I had an experience some years ago, which taught me something about the ways in which people make a bad situation worse by blaming themselves．One January, I had to hold two funerals on successive days for two elderly women in my community．Both had died “full of years”, as the Bible would say．Their homes happened to be near each other, so I paid condolence （吊唁） calls on the two families on the same afternoon.
At the first home, the son of the deceased （已故的） woman said to me, “If only I had sent my mother to Florida and gotten her out of this cold and snow, she would be alive today．It’s my fault that she died.” At the second home, the son of the other deceased woman said, “If only I hadn’t insisted on my mother’s going to Florida, she would be alive today．That long airplane ride, the sudden change of climate, was more than she could take．It’s my fault that she’s dead.”
You see that any time there is a death, the survivors will feel guilty．Because the course of action they took turned out badly, they believe that the opposite course — keeping Mother at home, putting off the operation — would have turned out better．After all, how could it have turned out any worse?
There seem to be two elements involved in our willingness to feel guilty．The first is our pressing need to believe that the world makes sense, that there is a cause for every effect and a reason for everything that happens．That leads us to find patterns and connections both where they really exist and where they exist only in our minds.
The second element is the view that we are the cause of what happens, especially the bad things that happen．It seems to be a short step from believing that every event has a cause to believing that every disaster is our fault．The roots of this feeling may lie in our childhood.
A baby comes to think that the world exists to meet his needs, and that he makes everything happen in it．He wakes up in the morning and summons the rest of the world to its tasks．He cries, and someone comes to attend to him．When he is hungry, people feed him, and when he is wet, people change him．Very often, we do not completely outgrow that childish view that our wishes cause things to happen.
1.The author had to hold the two women’s funerals probably because __________________.
A．he wanted to comfort the two families
B．he was an official from the community
C．he had great pity for the deceased
D．he was priest of the local church
2.People feel guilty for the deaths of their loved ones because _______________________.
A．they couldn’t find a better way to express their sorrow
B．they believe that they were responsible
C．they had neglected the natural course of events
D．they didn’t know things often turn out in the opposite direction
3.According to the passage, the underlined part in paragraph 4 probably means that ______.
A．everything in the world is predetermined
B．the world can be interpreted in different ways
C．there’s an explanation for everything in the world
D．we have to be sensible in order to understand the world
4.What’s the main idea of the passage?
A．Life and death is an unsolved mystery.
B．Every story should have a happy ending.
C．Never feel guilty all the time because not every disaster is our fault.
D．In general, the survivors will feel guilty about the people who passed away .
For most people, shopping is still a matter of wandering down the street or loading a cart in a shopping mall．Soon, that will change．Electronic commerce （trade） is growing fast and will soon bring people more choices．There will, however, be a cost: protecting the consumer from being cheated will be harder．Many governments therefore want to apply street regulations to the electronic world．But politicians would be wiser to see cyberspace as a basis for a new era of corporate self-regulation．
Consumers in rich countries have grown used to the idea that the government takes responsibility for everything for the stability of the banks to the safety of the drugs or their rights to refund when goods are faulty．But governments cannot enforce national laws on businesses whose only presence is on the screen．Even in a country where a clear right to compensation exists, the on-line customer in Tokyo, say, can hardly go to New York to get a refund for a clothes purchase．
One answer is for government to cooperate more: to recognize each other’s rules．But that requires years of work and volumes of detailed rules．And plenty of countries have rules too fanciful for sober countries to accept．There is, however, another choice．Let the electronic businesses do the regulation themselves．They do, after all, have a self-interest in doing so．
In electronic commerce, a reputation for honest dealing will be a valuable competitive asset．Governments, too, may compete to be trusted．For instance, customers ordering medicines on-line may prefer to buy from the United States because they trust the rigorous screening of the Food and Drug Administration; or they may decide that the FDA’s rules are too strict, and buy from Switzerland instead．
Customers will still need to use their judgment．But precisely because the technology is new, electronic shoppers are likely for a while to be a lot more cautious than customers of the normal sort．And the new technology will also make it easier for them to complain when a company lets them down．In this way, at least, the advent of cyberspace may argue for fewer consumer protection laws, not more．
1.According to the author, what will be the best policy for electronic commerce?
A．Self-regulation by the business． B．Strict consumer protection laws．
C．Close international cooperation． D．Government protection．
2.In case an electronic shopper bought faulty goods from a foreign country, what could he do?
A．Refuse to pay for the purchase． B．Go to the seller and ask for a refund．
C．Appeal to consumer protection law． D．Complain about it on the Internet．
3.In the author’s view, businesses would place a high emphasis on honest dealing because in the electronic world _________________________________．
A．international cooperation would be much more frequent
B．consumers could easily seek government protection
C．a good reputation is a great advantage in competition
D．it would be easy for consumers to complain
4.We can infer from the passage that in licensing new drugs the FDA in the United States is ____________________．
A．very quick B．very cautious C．very slow D．rather careless
5.If a customer buys something that does not meet his expectation, what is the advantage of dealing through electronic commerce over the present normal one?
A．It will be easier for him to return the goods he is not satisfied with．
B．It will be easier for him to attain the refund from the seller．
C．It will be easier for him to get his complaints heard by other consumers．
D．It will be easier for him to complain about this to the government．
A few years ago, I took a sightseeing trip to Washington, D.C．Standing outside the Ronald Reagan Center, I heard a voice say, “Can you help me?” When I turned around, I saw an elderly blind woman with her hand extended．In a natural reflex (反应), I reached into my pocket, pulled out all of my loose change and placed it on her hand without even looking at her．I was annoyed at being bothered by a beggar．But the blind woman smiled and said, “I don’t want your money．I just need help finding the post office.
In an instant, I realized what I had done．I judged another person simply for what I assumed she had to be．I hated what I saw in myself．This incident re-awakened my belief in humility (谦恭), even though I’d lost it for a moment．
The thing I had forgotten about myself is that I am an immigrant．I left Honduras and arrived in the U.S．at the age of 15．I started my new life with two suitcases, my brother and sister, and a strong, serious-minded mother．Through the years, I have been a dishwasher, mechanic and pizza delivery driver among many other humble jobs, and eventually I became a network engineer．
In my own life, I have experienced many open acts of prejudice (偏见)．I remember a time, at age 17 — I worked as a waiter, and I heard a father tell his little boy that if he did not do well in school, he would end up like me．I have also witnessed the same treatment of my family and friends, so I know what it’s like, and I should have known better．
But now, living in my American middle-class lifestyle, it is too easy to forget my past, to forget who I am and where I have been, and to lose sight of where I want to be going．That blind woman on the streets of Washington, D.C., cured me of my blindness．She reminded me of my belief in humility and to always keep my eyes and heart open．By the way, I helped that lady to the post office．And in writing this essay, I hope to thank her for the priceless lesson．
1.We can learn from the first two paragraphs that________________________________．
A．the author regretted his act of prejudice
B．the blind woman needed the money badly
C．the author was as poor as the blind woman
D．the author was a native American
2.According to Paragraph 4, hearing the father’s words, the author was probably________．
A．rather hurt B．very excited C．deeply moved D．greatly inspired
3.According to the passage, the author probably agrees that one should_______________．
A．be nice to the elderly and the disabled
B．try to experience different kinds of life
C．treat others equally with love and respect
D．think about one’s past as often as possible
4.Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?
A．Learn from Your Past B．How My Dream Comes True
C．A Belief That Will Never Change D．A Priceless Lesson in the Street
My father was in the navy, which meant that my mother was married to both my father and the sea. As was often the case, we had to pack our belongings into boxes and 36 those we had grown to love. We would arrive at our new home and find ourselves once again 37 at the pier（码头）waving good-bye to my father as his 38 pulled him away from us. My mother would turn my brother and me around before the ship was out of 39 , wipe our tears, and take us back home to start the process of 40 in the new environment again.
Throughout the years of changing 41 , schools and friends, there remained one constant in my childhood — my mother. For both my 42 and me, she was the cook, maid and teacher. She played these roles while 43 some type of part-time job. Leaving a promising career is just one of the 44 which my mother made for my family as we moved around the world with our father every three years or so. 45 she had to deal with only a small budget, my mother 46 managed to make each house to be the very home that is safe and 47 .
This probably sounds like a depressing way to live, 48 with two small children: “single” parenthood, short-term friendships, and the inability to 49 a career or establish a home. But it was not for my mother. She turned this 50 into adventure for us all! Each relocation was a chance to 51 another part of the world. My mother greeted each new culture, climate and neighborhood. Each new house was a 52 to rearrange furniture, make curtains and 53 pictures. Every part-time job was an opportunity to learn something new and work with interesting people.
No matter how difficult the life was, she was always having a 54 attitude. She always had strength in the face of struggle and change. My mother was so 55 all those years of my childhood — she was my island in a sea of change. She is my hero.
1. A．leave behind B．leave out C．leave off D．leave for
2. A．living B．staring C．standing D．going
3. A．car B．ship C．train D．plane
4. A．range B．shape C．sight D．control
5. A．adapting B．suiting C．matching D．fitting
6. A．names B．jobs C．addresses D．directions
7. A．father B．classmates C．brother D．relatives
8. A．performing B．seeking C．waiting D．applying
9. A．programs B．sacrifices C．contribution D．cooperation
10. A．Once B．While C．When D．Unless
11. A．somewhere B．somewhat C．sometime D．somehow
12. A．romantic B．comfortable C．mysterious D．wealthy
13. A．generally B．actually C．especially D．unfairly
14. A．desert B．pursue C．affect D．limit
15. A．lifestyle B．value C．journey D．opportunity
16. A．acquire B．explore C．occupy D．realize
17. A．load B．sadness C．result D．challenge
18. A．hang B．draw C．take D．sell
19. A．changeable B．cautious C．positive D．negative
20. A．experienced B．brave C．ordinary D．annoyed
— Are you still busy?
— Yes, I _______________ my work, and it won’t take long.
A．just finish B．am just finishing
C．have just finished D．am just going to finish
— People should stop using their cars and start using public transport.
— _____________. The roads are too crowded as it is.
A．All right B．Fine C．Go ahead D．Exactly
