One of the most successful, influential and beloved women in American history, Eleanor Roosevelt once said that she had one regret: she wished she had been prettier. Who hasn’t felt the same way? We are all too aware of our physical imperfections. To overcome them, we spend billions upon billions every year. Why do we care so much about how we look? Because it matters. Because beauty is powerful. Because even we learn to value people mostly for being kind and wise and funny, we are still moved by beauty.
Aristotle said, “Beauty is a greater recommendation than any letter of introduction”. It’s not fair, but it’s true. We simply treat beautiful people better than we do others. Attach a photograph of a beautiful author to an essay, and people will think that it is more creative and more intelligently written than exactly the same essay accompanied by the photo of a homely author. As children, beautiful people are more likely to become favorites with parents and teachers. Later, they are more likely to get good jobs. Attractive people in need are more likely to receive help from strangers.
These days, women and men both rely on advanced technology to improve their beauty. Wrinkles can be stretched away with a face lift. Special injections can make lips look young and plump (丰满的). Besides being a sign of youth, good skin also means that the person is likely to be healthy. Still, it is possible to go too far. At the end of the 19th century, some women even had their ribs (肋骨) removed so they’d have that perfect narrow waist.
Our sensitivity to physical beauty is not something we can control at will. We are born with it. Experiments showed that even small infants prefer to look at attractive faces. Before they have met a single supermodel, before they have watched a single TV show, before they have opened up a single fashion magazine, they are drawn to the same faces which adults have judged to be attractive.
There are more important things in life than beauty. But as Nancy Etcoff says, “We have to understand beauty, or we will always be enslaved by it.” If you aim to be wise and kind and funny, it doesn’t mean that you can't also try your best to look beautiful. There’s no reason to feel guilty about being moved by beauty’s power. It moves us all.
1.Which of the following proverbs has the opposite meaning of Aristotle’s sentence in Paragraph 2?
A.Never judge a book by its cover. B.Act on second thoughts.
C.Leave your luck while winning. D.Great minds think alike.
2.The underlined word “homely” in Paragraph 2 can be replaced by ____.
A.attractive B.plain C.beautiful D.handsome
3.According to the passage, which of the following statements is true?
A.People are all slaves to beauty.
B.Beauty can ensure good jobs.
C.Advanced technology helps improve beauty.
D.People value beauty over other virtues.
4.What’s the best title of this passage?
A.The Power of Beauty B.Huge Costs of Beauty
C.Bad Effects of Beauty D.Various Ways to Beauty
A motorcyclist should generally follow the driving rules which apply to all motor vehicles. However, because of the nature of the vehicle, the following additional safety measures should apply to the operation of a motorcycle.
1. Because of in stability in case of sudden stops, following distances should be greater than for cars.
2. The proper position of the foot while the motorcycle is moving is resting on peg (脚蹬)and keeping foot straight.
3. Helmets must be worn for head protection in case of an accident.
4. Allow the engine to warm up before starting.
5. Drive slowly and use extreme caution on surfaces which are slippery because of ice, snow, sand, mud, etc. to guard against falling.
6. When operating a motorcycle at night you should travel near the center of the right-hand lane at reduced speed.
7. A passenger shall not be carried unless the vehicle is equipped with a seat designed to carry two persons.
8. Avoid going between the cars. A passenger may suddenly open the door to leave the car.
9. Drive in traffic only after developing skill in the control of the motorcycle away from traffic.
10. A screen must be used or eye glasses worn to protect the eyes.
1.From the contents and the writing style, we can infer it is a(an) ______.
A.note B.instruction C.notice D.advertisement
2.When we operate a motorcycle, we should______.
A.do some warm-up exercises first.
B.wear helmets just in case.
C.avoid driving in traffic.
D.never carry a passenger..
3.Which of the following can best summarize this passage?
A.Good Driving Habits B.Enjoy Driving Motorcycles
C.Functions of Motorcycles D.Avoid Using Motorcycles
Why Thoughtful Gifts Are the Worst Gifts?
During all kinds of holidays, millions of people will buy gifts for loved ones, which is great--- _______ that tons of those people make the same mistakes, and buy the _______ gifts.
Roughly 10 percent of gifts are _______ each year---and the percentage of unwanted gifts is surely higher given that nice people may not want to return presents.
What's going on?
Gift buying _______ a deceiving selfish pursuit. We don't actually look for things people want to receive. _______, and to many of our gifts' detriments, we _______ look for things that we want to give. It’s an important problem.
The research says _______ .
“Gift givers want to prove how well they know a person by choosing a thoughtful gift,” said Mary Steffel, an assistant professor at the University of Cincinnati _______ research has focused on gift-giving. “But people aren't very good at guessing what others want.”
Research has shown that givers value the gifts they buy more than recipients (接受者).The result seems to come from a simple wrong belief _______ thoughtful presents are the best presents. They are not. In fact, they ________ just be the worst presents. The more thought you put into a present, the more likely you are to stray from buying what the person you're buying the present for actually wants.
“Gift givers focus on what people are like instead of what people actually would like,” said Steffel. “And it's most pronounced when they're shopping for people they are close to.”
In other words, people let their gift-giving egos (自我)get ________ the way of great presents. Especially when the recipient is someone they want to show they know really well.
Fortunately, the answer to our ________ on guessing what people want is simple: stop it.
“People want ________ it is they happen to want in the moment, which can be very specific,” Steffel said. “You are much better off ________ people what they want.”
There is another helpful ________ of thumb. Buy gifts that can be used more broadly. People prefer gift cards to actual gifts, and cash to ________. Here is an example. ________ you have a friend, and your friend really likes margarita (玛格丽特鸡尾酒).You might think of buying that friend a margarita-maker.
But a margarita-maker, ________ it speaks to a specific quality in that friend, is actually a pretty ________ present. Better yet? Give the friend enough cash to buy the device, ________ it, and then accept the reality that they are probably going to buy something else they want much more.
1.A.given B.except C.since D.besides
2.A.wrong B.precious C.valuable D.right
3.A.accepted B.received C.welcomed D.returned
4.A.has become B.had become C.will become D.becomes
5.A.Therefore B.Instead C.However D.Yet
6.A.have to B.lead to C.tend to D.happen to
7.A.so B.it C.such D.this
8.A.where B.whose C.who D.which
9.A.which B.that C.as D.whose
10.A.might B.must C.have to D.should
11.A.on B.by C.in D.with
12.A.difference B.dependence C.insistence D.existence
13.A.whatever B.wherever C.whichever D.whenever
14.A.asking B.asked C.to ask D.ask
15.A.law B.rule C.restriction D.regulation
16.A.none B.all C.both D.neither
17.A.Saying B.Said C.To say D.Say
18.A.even if B.as if C.even now D.if only
19.A.terrible B.nice C.comfortable D.enjoyable
20.A.avoid B.desert C.command D.suggest
听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1.What did the students do on Monday?
A.They signed a booking form.
B.They handed in a booking form.
C.They were given a booking form.
2.How long will the parents’ meeting last?
A.About 30 minutes.
B.About 20 minutes.
C.About 15 minutes.
3.What is the subject of the special advisor’s lecture?
A.How to improve grades.
B.How to communicate with parents.
C.How to fill out university application forms.
4.Who will benefit from Mr. Jones’ talk?
A.Students who want to be athletes.
B.Students who want to study overseas.
C.Students who want to get a scholarship.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.How did the man feel at first?
A.Proud. B.Nervous. C.Excited.
2.What is the man about to do?
A.Accept a prize.
B.Make a speech.
C.Receive a degree.
3.Where will the speakers go for a holiday tomorrow?
A.London. B.Paris. C.Beijing.
4.Who are the speakers?
A.Family members. B.Schoolmates. C.Teacher and student.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.Where are the speakers?
A.In Japan. B.In China. C.In America.
2.What kind of food did the woman want to eat at first?
A.Fast food. B.Street food. C.Home-made food.
3.What will the woman do next?
A.Start cooking. B.Get changed. C.Surf on the Internet.
