Dear Guys,
I’d like to talk to you about the shame you subjected me to last night. Let me first refresh your memory: You, a group of fit, young men, were playing soccer on the field across from my apartment building. I, a better-than-average looking young woman, was walking along the sidewalk with my groceries. That’s when your ball came flying over the fence and landed in front of me.
One of you approached and asked politely if I would throw the ball back to you. Fighting the urge to drop my bags and run screaming down the street, I reluctantly (勉强地) agreed.
Before I continue, let me explain something that I didn’t have a chance to mention last night: I hate sports. More specifically, I hate sports involving balls. This results from my lack of natural ability when it comes to throwing, catching and hitting. I’m bad at aiming too. So you can understand why I’d be nervous at what I’m sure seemed to you like a laughably simple request.
However, wanting to appear agreeable, I put my bags down, picked up the ball and, eyes half-shut, and threw it as hard as I could.
It hit the middle of the fence and bounced back to me.
Trying to act casually, I said something about being out of practice, and then picked up the ball again. If you’ll remember, at your command, I agreed to try throwing underhand. While outwardly I was smiling, in my head, I was praying, oh God, oh please oh please oh please. I threw the ball upward with all my strength, terrified by what happened next.
The ball hit slightly higher up on the fence and bounced back to me.
This is the point where I start to take issue with you. Wouldn’t it have been a better use of your time, and mine, if you had just walked around the fence and took the ball then? I was clearly struggling; my smiles were more and more forced. And yet, you all just stood there, motionless.
Seeing that you weren’t going to let me out of the trouble, I became desperate. Memories of middle school softball came flooding back. I tried hard to throw the ball but it only went about eight feet, then I decided to pick it up and dash with ball in hand towards the baseline, while annoyed thirteen-year-old boys screamed at me that I was ruining their lives. Children are cruel.
Being a big girl now, I pushed those memories aside and picked up the soccer ball for the third time. I forced a good-natured laugh while crying inside as you patiently shouted words of support over the fence at me.
“Throw it granny-style!” one of you said.
“Just back up a little and give it all you’ve got!” another offered.
And, most embarrassing of all, “You can do it!”
I know you thought you were being encouraging, but it only served to deepen the shame.
Anyway, I accepted your ball-throwing advice, backed up, rocked back and forth a little, took a deep breath and let it fly.
It hit the edge of the fence and bounced back to me.
I surprised myself—and I’m sure you as well—by letting out a cry, “DAMN IT!!!” I then willed myself to have a heart attack and pass out in front of you just so I’d be put out of my misery.
Alas, the heart attack didn’t happen, and you continued to look at me expectantly, like you were content to do this all night. I had become a sort of exhibition for you. I could feel your collective thoughts drifting through the chain-link: “Can she really not do it? But I mean, really?”
Unfortunately for you, I wasn’t really game to continue your experiment. Three failed attempts at a simple task in front of a group of people in a two-minute period were just enough blows for me for one night. I picked up the ball one last time, approached the fence and grumbled, “Please just come get the damn ball.”
And you did. And thanks to you, I decided at that very moment to never throw anything ever again, except disrespectful glances at people who play sports.
Sincerely,
Jen CorderyThe writer agreed to throw the ball because ______.
| A．she needed to have a relax carrying the heavy groceries |
| B．she wanted to refresh her childhood memories |
| C．she could not refuse the polite request from the young man |
| D．she had fallen in love with the young man at first sight |
Which of the following is closet in meaning to the underlined word “game”?
| A．anxious | B．brave | C．afraid | D．curious |
Why did the writer mention her middle school memory?
| A．To explain why she failed the attempts to throw the ball back. |
| B．To complain that she had not mastered the ball throwing skills. |
| C．To show how cruel those 13-year-old boys were. |
| D．To express her dislike towards softball. |
What the boys said before the writer’s third attempt actually made the writer ________.
| A．inspired | B．encouraged | C．awkward | D．depressed |
What happened to the ball at last?
| A．The writer managed to throw the ball back. |
| B．The boy got the ball back by himself. |
| C．The writer threw the ball away out of anger. |
| D．The boys got angry and left without the ball. |
What’s the writer’s purpose in writing this open letter?
| A．To express her regret over what she did the day before. |
| B．To announce that she would never play all games again. |
| C．To joke on her inability to throw the ball over the fence. |
| D．To criticize the young men for their cruelty to her dignity. |
As civilization proceeds in the direction of technology, it passes the point of supplying all the basic essentials of life-food, shelter, clothes and warmth. Then we are faced with a choice between using technology to provide and fulfill needs which have now been regarded as unnecessary or, on the other hand, using technology to reduce the number of hours of work which a man must do in order to earn a given standard of living. In other words, we either raise our standard of living above that necessary for comfort and happiness or we leave it at this level and work shorter hours.
I shall take it for granted that mankind has, by that time, chosen the latter alternative. Men will be working shorter and shorter hours in their paid employment. It follows that the housewife will also expect to be able to have more leisure in her life without lowering her standard of living. It also follows that human domestic servants will have completely ceased to exist. Yet the great majority of the housewives will wish to be relieved completely from the routine operations of the home such as scrubbing the floors or the bath of the cooker, or washing the clothes or washing up, or dusting or sweeping, or making beds.
By far the most logical step to relieve the housewife of routine is to provide a robot which can be trained to the requirements of a particular home and can be programmed to carry out half a dozen or more standard operations, when switched by the housewife. As civilization develops in the direction of technology, ________.
| A．the basic essentials of life must be supplied |
| B．it is important to supply the basic essentials of life |
| C．it is no longer so important as it was in the past to supply all the basic essentials of life |
| D．it is not necessary to supply the basic essentials of life |
According to the author, we are faced with________.
| A．the choice of providing and fulfilling our needs |
| B．the choice of using technology |
| C．the choice of earning a standard of living |
| D．a choice between using technology to provide and fulfill needs to reduce the number of working hours |
What alternative will mankind have chosen in future?
| A．To leave our standard of living at this level and work shorter hours. |
| B．To raise our standard of living. |
| C．To fulfill needs which have been regarded as unnecessary. |
| D．To lower our standard of living and work shorter hours. |
Now most housewives wish to________.
| A．stop doing their housework |
| B．do more housework to improve their life |
| C．get rid of the heavy burden of their housework |
| D．do only simple and light housework |
It can be inferred that robots will be invented ______.
| A．to take the place of housewives |
| B．to help manage a family |
| C．to do the routine of housework instead of human |
| D．to provide the daily necessities for man |
A California family drives a car that could help protect the environment.
When Jon and Sandy go to the store or to their daughters’ soccer games, they drive in high-tech style. They drive a ＄1 million, fuel-cell-powered car. It may be the world’s most expensive car and one of the most environmentally friendly cars.
The FCX is the first fuel-cell-powered car to be used by a family
anywhere in the world. The FCX uses hydrogen and oxygen for fuel.
Car makers have been working to develop vehicles that are better for the environment. They are developing cars that use fuel other than gasoline.
what is fuel cell technology?
Fuel cell technology works by changing the chemicals hydrogen and oxygen into water. This process produces electricity, and water vapor which comes out of the exhaust pipe. Most cars release dangerous gases such as carbon monoxide(一氧化碳) and carbon dioxide. Many scientists say these gases are major contributors to global warming.
“The FCX is driven just like any other vehicle on the road, but
without the gases which pollute the environment, ” scientists say.
Fuel cell technology has been around since the 1800s, but scientists have yet been to perfect it. They say it may take years before the technology is ready for widespread use.
Creating environmentally friendly cars
Another earth-friendly car is already on the market.
Hybrid cars use both gasoline and an electric motor. They are becoming more popular with customers because they cut pollution and improve fuel efficiency. Which of the following about the FCX is NOT true?
| A．It may be the most expensive car in the world. |
| B．It is one of the most environmentally friendly cars. |
| C．It releases dangerous gases to pollute the air. |
| D．It uses hydrogen and oxygen for fuel other than gasoline. |
According to the passage, what is the major cause for global warming?
| A．Gases from FCX. |
| B．Water vapor from cars. |
| C．Hydrogen and oxygen. |
| D．Gases from cars. |
From the passage, we know that fuel cell technology _______.
| A．works by water |
| B．has a history for over two hundred years |
| C．works by electricity |
| D．has been widely used since the 1800s |
We can infer from the passage that _______ .
| A．future cars will be environmentally friendly |
| B．there will be no gasoline for cars |
| C．people can’t afford to buy cars in the future |
| D．global warming has been stopped |
Hybrid cars are popular because _______ .
| A．they are the fuel-cell-powered cars |
| B．they are energy-saving and cut pollution |
| C．they are perfect cars in the world |
| D．they produce gases to pollute the environment |
I can’t remember a winter being as cold as this in Pennsylvania, but I’m sure there were colder days.
Even though the daylight hours are growing longer minute by minute, it’s easy to find an excuse not to go out unless you absolutely must, but then again I often have to push myself to accomplish things.
People I speak to have been in all kinds of nasty moods. They say they’re “under the weather,” not feeling good about this time of year.
As I stood outside with my two dogs yesterday, it was so cold that my nose and face felt frozen and my ears were stinging. Of course, that doesn’t matter to Ricky and Lucy. They have a routine they must go through to find just the fighting spot no matter how cold or hot it is. So I wait.
But this time it was different. As cold as it was, I suddenly was excited thinking about how wonderful this extreme cold really was.
Then the sun broke through the clouds and memories of summer’s extremely hot days flashed through my mind. I could remember standing in the heat of the afternoon, with sweat pouring down my brow and the hot, burning sun against my face. I reminded myself then and there that in the cold of the winter I would wish I had this heat.
I was grateful for the extremes. Without the extremes in my life, I would never appreciate the days when things were just right. Without the extremes, life would be boring.
It’s being pushed to one of the extremes that makes us appreciate the middle more. Health challenges remind us that we need to pay more attention to how we live. Financial extremes remind us that when things go smoothly it’s also time to save for raining days.
I’ve come to the conclusion that all too often I find a reason not to be happy with where I am at that moment. Whether it’s hot or cold, good health or bad, in the money or out of it, I always want it to be different.
I’m tired of being “Under the Weather!” What is the author’s attitude towards the extremes in life?
| A．Grateful. |
| B．Critical. |
| C．Sensitive. |
| D．Unconcerned. |
That day the writer waited in the terrible cold because ______.
| A．his dogs wanted to hunt |
| B．his dogs had a routine |
| C．he wanted to be different |
| D．he wanted to face the cold bravely |
The underlined word “nasty” in the third paragraph can be replaced by ______.
| A．unpleasant |
| B．violent |
| C．favorable |
| D．unusual |
At last the author drew a conclusion that ______.
| A．happiness cannot be gained by complaints |
| B．his present situation really disappointed him |
| C．things will be different whatever the situation is |
| D．happiness will fail to come to you if you can find a reason |
What is the best title for this passage?
| A．Follow the Routine |
| B．Two Extremes in Life |
| C．Weather Information |
| D．Changes should be Expected |
Environment Awareness Week
Regal Convention Center, Halls 1-4
24-30 March 2011 10:00 am- 9:00 pm
Free admission for all!
Save the environment, save our future
Our environment needs help. With the participation of more than 50 organization, Environment Awareness Week is the biggest public education event dedicated to environmental protection and conversation. Don't miss it! Come and know more about:
The Threats to Earth(Hall 1)
What is global warming? How serious is pollution? Learn about different environmental problems from our university students. Protect our environment!
The Search for Renewable Energy(Hall 2)
Can we get electricity from mind, solar energy, waves, rivers and underground heat? Get the answers from Solar Ace, Teflou, TouchWind Resources and other participants.
The Quest for Freshwater (Hall 3)
Is the shortage of freshwater worsening? What are Singapore's solutions for treating wastewater? Hear from Flow Technologies, HydroMax Solutions and other participants.
The 3 Rs to Save Earth(Hall 4)
How can we REDUCE,REUSE and RECYCLE to cut down household wastes? Find out from the Global Gaia work, Green Earth Foundation and other participants.
| For more information, please call Mr. Philip Koh at 6553 1188, send an email to Mrs Daisy Soh at daisy-soh@ief.org or visit the event's web site at http://www.ief.org/eaw. |
The main aim of Environment Awareness Week is to _____.
| A．educate the public on protecting the environment |
| B．discuss global warming and other environmental problems |
| C．explain ways for producing freshwater to save the environment |
| D．learn about renewable energy sources that protect the environment |
The organizer of the event is _____.
| A．Global Gaia Network |
| B．Clean Energy Agency |
| C．Green Earth Foundation |
| D．International Environment Fund |
If you are interested in renewable energy sources, you should go to _____.
| A．Hall 1 |
| B．Hall 2 |
| C．Hall 3 |
| D．Hall 4 |
The “3 Rs”stand for_____.
| A．Read, Realize and Remember |
| B．Reduce, Reuse and Recycle |
| C．Green Earth Foundation |
| D．Global Gaia Network |
Which of the following statements is NOT true of the event?
| A．It will last a week and the halls will be open 11 hours a day. |
| B．You can send an email to Mrs. Daisy Soh for more information. |
| C．Each hall charges the same amount of money as the other. |
| D．Lectures in Hall 1 will be given by university students. |
LONDON (Reuters) — Quiet please — Britain’ s Queen Elizabeth is preparing to have her swans counted. Buckingham Palace has announced that the annual Swan Upping, a tradition dating back to the 12th century which involves a census of the swan population on the River Thames, will be conducted by the Queen’ s official Swan Marker from July 20—24.
“With the assistance of the Queen’s Swan Warden, Professor Christopher Perrins of the University of Oxford, the swans and young cygnets (小天鹅) are also assessed for any signs of injury or disease，” Buckingham Palace said in announcing the count.
The process involves the Swan Marker, David Barber, rowing up the Thames for five days with the Swan Warden in traditional skiffs while wearing special scarlet uniforms and counting, weighing and measuring swans and cygnets.
It may seem eccentric, but it is very important to the Queen, According to custom, Britain’ s sovereign owns all unmarked, mute swans in open water, but the Queen now exercises the right only on stretches of the Thames and its nearby tributaries.
In medieval times, the Swan Marker would not only travel up the river counting the swans, but would catch as many as possible as they were soughtafter for banquets and feasts.
This year, the Swan Marker and the Swan Warden are particularly keen to discover how much damage is being caused to swans and cygnets by attacks from dogs and from discarded fishing tackle (渔具)．
It is also an important year because Queen Elizabeth has decided to join her team of Swan Uppers for part of the census. She will follow them up the river and visit a local school project on the whole subject of swans, cygnets and the Thames.
“Education and conservation are essential to the role of Swan Upping and the involvement of school children is always a rewarding experience，” Buckingham Palace said. In medieval times，________.
| A．swans were better protected than now |
| B．a lot of swans were killed by dogs |
| C．swans were a delicious dish on royal banquets |
| D．common people could catch the swans |
We can infer from the passage that the process of counting the swans ________.
| A．remains almost unchanged in the past years |
| B．involves a lot of royal members |
| C．sometimes lasts longer than before |
| D．is always guarded by special soldiers |
This year, the Swan Marker and the Swan Warden mainly want to find out________.
| A．the exact number of swans and cygnets |
| B．how a local school project is going on |
| C．how much damage the swans and cygnets suffer |
| D．how education and conservation are carried out along the Thames |
Which of the following is the main idea of the passage?
A. Britain’ s Queen is concerned about swans.
B. Britain’ s Queen orders a count of swans.
C. An old tradition in Buckingham Palace.
D. Queen Elizabeth will count swans herself.
5．The underlined word “tributaries” can be best replaced by ________. A. districts
B. banks
C. trees
D. branches