Surviving Hurricane Sandy(飓风桑迪 )
Natalie Doan,14, has always felt lucky to live in Rockaway, New York. Living just a few blocks from the beach, Natalie can see the ocean and hear the wave from her house. "It's the ocean that makes Rockaway so special," she says.
On October 29, 2012, that ocean turned fierce. That night, Hurricane Sandy attacked the East Coast, and Rockaway was hit especially hard. Fortunately, Natalie's family escaped to Brooklyn shortly before the city's bridge closed.
When they returned to Rockaway the next day, they found their neighborhood in ruins. Many of Natalie's friends had lost their homes and were living far away. All around her, people were suffering, especially the elderly. Natalie's school was so damaged that she had to temporarily attend a school in Brooklyn.
In the following few days, the men and women helping Rockaway recover inspired Natalie. Volunteers came with carloads of donated clothing and toys. Neighbors devoted their spare time to helping others rebuild. Teenagers climbed dozens of flights of stairs to deliver water and food to elderly people trapped in powerless high-rise buildings.
"My mom tells me that I can't control what happens to me," Natalie says. "but I can always choose how I deal with it."
Natalie's choice was to help.
She created a website page matching survivors in need with donors who wanted to help. Natalie posted introduction about a boy named Patrick, who lost his baseball card collecting when his house burned down. Within days, Patrick's collection was replaced.
In the coming months, her website page helped lots of kids: Christopher, who received a new basketball; Charlie, who got a new keyboard. Natalie also worked with other organizations to bring much-need supplies to Rockaway. Her efforts made her a famous person. Last April, she was invited to the White House and honored as a Hurricane Sandy Champion of Change.
Today, the scars(创痕)of destruction are still seen in Rockaway, but hope is in the air. The streets are clear, and many homes have been rebuilt. "I can't imagine living anywhere but Rockaway," Natalie declares. "My neighborhood will be back, even stronger than before."
59.When Natalie returned to Rockaway after the hurricane，she found______.
| A． |
some friends had lost their lives |
| B． |
her neighborhood was destroyed |
| C． |
her school had moved to Brooklyn |
| D． |
the elderly were free from suffering |
60.According to paragraph4，who inspired Natalie most?
| A． |
The people helping Rockaway rebuild |
| B． |
The people trapped in high_rise building |
| C． |
The volunteers donating money to survivors |
| D． |
Local teenagers bringing clothing to elderly people |
61.How did Natalie help the survivors?
| A． |
She gave her toys to the kids |
| B． |
She took care of younger children |
| C． |
She called on the White House to help |
| D． |
She built an information sharing platform |
62.What does the story intend to tell us?
| A． |
Little people can make a big difference |
| B． |
A friend in need is a friend indeed |
| C． |
East or West,home is best |
| D． |
Technology is power |
As the pace of life continues to increase, we are fast losing the art of relaxation. Once you are in the habit of rushing through lift, being on the go from morning till night, it is hard to slow down. But relaxation is essential for a healthy mind and body.
Stress is a natural part of everyday life and there is no way to avoid it. In fact, it is not the bad thing it is often supposed to be. A certain amount of stress is vital to provide motivation and give purpose to life. It is only when the stress gets out of control that it can lead to poor performance and ill health.
The amount of stress a person can withstand depends very much on the individual. Some people are not afraid of stress, and such characters are obviously prime material for managerial responsibilities. Others lose heart at the first signs of unusual difficulties. When exposed to stress, in whatever form, we react both chemically and physically. In fact we make choice between "fight" or "flight" and in more primitive days the choice made the difference between life or death. The crises we meet today are unlikely to be so extreme, but however little the stress is, it involves the same response. It is when such a reaction lasts long, through continued exposure to stress, that health becomes endangered. Such serious conditions as high blood pressure and heart disease have established links with stress. Since we cannot remove stress from our lives (it would be unwise to do so even if we could), we need to find ways to deal with it.
56．People are finding less and less time for relaxing themselves because_____.
A．they do not know how to enjoy themselves
B．they do not believe that relaxation is important for health
C．they are travelling fast all the time
D．they are becoming busier with their work
57．According to the writer, the most important character for a good manager is his ________.
A．not fearing stress B．knowing the art of relaxation
C．high sense of responsibility D．having control over performance
58．Which of the following statements is true?
A．We can find some ways to avoid stress.
B．Stress is always harmful to people.
C．It is easy to change the habit of keeping oneself busy with work.
D．Different people can withstand different amounts of stress.
59．In the last sentence of the passage, "do so " refers to ______.
A．"expose ourselves to stress"
B．"find ways to deal with stress"
C．"remove stress from our lives"
D．"established links between diseases and stress"
Vitas 2008 Beijing Concert
Venue: Capital Gymnasium
Time: 2008-01-24 19:30
Price: TBD(Booking)
Tel.: 86-10-64177845
God Blessed Boy
Extremely Beautiful Voice
Unforgettable Hot Live
First appeared on the Russian stage in December 2000, this show became an extreme classic in Vitas' music history. Since then, moreover, more fans from other countries were caught by him from this video especially in China. The lack of Russian language was not in the way for dozen thousands of admirers from China, Taiwan, Singapore and Japan first to pay attention and then to love Vitas' creative work, his voice and songs. Undoubtedly his 2008 concert will also be considered as the yearly expectable concert in Chinese music scene and the most important event among his fans. Let's expect it!
Lang Lang Piano Solo Concert
Venue: National Grand Theater-Concert Hall
Time: 2008-01-03 19:30:00/2008-01-04 19:30:00
Price: TBD(Booking)
Tel: 800-810-1887
Acclaimed in the major concert halls of North America, Europe and Asia, Lang Lang - at the age of 20s - has demonstrated an extraordinary ability to connect with audiences on a deeply personal level and has established himself as one of the most exciting pianists of our time. Lang Lang's talent and personality make him an ideal ambassador for classical music and a role model for young people. He is the first Chinese pianist to be engaged by the Berlin Philharmonic and all "Big Five" American orchestras.
Li Yun Di Piano Recital（独奏会）
Venue: National Grand Theater-Concert Hall
Time: 2008-3-27 19:30:00
Price: TBD(Booking)
Tel: 010-64177845
Remarks: The tickets for Li Yun Di Piano Recital will be available soon!
Called "extravagantly gifted and highly accomplished" by the Los Angeles Times, China pianist Li Yundi was born in 1982 in Chongqing and first gained worldwide attention after winning first prize at the 2000 Chopin International Piano Competition in Warsaw. He was the first person in 15 years to be awarded a first prize.
Soprano Te Kanawa Solo Concert
Venue: National Grand Theater-Concert Hall
Time: 2008-01-02 19:30:00
Price: 180(Out)280(Selling)480(Selling)680(Selling)880(Selling)1680(Out)
Tel: 400-810-1887
Dame Kiri Janette Te Kanawa is an internationally famous New Zealand opera singer. In 1981, she was seen and heard around the world by an estimated 600 million people when she sang Handel's "Let the Bright Seraphim" at the wedding of Charles, Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer.
72．The main purpose of this passage is______.
A．to attract people to attend these concerts
B．enrich your knowledge of some famous musicians
C．rouse your interest in music
D．call on young people to learn from them
73．Which concert will you attend if you want to hear an opera?
A．Vitas 2008 Beijing Concert B．Lang Lang Piano Solo Concert
C．Li Yun Di Piano Recital D．Soprano Te Kanawa Solo Concert
74．About the tickets to Li Yun Di Piano Recital, which of the following is right?
A．The price for the tickets hasn’t been determined.
B．The tickets have been sold out.
C．The price of the tickets is too high.
D．It will be long before you can book the tickets for it.
75．What can you know from the advertisement?
A．The lack of Russian language stops people in China loving Vitas’s songs.
B．Some of the tickets for Soprano Te Kanawa Solo Concert have been sold out.
C．Lang Lang is one of the first Chinese pianists to be engaged by the Berlin Philharmonic and all "Big Five" American orchestras.
D．You have to pay the telephone bill if you call to book the tickets for Soprano Te Kanawa Solo Concert
The quest for success always begins with a target. As Berra once said, "You got to be very careful if you don't know where you're going, because you might not get there."
Too many people wander through life like sleepwalkers. Each day they follow familiar routines, never asking, “What am I doing with my life?” and they don’t know what they’re doing because they lack goals.
Goal-setting is a focusing of the will to move in a certain direction. Begin with a clear conception of what you want. Write down your goals and date them—putting them into words clarifies them. Rather than concentrating on objects to acquire and possess, focus on fulfilling your desires to do, to produce, to contribute—goal-setting that yields the true sense of satisfaction we all need.
It’s important to visualize（想象）yourself accomplishing your goal. While losers visualize the penalties（不利）of failure, winners visualize the rewards of success. I’ve seen it among athletes, statistics contrasting air and highway safety, but it made no difference. I had read too many articles describing crash scenes and imagined these scenes vividly. I had programmed myself, without realizing it, to stay off planes.
Then one summer I had the opportunity to fly on a private plane with friends to a resort；I didn’t want to miss out on a great vacation. So I spent two weeks imagining a smooth flight on a beautiful sunny day and an easy landing.
When the day arrived, I was eager to go. To everyone’s surprise, I got on the plane and I loved every minute of it, and I still use the techniques I employed that day.
68．According to the passage, if you want to be successful, the first thing for you to do is _______.
A．find the right methods B．be careful about everything
C．know your ability D．have a clear goal
69．If you have a target, you will ________.
A．wander like a sleepwalker B．know well what you are doing
C．do the same work every day D．put it into words
70．The problem with the author before he overcame his fear of air travel is that ______.
A．he didn’t know air travel is safer than highway travel
B．he couldn’t imagine himself accomplishing his goal
C．he read too much about plane crashes and tried to avoid flying
D．he wanted to take a private plane instead of a public one
71．What would be the best title for this passage?
A．Define Your Coal B．Visualize Rewards of Success
C．Overcome the Fear of Air Travel D．Sleepwalking Through Life
No matter how long your life, you will, at best, be able to read only a few books of all that have been written, and the few you do read should include the best. You can rejoice in the fact that the number of such is relatively small.
________________ Yet there is a surprising uniformity in the lists which represent the best choices of any period. In every age, the list makers include both ancient and modern books in their selections, and they always wonder whether the moderns are up to the great books of the past.
What are the signs by which we may recognize a great book? The four I will mention may not be all they are, but they are the ones I’ve found most useful in explaining my choices over the years.
Great books are probably the most widely read. They are not best sellers for a year or two. They are enduring best sellers. GONE WITH THE WIND has had relatively few readers compared to the plays of Shakespeare or DON QUIXOTE. It would be reasonable to estimate that Homer’s Iliad（伊丽亚特）has been read by at least 25,000,000 people in the last 3000 years.
Great books are popular, not pedantic. They are not written by specialists about specialties for specialists. Whether they are philosophy or science, or history or poetry, they treat of human, not academic problems. They are written for men, not professors. To read a textbook for advanced students, you have to read an elementary textbook first. But the great books can be considered elementary in the sense that they treat the elements of any subject matter. They are not related to one another as a series of textbooks, graded in difficulty or in the technicality of the problems with which they deal.
Great books are always contemporary, the most readable and instructive.
Great books deal with the persistently unsolved problems of human life. There are genuine mysteries in the world that mark the limits of human knowing and thinking. Inquiry not only begins with wonder, but usually ends with it also. Great minds acknowledge mysteries honestly. Wisdom is fortified, not destroyed, by understanding its limitations.
64．Which of the following can be put in the blank in the second paragraph?
A．Great books deal with the persistently unsolved problems of human life.
B．It is to be expected that the selections will change with the times
C．The listing of the best books is as old as reading and writing.
D．The fundamental human problems remain the same in all ages.
65．According to the author, Gone With The Wind is ________.
A．a best seller
B．disgusted by readers who like Shakespeare
C．read more often than Don Quixote
D．a great book
66．In the passage “pedantic” means ________.
A．showing the feelings, esp, those of kindness, which people are supposed to have
B．serving as practical examples
C．being elementary
D．paying too much attention to details in books
67．The best title for this passage is ________.
A．Great Books in Your Life B．Great Books in Your Speciality
C．How to Find a Great Book? D．What Is a Great Book?
The home of the future won’t be completely different and we will be living in houses and flats just as we do today. But people will want to shape their homes to match their dreams. No two homes will be the same. People will be able to buy “house kits” containing a basic house structure, with movable walls, doors and windows. They will put together the different parts to create the home they want.
Many jobs that we do today will disappear, others will still exist but will change and new jobs will be created. Skilled workers such as builders, gardeners and electricians won’t disappear because machines can’t replace them. Teachers will still exist because students need human contact. But they will be using modern technology in class more and students will be working more from home. The medical technology revolution and space travel will create new jobs which we can only imagine today.
Space holidays will develop in the future, but these holidays won’t be for everyone because they won’t be cheap. Short space trips will develop first, then space hotels will orbit the earth where it will be possible to have a longer vacation. By the end of the next century, there will be holiday centres on the moon with leisure facilities for families.
Paper won’t exist in the future. Instead, there will be e-paper which people will be able to use over and over again. This will develop in order to save natural resources. E-newspapers and e-magazines will replace traditional newspapers and magazines and we will download information and news articles from the Internet every day onto our reuseable paper.
The laws of physics tell us that the earth is going to disappear some time in the future. This isn’t going to happen tomorrow but scientists predict that it will happen in five billion years when our sun explodes（爆炸）.We will have to explore the universe and find another home. At some point in the distant future, either we stay on the earth and die with it, or we leave and move to another planet. There won’t be any other choice.
60．Homes of the future will ________.
A．be completely different from those of today.
B．be very similar to our homes
C．all be different form one another
D．be movable as you want
61．Space trips and staying in space hotels will _________.
A．become a very common way to spend a holiday
B．be the cheapest holiday option for families
C．attract a lot of people
D．still only be for very rich people
62．E-paper will replace traditional paper because _________.
A．we will use it again B．it won’t waste natural resource
C．it will be cheaper to produce D．it will be convenient to carry
63．We will have move to another planet ________.
A．if we want to save the human race B．when the sun explodes
C．when the earth disappears D．when the earth is too crowded to fill people on