After having worked in the University of Maryland for three years, I got a job offer from another university---Lynn University. I left my letter of offer on my present boss's desk, turned around, and closed the door quietly. I was expecting a call from my boss saying congratulations, which would show her approval of my leaving.
In the afternoon, my boss called me, saying, "Can we meet tomorrow? "That was a good signal. The next day, I met with my boss. She said, 'Nicholas, we want you. What do you want?" I said, "Boss, I deserve a significant pay raise this year due to my outstanding performance. I think I need a 10% pay raise next year as a condition for me to stay here." My boss said, "No problem.''
When I left her office, I called Lynn University and told them that I was going to get a 10% pay raise. They had to give me 10% more than their original pay offer in order for me to accept the job. The new boss told me that he was willing to give me more, but I would feel very bad working at this university with such a high pay. I would win a battle, but I would lose a war. He said, "The problem is that your colleague will earn less than you, so you will feel guilty(内疚)and uncomfortable. But, I can still give you 5% more than the original offer."
I delivered this massage to my present boss, and she told me that she would give me another 5% pay raise if I promised to refuse this new job offer. On top of that, she would strongly support my early promotion(晋升)from assistant professor to associate professor. According to the university policy, you must take at least 6 years to get promoted. That was my third year of employment at this university. After refusing the new job offer, I finally enjoyed both a pay raise and early promotion.In paragraph 2, what does Nicholas mean by "That was a good signal"?
| A.His boss would approve his leaving the University of Maryland. |
| B.He would leave his present job and work for Lynn University. |
| C.His boss would talk with him about a possible pay offer. |
| D.His friends would congratulate him on getting a new job offer. |
Why did the new boss agree to another 5% raise when Nicholas asked for 10% the next day?
| A.He did not have the right to make such a big pay offer. |
| B.he did not want Nicholas to earn more than he did. |
| C.Nicholas was not experienced enough to get such a raise. |
| D.Nicholas would not feel good for earning too much more than others. |
How much pay raise did the author finally get as a result of refusing the new job offer?
| A.5% | B.10% | C.15% | D.20% |
In the text, the author mainly tells his experience of________.
| A.earning a pay raise |
| B.refusing a job offer |
| C.applying for a new position |
| D.making decisions in the workplace |
Many facts suggest that children are overweight and the situation is getting worse,according to the doctors.I feel there are a number of reasons for this.
Some people blame the fact that we are surrounded(包围)by shops selling unhealthy,fatty foods,such as fried chicken and ice cream,at low prices.This has turned out a whole generation of grown-ups who seldom cook a meal for themselves.If there were fewer of these restaurants,then probably children would buy less take-away food.
There is another argument that blames parents for allowing their children to become overweight.I agree with this,because good eating habits begin early in life,long before children start to visit fast food shops.If children are given fried chicken and chocolate rather than healthy food,or are always allowed to choose what they eat,they will go for sweet and salty foods every time,and this will carry on throughout their lives.
There is a third reason for this situation.Children these days take very little exercise.They do not walk to school.When they get home,they sit in front of the television or their computers and play computer games.Not only is this an unhealthy pastime(消遣),it also gives them time to eat more unhealthy food.What they need is to go outside and play active games or sports.
The above are the main reasons for this problem,and therefore we have to encourage young people to be more active,as well as steering them away from fast food shops and bad eating habits.According to the text,what kind of children may eat more unhealthy food?
| A.Those who often take exercise. |
| B.Those who often watch television. |
| C.Those who often have meals at home. |
| D.Those who often walk to school. |
The author thinks that children are becoming overweight because ________.
| A.their parents often cook meals for them |
| B.they are too busy to go out and play |
| C.they can’t choose what to eat |
| D.there are too many fast food shops around |
The word“steering”underlined in the last sentence most probably means ________.
| A.forcing | B.guiding |
| C.driving | D.moving |
The main purpose of the text is to ________.
| A.tell a story | B.provide facts |
| C.give advice | D.compare opinions |
Throughout the history of the arts,the nature of creativity has remained constant to artists.No matter what objects they select,artists are to bring forth new forces and forms that cause change—to find poetry where no one has ever seen or experienced it before.
Landscape(风景) is another unchanging element of art.It can be found from ancient times through the 17th-century Dutch painters to the 19th-century romanticists and impressionists.In the 1970s Alfred Leslie,one of the new American realists,continued this practice.Leslie sought out the same place where Toomas Cole,a romanticist,had produced paintings of the same scene a century and a half before.Unlike Cole who insists on a feeling of loneliness and the idea of finding peace in nature,Lealie paints what he actually sees.In his paintings,there is no particular change in emotion,and he includes ordinary things like the highway in the background.He also takes advantage of the latest developments of color photography(摄影术) to help both the eye and the memory when he improves his painting back in his workroom.
Besides,all art begs the age-old question:What is real?Each generation of artists has shown their understanding of reality in one form or another.The impressionists saw reality in brief emotional effects,the realists in everyday subjects and in forest scenes,and the Cro-Magnon cave people in their naturalistic drawings of the animals in the ancient Forests.To sum up,understanding reality is a necessary struggle for artists of all periods.
Over thousands of years the function of the arts has remained relatively constant.Past or present,Eastern or Western,the arts are a basic part of our immediate experience.Many and different are the faces of art,and together they express the basic need and hope of human beings.The underlined word “poetry” most probably means______.
| A.an object for artistic creation |
| B.a collection of poems |
| C.an unusual quality |
| D.a natural scene |
Leslie’s paintings are extraordinary because______.
| A.they are close in style to works in ancient times |
| B.they look like works by 19th-century painters |
| C.they draw attention to common things in life |
| D.they depend heavily on color photography |
What is the author’s opinion of artistic reality?
| A.It will not be found in future works of art. |
| B.It does not have a long-lasting standard. |
| C.It is expressed in a fixed artistic form. |
| D.It is lacking in modern words of art. |
What does the author suggest about the arts in the last paragraph?
| A.They express people’s curiosity about the past. |
| B.They make people interested in everyday experience. |
| C.They are considered important for variety in form. |
| D.They are regarded as a mirror of the human situation. |
Which of the following is the main topic of the passage?
| A.History of the arts. |
| B.Basic questions of the arts. |
| C.New developments in the arts. |
| D.Use of modern technology in the arts.四、写作(共两节,满分35分) |
The African elephant,the largest land animal remaining on earth,is of great importance to African ecosystem(生态系统).Unlike other animals,the African elephant is to a great extent the builder of its environment.As a big plant-eater,it largely shapes the forest-and-savanna(大草原) surroundings in which it lives,therefore setting the terms of existence for millions of other animals that live in its habitat(栖息地).
It is the elephant’s great desire for food that makes it a disturber of the environment and an important builder of its habitat.In its continuous search for the 300 pounds of plants it must have every day,it kills small trees and underbushes,and pulls branches off big trees.This results in numerous open spaces in both deep tropical forests and in the woodlands that cover part of the African savannas.In these open spaces are numerous plants in various stages of growth that attract a variety of other plant-eaters.
Take the rain forests for example.In their natural state,the spreading branches overhead shut out sunlight and prevent the growth of plants on the forest floor.By pulling down trees and eating plants,elephants make open spaces,allowing new plants to grow on the forest floor.In such situations,the forests become suitable for large hoofed plant-eaters to move around and for small plant-eaters to get their food as well.
What worries scientists now is that the African elephant has become an endangered species.If the elephant disappears,scientists say,many other animals will also disappear from vast areas of forest and savanna,greatly changing and worsening the whole ecosystem.What is the passage mainly about?
| A.Disappearance of African elephants. |
| B.Forests and savannas as habitats for African elephants. |
| C.The effect of African elephants’ search for food. |
| D.The eating habit of African elephants. |
What does the underlined phrase “setting the terms” most probably mean?
| A.Fixing the time. |
| B.Worsening the state. |
| C.Improving the quality. |
| D.Deciding the conditions. |
What do we know about the open spaces in the passage?
| A.They result from the destruction of rain forests. |
| B.They provide food mainly for African elephants. |
| C.They are home to many endangered animals. |
| D.They are attractive to plant-eating animals of different kinds. |
The passage is developed mainly by______.
| A.showing the effect and then explaining the causes |
| B.pointing out similarities and differences |
| C.describing the changes in spare order |
| D.giving examples |
Dear all,
Please read Professor Hume's email about his next lecture on Rosa I'arks.
Susan Miller
Secretary
Dear Susan,
Please forward this message to students of my history class.
Besides the life story of Bosa Parks in the textbook,the students are also required to read the passage below and some related stories that can be borrowed from the school library.
Ted Hume
The early experiences of Rosa Parks (1913-2005),long known as the "mother of the civil rights movement,"were not different from those of many African-Americans at that time.The black woman,however,turned the course of American history in December 1955 when she refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white man."By sitting down,"remarked John Lewis,"she was standing up for all Americans."
Among the numerous awards Parks received in her life were the Presidential Medal of Freedom (1996) and the Congressional Gold Medal(1999).
Parks died on Oct. 24,2005,At St. Paul A.M.E. Church in Montgomery,a large crowd including Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice celebrated her life.Rice said she and others,who grew up when the political activities of Parks held public attention,might not have realized her impact(影响) on their lives,"but I can honestly say that without Mrs. Parks,I probably would not be standing here as Secretary of State."
After her casket(灵柩) was placed at the Capitol,U.S. President Bush,members of Congress and ordinary Americans paid their respects.In American history Parks is the first woman to lie in state at the Capitol,a very high regard usually reserved for Presidents of the United States.
| 1. |
What is the main purpose of Susan's email?
|
| 2. |
What does the underlined word "forward" mean?
|
| 3. |
The political impact on Rosa Parks lies in the fact that she.
|
| 4. |
How was Rosa Parks treated after her death?
|
Camp memories last forever!We make sure they are unforgettable!
Shadow Ridge Summer Camps offer so many exciting things for campers to do.Unlike other camp programs that include horses as a small part of their program,at Shadow Ridge horses ARE the program!We are 100% horse from stable(马厩) management,nature walks,and track rides to bedroom furnishings.
Horses help us achieve many of our aims.Girls can learn to develop responsibility,self-confidence and personal connections in their lives while having fun.Using horses as a wonderful tool for education,our camps offer an interesting place for growth and learning.
Imagine each girl having her very own horse to spend time with and a best friend to love and take care of.Each camper is responsible for a horse for the week.Our riding program provides a lot of riding and lesson time.Campers will learn how to take care of the horse and the tack(马具),as well as how to ride.Days are filled with horse-related activities to strengthen the connection between each girl and horse,as the girls learn to work safely around the horses.
At Shadow Ridge we try to create a loving,caring family atmosphere for our campers.We have "The Bunkhouse" (4 girls),the "Wranglers Roost" (4 girls),and "The Hideout" (2 girls) in our comfortable 177-year-old farm house.All meals are home cooked,offering delicious and healthy food for the hungry rider.
Our excellent activities create personalized memories of your child's vacation.Each child will receive a camp T-shirt and a photo album.(usually 300-500 pictures) of their stay at camp.
Our camps are offered during June,July and August 2007,for small groups of girls aged 13-16 years,not only from Canada but also other parts of the world.
We will send you full program descriptions at your request.
| 1. |
What is the main purpose of the passage?
|
| 2. |
What do we know about the camp programs at Shadow Ridge?
|
| 3. |
The programs at Shadow Ridge mainly aim to help people.
|
| 4. |
The passage is written mainly for.
|