Many years ago in a small German town, a Jewish businessman had the misfortune of owing a large sum of money to the moneylender. The moneylender, who was old and ugly, fancied the businessman’s beautiful daughter. So he proposed a bargain.
The moneylender told them that he would put a black pebble and a white pebble into an empty bag. The girl would then have to pick one pebble from the bag. If she picked the black pebble, she would become the moneylender’s wife and he would forgo her father’s debt. If she picked the white pebble, she need not marry him and her father’s debt would still be forgiven. But if she refused to pick a pebble, her father would be thrown into jail.
They were standing on a pebble-strewn path. As they talked, the moneylender bent over to pick up two pebbles. The sharp-eyed girl noticed that he had picked up two black pebbles and put them into the bag. He then asked the girl to pick a pebble from the bag. No doubt she was caught in a dilemma.
What would you have done if you were the girl? Careful analysis would produce three possibilities:
1.The girl should refuse to take a pebble.
2.The girl should know that there were two black pebbles in the bag and expose the money-lender as a cheat.
3.The girl should pick a black pebble and sacrifice herself in order to save her father from his debt and imprisonment.
The above story is used with the hope that it will make us appreciate the difference between lateral (横向的)and logical thinking.
Read on…
The girl put her hand into the moneybag and drew out a pebble. Without looking at it, she fumbled and let it fall onto the pebble-strewn path where it immediately became lost among all the other pebbles. “Oh, how clumsy of me!” she said. “But never mind, if you look into the bag for the one that is left, you will be able to tell which pebble I picked.” Since the remaining pebble is black, it must be assumed that she had picked the white one. And since the moneylender dared not admit his dishonesty, the girl changed what seemed an impossible situation into an extremely advantageous one.
1.The underlined word “forgo” in paragraph 2 may mean ________.
A. pay off B. run out C. take over D. give up
2.Which of the following indicates lateral thinking?
A. The girl refused to take a pebble and fled at once.
B. The girl exposed the cheat and found another way.
C. The girl picked one pebbles and made it disappear.
D. The girl picked a black pebble and accepted the result.
3.It can be inferred from the passage that ________.
A. The girl dropped the pebble onto the path on purpose
B. The girl dropped the pebble onto the path by accident
C. The girl didn’t know there were two black pebbles in the bag
D. The girl replaced a black pebble in the bag
4.What lesson can we learn from the story?
A. Keeping calm when facing a difficult situation.
B. Thinking about a complicated problem in another way.
C. Thinking twice before making a final choice.
D. Coming up with a clever answer is easy.
Do you enjoy seeing the stars twinkling at night ? Or do you love the ocean and sea, diving and racing with lovely dolphins? With heavy burdens on their shoulders, teenagers find it hard to pull out. Even if they are free, they prefer to occupy themselves with computer games or watching TV. How to get children away from screens is a great concern for parents. Now there is some good news for those concerned parents and teachers.
A campaign is being launched to encourage children to surrender 30 minutes of screen time a day to head for the great outdoors.
The newly formed Wild Network – a collaboration of nearly 400 organizations – is attempting to attract youngsters away from television and computer screen and into fields, woods and parks.
Organizers say it is the UK's biggest ever campaign to reconnect children with nature and outdoor play, and claim it could help improve fitness, mental alertness and general well–being.
A documentary film, Project Wild Thing, will herald the launch at more than 50 cinemas across the UK from Friday. It looks at the increasingly fragile link between children and nature.
Members of the network include the National Trust, RSPB, Play England and the NHS sustainable development unit.
Andy Simpson, chairman of the Wild Network, said: "The tragic truth is that kids have lost touch with nature and the outdoors in just one generation. Time spent outdoors is down, roaming ranges have fallen drastically, activity levels are declining and the ability to identify common species has been lost."
Suggestions of how to get more time in nature include collecting conkers(板栗), camping or snail racing, and observing autumn colour on trees.
From January, the network will aim to make suggestions to politicians on how government can do more to get children muddy and bright-eyed.
This is not the first time the message of less screen, more play has been brought up. Children in the 1980s were entreated to do the same by the BBC TV series Why Don't You, which somewhat confusingly called on its viewers to "switch off your TV set, and go do something less boring instead".
1.What is the main purpose of the campaign in UK?
A. To save 30 minutes for watching TV programme each day.
B. To encourage children to play outdoors.
C. To see the documentary film, Project Wild Thing.
D. To teach students how to learn more efficiently in schools.
2.According to the organizers of Wild Network, there will be many advantages from the campaign except _______.
A. improving health conditions
B. keeping touch with nature
C. learning more about wildlife
D. teaching children how to make full use of their spare time
3.The underlined part “ to get children muddy and bright-eyed ” means “_______ ”.
A. to make children covered with mud
B. to urge politicians to do more things for children
C. to encourage children to take part in outdoors activities
D. to help children identify common species
4.Which of the following could be the best title for the passage?
A. A new campaign. B. Less screen, more play outdoors.
C. A newly formed Wild Network. D. Children get to know wild things.
When it is Tom’s turn for a cut, Mr. Smith places a wooden board covered with a piece of red leather across the arms of the chair, so that the barber doesn’t have to bend to cut the boy’s hair.
“Hey, young man, you’re , you won’t need this soon, you’ll be able to sit in the chair.” the barber says.
“Wow,” says Tom, turning round to look at his dad. “Dad, Mr. Smith said I could be sitting in the chair soon, not just on the !”
“So I hear,” his father replies. “I expect Mr. Smith will start me more for your hair then.”
In the Tom sees a little head sticking out of a long nylon cape. Occasionally he glances at the barber as he works. He smells a(n) of smelly sweat and aftershave as the barber moves around him, combing and cutting.
Tom feels like he is in another world, except for the sound of the barber’s shoes rubbing on the plastic carpet and the of his scissors. In the from the window he could see through the window, a few small clouds moved slowly through the frame, moving to the of the scissors’ click.
Sleepily, his eyes dropping to the front of the cape where his hair softly as snow and he sitting in the chair just like the men and older boys, the special left leaning against the wall in the corner.
When Mr. Smith has , Tom hops down from the seat. , he sees his own thick, hair mixed among the browns, greys and blacks of the men who have sat in the chair before him. For a moment he wants to reach down and the broken blonde hair, to them from the others, but he does not have time.
They reach the pavement outside the shop. “I tell you what, boy, let’s get some fish and chips to take home, your mum from cooking tea,” says Tom’s dad.
Tom is excited and catches his dad’s hand. He is surprised to find, warming in his father’s palm, a handful of his own .
1.A. building up B. sending up C. bringing up D. shooting up
2.A. desk B. board C. couch D. sofa
3.A. paying B. blaming C. charging D. accusing
4.A. mirror B. book C. shelf D. catalogue
5.A. steals B. discovers C. returns D. transforms
6.A. lack B. memory C. mixture D. expression
7.A. helpless B. noiseless C. fearless D. thoughtless
8.A. control B. direction C. effect D. click
9.A. immigration B. opposition C. reflection D. assumption
10.A. rhyme B. trail C. pattern D. sound
11.A. falls B. covers C. melts D. explodes
12.A. considers B. succeeds C. approves D. imagines
13.A. package B. bench C. scissors D. carpet
14.A. treated B. compromised C. finished D. entertained
15.A. Looking into B. Looking forward C. Looking up D. Looking down
16.A. blonde B. red C. black D. white
17.A. send for B. find out C. gather up D. show off
18.A. punish B. separate C. deliver D. confirm
19.A. persuade B. save C. excuse D. relax
20.A. money B. tip C. fish D. hair
A series of ancient Chinese coins are ________ in an exhibition held in Nanjing, where a variety of ancient currencies were unveiled.
A. in place B. on display C. at length D. on purpose
One thing that most organically grown food products seem to have in common is that they cost more than ________ grown foods.
A. apparently B. contradictorily C. conventionally D. punctually
China’s goal of 7.5 percent GDP growth this year, though moderate in comparison with previous rates, is not cause for concern since it could still generate ________ volume wealth.
A. relative B. punctual C. considerable D. tentative
