the wine |
It's better to buy
| A．five-year-old Pinot Grigio | B．the wine labeled from older vines |
| C．the wine from famous vineyards | D．two-year-old Beaujolais Nouveau |
From the passage we Can infer that
| A．the wine with high alcohol levels is definitely terrific |
| B．most wines at the store are intended to be drunk right away |
| C．older vines have lower production |
| D．some winemakers keep the promise all the time |
What is paragraph 4 mainly about?
| A．Geography. | B．Price | C．Quality. | D．Grapes. |
I was standing in the kitchen helping with dinner, asking my mom about my brother's doctor ' s appointment. They were testing him for autism(自闭症 ) . My brother, Captain, four years old at the time, had always been my best friend. We would wrestle, play games and have the best of times together, even though we were far apart in age. My mom told me about the appointment, but ,when she got to the point about the test, she stopped. I turned around and she had tears in her eyes. I stared at her, wishing she would say something , when I realized what that silence meant. My eyes got blurry (模糊的 ) and my breathing got very ragged. " The test was positive , sweetheart , " she said. I broke down, crying.
My mom was trying to cool me down, saying that Captain couldn't see me like this and I had to be a big girl , when the front door opened, and Captain, our three-year-old sister Cali, and my father came in. I walked out of the kitchen. I couldn't look at him. Everything had just changed. He was no longer that little baby brother who was just a normal little boy.
We had to move a while later because Captain needed treatment. One day ,I was standing in the bus line waiting when the " short bus" came and picked some kids up. The children in the other line started making jokes about the " retards(智力迟钝者) " on that bus and I felt a strange feeling in my stomach, ,which I had never felt before.
During a band class, my teacher, Mrs. Young, stopped our playing to give us some feed- back. " Guys ,we ' re playing like the kids on the short bus ! Come on!" I felt that same feeling I had in the bus line. The entire room was laughing when I raised my hand. " Yes , Alexis?" Mrs. Young asked. "I don't think we should make fun of the short bus, because there are a lot of people on that bus who have great personalities and have the same feelings as we do. And also ,I know some people on those buses and they are some of the most caring, sweetest, and smartest people , so I would appreciate it if you didn't make fun of them. "
Everyone stared at me. Mrs. Young apologized for the comment and then started the song again. What did Alexis think her mother' s silence mean in Paragraph One?
| A．There was no chance for Alexis to play games with Captain. |
| B．Captain was likely to miss the appointment. |
| C．Captain really suffered from autism. |
| D．Alexis had to prepare dinner quickly. |
Why did Alexis go out of the kitchen?
| A．Because she didn't want to help with dinner. |
| B．Because she would be much sadder looking at Captain. |
| C．Because she wanted to play with Captain outside. |
| D．Because she wasn't willing to meet a sick brother. |
What Alexis said to her teacher can be seen as a kind of .
| A．threat | B．approval | C．apology | D．condemnation |
Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Speaking up. | B．Giving up. | C．Looking .up. | D．Taking up. |