Hidden in our subconsciousness (潜意识) is a perfect mental picture. We see ourselves on a long trip that goes across the continent. We are traveling by train. Out the windows, we think in the passing scene of cars on nearby highways, of children waving at a crossing, of cattle feeding on a distant hillside, of smoke pouring from a power plant, or row upon row of corn and wheat, of flat lands and valleys, of mountains and rolling hills, of city skylines and village halls.
But uppermost in our minds is the final destination. On a certain day at a certain hour, we will pull into the station. Bands will be playing and flags waving. Once we get there, so many wonderful dreams will come true and the pieces of our lives will fit together like a completed jigsaw（拼图玩具） puzzle. How restlessly we pace the aisles(通道), condemning the minutes for loitering --waiting, waiting, waiting for the station.
“When we reach the station, that will be it!” we cry. “When I’m 38.” “When I buy a new 450SL Mercdes Benz!” “When I put the last kid through college.” “When I have paid off the loan!” “When I get a promotion.” “When I reach the age of retirement, I shall live happily ever after! ”
Sooner or later, we must realize there is no station, no one place to arrive at once and for all. The true joy of life is the trip. The station is only a dream. It constantly outdistances us.
“Relish(appreciate) the moment” is a good motto, actually it isn’t the burdens of today that drive man mad. It is the regret over yesterday and the fear of tomorrow. Regret and fear are twin thieves who rob us of today.
So stop pacing the aisles and counting the miles. Instead, climb more mountains, eat more ice cream, swim more rivers, watch more sunsets, laugh more and cry less. Life must be lived as we go along. Then the station will come soon enough.Why does the author describe the mental picture?
| A．To lead us into a perfect world. |
| B．To let people enjoy the scenery. |
| C．To introduce an actual trip of his. |
| D．To compare it to our life’s journey. |
How do people feel when they’re on their trip?
| A．Puzzled. | B．Happy. | C．Relaxed. | D．Impatient. |
What does the author mean by “Regret and fear are twin thieves who rob us of today” in Line 2 Paragraph 5?
| A．Regret and fear are responsible for the loss of today. |
| B．We must be careful of the two thieves: regret and fear. |
| C．regret and fear stop us from enjoying our present life. |
| D．We’re frequently challenged by the two : regret and fear. |
Why does the author write the passage?
| A．To teach us a good lesson. |
| B．To tell us the right attitude to life. |
| C．To advice us to forget our worries. |
| D．To stop us wandering along the aisles. |
NEW YORK ( CNNMoney. com) — The U. S. economy lost 20,000 jobs in January, but the unemployment rate fell to 9.7%， much lower than economists' forecasts of 10%. According to a government report released Friday.
The Labor Department said the economy continued to shed (流出)jobs，even as economists surveyed by Briefing, com had expec-ted a net gain of 15，000 jobs in December.
The Labor Department also released an annual revision of U. S. payrolls (薪水账册)on Friday, using data that wasn't initially available. Losses for 2009 alone came to 4. 8 million jobs，more than 600,000 than previously estimated. The revision showed the economy has lost 8.4 million jobs since the start of the recession in December 2007 — 1.4 million more job losses than initially reported.
The payroll number for December was revised to a net loss of 150，000 jobs. The government had previously indicated that 85，000 jobs were lost in December.
But the government said the tepid job growth initially reported in November was actually much stronger than previously believed. Jobs rose by 64，000 in November，up from an initial estimate of 4,000. It is the only month in the past two years in which jobs grew.
Most of the job losses were in the hard-hit construction industry, which shed another 75, 000 jobs in January. The transportation and financial industries also lost in excess of 10，000 jobs，and the government shed a net 8，000 positions in January.
The job report wasn't all bad, as there was job growth in many areas, including the manufacturing industry, which created 11,000 jobs last month. The service industry was the biggest jobs creator, with a net gain of 48 ,000 jobs,42,100 of which came from the retail sector.
Perhaps the most encouraging sign from January's report was that 44, 000 jobs were created in the business services industry, which includes administrators and temporary workers. Economists see professional services as a proxy for overall economic activity, and many employers hire temporary workers before signing on new full-time staff. Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
| A．Job Losses Continue but Rate Falls |
| B．An Annual Revision of U. S. Payrolls |
| C．The Encouraging Sign from January's Report |
| D．The Tepid Job Growth Stronger than Previously Believed |
The underlined word "released" could be replaced by ______ .
| A．made secret | B．made public |
| C．set free | D．set forth |
Most of the job losses happened in the areas except ______ .
| A．the hard-hit construction industry |
| B．the government |
| C．the transportation and financial industries |
| D．the manufacturing industry |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．The economy continued to shed jobs, just as economists surveyed had expected a net loss of 15,000 jobs in December. |
| B．Losses for 2009 alone came to 4. 8 million jobs, less than 600,000 than previously estimated. |
| C．The service industry was the biggest job creators, with a net gain of 48,000 jobs, of which 42,100 came from the retail sector. |
| D．Economists see professional services as a proxy for overall economic activity, and many employers hire permanent workers. |
It is the season for long lines and frayed (紧张的)nerves. Here are some ways to survive a holiday flight.
Lighten up
Do yourself a favor and ship your presents. Nearly every U. S. airline charges a fee to check a bag, so shipping gifts is now cheaper and more convenient than carrying them in your luggage.
Weigh your options
Not knowing what you're going to pay for your luggage is annoying. So calculate your overweight-luggage fees at home. You can find the fees out in advance by visiting new site Luggage Limits ，which provides the latest information on more than 90 airlines.
Leave amateurs in the dust
Trust us and get to the airport an extra half-hour early. The check-in and security lines are filled with inexperienced fliers, and it's a hard walking. Plus, if you decide to cut it close you may not get onto the flight at all. To reduce costs, airlines have reduced on flights and routes. The remaining flights are more likely to be oversold , especially on busy travel days. Fliers who check in early are the least likely to get bumped from oversold flights.
Take it public
The rates for renting a car at the airport have more than doubled over the past year because rental lot inventories have decreased dramatically (显著地). True, renting at the airport is convenient, but it's just not worth it anymore. Unless you really need a car，take public transportation, hop a cab，or beg a friend to pick you up at the airport instead.
Say no to bumper cars
Tell the people picking you up to avoid parking their car. They can hang out in their car for free while waiting to get a call from you when you land. Many airports, including JFK and LAX now feature this sensible choice. How does the author think of shipping gifts?
| A．Unnecessary. | B．Expensive. | C．Inconvenient. | D．Wonderful. |
Airlines have reduced flights to ______ .
| A．deal with crisis | B．reduce the time for leave |
| C．lower the cost | D．provide more job chances |
The underlined phrase "in advance" in the third paragraph could be replaced by ______ .
| A．in person | B．ahead of time |
| C．by accident | D．in addition |
What's the best title for the passage?
| A．5 Ways to Survive a Holiday Flight |
| B．Good Seasons for Flight |
| C．Cars at the Airport |
| D．How to Board a Flight |
To master a language one must be able to speak it，understand it when it is spoken, as well as to read and write it. These days more and more foreigners are coming to China and more and more Chinese are going abroad to work or study so that the spoken language is becoming more and more important.
Speaking， of course， can't go without listening. If you want to pronounce a word correctly，you must be able to hear it correctly. The sounds of the Chinese and English language are not exactly the same. If you don't listen carefully, you'll find it difficult or even impossible to understand the native speakers.
Well, what about writing? Like speaking, it's used to exchange ideas. People generally use longer sentences in their writing. The important thing is to make your ideas clear in your head and then write them down in clear language.
Chinese students read far too slowly. If you read faster，you understand better. If you read too slowly，by the time you have reached the end of a page you have forgotten what the beginning is about. When you meet with new words，don't look them up in the dictionary at once. Guess the meanings. If you try to look up every word, you'll never finish a book.
Students of a foreign language need a particular knowledge, the knowledge of the life，history and geography of the people whose language they're studying. They should study these subjects in the foreign language, not only in translation. In this way one can kill two birds with one stone ： he can learn the language and some knowledge of the foreign country at the same time.In the first paragraph the writer told us ______ .
| A．how to speak English |
| B．how to read and write |
| C．why English people couldn't understand what foreigners said |
| D．why spoken English is important |
In the fourth paragraph the writer gave us some advice on ______ .
| A．how to guess the meaning from the context |
| B．how to read fast |
| C．how to look up new words in the dictionary |
| D．how to get the general idea of a passage |
"To kill two birds with one stone" means ______ .
| A．to get some particular knowledge |
| B．to get more than what one pays |
| C．the stone is very useful |
| D．the birds are blind enough |
The rising costs of health care have become a problem for many countries in the world. To deal with this problem, it is recommended that a big part of the government's health budget be used for health education and disease prevention instead of treatment. Actually，many kinds of diseases are preventable in many ways and preventing a disease is usually much cheaper than treating it. For example，people could avoid catching a cold if they dressed warmly when the weather starts getting cold. But many people get sick because they fail to do so，and have to spend money seeing a doctor.
Daily habits like eating more healthy food would have kept millions of families from becoming bankrupt if the patients had taken measures for early prevention. For instance, keeping a balanced diet，such as not consuming too much animal fat and insuring a steady intake of vegetables and fruits，seems to be quite important.
One very effective and costless way of prevention is regular exercise , which is necessary for a healthy mind and body. Regular exercise ，such as running，walking, and playing sports is a good way to make people feel better or reduce stress.
In addition, health education plays a key role in improving people's health. By giving people more information about health, countries could help people understand the importance of disease prevention and ways to achieve it. For example, knowing one's family medical history is an effective way to help keep healthy. Information about health problems among close relatives will make them aware of what they should do to prevent certain diseases through lifestyle changes, which will work before it is too late.
However，stressing disease prevention does not mean medical treatment is unimportant. After all，prevention and treatment are just two different means toward the same effect. In conclusion, we could save money on health care and treat patients more successfully if our country spends more money on health prevention and education. What's the best title of the passage?
| A．Prevention or Education? | B．Prevention or Treatment? |
| C．Health or Illness? | D．Exercise or Illness? |
Which of the following can replace the underlined word "bankrupt"?
| A．Unable to be cured. |
| B．Unable to pay one's debts. |
| C．Stronger than ever before. |
| D．More successful than ever before. |
We learn from the passage that ______ .
| A．dressing warmly can prevent diseases |
| B．a balanced diet is cheaper than regular exercise |
| C．the more health education，the better |
| D．the government's health budget should be increased |
Which of the following shows the structure of the passage?
CP( Central Point) P( Point) Sp( Sub-point 次要点)C ( Conclusion)
The WHO says alcohol abuse is the third leading cause of death and disability in the world and the harmful use of alcohol kills 2. 5 million people a year. So action is needed to reduce the problem.
The WHO released the "Global Status Report on Alcohol and Health 2011" on February 11,2011. The report shows young people are at risk. It says 320,000 people between the age of 15 and 29 die yearly from the causes related to alcohol. That is 9% of all deaths in that age group.
Shekhar Saxena is director of the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse at the WHO. He says alcohol is responsible for one-third of the deaths among young people in some parts of the world.
Shekhar Saxena said, "Consumption and harmful effects of alcohol are increasing in developing countries, particularly in Africa and Asia，which have fewer powerful regulations and which have fewer health services available."
The WHO report finds that 6% of all male deaths worldwide are related to alcohol. This is true in only 1% of female deaths. The report says one in five men die from the causes related to alcohol in the 'Russian Federation and neighboring countries.
There are four main causes of death related to alcohol. Injury, from car accidents or violence, is one cause. Diseases like cirrhosis (肝硬化), cancer, heart and blood vessel diseases are the others. Alcohol abuse also leads to the development of 200 other diseases.
However， the majority of people in the world are not alcohol drinkers. The report says in 2005 , almost half of men and two-thirds of women did not drink alcohol at all.
Dr. Saxena says people who are dependent on alcohol live ten years less on average than those who do not have the problem.
The WHO has a plan to reduce the harmful use of alcohol, which includes raising taxes on alcohol，reducing the number of places to sell alcohol and increasing the drinking age. Officials say other measures include effective laws that punish drunk driving and banning some alcohol advertising. Shekhar Saxena thinks increasing people suffer from drinking alcohol in developing countries because ______ .
| A．they lack medical knowledge |
| B．they lack effective regulations |
| C．social customs encourage drinking |
| D．no health care is available to drinkers |
The percentage of men dying from the causes related to alcohol
worldwide is ______ .
| A．20% | B．9% | C．7% | D．6% |
Paragraph 6 talks mainly about.
| A．the side effects of alcohol abuse |
| B．reasons for high death rate in Russia |
| C．common diseases related to alcohol abuse |
| D．the main causes of death |
The underlined part in Paragraph 8 probably refers to ______ .
| A．those who don't drink at all |
| B．those who already quit drinking |
| C．those who are not addicted to alcohol |
| D．those who are free from health problems |