The Smiths don’t usually like staying at hotels, but last summer they spent a few days at a very nice hotel by ________ sea.
A./; a B.the; the C./; the D.the; a
Translation
1.管弦乐队的指挥对这位歌手被绑架感到震惊。（shock）
2.经过迁址，上海音乐厅重现了往日的风采。（with, bring）
3.自己做老板有很多优势，但很难平衡工作和个人生活。（advantage, it）
4.作为一个声名鹊起的年轻导演，他已被视为电影界的传奇人物了。（as, regard）
5.几十年来，音乐家门改编了传统音乐形式，使之更能吸引普通大众。（adapt, appealing）
6.国王出席颁奖典礼，给在物理，化学，生物和医学方面做出重大贡献的科学家们颁奖。（present）
Directions: Read the following passage. Fill in each blank with a proper sentence given in the box. Each sentence can be used only once. Note that there are two more sentences than you need.
Are you still disappointed at your failure? Stop sighing, and change your mental model.
Change your view on “success” and” failure”.
Most people have the following mental model: SUCCESS—YOU—FAILURE. 1.but what if you change that model? YOU—FAILURE—SUCCESS. Instead of for viewing failure as something to be avoided, turn it into a “steppingstone” on the path to success
Increase your failure rate.
If it is true that the more we fail ,the more we succeed then your immediate goal should be to intentionally increase your failure rate! 2.Intentionally increasing failure means the more people tell you “no”, the closer you will get to ultimate success.
Set “No” goals.
3.But how about setting goals for failure? The exciting aspect is how it keeps people “in the game ”when they are “red hot”. If all you have is “yes” goals and then you slow down or quit when you are successful, the hot steak end .But if you keep going when you get the “yeses” of life, the sky is the limit
4.
If the key to success is to increase our failures, then it makes sense to celebrate our setbacks. Yes, you heard right: if someone turns you down, celebrate it! Instead of mentally punishing yourself for not succeeding, buy yourself ice cream and say ,”I am one step closer to success ! ”Stop letting failure have a negative impact on your thoughts and emotions.
A.See courage as a muscle
B.Celebrate your failures.
C.Everyone sets success goals
D.With this thought in mind, you are succeeding even when you fail
E.All the courage you need to achieve success is already in you ,just waiting for you to take action
F.They see themselves in the middle, and do everything they can to move toward success and away from failure
Is there any evidence that the standard of English as a foreign language has improved in the years since the Second World War? Naturally, as it is the world language, more and mere people are taught it and use it. But do they speak it or write it or understand it better than their patents’ or grandparents’ generations?
Have standards declined? There is no objective way of answering this question. Tests of the traditional sort — compositions, precis writing, and so on — have always been subjective, so they cannot be used to judge whether people have got better or not over the years. But so-called objective tests are useless as a measure of progress too. They have not been used consistently (一贯的) in the same “concentration” over the period they have been in use, so there is no way of comparing exams “now” and “then”. Moreover, usually in the form of multiple choice questions, they do not, by and large, test the things that really count in mastering a language. Even comprehension is a partly “creative” activity in real life, as we have to think of possible meanings for ourselves rather than have them suggested for us from outside. And people can be trained in the techniques of multiple choice, while others fail the tests because they have been led astray (离开正道) precisely by their “suggestive” nature, so they are not really objective at all. We are left with only personal impression to go on.
My own is that, if anything, standards have declined somewhat in the last thirty or forty years, despite all the new theories, tools and techniques that have been developed. I am not alone in this judgment. In Sweden, for instance, Professors Johannes Hedberg and Gustav Korlen, two of the most experienced workers in the field; have on several occasions drawn attention to the lack of progress in the teaching of foreign languages since the late fifties. Yet Sweden is a sophisticated (先进的) society with extremely high educational and academic standards, and very concerned not to be cut off from the rest of the world. If such a country cannot achieve advances in the study of foreign languages, it is unlikely that many, if any, others have done so.
Japan is another community where remarkably little progress has been made in the learning of English. It is probably as important for Japan as for Sweden to master that language, and there is much academic effort put into linguistic (语言学的) research of various kinds. Yet the average standard of language learning is abysmally low, particularly for such a highly literate and educated society. This is no doubt in part the result of a vicious circle (恶性循环): many of the professors of English at Japanese universities are themselves incapable of speaking or writing or even understanding the language well.
1.Which of the following is TRUE according to the author?
A.Multiple choice questions are objective because people cannot be trained any techniques.
B.Sweden emphasizes the teaching of English without paying attention to other countries.
C.We have to depend on our own impression to judge the English standards.
D.Compositions are useful to test people’s English ability because people have to write out their viewpoints.
2.The so-called objective tests cannot be used as a measure of progress because _______.
A.the people who design the tests are changing constantly
B.the tests do not always focus on the same thing
C.the way of scoring is not scientific
D.they contain too many reading comprehension questions
3.The author’s attitude towards present English standards is _______.
A.negative B.indifferent (漠不关心的)
C.sympathetic D.positive
Stephen Glenn is a famous American research scientist who has made several very important medical breakthroughs. Many people were dying to know the secrets to his fantastic achievements. To reveal the mystery, a newspaper reporter interviewed him asking why he was able to be so much more creative than the average person. What set him so far apart from others?
Having assumed to hear wording like innate curiosity for science or hard work, the reporter was surprised to have him respond that, in his opinion, it all came from an experience with his mother that occurred when he was about four years old. He had been trying to remove a bottle of milk form the refrigerator when he lost his grip on the slippery bottle and it fell, spilling its contents all over the kitchen floor, a real sea of milk!
When his mother came into the kitchen, instead of shouting at him, giving him a lecture or chastising him, she said. “Stephen, what a great and wonderful mess you have made! I have rarely seen such a huge pond of milk. Well, the damage has already been done Would you like to get down and play in the milk for a few minutes before we clean it up?”
Indeed, he did. After a few minutes, his mother said, “You know, Stephen. whenever you make a mess like this, eventually you have to clean it up and restore everything to its proper order. So, how would you like to do that? We could use a sponge, a towel or a mop. Which do you prefer?” He chose the sponge and together they cleaned up the spilled milk.
His mother then said, “You know, what we have here is a failed experiment in how to effectively carry a big milk bottle with two tiny hands. Let's go out in the back yard and till the bottle with water and see if you can discover a way to carry it without dropping it.” The little boy learned that if be grasped the bottle at the top near the lip with both hands, he could carry it without dropping it. What a wonderful lesson!
This renowned scientist then remarked that it was at that moment that he knew he didn't need to be afraid to make mistakes. Instead, he learned that mistakes were just opportunities for learning something new, which is, after all, what scientific experiments are all about. Even if the experiment doesn't work, we usually learn something valuable from it.
Wouldn‘t it be great if all parents would respond the way Stephen's mother responded to him?
1.According to the passage, a newspaper interviewed Stephen Glenn in order to _______ .
A.persuade him to treat some dying patients B.find out his differences with ordinary people
C.hear about his opinions about medical science D.know about why he was so successful
2.According to the passage, the underlined word “chastising” means _______.
A.pursuing B.punishing C.praising D.educating
3.What ordinary mothers can learn from Stephen's mother is that _______.
A.never put milk bottle where little kids can get hold of
B.appreciation of kids’ behaviours is important to their growth
C.mothers should teach kids to learn from their own mistakes
D.kids should learn to become scientists from childhood.
Mike frowned at his calendar and then picked up his guitar. His band had been together for five months. Everyone said they were fantastic but they still had not been blessed with a paying job.
The three guys had become acquainted in band class, and organizing a group had been Mike’s idea. Mike played the guitar and acted as leader. John was on drums and James was on the saxophone. The three got together just for fun and named their group Playday.
But when some fans praised their talent, they decided to turn fun into profit. To make themselves known, Playday volunteered to entertain at parties. They played for free at school get-togethers. Mike loved the applause! He felt like a superstar. They practiced hard and discussed young musicians who had vaulted into prominence.
“The Jackson Five were kids,” John said. “Michael shot to fame like a rocket!” He exclaimed. “We can do it!” Mike encouraged the group.
After months of keeping Spirits high, Mike was tired. They haven’t seen even a cent. Let alone making a killing. Everyone was in low spirits. They decided to break up after one final volunteer job. The next day, they were to perform for patients at the Children’s Hospital where Mike’s mother worked as a nurse.
The next day the three young guys set up in the hospital lobby, and the nurses brought in the audience. As Playday began its number, Mike could feel their lack of spirit. Then Mike spotted one patient sitting limply in her wheelchair. Her expression was vacant, but when music filled the room, this rag doll came to life. She sat up straight, and the light that shone in her eyes lighted up something in Mike. He felt the thrill he’d been missing. As Mike’s playing caught fire, James and John gained energy. Soon, Playday was rocking as never before.
After the performance, the three guys spent time with the patients. Mike spoke to the girl who had encouraged him to play so well. “Wouldn’t it feel great to be rich and famous?” she asked, eyes still bright. “Will you be a rock star?” “Probably not,” Mike answered. “But I’ll never give up my music. I felt like the big time playing for you!”
1.The underlined phrase “had vaulted into prominence” most likely means .
A.had grown into adults B.had made a promise
C.had played The Jackson Five D.had become successful
2.The members of Playboy were tired and depressed because they _______.
A.had no offer of a paying performance B.competed cruelly with other bands
C.called an end to the band D.performed at the Children's Hospital
3.While performing at the Children's Hospital, Mike became inspired because _______.
A.his guitar caught fire B.a girl took him as a rock star
C.a patient was much cheered up D.a toy doll suddenly became alive
4.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A.Mike, John and James got to know each other as they were relatives.
B.They planned to make money when they had a big fan base.
C.Their wonderful performance at Children’s Hospital cured the girl of her disease.
D.Mike found out the enjoyment of volunteer performance after playing at the hospital.
