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 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 the 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 valued. Only as this basic and often troublesome fear begins to dissolve(缓解) can we discover a new 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 experiences 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 competition 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.
Handshaking, though a European practice, is often seen in big cities of China. Nobody knows exactly when the practice started in Europe. It is said that long long ago in Europe when people met, they showed their unarmed hands to each other as a sign of goodwill. As time went on and trade in cities grew rapidly, people in cities began to clap each other’s hands to make a deal or to reach an agreement, This practice was later changed into shaking hands among friends on meeting or leaving each other. “Let’s shake (hands) on it” sometimes means agreement reached.
Do the Europeans shake hands wherever they go and with whomever they meet? No. Sometimes the Chinese abroad reach out their hands too often to be polite. It is really very impolite to give your hand when the other party, especially when it is a woman, shows little interest in shaking hands with you and when the meeting does not mean anything to him or her. Even if, for politeness, he holds out his unwilling hand in answer to your uninvited hand, just touch it slightly. There is generally a misunderstanding among the Chinese that westerners are usually open and straightforward, while the Chinese are rather reserved (保守的) in manner. But in fact some people in western countries are more reserved than some Chinese today. So it is a good idea to shake hands with a westerner only when he shows interest in further relations with you.
1.The first paragraph mainly tells us .
A. where handshaking was first practised.
B. how handshaking came about.
C. about the relationship between handshaking and trade.
D. about the practice of handshaking both in Europe and in China.
2.According to the text, which of the following statements is true?
A. Westerners are more reserved than the Chinese.
B. Westerners are unwilling to shake hands.
C. We should make a judgement before shaking hands.
D. We shouldn’t shake hands with European women.
3.The main purpose of the text is .
A. to tell us some differences between the East and the West
B. to offer us some important facts about handshaking
C. to introduce us to some different customs in the West.
D. to give us some advice before we travel abroad
We have two daughters: Kristen is seven years old and Kelly is four. Last Sunday evening, we invited some people home for dinner. I dressed them nicely for the party, and told them that their job was to join Mommy in answering the door when the bell rang. Mommy would introduce them to the guests, and then they would take the guests’ coats upstairs and put them on the bed in the second bedroom.
The guests arrived. I introduced my two daughters to each of them. The adults were nice and kind and said how lucky we were to have such good kids.
Each of the guests made a particular fuss over Kelly, the younger one, admiring her dress, her hair and her smile. They said she was a remarkable girl to be carrying coats upstairs at her age.
I thought to myself that we adults usually make a big “to do” over the younger one because she’s the one who seems more easily hurt. We do it with the best of intentions.
But we seldom think of how it might affect the other child. I was a little worried that Kristen would feel she was being outshined. I was about to serve dinner when I realized that she had been missing for twenty minutes. I ran upstairs and found her in the bedroom, crying.
I said, “What are you doing, my dear?”
She turned to me with a sad expression and said, “Mommy, why don’t people like me the way they like my sister?” Is it because I’m not pretty? Is that why they don’t say nice things about me as much?
I tried to explain to her, kissing and hugging her to make her feel better.
Now, whenever I visit a friend’s home, I make it a point to speak to the elder child first.
1.The underlined expression “make a big ‘to do’ over” (Paragraph 4) means “ ” .
A. show much concern about B. have a special effect on
C. list jobs to be done for D. do good things for
2.The guests praised Kelly for carrying coats upstairs because of her .
A. beautiful hair B. pretty clothes
C. lovely smile D. young age
3.Kristen felt sad and cried because .
A. the guests gave her more coats to carry
B. she didn’t look as pretty as Kelly
C. the guests praised her sister more than her
D. her mother didn’t introduce her to the guests
4.We can conclude from the passage that .
A. parents should pay more attention to the elder children
B. the younger children are usually more easily hurt
C. people usually like the younger children more
D. adults should treat children equally
You might think that “global warming” means nothing more than a rise in the world’s temperature. But, rising sea levels caused by it have resulted in the first evacuation(撤离) of an island nation—the citizens of Tuvalu will have to have their homeland.
During the 20th century, sea level rose 8-12 inches. As a result, Tuvalu has experienced lowland flooding of salt water which has polluted the country’s drinking water.
Paani Laupepa, a Tuvaluan government official, reported to the Earth Policy Institute that the nation suffered an unusually high number of fierce storms in the past ten years. Many scientists connect higher surface water temperatures resulting from global warming to greater and more damaging storms.
Laupepa expressed dissatisfaction with the United States for refusing to sign the Kyoto Protocol, an international agreement calling for industrialized nations to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions(导致温室效应的气体排放), which are a main cause of global warming. “By refusing to sign the agreement, the US has effectively taken away the freedom of future generations of Tuvaluans to live where their forefathers have lived for thousands of years,” Laupepa told the BBC.
Tuvalu has asked Australia and New Zealand to allow the gradual move of its people to both countries.
Tuvalu is not the only country that is vulnerable(易受影响的) to rising sea levels. Maumoon Gayoon, president of the Maldives, told the United Nations that global warming has made his country of 311,000 an “endangered nation”.
1.The text is mainly about .
A. rapid changes in earth’s temperature
B. bad effects of global warming
C. moving of a country to a new place
D. reasons for lowland flooding
2.According to scientists, the DIRECT cause of more and fiercer storms is .
A. greenhouse gas emissions in industrialized nations
B. higher surface water temperatures of the sea
C. continuous global warming
D. rising sea levels
3.Laupepa was not satisfied with the United States because it did not .
A. agree to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions
B. sign an agreement with Tuvalu
C. allow Tuvaluans to move to the US
D. believe the problems facing Tuvalu were real
In the clinic, I asked if Michael could be retested, so the specialist tested him again. To my
1, it was the same score.
Later that evening, I 2told Frank what I had learned that day. After talking it over, we agreed that we knew our 3much better than an IQ test. We 4that Michael’s score must have been a 5and we should treat him 6as usual.
We moved to Indiana in 1962, and Michael studied at Concordia High School in the same year. He got 7grades in the school, especially 8biology and chemistry, which was a great comfort.
Michael 9Indiana University in 1965 as a premedical student. Soon afterwards, his teacher permitted him to take more courses than 10. In 1968, he was accepted by the School of medicine, Yale University.
On graduation day in 1972, Frank and I 11the ceremony at Yale. After the ceremony, we told Michael about the 12IQ score he got when he was six. Since that day, Michael sometimes would look at us and say 13. “My dear mom and dad never told me that I couldn’t be a doctor, not until after I graduated from medical school! ” It is his special way of thanking us for the 14we had in him.
Interestingly, Michael then 15another IQ test. We went to the same clinic where he had 16the test eighteen years before. This time Michael scored 126, an increase of 36 points. A result like that was supposed to be 17.
Children often do as 18as what adults, particularly parents and teachers, 19
of them. That is, tell a child he is “ 20”, and he may play the role of a foolish child.
1.A. joy B. surprise C. dislike D. disappointment
2.A. tearfully B. fearfully C. cheerfully D. hopefully
3.A. student B. son C. friend D. doctor
4.A. argued B. realized C. decided D. understood
5.A. joke B. mistake C. warning D. wonder
6.A. specially B. strictly C. naturally D. carefully
7.A. poor B. good C. average D. standard
8.A. in B. about C. of D. for
9.A. visited B. chose C. passed D. entered
10.A. allowed B. described C. required D. offered
11.A. missed B. held C. delayed D. attended
12.A. high B. same C. low D. different
13.A. curiously B. eagerly C. calmly D. jokingly
14.A. faith B. interest C. pride D. delight
15.A. looked for B. asked for C. waited for D. prepared for
16.A. received B. accepted C. organized D. discussed
17.A. imperfect B. impossible C. uncertain D. unsatisfactory
18.A. honestly B. much C. well D. bravely
19.A. hear B. learn C. expect D. speak
20.A. wise B. rude C. shy D. stupid
The magazines are not allowed out of the reading room in our school.
A. taking B. to be taken C. being taken D. to take
