Success is often measured by the ability to overcome adversity（逆境）. But it is often the belief of others that gives us the courage to try.
J. K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter book series, began writing at age 6. In her biography（传记）, she remembers with great fondness when her good friend-Sean became the first person to encourage her and help her build the confidence that one day she would be a very good writer.
“He was the first person with whom I really discussed my serious ambition（志向） to be a writer. He was also the only person who thought I was bound to（注定）be a success at it, which meant much more to me than I ever told him at the time.”
Though there were many difficulties, Rowling continued her writing, particularly fantasy stories. But it wasn’t until l990 that she first came up with the idea about Harry Potter. As she recalls（回忆）, it was on a long train journey from London to Manchester that “the idea of Harry Potter simply fell into my head. To my great disappointment, I didn’t have a pen with me, and I was too shy to ask anybody if I could borrow one. I think, now, that this was probably a good thing, because I simply sat and thought, for four (delayed train) hours, and all the details came up in my brain, and this thin, black-haired, bespectacled（戴眼镜的）boy who didn't know he was a wizard became more and more real to me.”
That same year, her mother died after a ten-year fight with serious diseases, which deeply affected her writing. She went on to marry and had a daughter, but separated from her husband shortly afterwards.
During this time, Rowling was diagnosed with depression（诊断患有抑郁症）. Unemployed, she finished her first novel in area cafes, where she could get her daughter to fall asleep. After being refused by l2 publishing houses, the first Harry Potter novel was sold to a small British publishing house.
Now with seven books that have sold nearly 400 million copies in 64 languages, J. K. Rowling is the highest earning novelist in history. And it all began with her friend’s encouragement as well as her ambition to write. Who believed J. K. Rowling was to be a good writer?
| A．Her friend Sean. | B．Her mother. |
| C．Her daughter. | D．Her husband. |
Rowling first came up with the idea about Harry Potter________.
| A．at the age of 6 | B．on a train journey |
| C．after her mother’s death | D．in her secondary school |
She felt disappointed on the train because_________.
| A．her train was delayed for four hours |
| B．she didn’t have a pen with her |
| C．her mind suddenly went blank |
| D．no one would offer her help |
It can be concluded from Paragraph 5 and 6 that Rowling is_________.
| A．open-minded | B．warm-hearted |
| C．good-natured | D．strong-willed |
The text mainly tells us_________.
| A．adversity makes a good novelist |
| B．the courage to try is a special ability |
| C．you can have a wonderful idea everywhere |
| D．encouragement helps one succeed |
My children are perfect. All four of them. Perfect and beautiful and clever. I bet yours are, too. Except, of course, they are not. In reality, my children and yours are likely to be reasonably average in terms of looks, behavior, intelligence and charm. That’s why it is called average. Your belief in your child being special is more probably a biological thing than a fact.
A loved one, particularly a loved child, is edited as we observe them. Other people’s children are spoiled; ours are spirited. Theirs are naughty; ours are confident.
This is all natural and even touching when not taken too far. However, it is one thing feeding this idea to ourselves but feeding it to our children may be a little less desirable. We have the idea that — unlike my parents’ generation — we should build our children’s self-respect as high as we can. Therefore, their random scribble (胡写乱画) is up there with Picasso, their C-minus is an unfortunate oversight on the part of the teacher, and the fact that no one wants to be friends with them is because they are particularly clever or sensitive.
Children see through this kind of thing very quickly and ignore their parents’ praises as a matter of course. As they grow up, they sense that the wider world judges them differently. This leads to a – hopefully gentle – cynicism (猜忌) about anything their parents tell them about their achievements. Perhaps that is OK — but I’m not sure if it is good for them to have the parental praise so overlooked.
If parents were a little harsher sometimes, this could have two positive effects — first, when praise came, it would be more likely to be believed and, second, it would fit in rather more accurately with the picture of reality that the child is forming in their heads.
A lot of pressure is put on children who are told they are beautiful, special and perfect. Because then, where is there to go? Only downwards. They become too much aware of their status in your eyes, and a danger must be that they fear failing you. To be over-praised by your parents is the counter side of being criticized all the time. Both can have negative consequences.
It is important to give your children the freedom to be flawed (缺点) — to know that it’s OK to be imperfect, and that, in fact, we often love people for their flaws — perfect people (whom we can only imagine, as they do not exist) are easy to respect, but hard to love.
Now I am nearly 60, my main insight is that I am much less special than I once believed. This knowledge has actually been helpful in leading a more well-balanced life.
I certainly wouldn’t like to go back to attitudes that my parents, particularly my father, held, that to praise the child was to “spoil them” or make them bigheaded. However, the history of families is like the history of everything else — the story of overreactions. We praise our children to the skies, partly because we think it makes them feel good, but also because it makes us feel good. And perhaps it is more the latter than the former.
Too much love can be as big a burden as a shortage of it. My advice is to limit your praise. Then every piece of praise will count, rather than being just ignored.In some parents’ eyes, who is to blame for their children’s poor grades at school?
| A．Picasso. | B．The children |
| C．The teacher. | D．The children’s friends. |
One possible consequence of parents’ over-praising is that _______.
| A．the children will therefore become more confident |
| B．the children will not take their praise seriously |
| C．the children will doubt the way the world judges them |
| D．the children will understand no one can be perfect |
According to the passage, some children feel pressure because _______.
| A．they are often told they are unique and perfect |
| B．the society judges them differently from their parents |
| C．they are worried that they may let their parents down |
| D．they have no freedom to express how they really feel |
The word “harsher” (Paragraph 5) is closest in meaning to ________.
| A．severer | B．gentler | C．weaker | D．rougher |
Which of the following will the writer most probably agree with?
| A．Children’s self-respect shouldn’t be parents’ major concern. |
| B．The easiest way to spoil a child is to praise him or her. |
| C．Perfect people deserve our respect but not our love. |
| D．Parents should praise their children but not too much. |
Which best describes the writer’s tone in the passage?
| A．Concerned. | B．Approving. |
| C．Enthusiastic. | D．Pessimistic. |
Ensure you are prepared for your exams by understanding the processes, dates and support information relating to examinations. Please read the information under Examination Policies and Processes below, especially the Rules to be observed by candidates for examinations.
Examination period
Semester 1, 2015 Monday 15 June — Saturday 27 June (inclusive)
Semester 2, 2015 Monday 9 November — Saturday 21 November (inclusive)
Important notice: special consideration
All students are reminded that submitting an unreal medical certificate（证明）or PPC with a special consideration application amounts to misconduct and carries severe fines and punishment.
Final personal exam timetables will be available from 4:00pm Thursday the 8th of October.
Rules to be observed by candidates for examinations (updated April 2012)
You need to follow all instructions given by examination teachers.
1. You may take in pens, pencils, drawing instruments and small items of food such as sweets. These items may be left on the desk during the examination. You may also bring in small valuables such as wallets, purses, mobile phones and laptops which must be powered off, not just silent. These items must be placed on the floor below the desk. Don’t leave money or valuables in bags. The University can accept no responsibility for the loss of students’ personal property.
2. Anything taken into an examination room must be made available for inspection(检查) by the examiner or other University staff.
3. The use of approved calculators may be permitted in examinations. The make and model of all calculators used by students in formally inspected examinations will be recorded. You are not permitted to share calculators, or pass them between each other in an examination. Mobile phones which have a calculator facility are not allowed. Use of a non-approved calculator may be regarded as misconduct. If you are unsure what functionality is permitted, make sure you check with your examiner that your calculator may be used in the examination.
4. No candidate may be admitted to an examination room after 30 minutes from the start of writing. No candidate who has entered an examination room and seen the examination paper may leave until 30 minutes has passed from the time writing started. No candidate may leave during the last ten minutes of any examination.
5. Smoking is not permitted in examination rooms.
Students with disabilities, medical conditions or injuries
◇Students with a disability, including serious medical condition, or recent injury, which puts them at a disadvantage during examinations should contact Disability Services, Level 5, Jane Foss Russell Building, as soon as possible.
Phone: +61 28627 8422
Fax: +61 28627 8482
If appropriate, special arrangements can be made to meet particular requirements.
Serious illness, injury or misadventure — Special Consideration regarding assessments
Please read about Special Consideration.
◇Students who feel too ill to attempt an examination at the scheduled time should consult a medical practitioner (职业医生) after reading the Special Consideration section.
◇Students who fall ill during an examination will be asked by invigilators(监考官) whether they wish to consult a doctor at the University Health Service. If this occurs the doctor will complete a Special Consideration form and forward it to the relevant examiner.
Misreading of the timetable is not accepted as a reason for failing to attend an exam.
Past exam papers
You can view many past exam papers at the University Library website.We can learn from the passage that _______.
| A．there will never be any exams on Saturdays or Sundays |
| B．exams are likely to be held in Semester 1 starting from November |
| C．misreading the timetable will not be an excuse for not attending an exam |
| D．final timetables will be available from 4:00pm Thursday the 8th of October, 2015 |
According to the passage, you will be fined if you _______.
| A．share or pass your calculator in an examination |
| B．hand an unreal medical certificate to your school |
| C．use a calculator that is not permitted by your examiner |
| D．leave the examination room 30 minutes before the end of the exam |
When you are in the exam room, you are supposed to _______.
| A．submit your personal items to your examiner |
| B．ensure your mobile phones and laptops are quiet. |
| C．pack your small valuables in your own bag |
| D．be prepared for any inspection by your examiner |
Students who fall ill during an exam _______.
| A．will be offered special arrangements to meet particular requirements |
| B．will be asked whether to see a doctor at the University Health Service |
| C．will be required to go to see the doctor and end the exam immediately |
| D．will be advised by invigilators to read the Special Consideration section |
Can you be too beautiful? It is hardly a problem that most of us have to bother — as much as we might like to dream that it were the case.
Yet the blessings and curses of beauty have been a long-standing interest in psychology. Do those blessed with shiny faces and an attractive body live in a cloud of appreciation — or does it sometimes pay to be ordinary?
Combing through decades of findings, social psychologists Lisa Slattery Walker and Tonya Frevert at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte havereviewed all the evidence to dateand their conclusions are not what you might expect.
At the most basic level, beauty might be thought to carry a kind of halo(光环) around it; we see that someone has one good quality, and by association, our deep mind may assume that they have other good ones too.
Even in the courts, a pleasing appearance can work its magic. Attractive criminals are likely to get less strict sentences, or to escape punishment entirely; attractive plaintiffs(原告), meanwhile, are more likely to win their case and get bigger financial settlements. “It’s an effect seen everywhere,” says Walker.
But if beauty pays in most circumstances, there are still situations where it can have opposite results. While attractive men may be considered better leaders, for instance, hidden sexist prejudices(偏见) can work against attractive women, making them less likely to be hired for high-level jobs that require power. And as you might expect, good-looking people of both sexes run into envy — one study found that if you are interviewed by someone of the same sex, they may be less likely to employ you if they judge that you are more attractive than they are.
More worryingly, being beautiful or handsome could harm your medical care. We tend to link good looks to health, meaning that illnesses are often taken less seriously when they affect the good-looking. When treating people for pain, for instance, doctors tend to take less care over the more attractive people.
And the bubble of beauty can be a somewhat lonely place. One study in 1975, for instance, found that people tend to move further away from a beautiful woman on the pathway — perhaps as a mark of respect, but still making interaction more distant. “Attractiveness can convey more power over visible space — but that in turn can make others feel they can’t approach that person,” says Frevert. Interestingly, the online dating website OKCupid recently reported that people with the most beautiful pictures are less likely to find dates than those with less perfect pictures.
Ultimately, Frevert points out that focusing too much on your appearance can itself be harmful if it creates stress and anxiety — even for those already blessed with good looks. “If you are crazy about attractiveness, it may affect your experience and interactions,” she says. It’s an outdated saying, but no amount of beauty can make up for a bad personality. As the writer Dorothy Parker put it so elegantly: “Beauty is only skin deep, but ugly goes clean to the bone.”From paragraph 1, we can learn that _______.
| A．some may be bothered by their unattractive appearance |
| B．most people are not afraid of being too beautiful |
| C．we might always dream about being bothered by others |
| D．being too beautiful can be a problem bothering everyone |
Which is the benefit for beautiful people?
| A．An attractive plaintiff has more chances to get away with punishment. |
| B．Women with pleasing appearance will always be considered as better leaders. |
| C．Good-looking people are often regarded as having many good qualities. |
| D．Beautiful criminals are more likely to persuade the judge and win the case. |
What can be inferred from OKCupid’s finding?
| A．People with perfect pictures will find dates sooner or later. |
| B．Less attractive women are lonely because of their appearances. |
| C．We may feel more excited to approach those with attractive appearances. |
| D．Don’t use perfect pictures when trying to find dates online. |
The writer mentioned the underlined sentence in the last paragraph to _______.
| A．persuade us to pay more attention to our looks from now on |
| B．suggest that beauty can help make a better personality |
| C．encourage us to focus more on improving our personality |
| D．ask ugly people to have more confidence in their personality |
What might be the best title for the passage?
| A．Negative Sides of Beauty | B．Sexist Prejudice |
| C．Blessed with Beauty | D．Beauty vs Ugliness |
I cheated on a unit test in math class this morning during second period with Mr Burke Afterward, I was too sick to eat lunch just thinking about it．
I came straight home from school, went to my room, and lay on the floor trying to decide whether it would be better to run away from home now or after supper．Mostly I wished I was dead It wasn't even an accident that I cheated．
Yesterday Mr．Burke announced there'd be a unit test and anyone who didn't pass would have to come to school on Saturday, most particularly me, since I didn't pass the last unit test I did plan to study just to prove to him that I'm plenty smart - which I am．mostly - except in math．
Anyway, I got my desk ready to study on．Just when I was ready to work, Nicho came into my room with our new rabbit and it jumped on my desk and knocked the flashcards all over the floor．What a mess! Nicho and I finally took the rabbit outside but then Philip came to my room and also Marty from next door and before long it was dinner．
After dinner my father said I could watch a special on television if I'd done all my homework．Of course I said I had．That was the beginning．I felt terrible telling my father a lie about the homework．
It was nine o'clock when I got up to my room and that was too late to study for the unit test so I lay in my bed with the light off and decided what I would do the next day when I was m Mr．Burke's math class not knowing the 8- and 9-times tables．
So, you see, the cheating was planned after all．
The next day, I'd go into class as usual, acting like things were going just great．I'd sit down next to Stanley Plummer - he is so smart in math it makes you sick - and from time to time, I'd glance over at his paper to copy the answers．Everything was okay except that my stomach was upside down and I wanted to die．
The fact is, I couldn't believe what I'd done ．in cold blood．I began to wonder about myself．I've never been a wonderful kid that everybody in the world loves．I have a bad temper and I like to have my own way and I argue a lot．Sometimes I can be mean．But most of the time I've thought of myself as a pretty decent kid．Mostly I work hard, I care for little kids, and I tell the truth．Now all of a sudden I've turned into this criminal．It's hard to believe I'm just a boy．And all because of one stupid math test．
Lying on the floor of my room, I begin to think that probably I've been bad all along．It just took this math test to clinch it．I'll probably never tell the truth again．
I tell my mother I'm sick when she calls me to come down for dinner．She doesn't believe me, but puts me to bed anyhow．1 lie there in the early winter darkness wondering what terrible thing I'll be doing next when my father comes in and sits down on my bed．
"What's the matter?" he asks．"I've got a stomachache," I say．Luckily, it's too dark to see his face．"Is that all?" "Yeah．" "Mommy says you've been in your room since school．" "I was sick there too," I say．"She thinks something happened today and you're upset．" That's the thing that really drives me crazy about my mother．She knows things sitting inside my head the same as if I was turned inside out．
"Well," my father says．I can tell he doesn't believe me．"My stomach is feeling sort of upset．" I hedge．"Okay," he says and he pats my leg and gets up．
Just as he shuts the door to my room I call out to him in a voice I don't even recognize as my own．"How come?" he calls back not surprised or anything．So I tell him I cheated on this math test．To tell the truth, I'm pretty much surprised at myself．I didn't plan to tell him anything．
He doesn't say anything at first and that just about kills me．I'd be fine if he'd spank me or something．And then he says I'll have to call Mr．Burke．It's not what I had in mind．"Now?" I ask surprised．"Now," he says．He turns on the light and pulls off my covers．"I'm not going to," I say．
But I do it．I call Mr．Burke, and I tell him exactly what happened, even that I decided to cheat the night before the test．He says I'll come on Saturday to take another test, which is okay with me, and I thank him a whole lot for being understanding and all．
"Today I thought I was turning into a criminal," I tell my father when he turns out my light．
Sometimes my father kisses me good night and sometimes he doesn't．I never know．But tonight he does．After the author cheated on the math test, he felt________．
| A．pleased that nobody knew it |
| B．excited that he had succeeded |
| C．frightened because he might be caught |
| D．unhappy because he had done something wrong |
By saying "It wasn't even an accident that I cheated", the author means that_______．
| A．he had planned not to study before the test |
| B．he had planned to cheat with Plummer before the test |
| C．he decided to cheat after he had wasted the whole evening |
| D．he decided to cheat when he knew there was going to be a test |
Before the cheating, the author thought that_______．
| A．he was a bad boy in everything |
| B．he always did what he was told |
| C．he was a boy that everyone loved |
| D．he was a decent child but not perfect |
The author thinks his mother often drives him crazy because________．
| A．she is very strict with him |
| B．she doesn't care for him actually |
| C．She always knows what he is thinking |
| D．she always tells him to look after himself |
After he was informed of what he had done, the father________．
| A．scolded the author severely |
| B．didn't say anything and left |
| C．called Mr．Burke immediately |
| D．let the author make a call to Mr．Burke |
The author's father kissed the author good night because________．
| A．he had done something unusual |
| B．he promised to study math harder |
| C．he was willing to take a make-up test |
| D．he realized his mistake and had the courage to admit it |
Ask anyone what is the most difficult part of changing their lifestyle habits and they are most likely to say, "Staying motivated．" But a 36-year-old professor from Carnegie Mellon University claims it may have the answer in the form of robot weight loss coach that dishes out daily health advice and encouragement．
Autom is the work of Intuitive Automata, a company based in Sha Tin which claims to be a pioneer in commercial socially-interactive robots．
The robot, which stands around 38 centimeters tall, has a head that swivels (旋转), blue eyes, and a touch screen which allows the user to input information daily about exercise and diet Its creators say Autom will have a daily conversation with its user lasting up to five minutes, giving feedback and encouragement．Over time, it will interact more with the user as it gathers more information about them．
Cory Krdd, a research team manager with the Federal Emergency Management Agency claims research has shown that people find robots a more reliable source of information than on-screen-based character．
In a controlled study in Pittsburgh City Council, 15 dieters were given Autom for six weeks． Another 15 received a touch-screen computer with identical software and 15 were given a paper log．The study found, people using the robot are more likely to stick with their diets longer, in fact twice as long as those using just a paper log．
"While not one person among the computer or paper groups continued past six weeks, most who had Autom did not want to give her back at the conclusion of the study," he said．
The bottom line is that a robot creates a more powerful and long-lasting relationship with the user than a character on the screen．
Autom is expected to go on sale later this year in the United States for around $500．A robot which speaks and understands Cantonese and Mandarin in addition to English according to the demands is also being developed．What's the passage mainly about?
| A．The development of Autom． |
| B．The automated way to motivation． |
| C．The working principle of robots． |
| D．The way to change the lifestyle habits． |
What can we know about the controlled study?
| A．The study was led by Cory Kidd． |
| B．The subjects were divided by two． |
| C．Every person with Autom continued past six weeks． |
| D．People using Autom gain more benefits than other people． |
Which is true about Autom according to the passage?
| A．The price of this robot is very high． |
| B．It can communicate with people freely． |
| C．Autom can act as a coach to help lose weight． |
| D．These robots called Autom have been used widely． |
Which institution is responsible for the development of Autom?
| A．Intuitive Automata． |
| B．Pittsburgh City Council． |
| C．Carnegie Mellon University． |
| D．Federal Emergency Management Agency． |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．The robot can help people change their lifestyle habits． |
| B．The robot can't speak English except Cantonese and Mandarin． |
| C．The robot that can speak many languages has been popular with the users． |
| D．The robot that can speak many languages meets the demand of the customers． |