He was once referred to as the Picasso of poetry. Beloved by Chileans of all classes, he is one of the most widely read and respected poets in history. And this year is the 100th birthday of Pablo Neruda(1904—1973)．
Born with the name Neftali Ricardo Reyes Basolto, he was a tall, shy and lonely boy. He loved to read and started to write poetry when he was ten. The American poet Walt Whitman, whose framed picture Neruda later kept on his table became a major influence on his work.
However, his father did not like the idea of having a poet for a son and tried to discourage him from writing. To cover up (掩饰) the publication of his first poem, he took the pen name Pablo Neruda.
In 1924 Neruda gained fame with his most widely read work “Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair.” Yet his rich experience as a diplomat and exile(流犯) made him go beyond the theme of love. His work also reflected the political struggle of the left and development of South America. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1971.
Neruda loved the sea which he saw as creative, destructive and forever moving. He found inspiration in the power and freedom of the waves and the seabirds on the coast. “I need the sea because it teaches me,” he wrote. “I move in the university of the waves.” He loved how the sea forever renewed itself, a renewal echoed in his work. The underlined word “Picasso” can probably be replaced by“________”．
| A．most important person |
| B．famous person from Picasso |
| C．freedom fighter in Picasso |
| D．poem fans |
Neftali Ricardo Reyes Basolto took the pen name Pablo Neruda because________.
| A．literary greats usually used the pen name |
| B．his father encouraged him to use the name |
| C．he wanted to prevent his father knowing the publication |
| D．he was greatly influenced by other poets |
Which of the following is not the theme of his works?
| A．Love. | B．Political struggle. |
| C．Social reform. | D．Development of South America. |
The last paragraph mainly tells us________.
| A．the sea gave Neruda vast writing inspiration |
| B．the beautiful scenery along the Chile coast |
| C．Neruda's poems were widely read overseas |
| D．Neruda loved to write his poems near the sea |
Many children first learn the value of money by receiving an allowance (pocket money). The purpose is to let children learn
from experiences at an age when financial mistakes are not very costly．
The amount of money that parents give to their children to spend as they wish differs from family to family. Timing is another consideration．Some children get a weekly allowance．Others get a monthly allowance．
In any case, parents should make clear what，if anything, the child is expected to pay for with the money．At first, young children may spend all of their allowance soon after they receive it. If they do this，they will learn the hard way that spending must be done within a budget．Parents are usually advised not to offer more money until the next allowance．
The object is to show young people that a budget demands a choice between spending and saving．Older children may be responsible enough to save money for larger costs，like clothing or electronics．Many people who have written on the subject of allowances say it is not a good idea to pay your child for work around the home．These jobs are a normal part of family life．
Paying children to do extra work around the house，however，can be useful．It can even provide an understanding of how a business works．
Allowances give children a chance to experience the three things they can do with money．They can share it in the form of gifts or giving to a good cause. They can spend it by buying things they want．Or they can save it.
Saving helps children understand that costly goals require sacrifice．You have to cut costs and plan for the future．Requiring children to save part of their allowances can also open the door to future saving and investing．Many banks offer services to help children and teenagers learn about personal finance.
A saving account is an excellent way to learn about the power of compound interest．
Compounding works by paying interest on interest．So，for example，one dollar invested at two per-cent interest for two years will earn two cents in the first year．The second years，the money will earn two percent of one dollar and two cents，and so on．That may not seem like a lot．But over time it adds up．Giving an allowance, parents should consider all the following EXCEPT_______.
| A．how much the child should get each time | B．whether the child has made a budget |
| C．where the money really goes | D．how often a child can get it |
The author of the passage holds the opinion that________.
| A．what children learn by handling allowances may be beneficial in the future |
| B．children can learn to set up their own business with their allowances |
| C．keeping allowances in the bank is the best choice for children |
| D．it is not a good idea to pay children for housework at home |
The underlined words “compound interest” in the passage probably mean ________.
| A．increasing curiosity to learn how to make more money |
| B．stronger power to hold one’s attention to saving money |
| C．money paid by the bank on your original money and the gain from it |
D．the sum of money that you earn from keeping your money in  the bank |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．Be Generous to Pay Your Children． | B．Be Wise to Avoid Financical Mistakes． |
| C．Saving Allowances Does Good to Children. | D．Allowances Help Children Learn about Money． |
The definition of the standard kilogram is almost entirely wrong. Getting that definition right is a challenge that has tried the patience and intelligence of scientists for decades.
Scientists use just seven basic units to define all the other quantities we use — quantities such as speed or electric power. All of those basic units except the kilogram are themselves defined according to natural properties（属性）that are beyond human control.
For example, the standard second (time) is defined as a specific number of vibration（振动）of a type of radiation sent out by atom
s of a special metal. The standard metre (length), in turn, is defined as the length of the path light travels under certain conditions.
Not so the kilogram. This orphan of the basic unit family is simply the mass of a small platinum-iridium alloy cylinder（铂—铱合金筒）locked away in a
container maintained by the International Bureau of Weights & Measures in Sevres, France, near Paris. Official bodies around the world have copies of the cylinder.
Embarrassingly, the last time the copies were brought to Sevres for a checkup in the 1980s, officials found that some copies had gained about 20 parts per billion in weight compared to the master cylinder since the previous checkup in the 1940s. This implies that the master cylinder itself may be an inconstant standard.
Several efforts in several different countries are under way to redefine the kilogram according to basic physical quantities such as counting the actual number of atoms of a specific substance in a kilogram or the electromagnetic（电磁的）force that balances a kilogram mass against gravity. A project of the latter type at the laboratories in Gaithersburg, Md., hopes eventually to define mass by means of electrical units.
So far, none of these redefinition projects has borne fruit. They require the very accuracy of measurement and control of experimental conditions. The slightest influence — even a tiny change in weather — can ruin results. You’ve got to hand it to scientists who are willing to devote many years to such painstaking — but extremely important — research. Compared with other basic units, the kilogram is ____.
| A．as accurate as other basic units |
| B．not universally accepted in the world |
| C．not defined according to natural properties |
| D．defined in the same way as other basic units |
The author introduced the examination of copies of a platinum-iridium alloy cylinder in the 1980s to indicate that ____.
| A．the causes of weight changes had been found |
| B．such kind of checks had been carried out regularly |
| C．the changes in weight challenged the definition of the kilogram |
| D．the consequences of such changes were great in research |
According to
the passage, to define the weight of mass by means of electrical units ____.
| A．is the only way to redefine the kilogram scientifically |
| B．has been accepted as the only possible redefinition project |
| C．is not as complicated as people understand |
| D．has been considered by some scientists as a better approach |
Which of the following cannot be concluded from the passage?
| A．Scientists will achieve success in redefining the kilogram in the near future |
| B．Some scientists are trying to redefine the kilogram according to basic physical quantities. |
| C．The redefining of the standard kilogram is quite complicated and can be affected by a number of factors. |
| D．A number of experiments are being carried out to redefine the kilogram. |
The following is a recent survey among teenagers:
| Radio Most teenagers nowadays are not regular listeners to radio. They may occasionally tune in, but they do not try to listen to a program specifically. The main reason teenagers listen to the radio is for music, but now with online sites streaming music for free they do not bother, and users can choose the songs they want instead of listening to what the radio presenter/DJ chooses. Television Most teenagers watch television, but usually there are points in the year where they watch more than average. This is due to programs coming on in seasons, so they will watch a particular show at a certain time (as long as it lasts) but then they may watch no television for weeks. Teenagers are also watching less television because of services such as BBC iPlayer, which allows them to watch shows when they want. Whilst watching TV, adverts come on quite regularly (18 minutes of every hour) and teenagers do not want to watch these, so they switch to another channel, or do something else whilst the adverts run. Newspapers No teenager that I know of regularly reads a newspaper, as most do not have the time and cannot be bothered to read pages and pages of text while they could watch the news summarized on the Internet or on TV. Internet Every teenager has some access to the Internet, be it at school or home. Home use is mainly used for fun (such as social networking) whilst school (or library) use is for work. Most teenagers are heavily active on a combination of social networking sites. Facebook is the most common, with nearly everyone with an Internet connection registered and visiting >4 times a week. Facebook is popular as one can interact with friends on a wide scale. For searching the web, Google is the dominant figure, simply because it is well known and easy to use. Some teenagers make purchases on the Internet (on sites like eBay) but this is only used by a small percentage, as a credit card is required and most teenagers do not have credit cards. Many teenagers use YouTube to watch videos (usually anime which cannot be watched anywhere else) and some use it as a music player by having a video with the music they want to listen to playing in the background. Mobile Phones 99pc of teenagers have a mobile phone and most are q  uite capable phones. Usually, teenagers only use their phones for texting, calling. Features such as video messaging or video calling are not used—because they are expensive.Services such as instant messaging are used, but not by everyone. It usually depends whether the phone is Wi-Fi compatible, because otherwise it is very expensive to get Internet off the phone network. As most teenagers’ phones have Bluetooth support, and Bluetooth is free, they utilize this feature often. Mobile email is not used as teenagers have no need; they do not need to be connected to their inbox all the time as they don’t receive important emails. |
The survey carried out recently is mainly concerned with ______.
| A．how teenagers consume media |
| B．what electric devices teenagers favor |
| C．which new trend teenagers are following |
| D．how teenagers contact others and make their social net |
As is mentioned in the survey, the reason why teenagers watch less TV mainly lies in that ______.
| A．teenagers do not watch regular programs |
| B．all the TV programs are on for only a few weeks |
| C．teenagers may turn to other devices to watch their favorite |
| D．the TV adverts coming on every channel are just the same |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the survey?
| A．Radio presenter or DJ used to invite the listeners to choose the songs they want. |
| B．The main source for teenagers to get news is Internet as well as newspapers. |
| C．Google is the most common social networking sites due to its convenience. |
| D．Some features of modern mobile phones are not widely used by teenagers. |
John and Bobby joined a wholesale company together just after graduation from college the same year. Both worked very hard. After several years, however, the boss promoted Bobby to the position of manager but John remained an ordinary employee. John could not take it any more, tendered his resignation to the boss and complained the boss did not know how to delegate and did not value hard-working staff, but only promoted those who flattered him.
The boss knew that John worked very hard for the years. He thought a moment and said, “Thank you for your criticism, but I have a request. I hope you will do one more thing for our company before you leave. Perhaps you will change your decision and take back your resignation.”
John agreed. The boss asked him to go and 
find out anyone selling watermelon in the market. John went and returned soon. He said he had found out a man selling watermelon. The boss asked how much per kg. John shook his head and went back to the market to ask and returned to inform the boss $1.2 per kg.
Boss told John to wait a second, and he called Bobby to come to his office. He asked Bobby to go and find anyone selling watermelon in the market. Bobby went, returned and said, “Boss, only one person selling watermelon. $1.2 per kg, $10 for 10kg, he has inventory (清单) of 340 melons. On the table 58 melons, bought from the South two days ago, they are fresh and red, good quality.”
John was very impressed and realized the difference between himself and Bobby. He decided not to resign but to learn from Bobby.
Chances exist in
the daily details. For the same matter, a more successful person sees more and farther so that he can find out an opportunity and catch it to realize his aim. If a person sees one year ahead, while another sees only tomorrow. Then the difference between a year and a day is 365 times! Why did John decide to hand in his resignation to the boss?
| A．Because he couldn’t stand being an ordinary employee. |
| B．Because Bobby would take John’s former position. |
| C．Because the boss was not flattered by his hard work. |
| D．Because Bobby instead of him was promoted. |
What did the boss ask John to do?
| A．To go to market and find out whether there is someone selling watermelons. |
B．T o make a complete mar keting research on the various prices of watermelons. |
| C．To search for much information about the effective ways to sell watermelons. |
| D．To make a comparison on the prices of different types of watermelons. |
What sort of following information about watermelons was NOT brought by Bobby?
| A．The price. | B．The quality. |
| C．The quantity. | D．The weight. |
From the difference of John and Bobby, we may infer that a more successful person is more _____.
A.alert, sensitive and passionate
B.observant, thoughtful and exploratory
C.considerate, modest and satisfied
confident, noble and tolerant
Some teens believe drugs will help them think better, and be more popular. These days, drugs can be found everywhere. Many teens are tempted(诱惑) by the excitement or escape from reality that drugs seem to offer.
Drugs are chemicals that change the way our bodies work. When you put them into your body, drugs find their way in your blood and are taken to parts of your body, such as your brain.
The effects of drugs can be different depending on the kind of drug taken, how much is taken, how often it is used, how quickly it gets to the brain, and what other drugs or food are taken at the same time. Although drugs can make you feel good at first, they can finally do a lot of harm to the body.
There are many kinds of drugs available, and there are many reasons for trying them regularly. People take drugs just for pleasure they believe they can bring. Often it’s because someone told them that drugs would make them feel good or that they’d have a better time if they took them.
Many teens use drugs because they’re unhappy or think drugs will help them escape their problems. The truth is that drugs don’t solve problems—they simply hide feelings and problems. When a drug wears off, the feelings and problems remain, or became worse. Drugs can ruin every aspect of a person’s life.The main idea of the second paragraph is probably _________.
| A．how drugs work |
| B．what drugs are made of |
| C．that drugs can reduce physical pain |
| D．that drugs dull your senses |
People take drugs regularly _________.
| A．just for good health |
| B．because they can have a better life |
| C．just for pleasure |
| D．because they need them |
__________ cause teens to take drugs.
| A．Physical pain, escaping and fear |
| B．Escaping, excitement and unhappiness |
| C．Curiosity, fear and escaping |
| D．Excitement, unhappiness and their physical pain |
Which of the following is NOT true ?
| A．Drugs may be tempting to teens. |
| B．Drugs do harm to the body. |
| C．Drugs can solve people’s problems. |
| D．Drugs can make people happy. |
Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Drugs: the Killer of People |
| B．Drugs: the Favorite of Teens |
| C．Drugs: What You Should Take |
| D．Drugs: What You Should Know |