One day a friend asked my wife Jill if I wanted a hearing aid. “He certainly does,”replied Jill. After hearing about a remarkable new product, Jill finally got up the nerve to ask me if I’d ever thought about getting a hearing aid. “No way,”I said. “It would make me look 20 years older.”“No, no”she replied. “This is entirely different. It’s Crystal Ear!”
Jill was right. Crystal Ear is different –––– not the old-styled body worn or over-the-ear aid, but an advanced personal sound system so small it’s like contacts for your ears. And Crystal Ear is super-sensitive and powerful, too. You will hear sounds your ears have been missing for years. Crystal Ear will make speech louder, and the sound is pure and natural.
I couldn’t believe how tiny it is. It is smaller than the tip of my little finger and it’s almost invisible when worn. There are no wires, no behind-the-ear device. Put it in your ear and its-ready-to-wear mold fits comfortable. Since it’s not too loud or too light, you may even forget that you’re wearing it! Use it at work or at play. And if your hearing problem is worse in certain situation, use Crystal Ear only when you need it.
Hearing loss, which is typically prior to teenage years, progresses throughout one’s lifetime. Although hearing loss is now the world’s number-one health problem, nearly 90 percent of people suffering hearing loss choose to leave the problem untreated. For many millions, treating hearing loss in a conventional way can involve numerous office visits, expensive testing and adjustments to fit your ear. Thanks to Crystal Ear, the “sound solution”is now convenient. Almost 90 percent of people with mild hearing loss, and millions more with just a little hearing dropoff, can be dramatically helped with Crystal Ear. Moreover, its superior design is energy-efficient, so batteries can last months. Crystal Ear is now available to help these people treat their hearing loss with a small hearing amplifier(扩音器).
1. Why did the writer refuse to wear a hearing aid at first?
A. It would make him look like an old man
B. He did not get the nerve to wear one
C. It looked old-styled.
D. It was too costly
2.We can infer from the passage that _____ .
A. Crystal Ear can signal where it is in case you cannot find it
B. you can wear Crystal Ear any time you like
C. you can even clean Crystal Ear yourself
D. you can even wear while swimming
3. What does the writer say about hearing loss?
A. About 10 percent of people wear hearing aids.
B. About 90 percent of people suffer hearing loss.
C. It is one of the most painful diseases in the world.
D. Hearing loss is the world’s most frequent health problem.
When it comes to success in business and success in life, there are few qualities as important as confidence.
People naturally have different levels of confidence. Some have a higher level of confidence than others do, but even those whose confidence is lacking can learn to build their level of confidence and reach their most important goals. Increasing self confidence is one of the most common reasons people give for seeking the help of psychologists and other professionals.
One of the many places where a greater level of confidence is useful is in the workplace. We all know how difficult it can be, for instance, to ask the boss for a raise. This process can be extremely difficult for those who lack confidence in their own abilities. After all, if you are unsure about your own abilities, how will you ever convince your boss that you deserve more money for the work you do?
Even if you are not asking for that big raise, having plenty of confidence in your abilities is important to success. If you are certain of your abilities, chances are that those around you, whether they are your coworkers, your colleagues or your superiors, will see that confidence, and that will help to assure them that you are the best at what you do.
Being thought of as the person to go to, and being seen as an expert in your chosen field, is naturally very important to success on the job. If you can make yourself the person people go to for guidance and advice, you will help to protect yourself from the ever present danger of downsizing. After all, if you are a recognized expert at the office, you will be regarded as an indispensable member of the team.
Having a high level of confidence, after all, does not mean overlooking the places where you could improve. Knowing what you do well and where you need help will help you enjoy increased success and confidence.
1.What is the passage mainly about?
A. The influence of confidence on one’s life.
B. The importance of confidence to success.
C. The difference of people’s confidence.
D. The judgment on one’s confidence.
2.Psychologists and other professionals can offer help to those _____.
A. who think their goals are hard to reach
B. who expect to give guidance to others
C. who want to ask the boss for a raise
D. who dream to be recognized experts
3.What does the underlined word indispensable in Paragraph 5 probably mean?
A. important B. attractive
C. outgoing D. energetic
4.What message does the author want to convey in the last paragraph?
A. To overlook one’s disadvantages.
B. To make full use of one’s advantages.
C. To have great confidence in one’s abilities.
D. To make objective evaluations of one’s abilities.
“Migrant workers”(外来务工人员) is a familiar term for 17-year-old Shi Jian. Her father and uncle often talk about the problems surrounding this group of people. However, Shi cares more about the children of these migrant workers.
Last year Shi’s housekeeper’s daughter had to give up her schooling in Beijing because she would not be allowed to sit the national college entrance exam. She was forced to continue her high school education in her hometown in Sichuan Province.
Shi thinks the current law is unfair for migrant workers’ children, as it prevents them from studying at public schools, unless their parents pay huge sums. So, Shi decided to do a survey of migrant workers so that she could find some solutions to help solve the problem.
In the last six months Shi spoke to 186 migrant workers in Beijing. Her interviewees include babysitters, guards, keepers, supermarket clerks, house cleaners and construction site workers. Shi found out that 55 of them were parents. Among this group, only eight have children who attend schools in Beijing. The other 47 had to leave children with relatives in the countryside. However, 40 of the 47 would like to enroll(使入学) their children in city schools.
From her interviews, Shi found that the workers’ lowest income was 400 yuan each month. Over one-third earn a monthly wage of or below 1000 yuan. “Even schools for migrant workers’ children charge more than public schools. Morever, parents constantly worry about these schools closing or relocating,” she explained.
Shi has recently completed a report about her survey, in which she makes a series of recommendations. “The government can set up public schools for migrants’ children equal to schools for city children. Second, to offset(弥补) migrant workers’ very low pay, public schools should offer them special rates so they can afford their children’s tuition(学费).
1.What drove Shi to do the survey of migrant workers?
A. Her curiosity about migrant workers’ lives
B. She was asked to do a survey of migrant workers as part of a school project.
C. Her housekeeper’s daughter was forced to move to her hometown to continue studying.
D. She wanted to draw people’s attention and become famous
2.According to Shi’s survey, most migrant workers’ kids _____.
A. don’t live together with their parents
B. attend schools near their parents’ working places
C. have to help their parents support the family
D. always do better in schools than children from the city.
3.All of the following prevent migrant workers’ kids from attending schools in cities EXCEPT _____.
A. their parents’ low income
B. their lack of confidence to face the fierce competitions in city schools
C. schools’ high tuitions
D. that schools for migrant workers’ children may close or relocate
4.Shi suggested in her survey that _____.
A. more private schools for migrants’ children should be built
B. more money should be collected for migrants’ children
C. children’s tuition should be reduced
D. students from the city and the countryside should be encouraged to communicate more
Simply, language is what people and animals use to communicate their thoughts, ideas and feelings. Of course, animals communicate with each other differently from humans, and each type of animal communicates differently. For example, a bee uses a dance to tell the rest of the bees in the hive (蜂窝) where there is food, while whales communicate through the use of pleasant-sounding sounds. One could say then, that animals use different languages.
Like animals, people also use different languages. Each culture has its own words and symbols that are used by people within that culture to communicate with others in the same culture. For example, a person living in Japan will use the Japanese language to communicate with other Japanese. Unlike animals though, some cultures use more than one language. People within these cultures are said to be either bilingual (双语的) or multilingual (多语的). One such place is Canada. It is very likely that a person living in Canada may speak both French and English. Likewise, a person living in Switzerland may speak Italian, German and French.
Not only do people use different languages to communicate, but languages also have different dialects. A dialect is a difference of a language which uses words and grammar somewhat differently from the standard form of the same language. For example, people who live in Manchester, England speak a dialect that is a little different from people who live in London, England; however, people in both cities speak English.
There are also some people who don’t use a spoken language at all. These people use their hands to communicate. This type of language is called sign language and is most commonly used by people who are deaf.
Now that we know how people communicate, we are faced with a question. Are we part of a certain culture because of the language we speak, or do we speak a particular language because we are part of that culture? To put it more simply, is a Chinese person Chinese because he speaks Chinese, or does he speak Chinese because he was born in China? What part does language play in the definition (定义) of culture?
1.The examples of bees and whales are used to show ______.
A. animal languages are simple to learn
B. people can understand animal languages
C. different animals use different languages
D. animals communicate with each other
2.The main idea of the second paragraph is that ______.
A. people communicate with those in the same culture
B. there can be different languages in the same culture
C. a culture can be expressed in several languages
D. the symbol of a culture is the language spoken by its people
3.To judge whether a person speaks a dialect, you can depend on ______.
A. what words and grammar he uses
B. whether he uses sign language
C. where he lives
D. who he communicates with
4.What would be the best title for the passage?
A. The culture of different countries
B. The language in different cultures
C. The development of language
D. The meaning of the language
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从1-20各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项
I finished my last work of the week and could hardly wait to get home, take off my nursing shoes, and relax.
As I __ my car, I saw one of my _ standing by the bus stop. I thought it would only take a couple of extra minutes to give her a ride home, and _ , it was too cold to be standing outside on the coldest _ in January. I didn’t know where she lived, but I was __ I would be able to find my way back.
We __ about our work as I drove and __ we knew it, we arrived at her house. I started driving back. _ looked familiar, but at first that didn’t __ me. But soon I __ something wrong. I recognized nothing. But I told myself to stay _ .
I was __ neighborhoods, streets and even streetlights. I no longer knew where I was now. How could I be so stupid! I looked down at my __ . It was now 2:30 a.m. My gas was slowly running out. I __ _ the car and turned off the engine. In total defeat, I put my head down on the wheel, __ . Then I raised my head and saw a(n) _ down the road in front of me. I turned my headlights on. A car! I drove a little _ _, got out of my car and knocked on the window of that car. An elderly man _ rolled his window down.
I said that I didn’t know how to get back into town. In silence, he started driving. I ran back to my car and drove behind him. Finally I __ a familiar street. As I turned to head home, the car disappeared. Then I _ my driveway (车道) when the warning light for my gas tank (汽油箱) turned on.
Though so many years have passed, I still thank the old man from my deepest heart.
1.A. discovered B. approached C. parked D. searched
2.A. patients B. classmates C. students D. workmates
3.A. yet B. still C. but D. besides
4.A. night B. morning C. afternoon D. noon
5.A. afraid B. happy C. confident D. sorry
6.A. worried B. cared C. talked D. explored
7.A. before B. if C. as D. though
8.A. Everything B. Nothing C. Anything D. Something
9.A. attract B. delight C. bother D. enjoy
10.A. escaped B. existed C. imagined D. realized
11.A. quiet B. calm C. silent D. brave
12.A. across B. over C. within D. beyond
13.A. wheel B. engine C. watch D. seat
14.A. drove B. deserted C. washed D. stopped
15.A. helpless B. excited C. satisfied D. delighted
16.A. shadow B. truck C. lady D. animal
17.A. faster B. nervously C. closer D. back
18.A. unlikely B. slowly C. carefully D. equally
19.A. came B. mistook C. recognized D. missed
20.A. pulled into B. drove away C. ran across D. fount out
_____ you choose, you must stand by your decision.
A. Wherever B. Whenever C. However D. Whichever
