Our oldest daughter is having trouble letting go of an old red sofa.
It’s not the sofa she’s having trouble letting go of as much as the memories. It was their first sofa. It has been loaded and unloaded onto moving trucks seven times. Three kids have eaten on it, dripped on it, and jumped on it.
Yet she’s having a hard time letting go and asked if I thought that was strange.
“Completely,” I said. “You get it from me.”
When we were ready to get rid of our baby things, I sold our crib (婴儿床) at the neighborhood garage sale. I had pieces of it in the garage and the other pieces of it still in the house. A young woman said she wanted to buy it.
My throat tightened and the tears began to well. She pulled out cash and I cheered up.
But by the time I returned with the other pieces to the crib, I was all sobbing. “Have you considered that maybe you’re not ready to sell it?” the woman asked.
“No-o-o-o,” I cried. “It’s fine, really,” I said. “Take it.”
Our attachment to stuff grows in direct relationship to the amount of time it has sat in one place. The longer it sits, the harder it is to get rid of it. You think: “Hey, we’ve hung onto it this long – it must be valuable!” As though yellowing and a layer of dust increase value.
People who find it extremely hard to part with things have been made into entertainment in a television show called Hoarders. If an episode (集) of that isn’t depressing enough for you, producers now offer Extreme Hoarders. Both of which are not to be outdone by Storage Wars, a show about aggressive people who bid on other people’s storage units.
Let the sofa go, I told my daughter. It served its purpose. You can get a new one. Give the kids some crackers (饼干) and juice and it will be like the old one in six weeks.What does the author mean by saying the underlined sentence “You get it from me”?
A.“You can get another sofa from me.” |
B.“You can get mental support from me.” |
C.“You behave just the same way I do.” |
D.“You are asking the right person to help you.” |
When the writer was selling the crib, _____.
A.she felt relieved that there was someone willing to buy it |
B.she showed a strong attachment to the old item |
C.she couldn’t decide whether or not to sell it in the end |
D.she changed her mind in hopes of keeping it and increasing its value |
The writer refers to the television shows to _____.
A.prove that it’s depressing to get attached to old stuff |
B.explain what contributes to people’s attachment to old stuff |
C.show that people in TV shows live the same lives as ordinary people do |
D.prove that it’s actually common for people to find it hard to get rid of old stuff |
Which opinion might the writer agree with according to the article?
A.If you give away old stuff regularly, you are wasteful. |
B.If the old stuff has done what it was supposed to, then let it go. |
C.Nothing is more valuable than your love for your old stuff. |
D.The older your stuff is, the less trouble you have getting rid of it. |
Sunny English ClubSunny English Club is for ______ .
A.nurses | B.policemen | C.businessmen | D.students |
You will pay _______ if you want to stay in the English club for half a year.
A.300 yuan | B.600 yuan | C.1200 yuan | D.2400 yuan |
You can visit Ocean Museum _______ .
A.on Saturday | B.on Wednesday | C.on Monday | D.anytime |
If you are interested in the life of fish, you should go to ______ .
A.Health Centre | B.Ocean Museum | C.Sunny English Club | D.16 Yong Le Street |
阅读理解(共15小题;每小题2分,满分30分)
阅读下列短文,从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中,选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
A
Tom arrived at the bus station quite early for the London bus. The bus for London would not leave until five to twelve. He saw a lot of people waiting in the station. Some were standing in lines; others were walking about. There was a group of schoolgirls. Their teacher was trying to keep them in order. Tom looked around but there was nowhere for him to sit.
He walked into the station café. He looked up at the clock there. It was only twenty to twelve. He found a seat and sat down, facing a large mirror on the wall. Just then, John, one of Tom’s friends, came in and sat with Tom.
“What time is your bus?” asked John.
“Oh, there is plenty of time yet,” answered Tom.
“Oh, I’ll get you some more tea then,” said John.
They talked while drinking. Then Tom looked at the clock again.
“Good heavens! It’s going back-ward!” he cried. “A few minutes ago it was twenty to twelve and now it’s half past eleven.”
“You are looking at the clock in the mirror,” said John.
Tom wanted to kick himself for being so foolish. The next bus was not to leave for another hour. He has never liked mirror since then.Tom went into the station café because _______.
A.John asked him to have a cup of tea |
B.he wanted a drink there |
C.he would meet a friend of his |
D.it was early yet and he could find a place to sit |
When we look at a clock in the mirror we’ll see _______.
A.the right time | B.it is going slower |
C.it is going backward | D.it is going fast |
Which of the following is true?
A.Tom missed his bus. |
B.He liked mirror even before. |
C.The next bus would leave soon. |
D.Tom arrived London on time. |
When we think of leadership, we often think of strength and power. But what are these really, and how do they operate?
Leadership today is not about forcing others to do things. If this is even possible, it is short-term, and tends to backfire. If you order someone to do something against their will, they may do it because they feel they must, but the anger they feel will do more harm in the long-term. They will also experience fear.
Fear causes the thinking brain to shut down, making the person unable to function at his or her best. If they associate you with this emotion of fear, they will become less functional around you, and you will have succeeded in not only shooting yourself in the foot, but possibly making a very good employee or partner unable to perform effectively. Fear has no place in leadership.
The way we influence people in a lasting way is by our own character, and our understanding and use of emotion. We can order someone to do something, which may be part of the work day; or we can employ them at the emotional level, so they became fully devoted to the projects and provide some of their own motivation(积极性). Today’s work place is all about relationships.
Anyone works harder in a positive environment in which they’re recognized and valued as a human being as well as a worker. Everyone produces just a bit more for someone they like. Leaders understand the way things work. They know the pay check is not the single most motivating factor (因素) in the work life of most people.
The true strength of leadership is an inner strength that comes from the confidence of emotional intelligence---knowing your own emotions, and how to handle them, and those of others. Developing your emotional intelligence is the single best thing you can do if you want to develop your relationships with people around you, which is the key to the leadership skills.An employee may have a feeling of fear in the work place when___.
A.he is forced to do things |
B.be cannot work at his best |
C.he feels his brain shut down |
D.he thinks of his work as too heavy |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A.People tend to associate leadership with fear |
B.Working conditions affect people’s physical health |
C.Good relationship is the key to business success |
D.Smart people are more functional in the work place |
To positively influence employees a leader should first of all __.
A.provide better suggestions |
B.develop his own personality |
C.give his employees a pay raise |
D.hide his own emotion of fear |
A good leadership is mainly seen in a leader’s ability to___
A.provide a variety of project for employees |
B.help raise employee’s living standards |
C.give employees specific instructions |
D.deal wisely with employees’ emotions |
Surfing—the art of riding a wave on a pointed board—is the wildest, fastest natural water sport known to man. In recent years, it has developed into a major sport around the world, from Australia to South Africa. Hawaiian experts risk(冒…之险) their lives on huge, thirty foot swells(浪涛) against the wind of Oahu; Californians of all ages go out the year-round.
In the winter, surf-riders put on life-suits to ride grave waves so cold that their flesh turns blue.Surfing is no sport for weak persons. Swimming a quarter of a mile or more and pushing a surfboard out to where the swells are just right for riding can be real work. Then, at exactly the right moment, you climb up the wave and go fast across the face of a powerful swell with the white water jumping at your feet. The huge wave bites at your shoulder, threatening(威胁) at any moment to smash your flat. In the next several seconds, a cool head and lightning—quick action back to the pressure of the attacking wave will bring your board under control for that great ride down the back of the great, green mountain of water. Once on the beach, you know why surfing is growing in popularity as an international sport, and you’re glad to be a member of this new water world.The first paragraph mainly tells us ______.
A.people around the world go surfing all the year round |
B.the definition(定义) of the sport |
C.how to surf in the sea |
D.where to surf around the world |
The author believes that surfing _______.
A.is not an easy sport | B.can be done by anyone |
C.should be done by everyone | D.does not require courage |
In order to experience what real surfing is, _______.
A.you must first swim a quarter of a mile to warm your body |
B.you will first ride on a board to reach the swells |
C.you must first put on your life-suits before doing surfing |
D.you must first swim to the swells with your board |
Hilton English Language Center
Information for New Students
CLASS TIME: 9:00a.m.---10:30a.m., 11:00a.m.---12:30p.m., 1:30p.m.---3:00p.m.. The Language Center is open from Monday to Friday. Each class has one afternoon free per week. On the first day, go to the lecture hall to check your timetable.
SELF-ACCESS: The language laboratory (Room 1110) is open Monday to Friday from 3:15p.m. to 5:00p.m. for all full-time students.
You can learn how to use computers for language games or word-processing(文字处理). There are tapes for students to borrow to practice their English. Go in and ask the teacher to show you. If you plan to take public examinations, there are dictation(听写)and listening comprehension tapes for you to practice with. There are cloze exercises on the computers. Ask your class teacher for a list of past exam essays. Students can borrow tapes to take home but they must be returned after two days.
ATTENDANCE(出勤):All students are expected to attend classes regularly. Students who do not attend classes will be reported to OSS. Eighty percent attendance is required for students to receive their certificates(证书)when they finish their courses. It is also required by OSS for an extension to your visa.
BOOKS: If students are given course books, the books are their responsibility. If a book is lost, the student will be expected to pay for it.
If students wish to buy books, there is a bookshop in the college specializing in English books (Room 3520). When do classes begin and end on a full day?
A.9:00a.m. ---1:30p.m. | B.9:00a.m. ---3:00p.m. |
C.9:00a.m. ---3:15p.m. | D.3:15p.m. ---5:00p.m. |
How many afternoons does a class meet each week?
A.Two. | B. Three. | C.Four. | D.Five. |
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A.No teachers are in the language lab. |
B.90% attendance is required for the students. |
C.Books can’t be taken out of the center. |
D.Students can prepare for exams by listening to tapes. |
Timetable can be seen in _____.
A.the lecture hall | B.Room 3520 | C.the classroom | D.Room 1110 |