Two of the hardest things to accomplish in this world are to acquire wealth by honest effort and, having gained it, to learn how to use it properly. Recently I walked into the locker room of a rather well known golf club after finishing a round. It was in the late afternoon and most of the members had left for their homes. But a half - dozen or so men past middle age were still seated at tables talking aimlessly and drinking more than was good for them. These same men can be found there day after day, and, strangely enough, each one of these men had been a man of affairs and wealth, successful in business and respected in the community. If material prosperity were the chief necessity for happiness, then each one should have been happy. Yet, it seemed to me, something very important was missing, else-there would not have been the constant effort to escape the realities of life through scotch and soda. They knew, each one of them, that their productivity had ceased(停止). When a fruit tree ceases to bear its fruit, it is dying. And it is even so with man.
What is the answer to a long and happy existence in this world of ours? I think I found it long ago in a passage from the book of Genesis which caught my eye while I was looking through my Bible. The words were few, but they became memorably impressed on my mind. “In the sweat of the face shall you eat the bread."
To me, that has been a challenge from my earliest recollections (memories). In fact, the battle of life, of existence, is a challenge to everyone. The immortal words of St. Paul, too, have been and always will be a great inspiration to me. At the end of the road I want to be able to feel that I have fought a good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith.Which of the following is indicated in the first paragraph?
| A．Wealth results from honest effort. |
| B．The men seated at tables in the locker room are lost in the significance of life. |
| C．For some people, no way can be found to escape the realities of life other than scotch and soda. |
| D．The men acquire wealth by planting fruit trees. |
The underlined sentence "In the sweat of the face shall you eat the bread " means ____.
| A．Bread tastes delicious when sweat pours off your face |
| B．No pains, no gains |
| C．Failure is the mother of success |
| D．Bread comes from the sweat on your face |
We learn from the passage that the author_______.
| A．was a wealthy person in the community |
| B．held a positive attitude towards an active life |
| C．was fond of associating with celebrities (名人) |
| D．kept a secret of the reason why he was so impressed |
What is implied in the passage by the writer?
| A．To use wealth properly, eat, drink and be merry. |
| B．Where there is a will, there is a way. |
| C．As life is but like a dream, a man is like a fruit tree. |
| D．If you cease to struggle, you cease to live. |
The expression “keeping up with the Joneses” was first used in 1913 by a young American Arthur Momand. He told this story about himself: he began earning $125 a week at the age of 23. That was a lot of money in those days. Young Momand was very proud of his riches. He got married and moved with his wife to Long Island, outside New York City.
But just moving there was not enough. For when Momand and his wife saw that their neighbors belonged to a country club they too joined a club. And when he saw that rich people were expected to ride horses, Momand went horseback riding every day. Momand and his wife also hired a servant and gave grand parties for their new neighbors.
It was like a race, but one could never finish this race because one was always trying to keep up. Momand and his wife could not do that.
The race ended for them when they could no longer pay for their new way of life. They moved back to an inexpensive New York City apartment.
Momand later said that his experience had been a cruel awakening for him. However, he was able to see the funny side of it. He looked around him and noticed that many people do things just to keep up with their neighbors.
He decided that this would make good stories for many papers across the country. He called it “Keeping up with the Joneses”, because “Jones” is a very common American name. “Keeping up with the Joneses” came to mean keeping up with the people around you. Momand’s stories appeared in different newspapers for over 28 years.
People never seem to tire of keeping up with the Joneses. That is one reason why they read the “right” books, go to the “right” universities and eat in the “right” restaurants. But no matter what one does, Mr. Jones always seems to be ahead.The writer of this passage means to tell us ___________.
| A．what Arthur Momand did to keep up with his neighbors |
| B．how the expression “keep up with the Joneses” came into being |
| C．what we should do to keep up with our neighbors |
| D．how we can live differently from others |
The reason Momand moved to Long Island is that ___________.
| A．he wanted to live in a rich neighborhood |
| B．there was a country club for him to join |
| C．it was outside the city and good for horseback riding |
| D．his wife came from that area |
By saying “It was like a race”(in Para 3), the writer means ____________.
| A．it was just a suitable place for the horse race |
| B．Momand and his wife kept themselves busy |
| C．Momand’s neighbors also gave parties one after another |
| D．Momand tried to compete with their neighbors in his way of life |
The funny side Momand saw in his experience was _________.
| A．he moved back to a cheap place |
| B．he was not alone in keeping up with his neighbors |
| C．he made a mistake in following other people’s examples |
| D．he cared too much about what others thought of him |
Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Momand earned a lot of money when he got married |
| B．Momand was always very interested in riding horses |
| C．Momand found there was something wrong with his way of life |
| D．Momand wrote stories for newspapers about himself and his neighbors |
Philip was a nine-year-old boy in a Sunday school class of 8-year-old girls and boys. Sometimes the third graders didn’t welcome Philip into their group and usually tricked him. This was not because he was older, but because he was “different”. You see, Philip suffered from a condition called Downs’s Syndrome. This made him “different”, with its facial characteristics, slow responses and mental problems.
One Sunday after Easter, the Sunday school teacher gathered some plastic eggs that pulled apart in the middle. The teacher gave one to each child. On that beautiful spring day, the children were to go out and discover for themselves some symbol of “new life” and place it inside the plastic eggs.
After the children returned to the classroom, the teacher opened their eggs one by one, asking each child to explain that symbol of “new life”. The first opened egg contained a flower. Everyone cheered. In another was a butterfly…. When the teacher opened the last egg, it was empty. “That’s stupid,” said someone. The teacher felt a pull at his shirt. It was Philip. Looking up, Philip said, “It’s mine. I did it. It’s empty. I have new life, because the tomb is empty.” Not a sound was heard in class at all. From that day on, Philip became a real part of the group. They welcomed him, and whatever made him different was never mentioned again.
Philip’s family knew he wouldn’t live a long life, for there were too many things wrong with him.The underlined word “condition” in the 1st paragraph probably means __________.
| A．grade | B．status | C．health | D．disease |
It can be inferred from the first paragraph that _______.
| A．the 8-year-olds were sometimes cruel. |
| B．The 8-year-olds were friendly to Philip. |
| C．Philip was really different in school. |
| D．Philip was older and more sensitive. |
The teacher gave each child one plastic egg to let them ______.
| A．play around on that beautiful spring day. |
| B．put some symbol of “new life” into it. |
| C．try to pull it apart in the middle. |
| D．go out and discover themselves. |
After Philip explained his new life, _________.
| A．the class thought he was clever. | B．The class fell silent. |
| C．He began to study in the class. | D．He felt dying. |
We learn from the passage that _________.
| A．the teacher used to have classes outdoors |
| B．Philip was healthy as a whole. |
| C．The Philip’s new life wish was empty |
| D．Philip was accepted by his classmates in the end |
In the competition of Olympic weightlifting，the athletes try to lift the maximum (最大的) weight they can. There are special conditions they have to meet in order to compete：body weight，height and strength.
The Olympic weightlifting mainly tests the limit of explosive strength (爆发力)．There are not many lifters who really like Olympic weightlifting and the explanation is very simple：they are short of explosive strength.
The weights used for Olympic weightlifting are added in kilograms. The order by which the athletes enter the competition is not general，but it is set depending on the event. Usually the athlete with the lowest weight begins. If he/she is not successful，he/she can try later. There is a maximum of three lifts allowed for every competition.
For many years Olympic weightlifting was only for men. However，now women also take part in Olympic weightlifting. It was at the beginning of the 21st century that women’s competitions entered an organized professional environment. For women，Olympic weightlifting is more difficult because of their different body structure. However，strength training techniques (技术) are widely and successfully used by women，too.
Lots of the athletes who’ve ended up in Olympic weightlifting competitions have started with strength training only to improve their muscle condition and their body power. However，the demarcation line (界线) is not still very clear between power training and Olympic weightlifting. This is how so many lifters have got into Olympic weightlifting competition，even if their purpose was different at the beginning.In the competition of Olympic weightlifting，athletes need to be all of the following EXCEPT________.
| A．the right age | B．the right height |
| C．the right weight | D．the right strength |
How many more times can a lifter try if he/she fails for the first time?
| A．One. | B．Two. | C．Three. | D．Four. |
According to the fourth paragraph，________.
| A．men often do better than women in weightlifting |
| B．women need to use different training techniques from men |
| C．men can learn the training techniques better than women |
| D．women used not to be allowed to compete in Olympic weightlifting |
According to the passage，many athletes began to practice weightlifting because they wanted to________.
| A．take part in the Olympics |
| B．get a reward in the competition |
| C．strengthen their body power |
| D．test the limit of explosive strength |
Benjamin Franklin was born on January 17,1706 in Boston，America. In his life he built a successful printing and publishing business in Philadelphia；he conducted scientific studies of electricity and made several important discoveries；he was a diplomat (外交官) and statesman；he helped establish Pennsylvania’s first university and America’s first city hospital；he also organized the country’s first subscription library (收费图书馆)．
Franklin was also unequaled in America as an inventor until Thomas Edison. Ben had poor eyesight and needed glasses to read. He got tired of always taking them off and putting them back on，so he decided to figure out a way to make his glasses let him see both near and far. He had two pairs of glasses cut in half and put half of them together. Today，we call them bifocals (双光眼镜)．Another invention of his，an iron stove，allowed people to warm their homes.
He loved to learn about new things. He also thought it was important to make life better with the things that he invented. Electricity was one of the things he experimented with when he retired from his business. Ben discovered that lightning (闪电) and electricity were the same thing. The lightning rod was an important invention that we still use today to protect buildings and ships from lightning damage.
Franklin preferred to have his inventions used freely for the comfort and convenience of everyone. Thomas Jefferson，the third president of America，called Benjamin Franklin “the greatest man of the age and country in which he lived”．To Benjamin Franklin there was no greater purpose in life than to “live usefully”．Benjamin Franklin was NOT a________.
| A．diplomat | B．scientist |
| C．businessman | D．president |
The underlined word “unequaled” in Paragraph 2 means________.
| A．better than any other | B．worse than any other |
| C．the same as others | D．confident as others |
Which of the following is NOT Benjamin’s invention?
| A．Bifocals. | B．The iron stove. |
| C．Printing. | D．The lightning rod. |
What was Benjamin Franklin’s purpose in life?
| A．To live comfortably every day. |
| B．To be useful to others. |
| C．To be a famous person in the world. |
| D．To earn a lot by inventing things. |
Just a few hours ago，the Italian ship Andrea Doria was sailing through thick fog toward the city of New York. Captain Piero Calamai kept watch. He knew that many other ships were nearby. He should have slowed down because of the fog but he decided not to. He wanted to arrive on time the next morning.
At about 11∶00 PM，another ship，the Stockholm，suddenly hit the Andrea Doria. It made a huge hole in the Italian ship. Some people were badly hurt. Others fell into the sea. But one girl was saved by the Stockholm.
Linda Morgan was fourteen. She lived in Spain with her mother and her little sister. She was going to visit her father in New York. She was excited about seeing her father.
Linda had loved the trip. She wanted to have dinner with the captain on the last night at sea. The captain did not sit at his table that night，though. He was busy guiding the ship through the fog. Linda did not get to talk to him.
When Linda went to bed，everything seemed fine. Her mother turned off the lights. Linda talked to her little sister. She thought about seeing her father the next morning.
What happened next was a terrible surprise. Linda woke up not knowing where she was. She was not in her bed. When she called to her family，no one answered. Both her knees were broken.
Linda had been saved by an amazing accident. When the Stockholm made a hole in the side of the Andrea Doria，it lifted Linda out of her bed. She landed on the deck (甲板) of the Stockholm instead of falling into the ocean. A sailor heard her cries and found her.
Right now，the girl is in the hospital. She is expected to get better. Her father is at her side，glad that his little girl was saved. The Andrea Doria lies under the waves at the bottom of the sea.Why didn’t Captain Piero Calamai reduce the speed?
| A．He didn’t want to be late. |
| B．He went crazy because of the bad weather. |
| C．He thought the fog was not serious. |
| D．He had rich experience. |
When the accident happened，________.
| A．Linda was asleep |
| B．the day was about to break |
| C．few people were killed |
| D．the Andrea Doria hit a hole in the Stockholm |
What can we learn from the text?
| A．Linda hated the trip very much. |
| B．Linda was saved by the Stockholm. |
| C．Linda lived with her father in Spain. |
| D．The Andrea Doria wasn’t badly damaged. |
What’s the main idea of the passage?
| A．A little girl’s braveness moved people. |
| B．Andrea Doria sailed through thick fog. |
| C．The Italian ship Andrea Doria was hit by Stockholm. |
| D．A fourteenyearold girl was saved by accident after the crash. |