Recently, as I watched my son Nathan play basketball for his school team, I was feeling sorry for myself and for him. His team was facing adversity(困境) on the court, trailing for three quarters of the game. As for me, I had just been dismissed from my job.
As I watched what my son was experiencing, I recalled the events earlier in the day—packing up everything in a box and saying goodbye to my colleagues. During the drive home, I kept telling myself that I will find work again—I am confident in my experience and abilities, but self-doubt was still sticking its foot in the door.
The game entered the fourth quarter with Nathan’s team still trailing. I saw the determination on his back to not only tie the game, but then go ahead by three points. Then, a player from the other team made an unbelievable shot to tie the game up again. With a tie game and seconds on the clock, Nathan found himself with the ball and with skill and confidence, he made the basket with a defender hanging all over him. The other player was called for a foul(犯规).
As Nathan stood preparing for a shot that would put his team up by three points, I saw the focus and determination on his face, with no room for self-doubt. After he made the free throw, his team managed to stop the other team from scoring, winning the game and moving on to the finals.
As I sat there, my heart bursting with pride, it dawned on me. I had taught him perseverance(毅力) in the face of adversity, and he had just taught me the same lesson. That brief moment of self-doubt and feeling sorry for myself was blown away by the actions of my son on the basketball court. He will play in the finals, but it doesn’t matter if he wins or loses. At this moment, we both won.
1.We can learn from the text that ________.
A.I lost my job for lack of experience and abilities.
B.Nathans team won a narrow victory in the basketball game.
C.I was proud of Nathan because he won the game in the finals.
D.Nathan had never doubted himself whenever he was in trouble.
2.The underlined word “trailing” in the first paragraph probably means ________.
A.losing B.falling behind
C.being defeated D.winning
3.What can we infer from the last paragraph?
A.My son would win in the finals and I would find a job soon.
B.I had once taught my son face to face that we should never give up.
C.It was my encouragement and help that made my son win the game.
D.I would become more confident about my future after this experience.
4.What is the best title for the text?
A.An Inspiring Game B.A Moment of Self-doubt
C.Lesson from My Son D.An Unforgettable Experience
Medical developments and discoveries often provide the best things for controversies (争论).This is because whenever a new discovery or theory is proposed, there is always disagreement. Only via objective scientific evidence can such arguments be cleared. But, as is often the case, a clear solution is not instantly found. However, once the technology catches up with the area of the discovery, it shows exactly how valid the theory is. Since this is a slow process and can take years, the development of controversies is unavoidable.
Over the years, various such controversies have been developed, examined, and either rejected, or proved right for the good of mankind. Now read the following examples.
Firstly, cancer was largely regarded as an incurable disease, since its exact cause was unknown. Later, professors and doctors came up with various theories regarding the cause. Some claimed it was the result of chemical processes, while others believed it was a sort of poison. After a few decades, a doctor proposed that cancer was caused by the inhalation (吸入) of pollutants, in the form of smoke, gas, etc. His claim was rejected by many researchers and doctors. However, due to various scientific studies, this claim is now clearly common knowledge, though there may be other causes.
Many people worry that the use of cell phones can cause cancer. Recent studies suggest that this common threat is actually quite true. Numerous studies indicate that the long usage of cell phones (at least an hour per day) increases the risk of developing brain tumors.
After the discovery of X-rays, they were widely used, from doctors' clinics to shoe stores to see the fit of shoes. People thought they could offer the benefit of visualizing the skeleton (骨骼) of a person without causing any danger to the person. However, in 1956, the National Academy of Science reported the harmful effects of these rays on the human body, and the practice was then given up. Presently, we all know that exposure to X-rays may lead to radiation poisoning, tissue breakdown, and even death.
1.What may stop the scientific evidence of a theory being found quickly?
A.Agreement among scientists. B.The lack of professional researchers.
C.Technological limitations. D.The lack of motivation for investigating.
2.Different scientific studies have proved that _________.
A.cancer is not an incurable disease. B.cancer is caused by chemical processes.
C.air pollution is becoming more serious. D.air pollution is one of the causes of cancer.
3.How is the passage mainly developed?
A.By giving examples. B.By making comparisons.
C.By following time order. D.By making classifications.
4.What is the purpose of the passage?
A.To remove people’s misunderstanding of medicine.
B.To report the most recent medical development.
C.To find good solutions to medical problems.
D.To stress the development of controversies.
Christina Horsten and Felix Zeltner tried not to panic when they were hit with a $400 rent increase on their Park Slope apartment in 2016, and realized they would have to move for the second time in two years. Instead of feeling intimidated by the unexpected event, they hit upon an unconventional idea: Why not move to a new neighborhood every month for a year?
At first, things went remarkably well. They found their next apartment, a beautiful apartment in Chinatown. The next months brought stops in Staten Island and Harlem. As September approached, their next place to live proved difficult to find. When their Harlem lease (租约) ended, they took a road trip, then fell for a false advertisement in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, when an apartment they found advertised online wasn't actually available to rent. And eventually they got their money back through Paypal. “That was rock bottom,” Ms. Horsten said.
Over the rest of the year, they spent time in a townhouse in Mott Haven, as well as apartments in Chelsea, the East Village, Hell’s Kitchen, and Williamsburg. “In the end, we were like, ‘Why should we even stop doing this?’ ”Ms. Horsten said. But then a lease takeover on Listings Project caught their attention: a two-bedroom apartment atop an Upper West Side townhouse.
A second daughter, Lily, was born in January. And with a newborn, they have no intention of moving again anytime soon. Still, many aspects of their adventure have remained with them. “In the same way that we’ve tried to keep minimalism (极简主义) in our life, we try to stay in touch with all the people we’ve met,” Ms. Horsten said.“We realized it was a lifelong project to try to get to know NewYork City,” she added. But there is one member of the household eagerly waiting for a repeat: their 4-year-old daughter Emma.“ I think she loved it the most,” Ms. Horsten said.“At all the places we stayed, she found things I never noticed: children’s books, a dollhouse, a drum set. Even now, she’s like,‘When are we moving to a new home?’ And we’re like,‘We kind of like it here.’ ”
1.What does the underlined word “intimidated” in Paragraph1 mean?
A.Frightened. B.Surprised.
C.Embarrassed. D.Confused.
2.While looking for a place to stay, where was the couple nearly cheated?
A.In Chinatown. B.In Sunset Park.
C.In Staten Island. D.In Harlem.
3.What’s the couple’s plan for next month?
A.Buying a townhouse in Brooklyn.
B.Staying in the apartment in the Upper West Side.
C.Donating their daughter’s toys to those living nearby.
D.Looking for a two-bedroom apartment for their newborn.
4.What is the best title for the text?
A.East or west, home is best. B.Where to start, where to end.
C.Wherever you are, there is home. D.Another month, another neighborhood.
Home party marketing originated in America in the early twentieth century. At that time, direct selling had become a very common part of American life. Door-to-door salesmen would travel throughout the country selling anything from sewing machines to cure-all medicines. In 1931, a man named Frank Stanley Beveridge who had dug enough gold by doing this selling started a company called Stanley Home Products. The company sold cleaning supplies to housewives.
Soon after Mr. Beveridge began his company, one of his salesmen began selling Stanley products at home parties. The salesman would organize a Stanley Party where he could give a cleaning demonstration (演示) to a room full of guests. It allowed him to sell Stanley products to many different customers at once, and it proved to be much more effective than standard door-to-door sales. The practice quickly became the main marketing strategy (策略) of Stanley Home Products.
Next, during the 1940s, many housewives started selling Stanley products to make extra money for their families. The job was perfect for housewives because Stanley sellers could work from home and set their own schedules. A single mother named Brownie Wise took full advantage of this opportunity and quickly became one of Stanley’s top sellers.
Not long after that, she started her own direct selling business called Tupperware Patio Parties, which focused on selling a new type of plastic food container, Tupperware, using the Stanley home party system. Wise had realized Tupperware was perfect for the home party system. She could show her customers its patented (专利的) airtight seal, and she could also take away their anxiety about the safety of plastics -a fairly new invention at the time. Wise’ s company was very successful, and it was soon selling more Tupperware than department stores.
Today, many other companies have adopted home party marketing plans. So, next time you leave friend’s party with a hundred dollars’ worth of new Tupperware or jewelry, you can thank Frank Stanley Beveridge and Brownie Wise for your unintended purchase.
1.What do we know about Frank Stanley Beveridge?
A.He was an inventor of many home products.
B.He was an experienced door-to-door salesman.
C.He was the president of Tupperware Patio Parties.
D.He was the first person to organize a Stanley Party.
2.Why was being a home party seller a perfect job for housewives?
A.They liked holding parties at their house.
B.They could make some money quickly.
C.They needed hardly any pre-job training.
D.They could work under a flexible schedule.
3.According to Wise, why was Tupperware perfect for the home party system?
A.It was liked by party organizers. B.It required a demonstration.
C.It sold badly in department stores. D.It was especially made for the system.
4.This text is organized in the pattern of ____________.
A.time and events. B.comparison and contrast.
C.cause and effect. D.argument and explanation.
Architect Daniel Libeskind is the designer of such global landmarks as New York's One World Trade Center and Berlin's Jewish Museum. In his new book, he reviews his life's work and its inspirations — including these books.
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll. I love Lewis Carroll; he's a total genius (天才). His two classic works are children's books for grown-ups because they show aspects of the creative mind that we all have but seldom use in adulthood. Inspired by Carroll, I make a habit of trying to learn seven amazing things before breakfast.
Ulysses by James Joyce. Joyce once said that if Dublin were destroyed, you could recreate the entire city from this novel. You can't do urban planning without Ulysses because it is a labyrinth (迷宫) you can never leave.
In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust. Proust's great novel is really a book of reflections about how architecture — our living spaces — creates a blueprint (蓝图) for our dreams, our desires, our emotions, and our memories. Where we have lived, what we have eaten, and what kind of cups we use — all of those aspects are examined here in minute detail.
Emily Dickinson's Herbarium by Emily Dickinson. From childhood onward, Dickinson collected, pressed, and classified the plants she grew in her garden in Amherst. Through the pictures in this book, you can see how her poetry — all her symbols, all her metaphors (隐喻), the colors she mentions — mirrors nature. You don't even have to read her poetry to see what a great artist she was.
1.Which of the following books is set in Dublin?
A.Ulysses. B.In Search of Lost Time.
C.Through the Looking-Glass. D.Emily Dickinson's Herbarium.
2.Whose book has pictures of various plants?
A.James Joyce's. B.Emily Dickinson's.
C.Marcel Proust's. D.Lewis Carroll's.
3.What can be learned about the books mentioned in the text?
A.They are all novels. B.They are written for children.
C.They offer inspirations for Daniel Libeskind. D.They focus on the power of nature.
How does keeping things tidy change people psychologically? You gain greater confidence in yourself. Also, you become more optimistic and calmer in the mind than before. There are several reasons for these changes: your self-image improves as you start living in tidy beautiful rooms, and you gain decision-making skills as you continue to choose between which things to throw or give away and which to keep. The way we let go of things in the Kon Mari Method plays an important role as well.
The Kon Mari Method has a step where we give thanks to the things before we throw them away. Not only would you say “thank you for sparking joy in me" to a favorite piece of clothing that you wore till it was threadbare, you would also say to a piece of clothing you never wore once “thank you for teaching me that this color doesn't look good on me". You will appreciate the roles of all the things that have come to you and experience appreciation for all of them. Through this experience, you will rediscover the truth that you have been supported by so many things and you will deepen your gratitude for things you leave behind.
To share a personal example, I have always had little confidence in myself. When I get nervous before a large speaking assignment, I think to myself that I'll be fine because
these clothes are protecting me and these shoes are supporting me, and that calms me down. Once you start feeling constant gratitude for your things and your home through tidying up, you will start feeling relief and calm as if you are always protected by something larger than you.
1.What psychological change may tidiness bring to people?
A.They will become more confident. B.Their confidence will become less.
C.They will become less optimistic. D.Their self-image will be damaged.
2.What does the underlined word “threadbare" mean in the second paragraph?
A.fashionable B.fancy
C.out of date D.worn out
3.What should people show to clothes they have never worn in the Kon Mari Method?
A.Regret. B.Worry.
C.Gratitude. D.Patience.
4.Why does the author mention his own experience in the last paragraph?
A.To show off his wonderful speaking skills.
B.To give an example of the benefit of tidiness.
C.To explain how he has become a confident person.
D.To show his special taste in choosing suitable clothes.
