The CEO of Apple, Steve Jobs’ story about death
When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: “If you live each day as if it were your last, someday you’ll most certainly be right．” It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself, “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?”
Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered（遇到）to help me make the big choice in life．
About a year ago I was diagnosed with cancer．The doctors told me this was almost certainly a type of cancer that was incurable, and that I would live no longer than three to six months．My doctor advised me to go home and get my affairs in order, which is my doctors’ code for preparing yourself to die．
I lived with that diagnosis all day．I was completely in despair．Later that evening, I had another biopsy（活组织检查）and my wife told me that tumor turned to be curable with surgery．I had the surgery and I’m fine now．
This was the closest I’ve been to facing death．To tell the truth, no one wants to die．And yet death is the destination we all share．No one has ever escaped it．It clears out the old to make room for the new．Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away．
Your time is so limited that you shouldn’t waste it repeating someone else’s life．Don’t be trapped by dogma（教条）----which is living with the results of other people’s thinking．Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice．And most importantly, have the courage to follow your heart．It somehow already knows what you truly want to become．Everything else is secondary．
1.The doctor advised the author to go home and get his affairs in order because_________．
A．he had to rest at home
B．his disease was not serious at all
C．his disease couldn’t be cured
D．he had to wait for the result of the test
2.How did the author feel after the diagnosis?
A．Angry B．Excited C．Optimistic D．Hopeless
3.What does the author think of death?
A．He thinks it is nothing to be scared of．
B．He thinks it is not the end of life．
C．He thinks it is impossible to avoid．
D．He thinks it is the beginning of a new life
4.In the author’s opinion, we should ____________．
A．follow others’ advice
B．take no notice of diseases
C．take exercise and keep healthy
D have the courage to follow our heart
As in the field of space travel, new technologies continue to appear in undersea exploration．They share a number of similarities with each other — as well as some important differences．
Manned submersibles （潜水器）, like spaceships, must maintain living conditions in an unnatural environment．While a spaceship must simply be sealed against the vacuum space, a submersible must be able to bear extreme pressure if it is not to break up in deep water．
In exploring space, unmanned vehicles were employed before astronauts．In undersea exploration, on the other hand, men paved the way, and only recently have unmanned remote-operated vehicles （ROVs） been put to use．
One reason for this is that communicating with vehicles in orbit is much easier than talking to those underwater．A vacuum is an ideal medium for radio communications, but underwater communications are limited to much slower sound waves．Thus, most undersea vehicles — particularly ROVs — operate at the end of long ropes．（电缆终端）
For a similar reason, knowing where you are undersea is much more difficult than in space．A spaceship’s position can be located by following its radio signal, or by using telescopes and radar．For an undersea vehicle, however, a special network of sonar （声纳系统）devices must be laid out in advance on the ocean floor in the area of a dive to locate the vehicle’s position．
Though undersea exploration is more challenging than outer space in a number of respects, it has a distinct advantage: going to the ocean depths doesn’t require the power necessary to escape Earth’s gravity．Thus, it remains far less expensive．
1.The purpose of the passage is ______．
A．to persuade you to explore the depths of the ocean
B．to stress the importance of the undersea exploration
C．to make you believe that the undersea exploration is better
D．to tell some differences between two kinds of explorations
2.By saying “men paved the way” in Paragraph 2 the author means that in undersea exploration ______．
A．unmanned vehicles were used in the beginning
B．men covered the ocean floor with stones and bricks
C．manned vehicles were employed before unmanned ones
D．men invented unmanned remote-operated vehicles in the past
3.The sonar devices must be placed ______．
A．from time to time
B．after the undersea vehicles dive
C．before the undersea vehicles dive
D．when the undersea vehicles are diving
4.What can we infer from the passage?
A．Submersibles usually break up in deep water．
B．Undersea vehicles can receive signals immediately．
C．Going to space needs power to escape the gravity．
D．Radio communications are quite difficult in a vacuum．
Learn a new language as quickly as possible
Learn like a spy! Be mistaken for a native．
Pimsleur courses help people who need to speak another language quickly．Our courses took 40 years to develop and are now used by the FBI, CIA, and business professionals everywhere．They’re so effective; you have nothing to lose!
You will get:
•Language instruction that is proven to be effective
•No boring repetition, charts or meaningless formulas
•Eight fluency-focused lessons on four audio CDs
•Audio instruction with a 25-year history of success
•Full 30-day money-back guarantee （just in case）
•Special offers on our more advanced courses
Reasons to learn using the Pimsleur Approach:
•Speak without an accent so that you sound like a native．
•Practice what’s natural to you in English．
•Feel safe and confident．You’ll know how to deal with any situation．
•Protect your busy life．30-minute lessons are perfect for your daily commuting, lunch break, or workout．
•Remember without trying．Material is scientifically arranged so that you learn without pain．
•Join 25 million people who have graduated with success since 1980．
The entire Pimsleur Approach is what language learning should be: quick, fun, and easy! Each lesson is the foundation for the next．You’ll keep building on what you’ve learned．
1.What can prove Pimsleur courses to be successful ?
A．Full 30-day money-back guarantee
B．Eight fluency-focused lessons on four audio CDs
C．25 million people have graduated with success ．
D．30-minute lessons are perfect for your daily commuting, lunch break, or workout．
2.According to the text, what does the course offer?
A．Effective language instruction．
B．Language rules for you to recite．
C．Learning a new language by repeating many times
D．Opportunities to work with business professionals．
3.According to the text, which of the following is NOT a reason for choosing the Pimsleur Approach?
A．It will correct your accent．
B．It will build your confidence．
C．It will help you remember things easily．
D．It will teach you how to control your balance ．
4.It can be inferred that the text is a（n） __________．
A．report on a new language learning method
B．ad of a language training organization
C．notice of the opening of a new course
D．comment on a language training organization
Many people take it for granted that black is a color of bad things while white should always mean something good．This may be because, in their opinion, black is related to darkness and white to purity．However, that is not always the case．Did you know that the same one color may mean something differently in different places of the world?
In the English-speaking world, black is the color of mourning—people wear black at the funeral．Red is concerned with danger or bloodshed（伤亡）．Yellow is the word for fear．If you are afraid, you are yellow．Yet none of these sayings is true outside the English-speaking world．In China and Korea white is the color of mourning．In Russia, China and some other countries, red stands for beauty, life and excellence．In Italy and Germany, you are yellow with anger, not with fear．
Even within the English-speaking area, it is not difficult to find color contradictions（矛盾）．A redcap in the United States is a porter in a railway station．In Britain, however, a redcap is a military policeman．Both names are logical, because both men wear red caps．Similarly, the British term for an American white-collar worker is sometimes called a black-coated worker．
One does not have to cross an area to find color differences．Would you rather be red-blooded or a blue-blooded? If we go back to the origin, we find that both terms are logical as both names suggest．The expression “blueblood” comes from Spain, where some noble families proudly told the world that they had “blue blood”．Actually they meant that they had no Moorish or Jewish blood．But then why “blue” blood? Because they were fair-skinned, and it is only natural that their blood vessels （血管）stood out appearing blue．
1.Yellow is concerned with anger in ________________．
A．India B．Britain C．China D．Italy
2.Both Britain and America would probably agree that ________________．
A．a redcap is a porter in a station
B．black is the color of mourning
C．red stands for beauty and excellence
D．a black-coated worker is employed in an office
3.In Britain , a redcap is a
A．porter B．nobleman
C．clerk D．military policeman
4.The best title for this reading selection is ________________．
A．The Origin of Blue Blood
B．Colors that Carry Bad Meanings
C．The Meaning Concerned with Certain Colors
D．The Development of the Symbolic Use of Colors
阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项A、B、C和D中，选出空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Tips to keep a hearty conversation flowing
On holidays we typically gather with our nearest and dearest．But 1can be made, maintained and broken through the ways we talk to our loved _2___, according to Deborah Tannen, a George-town University professor in linguistics（语言学）．She has suggestions as to how we can 3communications at our festival dinner tables．Let’s take a look．
＊A round dinning table is best for promoting a 4conversation because everyone 5each other．
＊Avoid _6_ grandparents at the ends of a rectangular（长方形的） table, even though it is the traditional place of __7__．Elderly people may feel lonely there if they are unable to hear or keep __8__ a conversation．
＊__9__ prefer to face each other and make eye contact when they talk．In contrast, men tend to look around at other things．“Guys may be more 10keeping gazing on the TV,” says Tannen．“They’ll still be _11__, though．”
＊Be aware that people have different ways of talking．Each person has a different __12__ of tone, rhyme, timing and how _13__ of a pause is normal in a conversation．Watch for people who seem left __14__．If you feel you are doing all the talking, hold back to give others a 15．If you feel you aren’t getting a chance to speak, try pushing yourself to start 16．
＊People sometimes get upset on big festivals _17they stay too long in the apartment．Some families find that gatherings go more __18__ if they plan for some fun _19___．So why not get a breath of fresh air? Going to a park for a walk or taking a trip to the zoo may be more__20__ than just sitting around inside．
1.A．demands B．relationships C． victories D．mistakes
2.A．ones B．those C．others D．them
3.A． bother B．delay C． damage D．improve
4.A．lively B．short C． calm D．dull
5.A．scolds B．blames C．faces D．annoys
6.A．checking B．hiding C．seating D．hurting
7.A．pity B．sorrow C．intelligence D．honor
8.A．up with B．off C． away from D． out of
9.A．Grown-ups B．Men C．People D．Women
10.A．surprised B．relaxed C．encouraged D．upset
11.A．thinking B．doubting C．listening D．looking
12.A．matter B．sense C．direction D．point
13.A． often B． long C． soon D． far
14.A． out B． behind C． over D． off
15.A．reward B．gift C．hand D．chance
16.A．talking B singing C． dancing D．playing
17.A．until B．if C．though D．since
18.A．naturally B．coldly C．quickly D．smoothly
19.A．indoors B．outside C．inside D．everywhere
20.A．abstract B．bitter C．enjoyable D．cruel
In order to reduce the increasing prices of vegetables , the toll（过路费） if a truck carrying them passes through a toll station ．
A．cancels B．is cancelled
C．was cancelled D．had been cancelled
