My mother got divorced when I was 5 and was left to raise me and my two younger brothers. She didn’t have a formal education, so she had to work two full-time jobs to make ends meet.
One day several years later, I was determined to help. I told the manager of the Don Carlos Motel in Nana Point that I was 15, so I could get a work permit to work as a maid.
Since then, I’ve started to work alongside some of America’s top leaders, written books, and achieved financial independence. It took a lot of hard work and sacrifices.
But what if I was 15 years old today? Would I be able to accomplish the same things in this new, highly competitive world with so many global challenges? It seems hard work and sacrifices aren’t enough anymore.
Today, you need to be extremely adaptable. To progress in your career, it’s not enough to know one thing well. As my friend Sean Harvey, product manager at Google put it when we were speaking to students, “Today, companies aren’t hiring people for a specific position but rather people who are smart and flexible. The way you prove that is by showing you can do multiple things well.”
People need to take more risks to succeed now than ever. The combination of unemployment and slow wage growth means that we are not only at greater financial risk, but we have to take more risks to succeed.
Luckily, the new Internet world of all-the-time connectedness means that anyone with a hot idea, product or service can create a business out of almost nothing. And success can be quick and big. But that success demands more “out of the box” thinking.
And what about our kids? It makes me think a lot about the future that my 3-years-old daughter faces. But no matter what the future brings, I think the best message I’ll give her is to believe in herself. Life won’t get any easier, but the opportunities will come — as they always have — to those who work hard, adapt as they need to, and trust their abilities.We can infer that the author had _________.
| A．a difficult childhood | B．a lonely childhood |
| C．a normal childhood | D．a happy childhood |
The author achieved financial independence when she was 15 largely due to ______.
| A．her strong leadership |
| B．her boss’s help |
| C．her hard work |
| D．her competitive spirit |
Compared to the past, people who want to succeed now need __________.
| A．more time | B．more money |
| C．to work harder | D．to be more creative |
The author writes the text mainly to __________.
| A．describe her childhood |
| B．give some suggestions about success |
| C．tell a story about her mother |
| D．share some useful parenting skills |
When Taylor Swift first came to the attention of the public，she was a 17yearold newcomer who loved singing to her guitar.She seemed far more enthusiastic than skillful.
Four years later，Swift became a multiaward winner.This month，she was crowned “Woman of the Year” by Billboard magazine，the youngest singersongwriter ever to receive the honor.“Aged only 21，Taylor has already made a maior impact on music and has been an unbelievable role model for hopeful artists and young women everywhere，” said Bill Werde，Billboard’s director.
Werde’s_words_do_not_come_from_nowhere. Unlike many pop singers，especially those who do not write their own material，Swift has the power of turning her ideas into lyrics that will set people thinking.“Hidden beneath Taylor Swift’s notagirl，notyetawoman sweetness is a very skillful songwriting technique，” wrote Leah Greenblatt in an American magazine.
Songwriting，as Swift explains，is to cope with issues.“I tend to write about things that really impact me most.” There certainly seems to be something true and honest running through every one of the 14 songs on her album，Speak Now，about “the lessons and confusion and heartbreak and all the different things that go along with being 18,19 and 20.”
“For the audience too young to have experienced real passion or heartbreak，Swift’s songs are like a potential road map，promising things will work out OK，” commented Dorian ynskey in a British newspaper.
Now Swift is getting ready to go further and has so far written about 10 songs for her 2012 album，which is about feelings of growing up and becoming an adult.“They’re sad，if I’m being honest.”“They’re about my heartbreaks and my moving on.But more importantly，they are about achieving contentment.You’re not always going to be perfectly happy as you grow up.”What does the writer mean by saying “Werde’s words do not come from nowhere”？
| A．Swift stands out as a singer and songwriter. |
| B．Only Swift writes her own songs. |
| C．Swift begins to take interest in singing. |
| D．Swift decides to deal with problems in her new album. |
Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Swift has the ability to write songs with deeper meanings. |
| B．Swift is both enthusiastic and skillful now. |
| C．Swift became a multiaward winner when she began to sing on the stage. |
| D．Swift’s album Speak Now has 14 songs. |
Taylor Swift’s 2012 album mainly records________.
| A．dream and reality | B．heartbreak and despair |
| C．pain and growth | D．problems and society |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．Swift comes to people’s attention |
| B．Swift rises to fame |
| C．Swift wins many awards |
| D．Swift experiences real passion |
The morning had been a disaster.My tooth was aching,and I’d been in an argument with a friend.Her words still hurt：“The trouble with you is that you won’t put yourself in my place.Can’t you see things from my point of view?”Ishook my head stubbomly—and felt the ache in my tooth.I’d thought I could hold out till my dentist came back from holiday,but the pain was really unbearable.I started calling the dentists in the phone book,but no one coule see me immediatcly.Finally,at about lunchtime,I got lucky.
“If you come by right now,”the receptionist said,“the dentist will fit you in .”
I look my purse and keys and rushed to my car.But suddenly I began to doubt about the dentist.What kind of dentist would be so eager to treat someone at such short notice?Why wasn’t he as busy as the others?
In the dentist’s office,I sat down and looked around.I saw nothing but the bare walls and I became even more worried.The assistant noticed my nervousness and placed her warm hand over my ice-cold one.
When I tole her my fears,she laughed and said ,“Don’t worry.The dentist is very good.”
“How long do I have to wait for him?”I asked impatiently.
“Come on ,he is coming.Just lie down and relax.And enjoy the artwork,”the assistant said.
“The artwork?”Iwas puzzled.
The chair went back,suddenly I smiled.There was a beautiful picture,right where I could enjoy it ：on the ceiling.How considerate the dentist was ！At that moment,I began to understand what my friend meant by her words.
What a relief！Which of the following best describes the author’s feeling that morning?
| A．Cheerful. | B．Nervous. | C．Satisfied. | D．Upset. |
What made the author begin to doubt about the dentist?
| A．The dentist’s agreeing to treat her at very short notice. |
| B．The dentist’s being as busy as the other dentists. |
| C．The surroundings of the dentist’s office. |
| D．The laughing assistant of the dentist. |
Why did the author suddenly smile?
| A．Because the dentist came at last. |
| B．Because she saw a picture on the ceiling. |
| C．Because she could relax in the chair. |
| D．Because the assistant kept comforting her. |
What did the author learn from her experience most probably?
| A．Strike while the iron is hot. |
| B．Have a good word for one’s friend |
| C．Put oneself in other’s shoes |
| D．A friend in need is a friend indeed. |
Women are friendly. But men are more competitive. Why? Researchers have found it's all down to the hormone oxytocin (荷尔蒙催生素). Although known as the love hormone, it affects the sexes differently.
"Women tend to be social in their behavior. They often share with others. But men lend to be competitive. They are trying to improve their social status," said Professor Ryan.
Generally, people believe that the hormone oxytocin is let out in our body in various social situations and
our body creates a large amount of it during positive social interactions (互动) such as falling in love or giving birth.
But in a previous experiment Professor Ryan found that the hormone is also let out in our body during negative social interactions such as envy.
Further researches showed that in men the hormone oxytocin improves the ability to recognize competitive relationships, but in women it raises the ability to recognize friendship. Professor Ryan's recent experiment used 62 men and women aged 20 to 37. Half of the participants（参与者）received oxytocin. The other half received placebo (安慰剂).
After a week, the two groups switched with participants. They went through the same procedure with the other material.
Following each treatment, they were shown some video pictures with different social interactions. Then they were asked to analyze the relationships by answering some questions. The questions were about telling friendship from competition. And their answers should be based on gestures, body language and facial expressions.
The results indicated that, after treatment with oxytocin, men's ability to correctly recognize competitive relationships improved, but in women it was the ability to correctly recognize friendship that got better.
Professor Ryan thus concluded: "Our experiment proves that the hormone oxytocin can raise people's abilities to better distinguish different social interactions. And the behavior differences between men and women are caused by biological factors (因素) that are mainly hormonal."What causes men and women to behave differently according to the text?
| A．Placebo | B．Oxytocin | C．The gesture | D．The social status |
What can we learn from Professor Ryan's previous experiment?
| A．Oxytocin affects our behavior in a different way. |
| B．Our body lets out oxytocin when we are deep in love. |
| C．Our body produces oxytocin when we feel unhappy about others' success. |
| D．Oxytocin improves our abilities to understand people's behavior differences. |
Why did Professor Ryan conduct the recent experiment?
| A．To test the effect of oxytocin on the ability to recognize social interactions. |
| B．To know the differences between friendship and competition. |
| C．To know people's different abilities to answer questions. |
| D．To test people's understanding of body language. |
The author develops the text by______.
| A．explaining people's behaviors |
| B．describing his own experiences |
| C．distinguishing sexual differences |
| D．discussing research experiments |
What makes a gift special? Is it the price you see on the gift receipt？Or is it the look on the recipient's face when they receive it that determines the true value? What gift is worth the most?
This Christmas I was debating what to give my father. My dad is a hard person to buy for because he never wants anything. I pulled out my phone to read a text message from my mom saying that we were leaving for Christmas shopping for him when I came across a message on my phone that I had locked. The message was from my father.My eyes fell on a photo of a flower taken in Wyoming，and underneath a poem by William Blake. The flower, a lone dandelion standing against the bright blue sky，inspired me. My dad had been reciting those words to me since I was a kid. That may even be the reason why I love writing. I decided that those words would be my gift to my father.
I called back. I told my mom to go without me and that I already created my gift. I sent the photo of the creamcolored flower to my computer and typed the poem on top of it. As I was arranging the details another poem came to mind. The poem was written by Edgar Allan Poe；my dad recited it as much as he did the other.I typed that out as well and searched online for a background to the words of it. The poem was focused around dreaming, and after searching I found the perfect picture. The image was painted with blues and greens and purples, twisting together to create the theme and wonder of a dream. As I watched both poems passing through the printer, the white paper coloring with words that shaped my childhood, I felt that this was a gift that my father would truly appreciate.
Christmas soon arrived. The minute I saw the look on my dad's face as he unwrapped those swirling black letters carefully placed in a cheap frame, I knew I had given the perfect gift.The idea for a special gift began to form when the author was ________.
| A．doing shopping | B．having a debate |
| C．reading a message | D．leaving for Wyoming |
The author's inspiration for the gift came from ________.
| A．a photo of a flower | B．a story about a kid |
| C．a call from the mother | D．a text about Christmas |
The underlined word “it” in Paragraph 3 refers to a poem by ________.
| A．the father | B．the author | C．william Blake | D．edgar Allan Poe |
The author made the gift by ________.
| A．searching for the poems online |
| B．drawing the background by hand |
| C．painting the letters in three colors |
| D．matching the words with pictures |
What is the main purpose of the passage?
| A．To show how to design images for gifts. |
| B．To suggest making gifts from one's heart. |
| C．To explain how computers help create gifts. |
| D．To describe the gifts the author has received. |
I was driving home the other day on a sunny afternoon. I had a smile on my face as I sang along to the songs on the radio. It was such a beautiful day that I felt full of happiness. My good mood ended, however, when the radio station took a news break between songs. Then suddenly I found myself listening to yet another story of a rich famous man who had broken the law. I shook my head as I came to a red traffic light.
As I pulled to a stop I noticed four leatherjacketed bikers. They were standing in the middle of the road with two on either side of the light. They looked rough and dangerous, but as I got closer I noticed each one was holding their helmet in their hands. I rolled down my window as one approached my car. “We are the Brother of the Wheel，” he said. “We are collecting money for Christmas Toy Drive for needy children.” As I pulled a dollar out of my wallet I looked past his beard and into his eyes. They shined with goodness and kindness that came right from his soul. I dropped the money in his helmet and waved to the other bikers as I drove off. My good mood had returned. My faith in mankind had been bolstered. And I remembered once again never to judge people by their appearance.
Our society often judges books by their covers but God reads what is written in our hearts and souls. Perhaps one day we will all learn to see the world through the same eyes. Perhaps one day we will realize that looks matter little and actions matter much.The writer's good mood ended when________.
| A．he heard news between songs |
| B．he had to stop at a red traffic light |
| C．he heard a rich man broke the law |
| D．he saw four leatherjacketed bikers |
What were the four bikers doing at the traffic lights?
| A．Having a bicycle race in the street. |
| B．Selling helmets to the passersby. |
| C．Raising money to help kids in need. |
| D．Preparing for Christmas holidays. |
What does “bolstered” in the second paragraph probably mean?
| A．Destroyed. | B．Improved. | C．Decreased. | D．Exploded. |
The writer wants to tell us that we should ________.
| A．have faith in young people | B．judge others by their actions |
| C．change our attitude to society | D．manage to help others in need |