It is true that people with better education are usually able to get better paying jobs. In other words, they have more chances to choose a good job while people with little or no education don’t. It seems that the purpose of education is to make people get jobs. But this isn’t accepted by all people.
Some people may think that a person should spend the best years of his life to get education only for a way of living. This was probably one of the earliest reasons of education. In fact, if education is just a way of making a living, people don’t need to spend so much time in school. People can get education for a living in a short time. Subjects like history and geography need not be taught to everyone. Even language and mathematics need not be taught in detail (详细地)，either. Here it is clear that education is much more than teaching a man to get a way of living.
Education is well-rounded and it is mainly for improving a man. It is not only to teach him to speak, read and write, but also to develop his creative thinking and other abilities. After that, it is to make him a wise man and thankfully enjoy the achievements of human. Education is to make a man lead a better life. Educated people are expected to be able to listen to good music, read good books, watch plays and most of all take an interest in the world.
I would agree that making a good living is an important reason for education, but certainly not the most important or the main reason.People with little education usually _______.
| A．spend a long time in school |
| B．have a good chance to get a job |
| C．spend the best years choose jobs |
| D．have fewer chances to get a good job |
The earliest education was probably to __________.
| A．make a man lead a better life |
| B．teach a man to write and think |
| C．make people get a way of living |
| D．teach people to read good books |
It is expected that educated people will be able to _________.
| A．accept education as a way of living |
| B．take an interest in the whole world |
| C．develop their abilities to make plays |
| D．learn subjects like language and math |
The passage mainly tells us that _________.
| A．education should make a man improve |
| B．people can get education in a short time |
| C．people should be able to get better paying jobs |
| D．all subjects are so important for a way of living |
For the 17 years my life was very happy. Then the first sad thing happened. My mother became very ill. Just before she died, she asked Elizabeth and me to go to her room. She said, “Victor and Elizabeth, I’m very happy because you love each other, and because one day you’ll get married. Everyone in the family loves you, Elizabeth. Will you take my place in the family, my dear? I can die happy if you look after them when I have gone.”
My mother died and we were very sad, because we loved her so much. Elizabeth was brave and helped us; her sweet smile gave us some happiness in the unhappy days after my mother’s death. The time came for me to go to university(大学). I didn’t want to leave my sad family, but we all knew that I should go. It was hard to leave, too, because the parents of my good friend Henry would not let him go to university with me. So I had gone alone.
On my first day at university I met Professor Waldman. He gave a wonderful talk to all the students. He ended his talk by saying, “Some of you will become the greatest scientists of tomorrow. You must study hard and discover everything that you can.”
After the professor’s talk, I thought very carefully. I remembered the storm when I was 15; I remembered how the lightning had destroyed the tree. From then on, I wanted to use electricity to help people, and I wanted to discover the secrets of life. I decided to work on these two things.
I started to work the next day. I worked very hard and soon Professor Waldman and I realized that I could learn to be a very good scientist.
The professor and other important scientists helped me. I was interested in my work and I did not take one day’s holiday during the next two years. After two years, I had discovered many things and I built a scientific machine that was the best in the university. My machine would help me answer the most important question of all. How does life begin? Is it possible to put life into dead things? To answer these questions about life I had to learn first about death. I had to watch bodies from the moment when they died and the warm life left them. In the hospital and in the university, I watched the dying and the dead. Day after day, month after month, I followed death, so it was a dark and terrible time.
I built a tall mast(桅杆)about 150 metres high, which is higher than the tallest building in the city, to catch lightning and send the electricity down to my machine in the lab. I believed I could use that electricity to give life to things that were dead.
Then one day, the answer came to me. Suddenly I was sure that I knew the secret of life.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Elizabeth married shortly after Victor’s mother died. |
| B．Elizabeth was a brave girl who loved Victor and gave him much help. |
| C．Victor’s mother was very angry when she knew he loved Elizabeth. |
| D．Victor did not want to leave his family because his mother died not long before. |
Victor did all the following during his research in the university EXCEPT that ______.
| A．he discovered many things and built a scientific machine |
| B．he learnt much about death both in the hospital and in the university |
| C．he worked hard and took only one day’s holiday during the next two years |
| D．he built a tall mast to catch lightning and send the electricity down to the lab |
According to the writer, the secret of life is to _______.
| A．give life to things that were dead |
| B．build the best machine to learn about death |
| C．use electricity to help others |
| D．become the greatest scientist of tomorrow |
Which is the correct order about the life of Victor?
① Victor’s mother passed away.
② Victor got help from the professor and other scientists.
③ Victor went to university and attended the professor’s talk.
④ Victor found the answer to giving life to things that were dead.
⑤ Victor experienced a storm, seeing the lightning destroying the tree.
| A．①②③④⑤ | B．⑤①②④③ |
| C．①③②⑤④ | D．⑤①③②④ |
A passenger(乘客) told an air hostess that he needed a cup of water to take his medicine when the plane just took off. She said to him that she would bring him the water in ten minutes.
The air hostess was kept so busy that she forgot to give him the water. As a result, the passenger was held up to take his medicine. Thirty minutes later, when the passenger’s ring for service sounded, the air hostess hurried over to him with a cup of water, but he refused it.
In the following hours on the plane, each time the air hostess passed the passenger, she would ask him with a smile whether he needed help or not. But the passenger never replied to her.
When the passenger was going to get off the plane, he asked the air hostess to hand him the passenger’ booklet. She knew that he would write down sharp words about her job,but with a smile she handed it to him.
Off the plane, the air hostess opened the booklet, and smiled because the passenger wrote, “On the flight, you asked me whether I needed help or not for twelve times in all. How can I refuse your twelve sincere smiles?”The underlined word “it” in Paragraph 4 refers to the________.
| A．medicine | B．water | C．cup | D．booklet |
At the end of the story, we know the passenger was ________ with the air hostess.
| A．pleased | B．unhappy | C．angry | D．bored |
Ang Lee won the Best Director Oscar for his adventure film Life of Pi at the 85th Academy Awards in Hollywood, California February 24, 2013.
Life of Pi shows a young Indian named Pi, who finds the world he knows swept away when his family sells their zoo and sets sail for Canada with a few animals. Only Pi escapes from the storm and floats in a lifeboat with a giant Bengal tiger.
“I really want to thank you for believing this story and sharing this unbelievablejourney with me,” Lee said in his speech. The film also won three other Oscars, for best original music, best cinematography(电影艺术) and best visual(视觉) effects. It won more awards than Lincoln and Argo which were also among the hottest nominees.
Coming from China's Taiwan, the 58-year-old Lee won an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 2001 for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and another for Best Director in 2006 for Brokeback Mountain. He is the only person of Asian to win the directing award and one of the rare people who won that award more than once.
In an after-ceremony interview, Lee said he believed Asian films would come to the main stage of the world sooner or later. "I was born in Asia and grew up with Chinese education. It is natural for me to put Asian thinking into Western things." The film, which cost 120 million U.S. dollars, has earned nearly 600 million dollars worldwide. Lee said most of the earnings came from outside China. Lee said he felt warm that he won the award on the day of the Lantern Festival, a Chinese traditional festival on which families get together to solve puzzles on lanterns and eat Tang Yuan. He wished everyone a happy new year of the snake and everybody gets lucky.What kind of film does Life of Pi belong to?
| A．Comedies. | B．Tragedies. |
| C．Detective films. | D．Adventure films. |
So far, how many Oscar directing awards has Ang Lee won?
| A．One. | B．Two. |
| C．Three. | D．Four. |
How do Chinese people celebrate the Lantern Festival?
| A．Families get together and have rice dumplings. |
| B．Children make lanterns out of big orange pumpkins. |
| C．People solve puzzles on lanterns and enjoy Tang Yuan. |
| D．Children go to the display of lanterns and receive red packets. |
What can we know from the passage?
| A．The 85th Academy Awards was held in Hollywood, California this year. |
| B．Pi was a young American who had an adventure trip with a tiger in India. |
| C．Lincoln and Argo won more awards than Life of Pi. |
| D．Asian films have come to the main stage of the world. |
Which of the following about Life of Pi is true?
| A．It was a great success as it won four Oscars. |
| B．It earned nearly 600 million dollars in China. |
| C．It describes Pi’s escape from a terrible earthquake. |
| D．It is the only successful film Ang Lee has ever made. |
The San Diego Zoo has been a lovely home for giant pandas since two of the black-and-white bears came to visit in 1987. This week there was snow in San Diego—well, at least for a lucky group of giant pandas.
Over 15 tons of snow was blown into the San Diego Zoo's panda area on Tuesday morning to give the endangered bears a chance to play. They would experience the snow just like living in their natural habitat.
The snow day was a first for Xiao Liwu whose name means "Little Gift." He was the sixth baby panda born to Bai Yun. Xiao Liwu was jumping on Mom, playing with her and getting used to being thrown in the snow by mama bear. Jennifer Becerra, San Diego Zoo keeper said, "He was really enjoying the snow and running around. I've never seen him so happy."
All the San Diego Zoo’s giant pandas are from China, as part of a long-term captive breeding(人工养殖) program. Four of Xiao Liwu's brothers have already been moved from California to China.
Today there are 44 giant pandas living in zoos outside of China, where the bears' only natural home is. As just 1,600 pandas are thought to be left in the wild, researchers insist that captive breeding is an important way to study and protect the endangered pandas. Not only because of the habitat loss from human activities and low reproductive rates(繁殖率), giant pandas' survival is also affected by climate change. A study showed that global warming could kill much of the bears' main food, bamboo, over the next century.Why was the snow blown into the San Diego Zoo's panda area?
| A．To stop the bamboos from dying. |
| B．To give the pandas a chance to play. |
| C．To help the pandas live in their natural habitat. |
| D．To make Xiao Liwu happy. |
What’s the relationship between Bai Yun and Xiao Liwu?
| A．Wife and husband. |
| B．Father and daughter. |
| C．Sister and brother. |
| D．Mother and son. |
What is NOT the factor that influences the giant pandas' number?
| A．The loss of habitat. |
| B．Low reproductive rates. |
| C．Human research. |
| D．Climate change. |
Which of the following is the best title of this passage?
| A．Giant pandas in San Diego Zoo |
| B．Giant pandas in danger |
| C．Xiao Liwu’s happy time |
| D．How to protect giant pandas |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．Captive breeding is the most useful way to protect giant pandas. |
| B．More than 44 giant pandas live in zoos outside of China now. |
| C．China is the only natural home of giant pandas. |
| D．Xiao Liwu was afraid of being thrown in the snow by mama. |
The Statue of Liberty, which has been closed to the public since super storm Sandy struck in October, will reopen by July 4.
The Statue of Liberty was presented to the United States by the French people in 1886. It stands at Liberty Island as a welcome to all returning Americans.
It’s five months since the monument and Liberty Island were shut down after the storm.
While the statue itself was not seriously harmed by the storm, several buildings on the island experienced the terrible flood. The way used by ships carrying visitors from lower Manhattan and New Jersey was also destroyed.
“It’s good news, it’s a little late, but at least it’s there, and now we’ll watch like an eagle to make sure this promise is kept,” Schumer told NBC New York.
In January, the government spent $59 million repairing both Liberty Island and nearby Ellis Island, which was also damaged in the storm. But the officers have not announced when Ellis Island will reopen. In November, more than a million art works had to be removed from the museum there because of the storm. The Statue of Liberty is one of the country’s most popular tourist attractions. According to the National Park Service, more than 3.7 million people visit the site every year.Why was the Statue of Liberty closed last October?
| A．Because of the super storm Sandy. |
| B．Because of the destroyed way. |
| C．Because of the damaged buildings. |
| D．Because of nearby Ellis Island. |
How long has the monument and Liberty Island been shut down?
| A．One month. | B．Four months. |
| C．Five months. | D．Ten months. |
What does the underlined word It in the fifth paragraph refer to?
| A．The Statue of Liberty was presented by French people. |
| B．The government spent $59 million repairing Liberty Island and Ellis Island. |
| C．The Statue of Liberty stands at Liberty Island as a welcome to all. |
| D．The Statue of Liberty will reopen by July 4. |
Which of the following is true according to this passage?
| A．The Statue of Liberty was seriously harmed by the storm. |
| B．In January the government spent $59 million repairing Liberty Island. |
| C．It’s announced that Ellis Island will reopen in November. |
| D．The Statue of Liberty attracts over 3.7 million tourists every year. |