He’s an old cobbler(修鞋匠) with a shop in the Marais, a historic area in Paris. When I took him my shoes, he at first told me: “I haven’t time. Take them to the other fellow on the main street; he’ll fix them for you right away.”
But I’d had my eye on his shop for a long time. Just looking at his bench loaded with tools and pieces of leather, I knew he was a skilled craftsman(手艺人). “No,” I replied, “the other fellow can't do it well.”
“The other fellow” was one of those shopkeepers who fix shoes and make keys “while-U-wait” — without knowing much about mending shoes or making keys. They work carelessly, and when they have finished sewing back a sandal strap(鞋带), you might as well just throw away the pair.
My man saw I wouldn’t give in, and he smiled. He looked at my shoes, had me write my name on one shoe with a piece of chalk and said, “Come back in a week.”
I was about to leave when he took a pair of soft leather boots off a shelf.
“See what I can do?” he said with pride. “Only three of us in Paris can do this kind of work.”
When I got back out into the street, the world seemed brand-new to me. He was something out of an ancient legend, this old craftsman with his way of speaking familiarly, his very strange, dusty felt hat, his funny accent from who-knows-where and, above all, his pride in his craft.
These are times when nothing is important but the bottom line, when you can do things any old way as long as it “pays”, when, in short, people look on work as a path to ever-increasing consumption(消费) rather than a way to realize their own abilities. In such a period it is a rare comfort to find a cobbler who gets his greatest satisfaction from pride in a job well done.Which of the following is true about the old cobbler?
| A．He was equipped with the best repairing tools. |
| B．He was proud of his skills. |
| C．He was the only cobbler in the Marais. |
| D．He was a native Parisian. |
The underlined sentence “He was something out of an ancient legend.” shows that ______.
| A．it was difficult to communicate with this man |
| B．the man was very strange |
| C．nowadays you can hardly find anyone like him |
| D．the man was too old |
According to the author, many people work just to ______.
| A．make money | B．realize their abilities |
| C．gain happiness | D．gain respect |
This story wants to tell us that ______.
| A．craftsmen make a lot of money |
| B．craftsmen need self-respect |
| C．whatever you do, do it well |
| D．people are born equal |
Knowing about yourself not only means finding out what you’re good at and what you like，but also means discovering what you’re not good at and what you don’t like．Both help you to see your aim in life．
Although most students would be unhappy if they failed a very difficult physics examination，they have in fact learned a lot about themselves．They know that they should not become engineers or physical scientists．So failing can help a student to live a happier life if he learns something from it．They may then decide on their aims and choose the work they like and are fit for．
It is impossible to decide whether you like something until you have tried it．If you decide to play the piano，you need to take more than one lesson before knowing whether you are really interested in it or able to do well．It is not enough if you want to be a great pianist．You also have to like the hard practice and long training．If you enjoy being a great pianist but hate the work，forget it．
It’s a good plan to try as many ideas as possible when you are young．Then you will find out what your true interests are．If you say you really know yourself，．
| A．you know what you don’t like |
| B．you know what you are good at |
C．you have no interest in y our work |
| D．you’ve got the whole picture of yourself |
Failing can turn into something good．
| A．if you have aim in life | B．if your decision is fight |
| C．if you lead a happier life | D．if you learn something from it |
What can we learn from the second paragraph?
| A．Failure is a better mirror |
B．Success is more  helpful |
| C．No one is fit for the job of a physical scientist |
| D．Physics can help students live a better life |
It would be very exciting to be a reporter on a newspaper．As soon as a reporter’s boss gives him a story to write，the reporter is on the job．He keeps his mind on what he is going to do．He does not begin writing the story until he knows what he should find out．He must know why he should write the story．
At times a reporter must search hard to find all of the facts he needs for a story．The facts may not be right under his nose．To find the facts，he has to recognize important details．While gathering information for a story，he asks himself questions：Should I use this information? Is this an important fact?
A reporter writes the story as fast as he can，so it can go right away into the newspaper．The story also needs a headline，which tells very quickly what the news story is about and is printed bigger and blacker than the rest of the news story．
Every big newspaper has many reporters，because many stories are needed in the newspaper．Would you like to be one？A reporter writes the story as fast as possible because．
| A．he wants it to go into the newspaper quickly |
| B．people prefer to buy today’s newspaper |
| C．he wants to have a rest |
| D．he is good at writing it |
Which statement is true according to the passage?
| A．Being a reporter is a tiring job． |
| B．It is easy for a reporter to find the facts． |
| C．The headline must tell the details of the news story． |
| D．A reporter begins to write when knowing what he should find out． |
Which is the writer’s opinion?
| A．A reporters boss is usually very hard to his men． |
| B．The job of a newspaper reporter is exciting but not easy． |
| C．Everyone can write a good news story． |
| D．No one likes to be a reporter． |
The passage is about．
| A．the job of a news reporter |
| B．big newspapers in the world |
| C．how to write the headline of all article |
| D．how to gather information for a news story |
Friendship Day in India falls on the first Sunday of August every year. It is celebrated with many activities.
Young people in India spend the day with their closest friends and have fun together. Most youngsters in India plan a movie or have a meal with their friends. Many friends may go on a drive to tourist places or go camping. Some friends go to the supermarket for shopping. On Friendship Day, most stores offer discounted(打折的) prices for customers and it is the perfect day to buy something for friends.
Some friends go to parties that are organized by many restaurants in order to attract youngsters. Such parties are very enjoyable. You can get food at a discounted price. Some friends just decide to meet up (碰头，相聚) at someone’s home and talk about their happy time. The time good friends spend sitting together and talking over a cup of coffee is unforgettable.
Long-distance friends call up each other on this day and wish each other with warm feelings. Some of them even plan to meet up on this day. Yet some others plan a surprising visit just to see their friend gasp (喘息) in shock!When is Friendship Day celebrated in India?
| A．On August 2nd every year. | B．On the third weekend of August every year. |
| C．On August 1st every year. | D．On the first weekend of August every year. |
According to the text, which of the following is the most popular way that youngsters in India celebrate Friendship Day?
A. Traveling with friends B. Seeing a film with friends How many ways of friends spending Friendship Day together are discussed in Paragraph 3?
| A．Two | B．Three | C．Four | D．Five |
The underlined phrase “a surprising visit” in Paragraph 4 refers to “____”.
| A．a visit to a friend who hasn’t expected it |
| B．a visit to a friend who has dreamed of it for a long time |
| C．a visit to a friend who tries to avoid it |
| D．a visit to a friend who lives in a faraway place |
LONDON: What could possibly be wrong with planting trees? The benefits are obvious; they firm the soil, soak up (摄取) extra water and take carbon dioxide (二氧化碳) out of the atmosphere.
However, it now turns out that planting trees could add to global warming.
Tree roots do a great job of keeping soil firmly on the ground and out of the wind’s power. The problem is that some of those dust clouds play an important part in taking in carbon dioxide.
Huge dust storms blow out over the oceans from dry parts of North Africa and central Asia. Tons of dust are lifted and left as a thin film over the ocean surface. The dust fuels oceanic life.
Dust from China is carried east and left in the Pacific Ocean. If a tree-planting programme there is successful and the dust supply reduced, the final result may be that less carbon dioxide gets locked away in the ocean.
Andy Ridgwell, an environmental scientist from the University of East Anglia, has spent the past few years studying dust and says his work “shows clearly the complexity of the system and the importance of not tinkering(粗劣地修补) with it without understanding the results. For this reason the need is to focus(集中) on cutting carbon dioxide giving off rather than monkeying (瞎弄) about with the land surface.”
An American scientist, Robert Jackson, has shown that when native grassland areas are invaded(侵入) by trees, carbon is lost from the soil. “We are studying why the soil carbon disappears, but one theory is that trees do a lot more of their growing above ground compared to grasses, so less carbon goes directly into the soil from trees, ” says Jackson.
In wet areas of the world, the gain from trees absorbing carbon dioxide above ground seems to be outweighed(超过) by the loss of carbon from the soil below ground. Countries that plan to combat global warming by planting trees may have to think again.
Solutions to environmental problems are often more complex than they first appear, and understanding the Earth’s climate is a very great challenge.People usually hold the opinion that_____________.
| A．huge dust storms can destroy carbon dioxide |
| B．huge dust storms can destroy the oceans on the earth |
| C．huge dust storms can’t do anything beneficial for man |
| D．planting trees is the only way to control huge dust storms |
Andy Ridgwell, the environmental scientist, believes that_____________.
| A．dust plays a more important part than trees |
| B．trees shouldn’t have been planted in dry places |
| C．carbon dioxide is harmful to everything on the earth |
| D．environmental problems are more complex than expected |
Robert Jackson’s experiment proves that_____________.
| A．grassland areas should be covered by forests |
| B．trees hold more carbon than grasses |
| C．carbon can turn grass into dust |
| D．less carbon can make trees grow faster |
Most schools forbid chewing gum(嚼口香糖), but in a few years they might consider changing that rule. Why? Scientists are finding evidence that gum chewing may be good for your health. It may even help improve your test scores. This exciting research is just beginning. And in the meantime, companies are also experimenting with adding vitamins, minerals, medicines, and other substances that could give gum the power to cure headaches and fight everything from serious diseases to bad breath.
Other researchers are finding that gum might work better than a pill to deliver medicines and other substances into the bloodstream. That’s because the lining (膜) of our cheeks can absorb certain substances more quickly than our stomachs and intestines (肠) can. That discovery could help other researchers develop medicine-containing gums that fight colds, ease headaches, battle nervousness, and
more. Scientists might even create anti-microbial (抗菌的) gums that cure bad breath.
Those projects may take years, but gum scientists have already had at least one recent success: They’ve created a gum that could help us stay awake. Researchers have produced a gum called Stay Alert. Each stick has as much caffeine as a cup of coffee. It can take an hour for the caffeine in coffee to have its full effect, but the caffeine in Stay Alert hits in just a few minutes. The gum is easy to transport and it’s stable in cold and hot climates. Unlike a pill, it doesn’t require water to swallow. Those qualities make it easy for soldiers to use. For now, Stay Alert is available only to the military (军队). The manufacturer may one day offer it for sale to the public. People who work at night, such as truck drivers and medical personnel who ride in ambulances, might benefit from a product like Stay Alert.The passage mainly talks about _____.
| A．the rule of forbidding chewing gum in school |
| B．new research on chewing gum |
| C．different kinds of chewing gum |
| D．the relationship between chewing gum and medicine |
What does the underlined word “hits” in Paragraph 6 probably mean?
| A．Touches. | B．Attacks. | C．Takes effect. | D．Affects badly. |
According to the passage, Stay Alert is a gum which can help people _____.
| A．stay awake | B．fight colds |
| C．cure headaches | D．overcome nervousness |
It can be inferred from the passage that _____.
| A．stay Alert is not easy to store |
| B．stay Alert needs water to swallow |
| C．stay Alert is available to the public now |
| D．we can’t buy gums which cure bad breath now |