As a boy growing up in India, I had longed to travel abroad. I used to listen to the stories my father would tell me about his stay in Canada and tours to Europe in the 1970s, with great interest.
My big moment finally came in the summer of 1998 when I was able to accompany my parents to Europe, where my father was to attend a meeting. We planned to travel to Belgium, Netherlands and West Germany.
I have clear memories even today of going to Mumbai airport at night all excited about finally going abroad. I had heard several great things about Lufthansa till then but now I finally got to experience them first hand, during the flight to Frankfurt. We flew business class and even today I can remember the excellent service by the Lufthansa crew(工作人员). The flight was really smooth and thoroughly enjoyable, even for someone like me, who is especially afraid of flying.
After spending almost two weeks in Europe, we took the Lufthansa airport express from Dusseldorf to Frankfurt airport, for our return flight. What a journey that was! All along the Rhine (莱茵河), it was simply an unforgettable experience. I had a sombre feeling on the flight back to Mumbai as it marked the end of a wonderful vacation, but the Lufthansa crew members were able to change it into a most enjoyable experience yet again, with the quality of their service.
Being the first airline to take me abroad, Lufthansa will always hold a special place in my heart. Even today, I continue to enjoy flights on Lufthansa and simply cannot dream of choosing any other airline. Flying, in general, for me, has always been a terrible and painful experience. Flying on Lufthansa, however, is something I always have and always will look forward to.Which country does the author live in now?
| A．India. | B．Canada. |
| C．Belgium. | D．Germany. |
What made the author so interested in traveling abroad?
| A．Growing up in India. |
| B．Once staying in Canada. |
| C．Once traveling to Canada with his father. |
| D．His father's stories about his traveling experiences. |
It can be inferred from the passage that Lufthansa is ________.
| A．a city in India | B．a city in Europe |
| C．an airline company | D．a travel agency |
The underlined word “somber” in the 4th paragraph probably means “________”.
| A．happy | B．sad | C．angry | D．enjoyable |
Learners of English, especially self-taught learners may have trouble in understanding speeches by native speakers. The following ways might help improve their listening ability.
First of all, do things step by step. It is not good to listen to something beyond your level. Better choose a suitable course and start with the first book. Go on to the second book only after you are sure you understand the first one.
Secondly, stick to one course of study. Don’t change books often. Never let your attention be attracted by another course just because it seems to be more “fashionable”.
Thirdly, listen to the English news program over the radio from time to time. Better go through the news stories in the Chinese-language newspaper first. That will make it easy for you to understand the English news on the radio.
Fourthly, if you have time, listen to some interesting stories in “Special English from the V.O.A. or other listening materials of the same level as that of your textbook”. This is a piece of advice to learners of English on how to ________.
| A．improve their listening ability |
| B．read fast |
| C．write better English and read faster |
| D．speak correctly |
If you want to understand the English news program on the radio, you should ________.
| A．read the Chinese-language newspaper step by step |
| B．read again and again the Chinese-language newspaper |
| C．go through the Chinese-language newspaper first |
| D．be able to recite the Chinese-language newspaper |
The author advised that once you have taken up a course, you ________.
| A．should stick to it |
| B．should begin with the last book |
| C．should take up other courses if they are more fashionable |
| D．shouldn’t do anything else |
In this passage, V.O.A. stands for ________.
A. a bookB. a magazine
C. a text-book D. a radio station
As the pace of life continues to increase, we are fast losing the art of relaxation. Once you are in the habit of rushing through life,being on the go from morning till night,it is hard to slow down. But relaxation is necessary for a healthy mind and body.
Stress is a natural part of everyday life and there is no way to avoid it. In fact,it is not the bad thing it is often supposed to be. A certain amount of stress is vital to provide motivation and give purpose to life. It is only when the stress gets out of control that it can lead to poor performance and ill health.
The amount of stress a person can bear depends very much on the individual. Some people are not afraid of stressand such characters are obviously important material for managerial responsibilities. Others lose heart at the first signs of unusual difficulties. When exposed to stressin whatever formwe react both chemically and physically. In fact we make choices between “fight” and “flight” and in more ancient days the choice made the difference between life and death. The crises (危机）we meet today are unlikely to be so extreme,but however little the stress,it involves the same response. It is when such a reaction lasts long,through continued exposure to stressthat health becomes endangered. Such serious conditions as high blood pressure and heart disease have established links with stress. Since we cannot remove stress from our lives(it would be unwise to do so even if we could),we need to find ways to deal with it.People are finding less and less time for relaxing themselves because_________.
| A．they are travelling fast all the time |
| B．they are becoming busier with their work |
| C．they do not know how to enjoy themselves |
| D．they do not believe that relaxation is important for health |
In Paragraph 3,” such a reaction” refers to “___________”.
| A．responding to crises quickly |
| B．losing heart on seeing difficulties |
| C．making a choice between ‘flight'and ‘fight' |
| D．reacting to stress both chemically and physically |
We can learn from the text that _______.
| A．stress is always harmful to people |
| B．we can find some ways to avoidstress |
| C．different people can bear different amounts of stress |
| D．it is easy to change the habit of keeping oneself busy with work |
What would the passage deal with,if it were to continue?
| A．How to keep mentally fit. |
| B．Why we have a tight schedule. |
| C．How to handle stress correctly. |
| D．How we can benefit from stress. |
Twelve years ago,a young traveler named Rhett Butler from San Francisco,California, visited the Sabah rainforest on Malaysian Borneo. In one area of the rainforest,he watched a bird flying through the trees. The beautiful sight lett quite an impression on him. But weeks later,back home, Rhett Butler got the news that trees had been cut down in the area hevisi1ed.
That experience led Rhett Butler to begin writing a book about rainforests and threats to their existence. But he did not publish the book. Instead, in 1999, he used his research for the book to create a website,Mongabay. com. His purpose was to inform the public about tropical rainforests. But the subject quickly developed. As a former businessman,he became a respected writer of science and environmental stories.
The popularity of Mongabay. com attracted advertisers. Small ads on the site pay for its operations. Mongabay. com has grown and led to other sites. For example,there is a site for children which is called Kids. Mongabay. com. Another one,WildMadangascar. o rg, is allabout the island nation that Rhett Butler calls his favorite place.
To keep his website going, he travels around the world on several major trips each year. His working tools are a laptop computer,cameras and sometimes diving equipment. He often calls on experts for information. For example,he interviewed Alison Jolly,a top expert on lemurs (狐猴）. He interviewed Rodney Jackson,a biologist who established the Snow Leopard Conservancy.
Stories like these have made Mongabay a favorite place on the Internet for researchers, students and teachers. In April, Time, com named it one of the fifteen top climate and environment websites in the world.Rhett Butler didn’t publish his book about rainforests because________.
| A．he didn’t want to become a writer |
| B．the book was not about rainforest protection |
| C．he wanted to use the information to create a website |
| D．making websites earned more money than writing books |
To keep his website going,Rhett Butler___________.
| A．kept visiting rainforests |
| B．raised rare snow leopards |
| C．traveled around and interviewed experts |
| D．produced a great number of advertisements |
We can learn from the text that ________.
| A．Rodney Jackson was once a businessman |
| B．Kids. Mongabay. com has many stories written by kids |
| C．Mongabay. com is loved by researchers as well as students |
| D．WildMadangascar. org is better known than Mongabay. com |
What’s the main idea of the text?
| A．Rhett Butler and his website. |
| B．Rainforests on Malaysian Borneo. |
| C．How Rhett Butler protected rare animals. |
| D．How Rhett Butler made his website popular. |
Every university has a Students’Union. If students are the lifeblood of a university,the union is surely its beating heart.
For students,by students
A Students’Union is run by students and acts independently. At the end of each academic year,it will find six students to hold a sabbatical (带有休假的）position managing the Union for the coming year. That the six successful sabbatical officers have only recently experienced issues affecting students ensures that your needs are very well understood.
Letting your hair down
Although the university is spread across a fairly wide area,the Union is centrally located and is only a short walk from any of the main buildings. This makes it very easy to catch up with friends who might be on a different course.
At night,the place really comes alive—we have three different bars to suit every occasion. The venues are student-only so you can be sure of meeting people with a similar outlook and we throw in a transport service to make sure you get home safely.
The Union also organizes various formal balls throughout the year,with the highlight being the end-of-year ball.
Supporting you
Beyond having fun, we also make sure some of the more serious issues are effectively dealt with. If you have a problem with your course, another sabbatical officer is trained to help you. Being independent from the university means we can represent and support you to the best of our ability,and once you reach the university you may find that you know about more national or political issues.What does the underlined phrase probably mean?
| A．Stopping being self-centered. |
| B．Relaxing and enjoying yourself. |
| C．Telling others your feelings and secrets. |
| D．Cutting your hair and letting it fall freely. |
According to the third paragraph,we can learn that___________.
| A．a Students’Union is close to the home |
| B．a Students’Union is far away from the university |
| C．a Students’Union is in the central part of the university |
| D．a Students’Union has different courses for all the students |
The person who takes up a certain post of the Students’Union_____________.
| A．is very happy and easy |
| B．learns what the students need |
| C．can affect the life of any student |
| D．has understood everything of the university |
When I was about 10, I was walking down the street with my mother. She stopped to speak to MrLee. I knew I could see Mr Lee anytime around the neighborhood, so I just stood there. After we passed him, my mother stopped and said something unforgettable, "You let that be the last time you ever walk by somebody you know without opening your mouth to speak, because even a dog can wag its tail when it passes you on the street." That sentence sounds simple but it made me become who I am.
At work, I used to say hello to the president of the company and ask him how our business was doing. But I also spoke to the people in the cafe? and people who cleaned the buildings, and asked them how their children were doing, for every single person deserves to be accepted, no mater how humble they are. I remember that after a few years of passing by the president, I had the courage to ask him for a chat. We had a great talk. At some point, when I asked him how far he thought I could go in his company, he said that if I wanted to, I could get all the way to his seat.
I've become vice-president, but that hasn't changed how I treat people. I speak to people wherever I am. Speaking to people creates a pathway into their world, and it lets them come into mine, too.
The day you speak to someone who has his head down and then see him lift it up and smile, you will realize how powerful it is just to open your mouth and say hello.What can we learn from the second paragraph?
| A．The writer didn’t say hello to anyone in the company. |
| B．The president of the company actually didn’t like the writer at all. |
| C．The writer made a very good impression on the president of the company. |
| D．The president of the company thought the writer was much better than him. |
For the writer，saying hello to others____________.
| A．is a way to get what he wants |
| B．has become a habit and a way of life |
| C．is a way to show respect for his mother |
| D．is important in making him remembered |
The underlined sentence suggests that speaking to others can____________.
| A．make our world much better |
| B．help people work much better |
| C．make people much happier every day |
| D．help people understand each other better |
What is the best title for this passage?
| A．The influence of the unforgettable experience |
| B．The power of being talkative |
| C．The power of saying hello |
| D．The road to success |