WASHINGTON – Barack Obama swept to victory as the first black president in the US history Tuesday night in an electoral college landslide that overcame racial barriers as old as America itself. "Change has come," he told a huge group of cheering supporters.
In his first speech as victor, Obama catalogued the challenges ahead. "The greatest of a lifetime," he said, "two wars, a planet in danger, the worst financial crisis in a century."
He added, "There are many who won't agree with every decision or policy I make as president, and we know that government can't solve every problem. But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face."
The son of a black father from Kenya and a white mother from Kansas, the Democratic senator from Illinois sealed his historic triumph by defeating Republican Sen. John McCain in a string of wins in hard-fought battleground states -- Ohio, Florida, Virginia, Iowa and more.
In his speech, Obama invoked (引用) the words of Lincoln and echoed John F. Kennedy.
"So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism, of service and responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in (努力投入) and work harder," he said.
He and his running mate, Joseph Biden of Delaware, will take their oaths（宣誓）of office as president and vice president on Jan. 20, 2009.
Obama will move into the Oval Office as leader of a country that is almost certainly in recession (不景气), and fighting two long wars, one in Iraq, the other in Afghanistan.
Obama has said his first order of presidential business will be to tackle the economy. He has also pledged to withdraw most US combat troops from Iraq within 16 months.
1.What is special about Barack Obama, the newly-elected president of the United States?
A. He has a black father and a white mother.
B. He is the first black president in the US history.
C. He defeated Republican Sen. John McCain easily.
D. He will move into the White Palace on Jan. 20, 2009.
2.What Obama emphasized in his first speech were ________.
A. dangers B. wars C. challenges D. financial problems
3.The first issue Obama will focus his attention on may probably be to ________.
A. withdraw most US combat troops from Iraq B. care for environmental protection
C. declare two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan D. deal with the problems of economy
4.According to the passage, Obama’s attitude toward the challenges he faces is ________.
A. positive B. negative C. ambiguous D. worried
A popular saying goes, “Sticks and stone may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” However, that’s not really true. Words have the power to build us up or tear us down. It doesn’t matter if the words come from someone else or ourselves – the positive and negative effects are just as lasting.
We all talk to ourselves sometimes. We’re usually too embarrassed to admit it, though. But we really shouldn’t be, because more and more experts believe talking to ourselves out loud is a healthy habit.
This “self-talk” helps us motivate ourselves, remember things, solves problems, and calm ourselves down. Beware, though, that as much as 77% of self-talk tends to be negative. So in order to stay positive, we should only speak words of encouragement to ourselves. We should also be quick to give ourselves a pat on the back. The next time you finish a project, do well in a test, or finally clean your room, join me in saying, “Good job!”
Words possess power because of their lasting effects. Many of us regret something we once said. And we remember unkind words said to us! Before speaking, we should always ask ourselves: Is it true? Is it loving? Is it needed? If what we want to say doesn’t pass this test, then it’s better left unsaid.
Words possess power: both positive and negative. Those around us receive encouragement when we speak positively. We can offer hope, build self-esteem(自尊) and motive others to do their best. Negative words destroy all those things. Will we use our words to hurt or to heal? The choice is ours.
1.The author argues in the first paragraph that ________.
A．words will never hurt us at all
B．words have lasting effects on us
C．positive effects last longer than negative effects
D．negative words last longer than positive effects
2.Why should we not feel embarrassed when talking to ourselves?
A．Almost everybody has the habit of talking to oneself.
B．It does harm to have “self-talk” when we are alone.
C．Talking to ourselves helps us to solve all the problems.
D．Talking to ourselves is believed to be good for our health.
3.The underlined phrase “give ourselves a pat on the back” in Paragraph 3 means _________.
A．blame ourselves B．punish ourselves C．praise ourselves D．talk to ourselves
4.Which of the following statements would the author agree to?
A．It is better to think twice before talking to others.
B．It is impossible for unkind words to be forgotten.
C．Words always possess long positive effects.
D．Kind words are sometimes not needed at all.
In 1971, readers around the world were astonished by some photographs which appeared in newspapers. Hidden deep in the rainforests of an island in the Philippines, was an ethnic (种族的) ___16___ called the Tasaday. Not until that moment did anyone have any ___17___ of these people. They didn’t have an agricultural economy; they hunted animals and __18___ fruit from the plants in the rainforest. They carried tools made of stone, lived in ___19__ and wore clothes made of leaves. Unknown until 1971, they 20 became world famous. After that, there were TV 21 and books about them; people said their simple lives showed that human beings could be good and kind if they were not 22 by modern life. Then after 1974 the region was closed by the government and the world 23 about them.
In 1986, a Swiss journalist, Oswald Iten, decided to visit the Tasaday. The journey __24____ thick rainforests and across rivers was hard and dangerous. Mr. Iten was 25 killed by the soldiers, villagers and businessmen who wanted to take the wood from the rainforest. Finally, Mr. Iten 26 and found the caves of the Tasaday 27 . The people were living in nearby huts and they were all 28 jeans and T-shirts, not leaves. He thought that perhaps they were not an ethnic minority 29 .
When he 30 to Switzerland, Mr. Iten wrote about the Tasaday people in the newspapers. He said he thought that they were just ordinary farmers, poor, but not 31 from anyone else. He believed that in 1971, the government told “the Tasaday” to 32 they were native people from thousands of years ago, so that tourists---and money---would start ___33 into the region.
One group of experts said that they really were people who had no 34 with modern life before 1971; another group said they were just 35 the part. So who are these people, really? Perhaps we’ll never really be sure.
1. A. man B. group C. chief D. tradition
2. A. knowledge B. impression C. doubt D. fear
3.A. grew B. enjoyed C. collected D. stored
4. A. huts B. houses C. apartments D. caves
5. A. certainly B. suddenly C. absolutely D. privately
6. A. advertisements B. services C. stations D. programs
7.A. refused B. separated C. spoilt D. conquered
8.A. forgot B. knew C. talked D. thought
9.A. around B. through C. over D. along
10.A. once B. almost C. often D. even
11.A. arrived B. left C. hid D. began
12. A. dirty B. valueless C. accessible D. empty
13.A. making B. selling C. wearing D. designing
14.A. in all B. at all C. after all D. above all
15.A. returned B. went C. traveled D. drove
16.A. absent B. secure C. different D. free
17.A. agree B. pretend C. admit D. consider
18.A. looking B. falling C. turning D. pouring
19.A. contact B. competition C. agreement D. patience
20.A. learning B. forming C. acting D. missing
— Did Jack come back early last night?
— Yes. It was not yet eight o’clock ________ he arrived home.
A. before B. when C. that D. until
— Who should be responsible for the accident?
— The boss, not the workers. They just carry out the order ________.
A. as told B. as are told C. as telling D. as they told
The village has developed a lot ________ we learned farming two years ago.
A. when B. which C. that D. where
