Papa’s Straw Hat
Papa was a ranger. He worked with horses. He always wore clean clothes with a hat even when he worked. His hat was always the same kind of a cowboy hat- large black hat of heavy wool. He wore his hat full and high. I think he wanted to look taller than he really was.
Mama was proud of the way he looked when he wore his hat and his best clothes. But in some way she got the idea that papa would lose his hair if he kept wearing a heavy wool cowboy hat in the hot weather. She began to talk about his hats.
“Papa,” she said one day, “why don't you get a nice cool straw hat? That heavy wool cowboy hat may cause losing hair!” Papa laughed at her and explained that the horses wouldn’t recognize him if he changed the hat. But she didn’t believe him.
Mama talked and talked about the hat all summer long. At last papa answered, a little angry, “It would not the cowboy hat but a wife’s talking about the hat that makes me lose my hair.”
Mama had a very serious look on her face. She went straight out and later came home with a straw hat. It was a bad year for ranger and we didn't have much money. She thought that if she spent the money for a straw hat, papa would wear it. When papa saw the hat, his face got red. Without a word, he pulled the straw hat down over his head until it hid his eyes and went on to train the horses.
He was a good ranger and gentle to his horses. But as papa got close to the horses this time, they jumped high into the air, raising their front feet. All of them ran around in the rounded field and then raced toward the barn. Papa began to shout “Woo boys. Steady boys, steady.” But there was nothing equal to.
Papa walked back straight to the stove in the kitchen, pushed the straw hat deep down into the fire then turned to mama, in a way that even frightened me. “Now listen to me, mama. Understand this I will never wear a straw hat or any other kind of hat my horses do not like.” Then he put on his wool cowboy hat and walked out of the house.
I never heard mama talk any more about hats. Perhaps, that is why when papa died many years later, there was a round spot on the top of his head where there was no hair.According to the passage, a ranger is _______.
| A．a person wearing a woolen hat |
| B．a position requiring clean clothes |
| C．a person training horses for some purpose |
| D．a person riding a carriage with horses |
Mama bought papa a straw hat because _______.
| A．most cowboys preferred to wear it |
| B．she was worried about his health |
| C．a woolen one didn’t suit papa |
| D．it was cheap and she could save money |
What quality can we learn from papa?
| A．Gentle. | B．Patient. | C．Committed. | D．Modest. |
It can be learned from the story that _______.
| A．this family were not rich but diligent |
| B．papa didn’t love the straw hat and mama |
| C．protecting hair was very important |
| D．a cowboy hat was useful on farming |
Advertising is a highly developed twentieth-century industry. The development of radio, television, cinema, magazines and newspapers has gone hand in hand with the development of advertising. Why is advertising so popular? Is it a waste of money? It has been proved again and again that repeated advertising increases product sales. Since it increases production, the price can be reduced. Therefore advertising, instead of making a product more expensive, makes it cheaper.
Advertising is now a scientific business. Once managers would say jokingly, " I know that half of what I spend on advertising is wasted, but I don't know which half." Now, all parts of an advertising program are properly measured and researched.
What makes a good advertisement? There have been major changes in advertising in the past sixty years. People read advertisements partly for information and partly for pleasure. Today's advertisements often start with a question, or a puzzle, with the purpose of attracting the reader's attention. Of course, most advertisements contain information. But this is usually contained in a text that is interesting and often funny. Humor is very important. Sometimes advertisements tell a story, or the story may be continued over a number of advertisements. However, there is a danger in this. It is possible that the reader or viewer will remember the advertisement but not the name of the product.The purpose of advertising is ____.
| A．to increase product sales |
| B．to make a product much better |
| C．to spend more money |
| D．to reduce the production |
Which of the following can be used in place of the underlined phrase "hand in hand" ?
| A．Here and there. | B．Again and again. |
| C．As usual. | D．At the same time. |
What is meant by what managers said in the second paragraph?
| A．A11 the money on advertising was wasted. |
| B．Not all the advertisements were well designed. |
| C．A11 the managers knew about advertising then. |
| D．Managers spent no money on advertising. |
What does the writer think of advertising?
| A．Useless. | B．Unnecessary. | C．Important. | D．Wasteful. |
Cara Lang is 13. She lives in Boston, Massachusetts, in the U. S. Last Thursday, she didn't go to school. She went to work with her father instead. Every year, on the fourth Thursday in April, millions of young girls go work. This is Take Our Daughters to Work Day. The girls are between the ages of 9 and 15. They spend the day at work with an adult, usually a mother, father, aunt, or uncle. They go to offices, police stations, laboratories, and other places where their parents or other family members work. Next year, the day will include sons, too.
The Ms. Foundation, an organization for women, started the program about ten years ago. In the U.S., many women work outside the home. The Ms. Foundation wanted girls to find out about many different kinds of jobs. Then, when the girls grow up, they can choose a job they like.
Cara's father is a film director. Cara says, “It was very exciting for me to go to the studio with my dad. I saw a lot of people doing different jobs.” Many businesses have special activities for girls on this day. Last year, Cara went to work with her aunt at the University of Massachusetts. In the engineering department, the girls learned to build a bridge with toothpicks and Candy. In the chemistry department, they learned to use scales. They learned about many other kinds of jobs, too.
Right now, Cara does not know what job she will have when she grows up. But because of Take Our Daughters to Work Day, she knows she has many choices.What is Cara's father?
| A．An engineer. | B．An official. | C．A moviemaker. | D．A professor. |
According to the passage, Take our Daughters to work Day is ______.
| A．on every Thursday in Apri |
| B．a holiday for girls of all ages |
| C．a day for girls to know about jobs |
| D．a day for girls to get a job easily |
On this special day, Cara has done all the following EXCEPT that ____.
| A．she learned to use scales |
| B．she worked as an actress |
| C．she went to work with her aunt |
| D．she used toothpicks and Candy to build a bridge |
What is probably the best title for the passage?
| A．Cara Lang, a Fortunate Girl |
| B．Take Our Daughters to Work Day |
| C．Children's Day and Work Day |
| D．Ms. Foundation, an Organization for Women |
Canada’s western city of Calgary is the world’s best city when it comes to healthy living, local press reported Monday.
According to an international survey by Mercer Human Resource Consulting, a London-based consulting firm, Calgary was put at the top of a list of 144 cities. It scored 121 points, just above Honolulu’s score of 120. Helsinki（赫尔辛基，芬兰首都） and Ottawa followed at 119.5 and 118.5 respectively.
Three other Canadian cities came in the top 20. Montreal and Vancouver tied for ninth and Toronto came in at 18th.
The scores are based on air pollution levels, availability and quality of hospitals and medical supplies, as well as the efficiency of waste removal and sewage systems.
In America, the lowest scoring city was Atlanta, which was ranked 76th. Athens was the lowest scoring city in Western Europe, ranking 120th because of its air pollution. London was ranked 59th.How many Canadian cities are in the top 20?
| A．3. | B．4. | C．5. | D．6. |
Which of the following is NOT taken into account when the cities were scored?
| A．Weather conditions. | B．Air quality. |
| C．Waste removal. | D．Medical supplies. |
Among the following cities, which is the lowest scoring one?
| A．Atlanta. | B．Athens. | C．London. | D．Helsinki. |
Lucky is the man who has no “skeleton in his closet.” When a man has done something in his life that he is ashamed of, that he wants to hide, he is said to have a “skeleton in his closet.” Some people may have more than one skeleton.
As we have noted many times, it is hard to find out how these expressions begin. Sometimes, we get some hard facts. But more often we have to depend on guesswork. And that is true of this phrase, which came from England.
Before 1832, English law did not permit a doctor to cut open a dead human body for scientific examination, unless it was the corpse(尸体) of an executed(处决) criminal.
But when it became legal, more and more doctors demanded skeletons for a more scientific study of medicine. It was helping in the advance of modern medicine. The demand had become so strong that men began to rob tombs and sell skeletons to doctors at high prices.
We are told that a doctor would usually buy just one skeleton for scientific study. It became very important in his work. But he had to keep it hidden because most people objected to keeping such a thing. As a rule, the doctor keep his skeleton in some dark corner where it could not be seen, or hide it in a closet.
After a time, people began to suspect every doctor of hiding a skeleton in the closet. From this suspicion, the phrase“a skeleton in the closet”took on a broader, more general meaning: to describe anything that a man wanted to keep others from discovering. It could be proof of a criminal act, or something much less serious. Well, that is one theory.
One writer, however, believes that the phrase might have come from something that really happened. It is his guess that a hidden closet in some old English country home may have turned up a real skeleton, clear proof of some old family shame or crime. Well, one man's guess is as good as another. But this sounds like a story by the great French novelist, Balzac.
Balzac tells us of a man who suspected his wife of having a lover. The husband comes home by surprise. But she hears him and quickly hides her lover in the closet of her bedroom. He enters her room and asks her if she is hiding her lover. He says he will not open the door to the closet if she promises him there is no one there; He will believe her. She answers firmly that she is not hiding anyone in the closet.
The husband then begins to build a solid brick wall against the closet. His wife watches, knowing that her lover will never come out alive. But she will not change her story and admit her guilt.Which of the following situations is now suitable for using the phrase “skeleton in the closet”?
| A．You have stolen something precious and hide them in the closet. |
| B．You are a doctor and have to keep a skeleton for research. |
| C．If you have cut open a dead human body for scientific examination you should keep the skeleton secret. |
| D．You have done a crime or done something foolish, but you want to keep others from |
discovering it.Which of the following is right according to the text?
| A．In the 19th century, doctors realized the importance of anatomy (解剖) in the development of medicine. |
| B．The doctors of the ancient times liked to collect as many skeletons as possible |
| C．The thieves stole skeletons from tombs in order to help the doctors. |
| D．It is legal that corpses of anybody are cut open for scientific examination in history. |
From the story Balzac told we know that the wife's lover must have become ______.
| A．a corpse | B．a phrase | C．a skeleton | D．a story |
Tell our story, make your mark
Havering is one of London’s largest towns. It is a place of contrasts, from the shopping and nightlife of Romford to the cultural quarter of Hornchurch; from the industrial Thames riverside in Rainham to the ambitious regeneration(复兴) project in Harold Hill. The London Borough of Havering has a great story to tell, and we’re looking for the right people to tell it.
Campaigns and Marketing Manager
A creative strategist(战略家) is needed to plan and deliver campaigns that change behaviour across the town and form Havering’s reputation beyond its borders.
Media Manager
An experienced professional is required, who fully understands how the news media works and works well under pressure. You will manage a team of three, as well as our media message.
Communications Business Manager
As a senior member of the communications team, you will be part salesperson and part business strategist, with wide-ranging power to increase our commercial potential as much as possible and save taxpayers’ money.
Senior Media Officers
Two experienced persons are needed to turn the stories that we talk about into the stories that everyone is talking about.
Community Newspaper Journalist (12month contract at the beginning)
Our community newspaper, Living, is being expanded as an energetic publication once every two weeks. We need an editor and a journalist or writer who produces brilliant copy, even against the tightest deadlines.
Pay & grading award are yet to be decided for all posts.
Full details are available on our website. For an informal conversation about these positions, please contact Mark Leech, Head of Communications, by calling 01708 434373.
Any disabled applicants, meeting the necessary standards set out in the profile(简介) for a job, will be guaranteed an interview.
Please apply online via the Council's website at www.havering.gov.uk or contact the Recruitment Team at 01708 433039.
Closing date for completed applications is Friday, 18th April 2008.
Interviews will be scheduled for the week beginning 28th April 2008.Havering is in need of high-level personnel ________.
| A．to tell stories | B．to make it known |
| C．to understand how news media works | D．to plan and deliver campaigns |
The underlined word “contrasts” in the first paragraph means_______.
| A．differences | B．similarities | C．interests | D．achievement |
_________ has to be a salesperson, drawing business plans at the same time.
| A．Community Newspaper Journalist |
| B．Senior Media Officers |
| C．Campaigns and Marketing Manager |
| D．Communications Business Manager |
We can learn from the passage that _________.
| A．disabled applicants will be guaranteed an interview |
| B．all the applicants will be interviewed on 28th April 2008 |
| C．applicants should hand in the application forms before 18th April 2008 |
| D．applicants can talk with Mark Leech about the position on the website |