B
Riding a London subway, a person from China will notice one major difference: in London, people do not look at each other. In fact, eye contact is avoided at all times. That’s not rudeness—people are just too busy to bother looking.
Busy doing what, you ask? Well, they’re certainly not using the time for a moment of quiet reflection, nor are they reading a book. New technology has replaced quiet habits. Today the only acceptable form of book on the London underground is an e-book.
Apple must earn a fortune from London commuters(乘车上下班的人). Since the launch of the iPhone in 2007, over 40,000—yes, that’s 40,000—“apps” (programs downloaded for the iPhone) have been designed.
Commuters love them because they are the perfect time-fillers. One “app”, called iShoot, is a game that features tanks. Another one, Tube Exits, tells passengers where to sit on the train to be closest to the exit of their destination. ISteam clouds the iPhone screen when you breathe into the microphone. You can then write in the “ steam” on your phone screen.
For those without an iPhone, another Apple product, the iPod, may be another choice. It’s not just teenagers who “plug in” to their music—iPods are a popular way to pass the time for all ages.
And if games, e-books and music aren’t enough to keep you engaged, then perhaps you would prefer a film. The development of palm DVD technology means many commuters watch their favorite TV show or film on the way to work. With all these entertainments, it’s amazing that people still remember to get off the train.
1.People in London do not make eye contact on the subway because they are busy_____.
A. playing games, reading e-books, listening to music or watching films.
B. going to work
C. reading books
D. thinking about private things
2.Those who like war games can download _____to their iPhones.
A. Tube Exits B. iShoot
C. ISteam D. iPod
3.The underlined word “engaged” in the last paragraph probably means______.
A. delighted B. busy
C. controlled D. amused
4.The article tells us that_____.
A. London commuters are unfriendly to strangers
B. Apple has earned a lot of money from selling 40,000 iPhones
C. with all the new time-fillers, London commuters often forget to get off the train.
D. technology is changing the way London commuters spend their traveling time.
A
I left university with a good degree in English Literature, but no sense of what I wanted to do. Over the next six years, I was treading water, just trying to earn an income. I tried journalism, but I didn’t think I was any good, then finance, which I hated. Finally, I got a job as a rights assistant at a famous publisher. I loved working with books, although the job that I did was dull.
I had enough savings to take a year off work, and I decided to try to satisfy a deep-down wish to write a novel. Attending a Novel Writing MA course gave me the structure I needed to write my first 55,000 words.
It takes confidence to make a new start — there’s a dark period in-between where you’re neither one thing nor the other. You’re out for dinner and people ask what you do, and you’re too ashamed to say, “Well, I’m writing a novel, but I’m not quite sure if I’m going to get there.” My confidence dived. Believing my novel could not be published ,
I put it aside.
Then I met an agent(代理商)who said I should send my novel out to agents. So, I did and, to my surprise, got some wonderful feedback. I felt a little hope that I might actually become a published writer and, after signing with an agent, I finished the second half of the novel.
The next problem was finding a publisher. After two-and-a-half years of no income, just waiting and wondering, a publisher offered me a book deal — that publisher turned out to be the one I once worked for.
It feels like an unbelievable stroke of luck — of fate, really. When you set out to do something different, there’s no end in sight, so to find myself in a position where I now have my own name on a contract of the publisher — to be a published writer — is unbelievably rewarding.
1.What does the underlined part in Paragraph 1 mean?
A. I was waiting for good fortune.
B. I was trying to find an admirable job.
C. I was being aimless about a suitable job.
D. I was doing several jobs for more pay at a time.
2.The author decided to write a novel ______ .
A. to finish the writing course
B. to realize her own dream
C. to satisfy readers’wish
D. to earn more money
3.How did the writer feel halfway with the novel?
A. Disturbed. B. Ashamed. C. Confident. D. Uncertain.
4.What does the author mainly want to tell readers in the last paragraph?
A. It pays to stick to one’s goal.
B. Hard work can lead to success.
C. She feels like being unexpectedly lucky.
D. There is no end in sight when starting to do something.
B
One effective way of destroying happiness is to look at something and focus on even the smallest fault.It's like looking at the tiled (铺瓦的) ceiling and concentrating on the space where one tile is__ __.
Once I heard a bald man said, "Whenever I enter a room, all I see is hair." Once you've __ __what your missing tile is, explore whether acquiring it will completely make you happy. Then do one of the three things: get it, replace it with a different __ __,or forget about it and _ __the tiles in your life that are not missing.
We all know people who have had a relatively __ __ life, yet are essentially unhappy while people who have suffered a great deal but generally remain happy.
The first secret is gratitude. All happy people are __ _. Ungrateful people cannot be happy.The second is __ _that happiness is a byproduct of something else. The more passions we have, the more happiness we are likely to experience.Finally,if you choose to find the __ __in every situation, you will be blessed, and if you choose to find the awful, you will be cursed. As for happiness itself, this largely depends on your decision to make.
1.A. different B. missing C. short D. broken
2.A. determined B. predicted C. assumed D. imagined
3.A. tile B. brick C. ceiling D. house
4.A. look on B. focus on C. count on D. rely on
5.A. peaceful B. difficult C. easy D. ordinary
6.A. wealthy B. grateful C. proud D. generous
7.A. admitting B. dividing C. proving D. realizing
8.A. worst B. best C. positive D. negative
A
About ten years ago when I was an undergraduate in college, I was working as an intern(实习生) at my University’s Museum of Natural History. One day while working at the cash register in the gift shop, I saw an old couple come in with a little girl a wheelchair.
As I looked closer at this girl, I saw that she was almost on her chair. I then she had no arms or legs, just a head, neck and body. She was wearing a little white dress with red dots. As the couple her up to me I was looking down at the register. I turned my head toward the girl and gave her a wink(眨眼). As I took the money from her grandparents, I looked back at the girl, who was giving me the cutest, largest smile I have ever seen.
All of a sudden her was gone and all I saw was this beautiful girl, whose smile just me and almost instantly gave me a completely new of what life is all about. She took me from a poor, unhappy college student and brought me into her world: a world of , love and .
That was ten years ago. I’m a successful business person now and I get down and think about the troubles of the world, I think about that little girl and the remarkable(非凡的)lesson about life that she me.
1.A. in B. on C. up D. over
2.A. lain B. remained C. set D. thrown
3.A. struck B. hit C. realized D. understood
4.A. top B. upper C. bottom D. lower
5.A. dragged B. headed C. wheeled D. approached
6.A. strength B. advantage C. disability D. happiness
7.A. affected B. infected C. melted D. frightened
8.A. command B. sense C. understand D. control
9.A. smiles B. laughters C. tears D. sweat
10.A. sorrow B. excitement C. warmth D. indifference
11.A. whenever B. whatever C. however D. whichever
12.A.offered B. taught C. gained D. drew
---Did you see “Running Man”?
--- ______. Smart man(潮人),you know.
A. No problem
B. Why me?
C. That’s for sure
D. Why bother?
---Why should you be so late today ?
---I got stuck in the heavy traffic, or I ____________here earlier.
A. had arrived
B. arrived
C. would arrive
D. would have arrived