In modern society there is a great deal of argument about competition. Some value it highly, believing that it is responsible for social progress and prosperity. Others say that competition is bad; that it sets one person against another; that it leads to unfriendly relationship between people.
I have taught many children who held the belief that their self-worth relied（依赖）on how well they performed at tennis and other skills. For them, playing well and winning are often life-and-death affairs. In their single-minded pursuit(追求)of success, the development of many other human qualities is sadly forgotten.
However, while some seem to be lost in the desire to succeed, others take an opposite attitude. In a culture which values only the winner and pays no attention to the ordinary players, they strongly blame competition. Among the most vocal are youngsters who have suffered under competitive pressures from their parents or society. Teaching these young people, I often observe in them a desire to fail. They seem to seek failure by not trying to win or achieve success. By not trying, they always have an excuse: “ I may have lost, but it doesn’t matter because I really didn’t try.” What is not usually admitted by themselves is the belief that if they had really tried and lost, that would mean a lot. Such a loss would be a measure of their worth. Clearly, this belief is the same as that of true competitors who try to prove themselves. Both are based on the mistaken belief that one’s self-respect relies on how well one performs in comparison with others. Both are afraid of not being… Only as this basic and often troublesome fear begins to dissolve(缓解) can we discover a …meaning in competition.
1.What does this passage mainly talk about?
A. Competition helps to set up self-respect.
B. Opinions about competition are different among people.
C. Competition is harmful to personal quality development.
D. Failures are necessary experience in competition.
2.Why do some people favor competition according to the passage?
A. It pushes society forward.
B. It builds up a sense of duty.
C. It improves personal abilities.
D. It encourages individual efforts.
3.The underlined phrase “the most vocal” in Paragraph 3 means __________.
A. those who try their best to win
B. those who value competitions most highly
C. those who are against competition most strongly
D. those who rely on others most for success
4.What is the similar belief of the true competitors and those with a “desire to fail”?
A. One’s worth lies in his performance compared with others.
B. One’s success in competition needs great efforts.
C. One’s achievement is determined by his particular skills.
D. One’s success is based on how hard he has tried.
5.Which point of view may the author agree to?
A. Every effort should be paid back.
B. Competition should be encouraged.
C. Winning should be a life-and-death matter.
D. Fear of failure should be removed in competition.
Everyone should visit a lighthouse at least once.
The most important reasons for such a visit is to realize how our ancestors(祖先) battled nature with the basic tools they had. They had only basic ways of creating light, and yet they found a way of using this simple technology in isolated（孤零零的）places to save ships from hitting rocks.
Secondly, visiting lighthouses will help us to understand the lives of lighthouse keepers. By their very nature, lighthouses were built on some rocks of cliffs. Thus, the lighthouse keepers often lived lonely lives. To walk around their small home, and imagine the angry storm outside beating against the walls, is to take a step towards understanding the lives they had.
The reasons for a visit to a lighthouse are not all so backward-looking in time. It is true that lighthouses were built in out-of-the-way places. But on a pleasant sunny summer day, this very isolation has a natural beauty that many people will love to experience. Therefore, with the gentle waves touching all round the lighthouse, the visitor is likely to think it is a world preferable to the busy and noisy modern life.
Another reason for considering a visit is that the lighthouses themselves can be very attractive buildings. Mankind could often not be content just to put up a basic structure, but felt the need, even in such an isolated place, to build with an artistic touch. The result is a view for tired eyes to enjoy.
Finally, lighthouses have a romantic attraction, summed up by the image of the oil-skin coated keeper climbing his winding stairs to take care of the light to warn ships and save lives.
1.What is the reason to look back into the past of a lighthouse?
A. To escape from the busy and noisy city.
B. To look for the tools used by our ancestors.
C. To experience the natural beauty of a lighthouse.
D. To learn about the living condition of lighthouse keepers.
2.The underlined phrase “out-of-the-way” in Paragraph 4 means ____________.
A. far-away B. dangerous C. ancient D. secret
3.Lighthouses were often built with an artistic touch _________.
A. to attract visitors B. to guide passing ships
C. to give a pleasant sight D. to remember lighthouse keepers
4.How many reasons are mentioned for a visit to lighthouse?
A. Three B. Four C. Five D. Six
“My kids really understand solar and earth-heat energy,” says a second-grade teacher in Saugus, California. “Some of them are building solar collectors for their energy course.” These young scientists are part of City Building Educational Program(CBEP), a particular program for kindergarten through twelfth grade that uses the stages of city planning to teach basic reading, writing and math skills, and more.
The children don’t just plan any city. They map and analyze（分析）the housing, energy, and transportation requirements of their own district and foretell its needs in 100 years. With the aid of an architect（建筑师）who visits the classroom once a week, they invent new ways to meet these needs and build models of their creations. “ Designing building of the future gives children a lot of freedom,” says the teacher who developed this program. “They are able to use their own rich imagination and inventions without fear of blame, because there are no wrong answers in a future context. In fact, as the class enters the final model-building stage of the program, an elected ‘official’ and ‘planning group’ make all the design decisions for the model city, and the teacher steps back and becomes an adviser.”
CBEP is a test of activities, games and imitations that teach the basic steps necessary for problem-solving: observing, analyzing, working out possible answers, and judging them based on the children’s own standards.
1.The Program is designed ______________.
A. to direct kids to build solar collectors
B. to train young scientists for city planning
C. to develop children’s problem-solving abilities
D. to help young architects know more about designing
2.An architect pays a weekly visit to the classroom ____________.
A. to find out kids’ creative ideas
B. to discuss with the teacher
C. to give children lectures
D. to help kids with their program
3.Who is the designer of the program?
A. An official B. An architect C. A teacher D. A scientist
4.The children feel free in the program because ______________.
A. they can design future buildings themselves
B. they have new ideas and rich imagination
C. they are given enough time to design models
D. they need not worry about making mistakes
Reading is very important to help you learn English. To learn as much as you can from reading, you need to read different kinds of English. This book provides not only different kinds of English but also a good way to check your reading ability.
There are four parts in the book:
Part 1 is Messages: In this part somebody wants to send information in writing to somebody else. There is a test on timetable and a test on text messages.
Part 2 is People: In this part all the tests are about people. For example, there is an informal letter between friends. There is formal(正式的) English in biography(传记). There is a job application as a model to help with your writing, as well as testing your reading.
Part 3 is Places: In this part, too, many different kinds of English are shown, some informal and some formal. There is the informal English of a holiday postcard. There is also the formal English in a letter of complaint.
Part 4 is Things: You will find some descriptive writing in this part. There are descriptions of clothes and of a computer.
You can do these tests in any order you like, or you can do all the tests with a formal or informal text. I enjoyed writing this book and I hope you enjoy using it.
1.We can find the introduction to a product in ___________.
A. part 1 B. Part 2 C. Part 3 D. Part 4
2.Which of the following is most probably written in informal English?
A. A letter of complaint.
B. A computer handbook.
C. A letter of a friend.
D. A story of a president.
3.The passage is most probably written for _________.
A. test designers B. students C. test-takers D. teachers
4.What is the best title of the book?
A. Test Your Reading
B. Help with Your Writing
C. Learn Different Kinds of English
D. Practise English in Different Ways
My parents were in a huge argument, and I was really upset about it. I didn’t know who I should talk with about how I was feeling. So I asked Mom to allow me to stay the night at my best friend’s house. Though I knew I wouldn’t tell her about my parents’ situation, I was looking forward to getting out of the house. I was in the middle of packing up my things when suddenly the power went out in the neighborhood. Mom came to tell me that I should stay with my grandpa until the power came back on.
I was really disappointed because I felt that we did not have much to talk about. But I knew he would be frightened alone in the dark. I went to his room and told him that I’d stay with him until the power was restored. He was quite happy and said, “Great opportunity.”
“What is?” I asked.
“To talk, you and I,” he said. “To hold a private little meeting about what we’re going to do with your mom and dad, and what we’re going to do with ourselves now that we’re in the situation we are in.”
“But we can’t do anything about it, Grandpa,” I said, surprised that here was someone with whom I could share my feelings and someone who was in the same “boat” as I was
And that’s how the most unbelievable friendship between my grandfather and me started. Sitting there in the dark, we talked about our feeling and fears of life---from how fast things change, to how they sometimes don’t change fast enough. That night, because the power went out, I found a new friend, with whom I could safely talked about all my fears and pains, whatever they may be.
Suddenly, the lights all came back on. “Well,” he said, “ I guess that means you’ll want to go now. I really like our talk. I hope the power will go out every few nights!”
1.I wished to get out of the house because ________.
A. I was angry about my parents’ quarrel
B. I found nobody to share my feelings with
C. I wanted to escape from the dark house
D. I planned to tell my friend about my trouble
2.Grandpa was happy to see me because___________.
A. he could discuss the problem with me
B. he had not seem me for a long time
C. he was afraid of darkness
D. he felt quite lonely
3.What can be inferred from the passage?
A. The grandchild was eager to leave.
B. They would have more chats.
C. The lights would go our again.
D. It would no longer be dark.
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从各题的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该选项的标号涂黑。
Hidden passengers traveling in ships, trains, or even cars can be a terrible trouble—especially when they are insects. As for this, there is a great 1between human beings and insects. The former 2every possible effort to avoid being discovered, while the latter quickly 3attention to themselves.
We can only show mercy to the 4man who had to stop his car soon after 5from a country village to drive to London. Hearing a strange noise from the 6of the car, he naturally got out to 7the wheels carefully, but he found nothing wrong, so he 8his way. Again the noise began 9and became even louder. Quickly 10his head, the man saw what appeared to be a great 11cloud following the car. When he stopped at a village further on, he was told that a queen bee must be hidden in his car as there were thousands of bees 12.
On learning this, the man drove away as quickly as possible. After an hour’s 13driving, he arrived safely in London, where he parked his car outside a 14and went in. It was not long 15a customer who had seen him arrive 16in to inform him that his car was 17with bees. The poor driver was 18that the best way should be to call a 19. In a short time the man arrived. He found the unwelcome passenger hidden near the wheels at the back of the car. Very thankful to the driver for this 20gift, the bee-keeper took the queen and her thousands of followers home in a large box.
1.A. connection B. difference C. communication D. similarity
2.A. do B. take C. make D. try
3.A. give B. keep C. pay D. draw
4.A. unfortunate B. careless C. unpleasant D. hopeless
5.A. passing by B. leaving out C. setting out D. getting up
6.A. front B. back C. left D. right
7.A. clean B. change C. test D. examine
8.A. drove B. continued C. pushed D. forced
9.A. normally B. gently C. actually D. immediately
10.A. hiding B. turning C. shaking D. raising
11.A. black B. beautiful C. white D. colorful
12.A. below B. ahead C. nearby D. behind
13.A. boring B. careful C. exciting D. hard
14.A. hotel B. museum C. hospital D. school
15.A. when B. after C. until D. before
16.A. broke B. moved C. hurried D. dropped
17.A. crowded B. covered C. filled D. equipped
18.A. advised B. required C. ordered D. requested
19.A. bee-keeper B. policeman C. waiter D. repairman
20.A. unfamiliar B. unknown C. unexpected D. uncertain
