One day when the famous American scientist Edison was on his way home, a young man stopped him and required to have a word with him. Edison accepted his request.
The young man asked, “How can you invent so many things and achieve your fame(名声, 名望)? ”
The scientist said, “It seems that you have been thinking of becoming famous every day. ”The young man nodded, “Yes. I have been dreaming of being a person as notable(著名的)as you. Every minute I am thinking of how to become reputable. I don’ t know when I can achieve my fame. ”
Edison told him, “Don’ t worry, young man. If you want to be a famous man this way, you will have to wait until you die! ”
“Why should I? ”the young man was puzzled.
Edison said, “What you dream is actually a high building. You never think of how to build it with bricks(砖块). Thus the building will never come into reality(现实). However, your story can serve as a mirror. People will remember you because of your illness and laziness. They will often speak of your name while they give warnings to their children. Aren’ t you a notorious(声名狼藉)person by then? ”The man asked Edison to tell him .
A.how to invent new things | B.how to become famous |
C.how he became a nobleman | D.how to become a scientist |
After hearing Edison’ s talk, the young man was puzzled because Edison told him .
A.he would die before he was famous |
B.he would be famous before he died |
C.he would die after he was famous |
D.he would never be famous |
The man didn’ t achieve his fame because________.
A.his wish was too high |
B.he was too stupid |
C.he didn’ t learn from others |
D.he was short of hard-working spirit |
The story mainly tells us .
A.a person needs high spirit |
B.one shouldn’ t dream of becoming famous |
C.only by hard work can one’ s wish come into reality |
D.one person shouldn’ t be idle and lazy |
Most people agree that it’s important to have a sense of humor. Having the ability to laugh can help one overcome anxiety, and make better decisions in difficult situations. People with a well-developed sense of humor appear to be happier, and some are healthier as well. This suggests that having a sense of humor is good for you. Humorless people may find themselves being treated as a fool, and become anxious and upset.
A sense of humor also plays an important role in human relationships. However, not everyone has a sense of humor. People with developmental disabilities (发展性能力丧失) can sometimes have no sense of humor, or have a very strange one.
A number of factors affect a person’s sense of humor, with the age probably being the main one. Young children are often highly amused by simple jokes or shows, while teenagers prefer to enjoy the ironic (讽刺的) events. Educational level, culture, and religious faith also affect one’s sense of humor. While Christians, for example, may have a deep appreciation of jokes about the Bible, others may find them disrespectful.
Many people believe that a sense of humor is something that develops on its own, and that you cannot teach someone to understand why jokes, certain comments, situations or events are funny. However, things can be done to enhance one’s sense of humor. Children, for example, benefit from being told jokes and encouraged to laugh, although some children’s jokes might seem rather strange to adults. If you have children, try to encourage them to tell jokes and think about what makes things funny. And it will help them develop a sense of humor.The purpose of the passage is to _______.
A.explain what influences a person’s sense of humor |
B.tell readers the importance of being healthy |
C.explain how to make better decisions |
D.tell readers how to understand jokes |
What does the underlined word in Paragraph 4 “enhance” probably mean?
A.Enjoy. | B.Reduce. | C.Improve. | D.Prevent. |
According to the passage, which of the following isn’t talked about in our passenger?
A.Culture. | B.Age |
C.Educational level. | D.Family backgrounds. |
“The first and best of victories for a man is to conquer himself; to be conquered by himself is, of all things, the most shameful,” says Plato. Self-control is at the root of all the advantages. Let a man give in to his impulses (冲动) and feelings, and from that moment he gives up his moral freedom.
A single angry word has lost many friends. When Socrates found in himself any temper or anger, he would check it by speaking low in order to control himself. If you are conscious of being angry, keep your mouth shut so that you can hold back rising anger. Many a person has dropped dead in great anger. Fits of anger bring fits of disease. “Whoever the gods would destroy, they first make them mad.” “Keep cool,” says Webster, “anger is not argument.” “Be calm in arguing,” says George Herbert, “for fierceness (狂怒) makes error a fault.”
To be angry with a weak man is to prove that you are not strong yourself. “Anger,” says Pythagoras, “begins with foolishness and ends with regret.” You must measure the strength of a man by the power of the feelings he conquers, not by the power of those which conquer him. Self-control is man’s last and greatest victory.
If a man lacks(缺乏) self-control he seems to lack everything. Without it he can have no patience, no power to govern himself; he can have no self-confidence(自信心), for he will always be controlled by his strongest feeling. If he lacks self-control, the very backbone and nerve of character are lacking too. What’s the main idea of the passage?_____
A.Self- control is important for a man. |
B.We should learn to be strong. |
C.A man who keeps cool won’t lose any game. |
D.The great heroes in history knew how to control themselves. |
What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2 mean?______
A.If you are mad, the gods will kill you. |
B.If you lose your temper first, gods will kill you first. |
C.If you can’t control yourself, you will be crazy. |
D.If the gods want to kill you, they will make you mad first. |
Which of the following is NOT true, according to passage?_______
A.The first and best of victories for a man is to conquer himself. |
B.You will make a small mistake serious if you don’t keep cool. |
C.You must measure a man’s strength by the power of the feelings which conquer him. |
D.Anger begins with foolishness and ends with regret. |
Which of the following can’t help you avoid anger, according to the passage?_____
A.Being calm in arguing. |
B.Checking your temper or anger by speaking low. |
C.Keeping your mouth shut. |
D.Trying to make the other angry first. |
TimetableWhich of the following is true of the membership card?
A.Its number is l0865 305305. |
B.It belongs to Mr. E. M. Driscoll. |
C.It is valid through the year of 2010. |
D.It gets the owner a discount when used. |
If one wants to attend a business lunch in London at l2:00,the latest train that he should take at Oxford leaves at .
A.11:45 | B.11:15 | C.10:35 | D.10:05 |
If you would like to have some vegetable beef, what may be your choice?
A.French Slam®![]() |
B.Chicken-Fried Steak® |
C.The Super Bird® | D.Sandwich with Salad or Soup® |
The chart shows that from 2005 to 2008,
A.the percentage of the Spanish families with a computer rose 35 points |
B.the percentage of the White families with a computer remained unchanged |
C.the number of the Black families with a computer was on the decrease |
D.the number of the Asian families with a computer showed the sharpest increase |
Five years ago, I was sent to a better middle school. For me, everything there was new and strange. After I had been there for two months, there was an important test in the middle of the term. It covered all my courses. In that test, I didn’t get a good grade, but most of my classmates got an A.
It made me upset for a long time. I felt everything in the world was changing. I thought my classmates were all better than me. During those days I was very unhappy.
One day, my aunt, after talking with my teachers, talked to me. She told me to think about what I had done in the past and what I should do in the future. I was shocked by her words. I thought about what I had done during the past months, and I found I had done nothing to improve my grades. I thought I should work harder.
After that, I paid more attention to the teachers’ talking in the classes, and I asked my teachers or my classmates when I didn’t understand something. I studied very late at night when I met with difficult problems. Most of all, I came to understand the importance of taking notes in class. As a result, I did better in some tests.
About three months later, the most important test came at the end of the term. This time, I stood out not only in my class but also in the grade. From then on, I have tried to do my best when I do something because I know if I want something, I should work hard for it. Why did the writer fall behind in the new middle school? _________
A.Because the teachers didn’t treat him well enough. |
B.Because the subjects were becoming more difficult. |
C.Because he hated the life in the new school. |
D.Because he didn’t put his heart into study. |
What did the writer’s aunt do to help him out? _________
A.She punished him for not working hard. |
B.She helped him find out the reasons for his poor performance. |
C.She forced him to work harder. |
D.She asked his teachers to talk with him about his problems. |
Which of the following studying methods helped the writer most?_________
A.Asking teachers for help when in difficulty. |
B.Working deep into the night every day. |
C.Making notes in class. |
D.Listening to every word his teachers said. |
What does the underlined sentence in the last paragraph mean? __________
A.The writer failed again in the exam. |
B.The writer did very well in the exam. |
C.The writer became the cleverest in the class. |
D.The writer was very proud of his progress. |
There are two types of people in the world.Although they have equal degree of health and wealth and other comforts of life, one becomes happy and the other becomes unhappy.This is because of the different ways in which they consider things, persons, events and the resulting effects upon their minds.
People who are to be happy pay their attention to the good side of things: the pleasant parts of conversation, the well prepared dishes, the goodness of the wine and the fine weather.They enjoy all the cheerful things.Those who are to be unhappy think and speak only of the opposite things.Therefore, they are continually dissatisfied.By their remarks, they sour the pleasure of society, hurt many people, and make themselves disagreeable everywhere.The habit may be strong, but it may be cured when those who have it realize its bad effects on their interests and tastes.I hope this little warning may help them change this habit.
Although in fact it is chiefly an act of the imagination, it has serious results in life since it brings on deep sorrow and bad luck.Nobody loves them, and no one treats them with more than the most common politeness and respect.This frequently puts them in bad temper and draws them into arguments.they should change their bad habits .If they do not, it will be good for others to avoid any contact with them.Otherwise, it can be disagreeable and sometimes very inconvenient, especially when one becomes mixed up in their quarrels. People who are unhappy _______.
A.always consider things differently from others |
B.usually are affected by the results of certain things |
C.usually misunderstand what others think or say |
D.always discover the unpleasant side of certain things |
We can conclude from the passage that _______
A.we should pity all such unhappy people |
B.such unhappy people are dangerous to social life |
C.people can get rid of the habit of unhappiness |
D.unhappy people can not understand happy persons |
If such unhappy persons insist on keeping the habit, the author suggests that people should ____
A.prevent any communication with them |
B.show no respect and politeness to them |
C.persuade them to recognize the bad effects |
D.quarrel with them until they realize the mistakes |