Every day we experience one of the wonders of the world around us without even realizing it. It is not the amazing complexity of television, nor the impressive technology of transport. The universal wonder we share and experience is our ability to make noises with our mouths, and so transmit ideas and thoughts to each other’s minds. This ability comes so naturally that we tend to forget what a miracle (奇迹) it is.
Obviously, the ability to talk is something that marks humans off from animals. Of course, some animals have powers just as amazing. Birds can fly thousands of miles by observing positions of the stars in the sky in relation to the time of day and year. In Nature’s talent show, humans are a species of animal that have developed their own special act. If we reduce it to basic terms, it’s an ability for communicating information to others, by varying sounds we make as we breathe out.
Not that we don’t have other powers of communication. Our facial expressions convey our emotions, such as anger, or joy, or disappointment. The way we hold our heads can indicate to others whether we are happy or sad. This is so-called “body language”. Bristling (直立的) fur is an unmistakable warning of attack among many animals. Similarly, the bowed head or drooping tail shows a readiness to take second place in any animal gathering.
Such a means of communication is a basic mechanism that animals, including human beings, instinctively acquire and display. Is the ability to speak just another sort of instinct? If so, how did human beings acquire this amazing skill? Biologists can readily indicate that particular area of our brain where speech mechanisms function, but this doesn’t tell us how that part of our bodies originated in our biological history.
1.According to the passage, the wonder we take for granted is .
A. our ability to use language B. the miracle of technology
C. our ability to make noises with mouth D. the amazing power of nature
2.What feature of “body language” mentioned in the passage is common to both humans and animals?
A. Lifting heads when sad. B. Keeping long faces when angry.
C. Bowing heads when willing to obey. D. Bristling hair when ready to attack.
3.What can be inferred from Paragraph 3?
A. Body language is unique to humans.
B. Animals express emotions just as humans do.
C. Humans are no different from animals to some degree.
D. Humans have other powers of communication.
4.This passage is mainly about .
A. the development of body language
B. the special role humans play in nature
C. the difference between humans and animals in language use
D. the power to convey information to others
Modern inventions have speeded up people’s lives amazingly. Motor-cars cover a hundred miles in little more than an hour, aircraft cross the world inside a day, while computers operate at lightning speed. Indeed, this love of speed seems never-ending. Every year motor-cars are produced which go even faster and each new computer boasts (吹嘘) of saving precious seconds in handling tasks.
All this saves time, but at a price. When we lose or gain half a day in speeding across the world in an airplane, our bodies tell us so. We get the uncomfortable feeling known as jet-lag; our bodies feel that they have been left behind in another time zone. Again, spending too long at computers results in painful wrists and fingers. Mobile phones also have their dangers, according to some scientists; too much use may transmit harmful radiation into our brains, a consequence we do not like to think about.
However, what do we do with the time we have saved? Certainly not relax, or so it seems. We are so accustomed to constant activity that we find it difficult to sit and do nothing, or even just one thing at a time. Perhaps the days are long gone when we might listen quietly to a story on the radio, letting imagination take us into another world.
There was a time when some people’s lives were devoted simply to the cultivation of the land or the care of cattle. No multi-tasking there; their lives went on at a much gentler pace, and in a familiar pattern. There is much that we might envy about a way of life like this. Yet before we do so, we must think of the hard tasks our ancestors faced: they farmed with bare hands, often lived close to hunger, and had to fashion tools from wood and stone. Modern machinery has freed people from that primitive existence.
1.The new products become more and more time-saving because .
A. time is limited B. our love of speed seems never-ending
C. the prices are increasingly high D. the manufacturers boast a lot
2.What does “the days” in Paragraph 3 refer to?
A. Simple life in the past. B. Imaginary life.
C. Times of inventions. D. Time for constant activity.
3.What is the author’s attitude towards the modern technology?
A. Objective. B. Critical. C. Optimistic. D. Negative.
4.What does the passage mainly discuss?
A. Machinery and human beings. B. The present and past times.
C. Imaginations and inventions. D. Modern technology and its influence.
Kong Zi, also called Confucius (551 — 479 B.C.), and Socrates (469 — 399 B.C.) lived only a hundred years apart, and during their lifetimes there was no contact between China and Greece, but it is interesting to look at how the world that each of these great philosophers came from shaped their ideas, and how these ideas in turn, shaped their societies.
Neither philosopher lived in times of peace, though there were more wars in Greece than in China. The Chinese states were very large and feudal, while the Greek city-states were small and urban. The urban environment in which Socrates lived allowed him to be more radical (激进的) than Confucius. Unlike Confucius, Socrates was not asked by rulers how to govern effectively. Thus, Socrates was able to be more idealistic, focusing on issues like freedom, and knowledge for its own sake. Confucius, on the other hand, advised those in government service, and many of his students went on to government service.
Confucius suggested the Golden Rule as a principle for the conduct of life: “Do not do to others what you would not want others to do to you.” He assumed that all men were equal at birth, though some had more potential than others, and that it was knowledge that set men apart. Socrates focused on the individual, and thought that the greatest purpose of man was to seek wisdom. He believed that some had more potential to develop their reason than others did. Like Confucius, he believed that the superior class should rule the inferior (下层的) classes.
For Socrates, the family was of no importance, and the community of little concern. For Confucius, however, the family was the centre of society, with family relations considered much more important than political relations.
Both men are respected much more today than they were in their lifetimes.
1.Which of the following is TRUE according to the first paragraph?
A. Socrates and Confucius had much in common.
B. The societies were influenced by the philosophers’ ideas.
C. Confucius had much influence on Socrates’ ideas.
D. There were cultural exchanges between China and Greece.
2.Socrates shared with Confucius the idea that .
A. all men were equal when they were born
B. the purpose of man was to seek freedom and wisdom
C. the lower classes should be ruled by the upper class
D. people should not ask others to do what they did not want to
3.What made some people different from others according to Confucius?
A. Family. B. Knowledge. C. Potential. D. Community.
4.This passage is organized in the pattern of .
A. time and events B. cause and effect
C. comparison and contrast D. definition and classification
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CWU The communications union Head of Research Salary: ￡55, 271 We are looking for a Head of Research to manage the CWU Research Department and Information Centre. You would be required to exercise control of all research work of the department and manage a team of three researchers and four support staff. The person appointed would be expected to carry out research work of a strategic nature across the range of businesses in which the CWU has or seeks membership and to contribute to the strategic thinking and direction of the union as a whole. You will need: proven line management skills, especially in managing and motivating a team; good research skills, holding a good degree in a related subject or other similar experience; a high level of mathematical and calculating skills; the ability to produce high quality work under pressure; a commitment to and knowledge of the trade union movement and social democratic politics; and knowledge and/or experience of the postal and/or telecommunications industry. To apply, please request an application pack by emailing hr@ cwu. org or by telephoning HR (Human Resources) on 020 8971 7482. When applying please state your source. Closing Date for Applications: 4th August 2010 Anticipated interview date: 17th August 2010 No agencies please |
1.In which column of a newspaper could we find this advertisement?
A. Arts. B. News. C. Jobs. D. Sales.
2.One of the duties of the person to be appointed is .
A. taking charge of research work B. running a telecommunications company
C. managing a team of three or four members D. seeking membership for the trade union
3.If you want to apply for this position, you can do all EXCEPT .
A. ask an agency for an application form
B. send in your application before 4th August 2010
C. email hr@ cwu. org for an application pack
D. dial 020 8971 7482 for more information
4.Which of the following applicants is most likely to be employed?
A. A school teacher with a master’s degree.
B. A clerk from a telecommunications company
C. A director from a research centre with a master’s degree.
D. A university graduate majoring in computer science.
Andy rode slowly on his way to school, day-dreaming about the fishing trip that his father had promised him. He was so busy dreaming about all the fish he would catch that he was unaware of everything else around him.
He rode along until a strange sound drew him to the present. He came to a stop and looked curiously up to the heavens. What he saw shocked and terrified him. A huge swarm of bees filled the sky like a black cloud and the buzzing mass seemed to be heading angrily towards him.
With no time to waste, Andy sped off in the opposite direction, riding furiously — but without knowing how to escape the swarm. With a rapidly beating heart and his legs pumping furiously, he sped down the rough road. As the bees came closer, his panic increased. Andy knew that he was sensitive to bee stings (蜇). The last sting had landed him in hospital — and that was only one bee sting! He had been forced to stay in bed for two whole days. Suddenly, his father’s words came to him. “When you are in a tight situation, don’t panic. Use your brain and think your way out of it.”
On a nearby hill, he could see smoke waving slowly skywards from the chimney of the Nelson family home. “Bees don’t like smoke,” he thought. “They couldn’t get into the house.” Andy raced towards the Nelson house, but the bees were gaining ground. Andy knew he could not reach the house in time. He estimated that the bees would catch up with him soon.
Suddenly, out of the corner of his eyes, he spotted a small dam used by Mr. Nelson to irrigate his vegetable garden. Off his bike and into the cool water he dived, disappearing below the surface and away from the savage insects. After holding his breath for as long as he could, Andy came up for air and noticed the bees had gone. Dragging himself out of the dam, he struggled up the hilly slope and rang the doorbell. Mrs. Nelson took him inside and rang his mother.
“You’ll really need that fishing break to help you recover,” laughed his mother with relief. “Thank goodness you didn’t panic!” But Andy did not hear her. He was dreaming once again of the fish he would catch tomorrow.”
1.Why did Andy fail to notice the swarm of bees earlier?
A. He was lost in the thought of the fishing trip.
B. He was listening to a strange sound.
C. He was going fishing with his father.
D. He was riding to school.
2.Which of the following is NOT mentioned about the swarm of bees in the passage?
A. They made Andy stay in hospital for two days.
B. They shocked and terrified Andy.
C. They tried to attack Andy in a mass.
D. They crowded like a black cloud.
3.How did Andy avoid the bees in the end?
A. He rode off in the opposite direction. B. He hid himself under the water.
C. He rushed into the Nelson house. D. He asked Mr. Nelson for help.
4.Which of the following can best describe Andy’s escape from the bees?
A. In time of danger, one’s mind works fast. B. Once bitten, twice shy.
C. Where there is a will, there is a way. D. No pains, no gains.
When Alice started to cycle home from Jenny’s house, she wasn’t nervous. She was certainly not afraid of the dark. 31 , it was only a 15-minute ride home. But halfway there, she began to wish that she hadn’t been so 32 .
As she rounded a sharp bend, it suddenly 33 cold — very cold. Alice’s breath became puffs of white cloud and her legs were so cold that it became hard to ride.
With her heart beating fast, she struggled so hard to move 34 that she didn’t hear the car which suddenly appeared beside her. She stopped by the road. The big black car also 35 . Slowly, the passenger-window began to slide down. Alice held her breath. In the soft light inside the car, something 36 . Then, the light brightened and Alice was staring at a sweet, grey-haired old lady. “Hello, dear,” said the old lady. “I need 37 . I’m afraid I’m lost. I need to find the nearest airport. I must be there in the next five minutes.”
“Airport? You 38 are lost,” Alice said. “You need to go back five kilometers 39 you reach the T-junction. Turn left and 40 for about another 10 kilometers to the main highway. From there, just follow the 41 to the airport. But I’m afraid there’s no 42 you’ll get there in five minutes!”
“Thank you very much, dear,” replied the old lady. “Don’t worry — I’ll 43 in time.”
The 44 moved up and the car started off. A little way ahead, it 45 and with headlights flashing, it drove past Alice. But then, something 46 happened. The car began changing. First, its color 47 from black to silvery-grey. Then, the wheels began disappearing, but the car continued to move forward, 48 just above the ground. As the car 49 into the dark sky, the big red tail-lights grew larger and larger and glowed more and more brightly. With a faint whistling 50 , the car was gone in seconds, leaving Alice shaking her head in disbelief…
1. A. Therefore B. Besides C. However D. Otherwise
2. A. curious B. excited C. brave D. stubborn
3. A. proved B. seemed C. fell D. grew
4. A. forward B. around C. aside D. backward
5. A. stayed B. stopped C. arrived D. started
6. A. gathered B. moved C. dropped D. existed
7. A. help B. water C. rest D. gas
8. A. necessarily B. certainly C. basically D. normally
9. A. if B. as C. unless D. until
10.A. drive B. march C. follow D. walk
11.A. guidance B. signs C. notices D. address
12.A. way B. room C. time D. doubt
13.A. finish it B. get it C. make it D. have it
14.A. wheel B. window C. headlight D. door
15.A. continued B. rushed C. turned D. passed
16.A. sensitive B. strange C. imaginable D. horrible
17.A. appeared B. developed C. spread D. faded
18.A. floating B. rolling C. drawing D. flashing
19.A. returned B. pointed C. broke D. rose
20.A. voice B. tune C. sound D. tone
