ㅤI was about 13 when an uncle gave me a copy of Jostein Gaarder's Sophie's World.It was full of ideas that were new to me，so I spent the summer with my head in and out of that book.It spoke to me and brought me into a world of philosophy（哲学）.
ㅤThat love for philosophy lasted until I got to college.Nothing kills the love for philosophy faster than people who think they understand Foucault，Baudrillard，or Confucius better than you ﹣ and then try to explain them.
ㅤEric Weiner's The Socrates Express：In Search of Life Lessons from Dead Philosophers reawakened my love for philosophy.It is not an explanation，but an invitation to think and experience philosophy.
ㅤWeiner starts each chapter with a scene on a train ride between cities and then frames each philosopher's work in the context（ 背景） of one thing they can help us do better.The end result is a read in which we learn to wonder like Socrates，see like Thoreau，listen like Schopenhauer，and have no regrets like Nietzsche.This，more than a book about understanding philosophy ，is a book about learning to use philosophy to improve a life.
ㅤHe makes philosophical thought an appealing exercise that improves the quality of our experiences，and he does so with plenty of humor.Weiner enters into conversation with some of the most important philosophers in history，and he becomes part of that crowd in the process by decoding（ 解读） their messages and adding his own interpretation.
ㅤThe Socrates Express is a fun，sharp book that draws readers in with its apparent simplicity and gradually pulls them in deeper thoughts on desire，loneliness，and aging.The invitation is clear：Weiner wants you to pick up a coffee or tea and sit down with this book.I encourage you to take his offer.It's worth your time，even if time is something we don't have a lot of.
（1）Who opened the door to philosophy for the author？
| A． |
Foucault. |
| B． |
Erie Weiner. |
| C． |
Jostein Gaarder |
| D． |
A college teacher. |
（2）Why does the author list great philosophers in paragraph 4？
| A． |
To compare Weiner with them. |
| B． |
To give examples of great works. |
| C． |
To praise their writing skills. |
| D． |
To help readers understand Weiners book. |
（3）What does the author like about The Socrates Express？
| A． |
Its views on history are well﹣presented. |
| B． |
Its ideas can be applied to daily life. |
| C． |
It includes comments from readers. |
| D． |
It leaves an open ending. |
（4）What does the author think of Weiner's book？
| A． |
Objective and plain. |
| B． |
Daring and ambitious. |
| C． |
Serious and hard to follow. |
| D． |
Humorous and straightforward. |
Another small animal that tigers eat in Ranthambhore （a wildlife park in northern India） is the porcupine （豪猪）．These animals are spread widely across India in open areas and grasslands; they often live in the earth and between rocks．They are good diggers, and in Ranthambhore are nocturnal （夜出的）; they only come out at night．They weigh 12 to 16 kilograms and reach the length of 80 to 90 centimetres．They live usually on vegetables and fruit and seem to have a good sense of smell．Porcupines defend themselves when attacked by moving backwards with their quills upright, often making a strange noise．
Several times, I have found the remains of quills where a tiger has killed and eaten a porcupine, but I have never actually seen the kill．In spite of the quills, experienced tigers will try to kill clearly by biting the porcupine’s head, its weakest spot．But the quills are very sharp and can give painful injuries to young tigers．If the quills have gone in very deeply or if they are stuck in the tiger’s paw, it will try to pull them out．Often, it will be successful, and the wound will get better．But, if the quills have gone in very deeply or if they are stuck in the tiger’s neck or mouth, where they cannot be reached, the wound will often turn bad．If this happens, the tiger is in pain and is less able to hunt animals．It has to look for easier prey and so may turn to cows on the edges of the forest．From this, it is a small step to becoming a man-eater． A porcupine is a small animal which _____．
| A．likes to stay on vegetables and fruit |
| B．eats nothing but vegetables and fruit |
| C．prefers to stay on vegetables and fruit rather than anywhere else |
| D．has vegetables and fruit as its main food |
The word “quill” here means ____．
| A．teeth of a porcupine |
| B．feathers on a porcupine |
| C．long, sharp needle-like parts on a porcupine |
| D．paws of a porcupine |
According to this passage, what causes a tiger to become a man-eater?
| A．When there are no porcupine for a tiger to catch． |
| B．When it turns to cows on the edges of the forest． |
| C．When a tiger wasn’t hurt seriously． |
| D．When it is difficult for a tiger to catch other animals． |
What is the proper title for this passage?
| A．A Tiger and Its Food. |
| B．How Do Tiger Kill Porcupines? |
| C．What Can Cause a Tiger to Become a Man-eater? |
| D．A Porcupine. |
Our spiritual intelligence quotient (精神智商), or SQ, helps us understand ourselves, and live fuller, happier lives.
Though we're all born with SQ, most of us don’t even realize that we have it. Fortunately, you don't have to sign up for classes to learn how to improve your SQ. Here are some simple steps that can lead you to this new level of understanding.
Sit Quietly. The process of developing spiritual intelligence begins with solitude (独处) and silence. To tune in to your spirit, you have to turn down the volume (强度) in your busy, noisy, complicated life and force yourself to do nothing at all. Start small by creating islands for silence in your day. In the car, instead of listening to the music, use the time to think. At work, shut the door to your office between meetings, take a few breaths and let them out very, very slowly. Enjoy the stillness in your home after the kids are finally in bed.
Step Outside. For many people, nature sets their spirit free. Go outside to watch a beautiful sunset. If you are walking with the dog, take the time to admire flower in bloom; follow the light of a bird and watch clouds float overhead.
Ask Questions of Yourself. Ask open-ended questions, such as "What am I feeling? What are my choices? Where am I heading?"
But don't expect an answer to arrive through some supernatural form of e-mail. "Rarely do I get an immediate answer to my question," says Reverend Joan Carter, a Presbyterian minister in Sausalito, California. “But later that day I suddenly find myself thinking about a problem in a perspective(角度) I never considered before.”
Trust Your Spirit. While most of us rely on gut(本能的) feeling to realize danger, spiritual intelligence pushes us, not away from, but towards some action that will lead to a greater good.The passage is mainly about.
| A．what your SQ is and in what way it can benefit our life |
| B．what your SQ is and in what way it can be improved |
| C．the relationship between your SQ and your life |
| D．advantages and disadvantages of SQ |
The underlined phrase "to tune in to your spirit" in the third paragraph probably means to _____.
| A．get your spirit relaxed | B．keep up your spirit |
| C．keep seated quietly | D．change your spirit |
From the passage, we can know that the most important thing to improve your SQ is.
| A．a peaceful mind | B．deep thought | C．spare time and hobbies | D．good spirits |
According to the passage, which of the following is True?
| A．Not everyone has SQ. |
| B．You have to go to classes to learn how to improve your SQ. |
| C．SQ leads us to take wrong actions. |
| D．SQ can benefit our life. |
Section One
The city is an accumulation of human civilization. Just as the American social philosopher (哲学家) Lewis Mumford put it, it is a special system which, fine and compact, has been designed to preserve the fruits of human civilization. Many Western languages have developed their versions of the term “civilization” from the same Latin (拉丁语的) word “civitas”(meaning “city”), and it is by no means a coincidence. The city has played a significant role in the perfection of order in human society.
Section Two
The emblem, showing the image of three people ― you, me, him/her holding hands together, symbolizes the big family of mankind. Inspired by the shape of the Chinese character “世” (meaning the world), the design conveys the organizers' wish to host an Expo which is of global scale and which displays the various urban cultures of the world.
Section Three
Created from the inspiration of Chinese character “人”, the design roots deeply in Chinese culture. It tells the world the eternal core (永恒的核心) and theme of Shanghai World Expo will be always human. The mascot “Haibao” will become the messenger for the theme of World Expo 2010 Shanghai China “Better City, Better Life”.
The basic structure of the Chinese character “人” in which each stroke(一笔，一划) supports each other also shows the concept that the beautiful life should depends on mutual-help. If the human are willing to support one another, the harmony among human, nature, and society will be available. Such an urban life will be nice.
Haibao’s confident smile is expressing his sincere greeting from China ―“World Expo 2010 Shanghai China welcomes you!”Section One mainly tells us about ______.
| A．the part cities play in human civilization | B．the development of the word “city” |
| C．why the Expo is held in Shanghai | D．where human civilization originated |
The underlined word “it” in Section One refers to ______.
| A．the civilization | B．the philosopher | C．the word | D．the city |
Which correctly matches the sections with the pictures described in the passage?
| Pictures |
 |
 |
 |
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Dieters are often advised to stop drinking alcohol to avoid the extra calories lurking in a glass of wine or a favorite cocktail. But new research suggests that women who regularly consume moderate(适度的) amounts of alcohol are less likely to gain weight than nondrinkers and are at lower risk for obesity (fatness).
The findings, reported this week in the Archives of Internal Medicine, are based on a study of 19,220 United States women aged 30 to 40 who fall into the “normal weight” based on their body mass index. Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston tracked the women’s drinking habits over 13 years. About 60 percent of the women were light or regular drinkers, while about 40 percent reported drinking no alcohol.
Over the course of the study, 41 percent of the women became overweight. Although alcohol is packed with calories, the nondrinkers in the study actually gained more weight over time: nine pounds, on average, compared with an average gain of about three pounds among regular moderate drinkers. The risk of becoming overweight was almost 30 percent lower for women who consumed one or two alcohol drinks a day, compared with nondrinkers.
Th
e findings are certain to be confusing for women who continue to receive conflicting messages about the health benefits and risks of alcohol. Although moderate drinking is associated with better heart health, regular drinking also increases breast cancer risk.
The trend toward less weight gain among drinkers doesn’t appear to hold true for men. A 2003 study of British men showed that regular drinkers gained more weight than nondrinkers. Studies suggest that drinking alcohol has different effects on eating habits among men and women. Men typically add alcohol to their daily caloric intake, whereas women are more likely to su
bstitute（替代）alcohol for food. In addition, there may be differences in how men and women metabolize（代谢）alcohol. Metabolic studies show that after men drink alcohol, the
y experience little if any metabolic change. But alcohol appears to slightly speed up a woman’s metabolism.
The findings don’t mean women should rush to drink alcohol to lose weight. Other research shows that once a person is already overweight, her alcohol metabolism is more efficient, and so an overweight woman may gain more weight from alcohol than a lean(瘦的) woman. The data do, however, suggest that for many women facing weight problems, the extra calories are probably not coming from alcoholic drinks.According to the study, which of the following regular drinker is less likely to gain weight than nondrinkers?
A B CDThat men regular drinkers gained more weight than women regular drinkers is due to the following except ______.
| A．women are more likely to substitute alcohol for food. |
| B．men drink alcohol much faster than women. |
| C．men and women metabolize alcohol differently. |
| D．men have different effects on eating habits with women. |
The underlined word “whereas” may probably mean _______.
| A．so | B．in order that | C．but | D．and then |
What can a dieter probably do before reading this passage?
| A．Rush to drink alcohol to lose weight |
| B．Add alcohol to his or her daily caloric intake. |
| C．Face the weight problems alone. |
| D．Try to stop drinking any alcohol or wine. |
The Writers' Strike：Making the Best of the Worst
By now you are probably feeling the effects of the TV writers’ strike---the decision of television writers to stop working. With few new TV shows, I present to you a list of shows available on DVD worth your viewing time to keep you going during this painful period.
Arrested Development is one of the funniest and most clever shows ever to have appeared on network TV. With a most perfect cast(全体演员), the show sets out to cover the daily happenings of the Bluth family, a group of selfish staff who manage to still put family first.
For more comedy goodness, I recommend one of the sharpest comedies to have ever broadcast, 30 Rock. Starring Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin, two stars with impressive comic timing, the show gives you a glimpse into the making of a sketch show (幽默短剧),similar to Saturday Nigth Live, from the funny writers to the self-centered cast all the way up to
the boss.
If you are looking for something more serious, or perhaps Friday Night lights might be more to your liking. If you are a fan of football, this show is probably for you. If you are a fan of great drama, both soapy and serious, this show is probably for you, If you are a fan of good-looking people, this show is definitely for you .
If those shows were not enough for you, might I recommend a show with a more heart-pounding excitement? The Amazing Race, after twelve seasons, still remains one of the most exciting shows on TV. Teams of two travel the globe with little to no money and experience far-out adventures in an attempt to remain the last team standing. If you are fond of soapy TV shows, you will probably choose to watch.
| A．Friday Night Lights | B．30 Rock |
| C．the Amazing Race | D．Saturday Night Live |
From the DVD shows listed above, we can learn that .
| A．two teams won the amazing race |
| B．football fans enjoy the Amazing Race |
| C．the Bluths care about their family though selfish |
| D．30 Rock and Saturday Night Live have nothing in common |
The author writes the passage to tell us that.
| A．the effects of the TV writers’ strike are great |
| B．the strike puts TV shows in the worst situation |
| C．watching DVD is a good choice during the strike |
| D．we should choose DVD shows according to our tastes |
The passage is most probably taken from.
| A．a book review | B．a newspaper | C．a film poster | D．a DVD menu |