One evening, two young men were walking in the street together. They tried to find a chance to steal something.
The clock struck twelve. Most of the people went to bed. Quickly they came to a house and it seemed that everyone in the house had fallen asleep. Standing at the front gate, one said in English to the other in a low voice, "You wait here. I'll walk around to the back door and then get into the house."
Suddenly out of the house ran a dog, barking at them. The two men were very frightened and ran away as fast as they could. Finally, they stopped at a lonely place. The man said breathlessly, "It's too bad. I hadn't expected that the dog could understand English."Why did the two men walk in the street one evening?
A.they couldn't fall asleep. |
B.they wanted to steal something. |
C.they would like to take a walk. |
D.they went to visit their friends. |
From the sentence "one said in English to the other in a low voice", we know that ____.
A.he didn't know English |
B.he liked speaking English quietly |
C.he couldn't speak aloud |
D.he was afraid of waking up others |
The dog ran out of the house and barked at them only because _______.
A.it understood English | B.it knew them |
C.it found someone outside | D.both B and C |
No one knows for sure when advertising first started.It is possible that it grew out of the discovery that some people did certain kinds of work better than others did them.That led to the concept of specialization,which means that people would specialize,or focus,on doing one specific job.
Let’s take a man we’ll call Mr.Fielder,for example.He did everything connected with farming.He planted seeds,tended the fields,and harvested and sold his crops.At the same time,he did many other jobs on the farm.However,he didn’t make the bricks for his house,cut his trees into boards,make the plows(犁),or any of the other hundreds of things a farm needs.Instead,he got them from people who specialized in doing each of those things.
Suppose there was another man we shall call Mr.Plowright.Using what he knew about farming and working with iron,Mr.Plowright invented a plow that made farming easier.Mr.Plowright did not really like farming himself and wanted to specialize in making really good plows.Perhaps,he thought,other farmers will trade what they grow for one of my plows.
How did Mr.Plowright let people know what he was doing?Why,he advertised,of course.First he opened a shop and then he put up a sign outside the shop to attract customers.That sign may have been no more than a plow carved into a piece of wood and a simple arrow pointing to the shop door.It was probably all the information people needed to find Mr.Plowright and his really good plows.
Many historians believe that the first outdoor signs were used about five thousand years ago.Even before most people could read,they understood such signs.Shopkeepers would carve into stone,clay,or wood symbols for the products they had for sale.
A medium,in advertising talk,is the way you communicate your message.You might say that the first medium used in advertising was signs with symbols.The second medium was audio,or sound,although that term is not used exactly in the way we use it today.Originally,just the human voice and maybe some kind of simple instrument,such as a bell,were used to get people’s attention.
A crier,in the historical sense,is not someone who weeps easily.It is someone,probably a man,with a voice loud enough to be heard over the other noises of a city.In ancient Egypt,shopkeepers might hire such a person to spread the news about their products.Often this earliest form of advertising involved a newly arrived ship loaded with goods.Perhaps the crier described the goods,explained where they came from,and praised their quality.His job was,in other words,not too different from a TV or radio commercial in today’s world.What probably led to the start of advertising?
A.The discovery of iron. |
B.The specialization of labor. |
C.The appearance of new jobs. |
D.The development of farming techniques. |
To advertise his plows,Mr.Plowright ________.
A.praised his plows in public |
B.placed a sign outside the shop |
C.hung an arrow pointing to the shop |
D.showed his products to the customers |
The writer makes up the two stories of Mr.Fielder and Mr.Plowright in order to ________.
A.explain the origin of advertising |
B.predict the future of advertising |
C.expose problems in advertising |
D.provide suggestions for advertising |
In ancient Egypt,a crier was probably someone who ________.
A.owned a ship |
B.had the loudest voice |
C.ran a shop selling goods to farmers |
D.functioned like today’s TV or radio commercial |
The last two paragraphs are mainly about ________.
A.the history of advertising |
B.the benefits of advertising |
C.the early forms of advertising |
D.the basic design of advertising |
Some time ago,I was diagnosed with breast cancer and reacted in the way most people would.The first thing came to mind was a “death sentence”. However,I found out later it was truly “an awakening” for me,especially after being diagnosed with colon cancer a few years later,but still alive to tell about them both.I began to question God.Why was I chosen to suffer this double challenge?What had I done in life so bad to have this placed upon me?I was unhappy with the way I look and the intolerant pain I had to experience each day,but instead of sighing over my fate,I decided to look on the positive sides of it.
I knew that I was about to face a new beginning,new hope,do and see more with a whole new perspective on life.I also began thinking of the individuals that are no longer among us and how there will always be someone worse off than I am.Who am I to complain?I still have my life.
During my treatments,I experienced something of a miracle that I had to write down.I took that experience and turned it into a poem and I called it “Peace”.I took that poem along with many others I had composed during my breast cancer period and submitted them for publication.The book of poems was accepted and published under the title “True Simple Poems of Life,Faith and Survival”.
I continue to write and hope that my poetry may encourage other unfortunate people and my writing continues to give me strength.I've had another inspirational children's book published called “If Only I Could Fly,Said Mattiebee”.
I would never have become a writer,producing inspirational stories,if I had not gone through all that I did.I'm a true example that you can survive cancer,not once,but twice,providing that you catch it in time.It won't all be easy,but you must have faith and allow that faith to direct your path.
I truly believe when you survive a terrible tragedy or a horrible disease like cancer,it's for a reason—you have a purpose,and I want to live and find out exactly what that is for me.How did the author feel about her disease at first?
A.Optimistic. | B.Pessimistic. |
C.Confident. | D.Discontented. |
When did the author begin to notice the positive sides of her tragedy?
A.After she was diagnosed with colon cancer. |
B.After she was diagnosed with breast cancer. |
C.After she wrote her first poem. |
D.After she became a writer. |
In the author's opinion,________.
A.no one is luckier than her |
B.God doesn't treat everyone fairly |
C.writing poetry is the best way to deal with cancer |
D.being alive is lucky for her |
We can know from the passage that ________.
A.the author developed breast cancer a few years after colon cancer |
B.writing only helped the author alone |
C.the author wrote stories as well as poems |
D.If Only I Could Fly,Said Mattiebee is a poem |
Many women write to me perplexed(困惑的) about why they can't form close friendships.They try new approaches,put themselves in all the right places,see therapists,and read relevant selfhelp books.They consider themselves interesting,loyal,kind,and friendworthy people.But for reasons unknown to them,they have a tough time forming intimate relationships.Many admit to not having even one close friend.
A recent study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology offers some clues as to how both nature(personality) and nurture (experience) impact our friendships.Researchers at the University of Virginia and University of Toronto,Mississauga studied more than 7,000 American adults between the ages of 20 and 75 over a period of ten years,looking at the number of times these adults moved during childhood.Their study,like prior ones,showed a link between residential mobility and adult wellbeing:The more times participants moved as children,the poorer the quality of their adult social relationships.
But digging deeper,the researchers found that personality—specifically being introverted (内向的) or extroverted (外向的)—could either intensify or buffer (缓冲) the effect of moving to a new town or neighborhood during childhood.The negative impact of more moves during childhood was far greater for introverts compared to extroverts.
“Moving a lot makes it difficult for people to maintain longterm close relationships,” stated Dr.Shigehiro Oishi,the first author of the study,in a press release from the American Psychological Association,“This might not be a serious problem for outgoing people who can make friends quickly and easily.Less outgoing people have a harder time making new friends.”
Families often have to relocate—across town,across the country,or across the globe.Yet,in many cases,their kids and young adolescents haven't yet built up a bank of friendships.So the conventional wisdom is to try to minimize moves for the sake of your child,whenever possible,and to move at the end of the academic year.The passage is written mainly to ________.
A.offer advice to women on how to form intimate relationships |
B.explain how nature and nurture impact our friendships |
C.explain how moves during childhood affect children |
D.tell us how to help children make friends |
Which of the following is true according to the second paragraph?
A.People who moved less during childhood have better social relationships. |
B.The more people moved during childhood,the more friends they have. |
C.The more people moved during childhood,the better they adjust to society. |
D.There is no link between residential mobility and adult wellbeing. |
In order for children to maintain longterm close relationships,parents ________.
A.should not relocate their homes |
B.should relocate their homes within the town |
C.had better move at the end of the school year |
D.had better move when their children couldn't build up a bank of friendships |
We learn from the fourth paragraph that moves during childhood ________.
A.have a bigger impact on an introverted person compared to extroverts |
B.have no impact on an outgoing person |
C.are a big problem for both introverts and extroverts |
D.help children better adapt to a new environment |
We can infer from the passage that ________.
A.our friendships are mainly affected by our nurture |
B.we can move when children have made a lot of friends |
C.the impact of moves will disappear when one reaches adulthood |
D.there is some way to minimize the impact of moves during childhood on children |
Before the opening of the Cape Cod Canal in 1914,the only way ships could leave Boston was on a route around Race Point—the northern tip of Cape Cod.However,navigation during the 18th century was a nightmare,because the floating cross current(交叉气流) around Race Point caused countless accidents.So building a lighthouse to lighten the place was very necessary.
As early as 1808,the people of Provincetown requested a lighthouse on Race Point,but it took Congress eight years to react when they finally paid $ 8,000 on April 27,1816 to build a lighthouse —Race Point Light,which was located in the town of Provincetown,Massachusetts.It was first built of stone 25 feet high with no foundation and its light was 30 feet above the sea.It was equipped with one of the nation's earliest revolving lights.
Actually,there were two other lighthouses on Cape Cod,but they were hit by a storm in October 1841.In the following year,Race Point Light was examined by I.W.P.Lewis,who realized the light's importance.He said,“The light should be useful to all ships leaving Boston.However,its illuminating power is so weak that people would hardly be able to differentiate it from the lights set on the ships which stay in the bay,or close by.It hasn't played its role as a lighthouse well.”
The result was that old lighthouse was destroyed and a new iron lighthouse with a proper foundation was put up to take its place.The new lighthouse was 45 feet high.Although the original keeper's house was in good repair,it was destroyed too and a new one was built.Today the lighthouse has been automated(自动化)and Race Point Light is still an active aid to navigation.
You can park at Race Point Beach and walk about 45 minutes to the lighthouse.Sunset at Race Point Light is one of the Cape Cod's most popular scenes.And at times whales can be seen in the lighthouse.For reservations to stay one night in the keeper's house at Race Point call(508)487-9930.The underlined word “illuminating” in Paragraph 3 probably means ________.
A.preventing accidents | B.cooling the air |
C.providing light | D.predicting weather |
Why was the original Race Point Light replaced by a new one?
A.It was too old to repair properly. |
B.It hadn't done a good job in helping the passing ships. |
C.It was destroyed in a storm in October 1841. |
D.It wasn't high enough and had no foundation. |
According to the passage,Race Point Light ________.
A.is also a tourist spot now |
B.stopped working after 1914 |
C.was built by I.W.P.Lewis |
D.has been automated since 1841 |
What can be learned from the passage?
A.The keeper's house is open to the public now. |
B.The present keeper's house is the original one. |
C.The two other lighthouses had revolving lights too. |
D.The government didn't agree to build Race Point Light. |
What does this passage mainly talk about?
A.The building process of Race Point Light. |
B.The tourism value of Race Point Light. |
C.The three lighthouses on Cape Cod. |
D.The history of Race Point Light. |
After spending a year in Brazil on a student exchange program,her mother recalled,Marie Colvin returned home to find that her classmates had narrowed down their college choices.“Everyone else was already admitted to college,” her mother,Rosemarie Colvin,said from the family home.“So she took our car and drove up to Yale and said,‘You_have_to_let_me_in.'”
“Impressed—she was a National Merit (全国英才) finalist who had picked up Portuguese in Brazil—Yale did, admitting her to the class of 1978,where she started writing for the Yale Daily News and decided to be a journalist,” her mother said.
On Wednesday,Marie Colvin,56,an experienced journalist for The Sunday Times of London,was killed as Syrian forces shelled the city of Homs.She was working in a temporary media center that was destroyed in the attack.
“She was supposed to leave Syria on Wednesday”,Mrs.Colvin said.“Her editor told me he called her yesterday and said it was getting too dangerous and they wanted to take her out.She said she was doing a story and she wanted to finish it.”
Mrs.Colvin said it was pointless to try to prevent her daughter from going to conflict zones.“If you knew my daughter,” she said,“it would have been such a waste of words.She was determined,she was enthusiastic about what she did,it was her life.There was no saying ‘Don't do this.' This is who she was,absolutely who she was and what she believed in:cover the story,not just have pictures of it,but bring it to life in the deepest way you could.”“So it was not a surprise when she took an interest in journalism,” her mother said.From the underlined sentence in Paragraph 1,we can infer that ________.
A.Yale was her last choice |
B.Yale must keep its promise to Marie Colvin |
C.Marie Colvin was confident of herself |
D.Marie Colvin was good at persuading |
Marie Colvin's story suggests some of the best qualities of being a journalist are ________.
A.patience and confidence |
B.honesty and curiosity |
C.flexibility and creativity |
D.determination and courage |
Which of the following is the correct order to describe Marie Colvin's life?
a.She was doing a story in Syria and got killed.
b.She was admitted to Yale University.
c.She studied in Brazil as an exchange student.
d.She was hired by The Sunday Times of London.
e.She began to take an interest in journalism.
A.d→e→c→a→b | B.c→b→e→d→a |
C.e→d→c→b→a | D.b→c→d→e→a |
From the last paragraph we can know that Mrs.Colvin ________.
A.knows her daughter very well |
B.cares little about her daughter |
C.dislikes the choice of her daughter |
D.doesn't fully appreciate her daughter |
What can be the best title of the text?
A.Covering Stories in a Dangerous Conflict Area |
B.Applying for Top Universities,a Successful Case |
C.Recalling Her Daughter,a Journalist Killed in Syria |
D.Choosing Lifelong Careers Based on Your Own Interest |