Apple Inc co-founder and former CEO Steve Jobs, counted among the greatest American CEOs of his generation, died on Wednesday at the age of 56, after a-year-long and highly public battle with cancer. Jobs' death was announced by Apple in a statement late on Wednesday. The Apple.com homepage featured a black-and-white picture of him with the words "Steve Jobs, 1955-2011".
A message on the site read, "Apple has lost an imaginary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to know and work with Steve have lost a dear friend and an inspiring leader."
"His greatest love was for his wife, Laurene, and his family. Our hearts go out to them and to all who were touched by his extraordinary gifts."
"Steve leaves behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple." The Silicon Valley hero who gave the world the iPod and the iPhone had resigned as CEO of the world's largest technology corporation in August, handing the position to current chief executive Tim Cook.
Two years before the iPhone that forever transformed the way people around the world access and use the Internet, Jobs talked about how a sense of his death was a major driver behind that vision.
"Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever got to help me make the big choices in life," Jobs said during a Stanford commencement ceremony in 2005. "Because almost everything－all others' expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure－these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important."
"Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart."
1.According to the passage, which statement of Steve Jobs is RIGHT?
A. Steve Jobs was the present CEO of Apple.
B. Steve Jobs was thought to have great talent.
C. Steve Jobs had no idea about his death before.
D. Steve Jobs fought against cancer for a year secretly.
2.What can we learn about iPhone from the passage?
A. People can use it to do anything they want.
B. It can teach people how to surf the Internet.
C. People can learn the spirit of Apple from it.
D. It can change the way people use the Internet.
3.In Jobs's speech in Stanford, we can learn that .
A. to make great achievements, you must lose everything
B. people should try to achieve everything regardless of death
C. people who will be dead soon must make big choices in life
D. in the face of death, nothing is truly important except to follow your dream
4.What’s the main idea of the passage?
A. Steve Jobs changed the world.
B. Steve Jobs died on Wednesday.
C. Who will be the next Steve Jobs?
D. Steve Jobs, the greatest American CEO.
Pets provide an unconditional love that requires very little on the part of the human.
Animals are so special to those of us who love them. We miss them when they are no longer with us. We grieve (哀悼) for them in ways which are just the same as grieving for a human loved one.
Whether the end comes through old age, illness, or sudden death, the death of a pet can cause enormous feelings of sorrow, guilt, and loneliness for children and adults alike, as the animal was considered a family member, a child's favoured playmate, or an older person's loyal and faithful companion.
Some people don't want a pet because they do die! It's understandable to be unwilling to expose yourself to death but, at the same time, we become immeasurably more human because our animals die. When we live with animals we're more in step with the rhythms of the planet from day to night and from season to season because our companions make us more aware of the changes around us. Our companion animals teach us about the simple gifts of a beautiful day, a good meal and a gentle touch.
The death of a pet can make us struggle with our belief structure－a natural part of the grieving period. Whether grieving an animal or human, we question our beliefs and many people find their belief structure becomes stronger when they ask themselves hard questions. Others find a new way of acceptance.
And we learn from our animals. Animals aren't afraid to die; they show us that the end of life can be faced without fear. They can teach us to accept death as an opening for love and wonder.
Allow yourself to grieve in whatever way is appropriate for you. The loss of a pet is real grief and causes us to travel through the stages of grief－denial, anger, depression, guilt, and acceptance. These stages must be lived through for the mourning to allow full healing.
1. According to the passage, the reason why some people don’t want a pet may be that .
A. animals may change our belief structure
B. animals are so special for those who love them
C. pets can never escape from death which makes people sad
D. pets only provide people with love but never ask for return
2.The underlined sentence in paragraph 4 probably means .
A. the animals’ death is unacceptable for their owners
B. the animals’ death may arouse their true feelings inside
C. the animals’ death may expose people to the changes in life
D. the animals’ death is more understandable than human’s death
3.According to the passage, we can infer that .
A. pets can give us some gifts when they have a good meal
B. pets are so selfless and brave that all the people love them
C. people can never accept the death of pets or the one they love
D. people may go through several stages before they can accept the death of a pet
4.What’s the attitude of the author towards grieving a pet?
A. Neutral. B. Negative. C. Positive. D. Critical.
There are 70,000 pubs in England and Wales have several thousand more in Scotland.
Every country has its drinking shop, but none has an institution quite like the British pub. The most important feature of a good pub (which modern buildings hardly ever achieve) is a feeling of something private. It must have nooks and crannies, corners and snugs, where conversations and assignations can take place without the whole world listening in.
Most pubs have at least two separate bars. The “public bar” which is for ordinary and women is the basic drinking shop. The “lounge bar” (or saloon bar) which is for traveling salesmen and “ladies” probably has a carpet on the floor and rather more comfortable decoration. There may be a difference of a few pence in the drink prices, although all pubs are required by law to put their price lists easily seen on display.
Pubs have been changing over the past few decades. More and more of them sell good, inexpensive food and are competing strongly with restaurants. Tea and coffee are often on offer and children are being made more welcome. The law says that no one under 14 may enter a pub, and between 14 and 18 they must be accompanied by an adult and may not buy or consume alcoholic drink. In reality some pubs, especially in country districts, welcome whole families. Some set aside special rooms for children and where there are gardens they are almost always welcome.
The most basic change, however, came about in the 1938 licensing laws which allowed pubs in England and Wales to open not just at lunch time and in the evening, but all day, from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. (Scottish laws already permitted all day opening.)
1. Which of the following can be the best title?
A. Pubs’ history B. Pubs in Britain
C. Changes of pubs D. Features of a good pub
2. According to the British people, what kind of pub is a good one?
A. The one with all day opening time.
B. The one with good and inexpensive food.
C. The one with all kinds of people enjoying themselves.
D. The one with different parts where people can have a private conversation.
3.In paragraph 4, we can learn that .
A. pubs allow people above 14 to enter alone
B. pubs never allow people under 18 to enter
C. pubs don’t sell more expensive food than restaurants
D. pubs often sell alcoholic drinks as well as tea and coffee
4.According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?
A. The law requires all the pubs have slightly different prices of drinks.
B. Ordinary people and women are often having fun in the “public pub”.
C. In some country pubs, children accompanied by their parents are always welcome.
D. Scottish laws allow pubs to open not just at lunch time and in the evening, but all day.
When Mike told me he was leaving I felt like a vase which had just broken. There were pieces of me all over the tidy floor. He kept talking, telling me why he was leaving, 31 it was for the best, I could do better, it was his 32 and not mine. I had heard it before many times and yet somehow was still hurt; perhaps one cannot 33 such pain.
He left and I tried to 34 my life. I filled the kettle (水壶), put it on to boil, took out my old red cup and 35 the coffee powder falling into the bone china. Somehow when the kettle piped its finishing warning, I 36 not to hear it. That’s what Mike’s leaving had been like, sudden and with a(n) 37 end. I would rather just 38 in uncertainty than have things finished. I laughed at myself. Just about a cup of coffee, I must be getting 39 .
And yet it was a young woman who 40 back at me from the mirror, a young woman full of 41 and hope, a young woman with bright eyes just waiting to see the world. 42 , there are more important things. More important than 43 , I insist to myself firmly. The lid goes back on the coffee just like closing on the whole Mike experience.
He didn’t 44 my dreams as I feared that night. 45 , I am flying far across fields and woods, 46 on those below me. I fly free until I meet another bird who flies with me in perfect harmony. I realize with some 47 that there is a bird out there for me, there is another person, not necessarily a lover perhaps just a 48 , but there is someone out there who is my soul mate. I think about being a broken 49 again and realize that I have gathered myself back together, what Mike has is 50 a little part of my time in earth, a little understanding of my physical being. He has merely, a little piece of me.
|
1 |
A. complaining |
B. suggesting |
C. explaining |
D. whispering |
|
2 |
A. business |
B. fault |
C. luck |
D. reason |
|
3 |
A. pass |
B. defend |
C. feel |
D. ease |
|
4 |
A. get close to |
B. get on with |
C. get away with |
D. get down to |
|
5 |
A. watched |
B. made |
C. let |
D. wanted |
|
6 |
A. announced |
B. decided |
C. pretended |
D. concluded |
|
7 |
A. optimistic |
B. sceptical |
C. splendid |
D. unpleasant |
|
8 |
A. wander |
B. move |
C. keep |
D. take |
|
9 |
A. mad |
B. old |
C. nervous |
D. uncertain |
|
10 |
A. flashed |
B. swung |
C. stared |
D. pointed |
|
11 |
A. promise |
B. delight |
C. dilemmas |
D. conflicts |
|
12 |
A. Therefore |
B. Besides |
C. Finally |
D. Constantly |
|
13 |
A. friendship |
B. life |
C. love |
D. health |
|
14 |
A. visit |
B. have |
C. reject |
D. spin |
|
15 |
A. Deliberately |
B. Meanwhile |
C. Thus |
D. Instead |
|
16 |
A. taking off |
B. looking down |
C. breaking away |
D. getting over |
|
17 |
A. sorrow |
B. worry |
C. relief |
D. doubt |
|
18 |
A. friend |
B. bird |
C. dream |
D. job |
|
19 |
A. heart |
B. vase |
C. mirror |
D. cup |
|
20 |
A. mostly |
B. hardly |
C. usually |
D. only |
Think twice before you others’ cheating in the exam, because you are not going to help but indeed to kill their motivation for study.
A. consist in B. lie in C. assist in D. result in
I know how busy you must be and naturally I wouldn’t want to too much of your time.
A. take up B. speed up C. sweep up D. bring up
