It was the last day of final examination in a large Eastern university. On the steps of one building, a group of engineering seniors_______, discussing the exam due to begin in a few minutes. On their faces was_______. This was their last exam—then on to graduation ceremony and _______. Some talked of jobs they already had; others _______jobs they would get. With all this assurance of four years of college, they felt ready and able to _______the world. The approaching exam, they knew, would be quite _______. The professor had said they could bring any books or notes they wanted, _______only that they should not talk to each other during the test. Then they filed into the classroom. The professor _______the papers. And smiles _______their faces as the students noted there were only five essay-type questions. However, when the professor began to collect the papers three hours later, the students no longer looked confident. On their faces was a frightened ________. No one spoke as, ________ in hand, the professor faced the class.
He surveyed the worried faces before him, then asked, “How many completed all five questions?” Not a hand was ________. “How many answered four?” Still no hands. “Three? Two?” The students shifted ________in their seats. “One, then? Certainly ________finished one.” But the class remained ________. The professor put down the papers. “That is exactly what I________,” he said, “and I just want you to________ that. These questions you could not answer are relatively________in everyday practice.” “Then,” smiling, he added, “you will all________this course, but remember—even though you are now college graduates, your education has just________.” The years have obscured(模糊)the name of this professor, but not the lesson he taught.
1.A. united B. gathered C. surrounded D. played
2.A. doubt B. confidence C. anxiety D. satisfaction
3.A. study B. rest C. exams D. jobs
4.A. of B. for C. at D. to
5.A. defeat B. conquer C. crash D. fight
6.A. tough B. confusing C. easy D. exciting
7.A. requesting B. expecting C. forbidding D. asking
8.A. gave out B. turned away C. brought in D. prepared for
9.A. improved B. lit C. changed D. broadened
10.A. smile B. expression C. color D. sense
11.A. books B. papers C. pens D. lists
12.A. presented B. discovered C. raised D. noted
13.A. carelessly B. restlessly C. hopelessly D. eagerly
14.A. somebody B. anybody C. nobody D. everybody
15.A. calm B. silent C. disappointed D. worried
16.A. put B. throw C. expected D. strike
17.A. know B. school C. knowledge D. exercise
18.A. abstract B. popular C. common D. complex
19.A. fail B. lose C. attend D. pass
20.A. begun B. completed C. advanced D. succeeded
How to Write an Effective Summary
The goal of writing a summary of an article, a chapter, or a book is to offer as accurately as possible the full sense of the original, but in a more condensed(缩减的) form. A summary restates the author’s main point, purpose, intent, and supporting details in your own words.1.
Read the passage carefully.
Determine its structure. Identify the author’s purpose in writing. After you finish reading, write down in one sentence the point that is made about the subject. 2.
Reread, label and underline.
Once you clearly understand the writer’s major point(or purpose) for writing, read the article again, underline the major points supporting the thesis. 3. In addition, underline key transitional(过渡的) elements which show how parts are connected. Omit specific details, examples, description, and unnecessary explanations.
Write, revise and edit
Now begin writing your summary. 4.Then write your summary, omitting nothing important, eliminating repetition, disregarding minor details, or generalizing them, using as few words as possible to convey the main ideas and striving for overall coherence through appropriate transitions. Conclude with a final statement reflecting the significance of the article.
Revise your summary. After you’ve completed a draft, read your summary and check for accuracy. Keep in mind that a summary should generally be no more than one-fourth the length of the original.
5.Correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors, looking particularly for those common in your writing. Write a clean draft and proofread for copying errors.
A. Edit your summary.
B. Do not insert your own opinions or thoughts.
C. A suitable thesis may already be in the original passage.
D. Writing an effective summary requires you to focus on the series of steps.
E. These should be words or phrases here and there rather than complete sentences.
F. In other words, write down a thesis statement which expresses the central idea.
G. Start with a sentence naming the writer and article title and stating the essay’s main idea.
He wrote that the “human mind is capable of excitement without the application of unpleasant and violent stimulants(兴奋剂，刺激物)”. And it appears that simply reading these words by William Wordsworth proves his point.
Researchers at the University of Liverpool found the works of Shakespeare and Wordsworth and the like had a beneficial effect on the mind, making it active and excited by catching the reader’s attention and leading to moments of self-reflection.
Using scanners, they monitored the brain activity of volunteers as they read pieces of classical English literature both in their original form and in a modern translation. And, according to the Sunday Telegraph, the experiment showed the more challenging writing and poetry set off far more electrical activity in the brain than the simple readings.
The research also found poetry, in particular, increased activity in the right brain, an area concerned with “autobiographical memory”, which helped the reader to reflect on their own experiences in light of what they had read. The academics said this meant the classics were more useful than self-help books.
The brain responses of 30 volunteers were monitored in the first part of the research as they read Shakespeare in its original and modern form. In one example, volunteers read a line from King Lear, “A father and a gracious aged man: him have you madded”, before reading the simpler, “A father and a gracious aged man: him you have enraged”. Shakespeare's use of the adjective “mad” as a verb caused a higher level of brain activity than the straightforward translation.
The next part of the research is looking at the extent to which poetry can affect psychology and provide benefit, Volunteers’ brains were scanned while reading four lines by Wordsworth, and four “translate” lines were also provided. The result showed that the first version caused a greater degree of brain activity.
“Poetry is not just a matter of style. It is a matter of deep versions of experience that add the emotional and biographical to the cognitive(认知的),” said Professor Davis, leader of the researchers.
1.The words by William Wordsworth in Paragraph 1 are used to ________.
A. prove the poet’s point B. introduce the topic
C. serve as an example D. stress the importance of reading
2.What is the beneficial effect of reading classics on the mind?
A. It activates the reader’s mind B. It reflects the reader’s experience
C. It catches the reader’s attention D. It monitors the reader’s brain activity
3.What method is mainly used in the experiment?
A. Comparing responses. B. Analyzing data.
C. Observing activities. D. Testing ability.
4.According to Professor Davis, poetry can affect the mind mainly because of ________.
A. its style B. its meaning C. its depth D. its writer
Saving money when you’re young is an important lesson. All good lessons and habits begin early, and saving is a skill that everyone needs. Many people — adults included — do not have a good sense of saving for the long run.
Besides being a great way to ensure you have enough money for your old age, saving money when you are young can help your future.
Making sure you don’t spend too much and continuing to save is a good way to accumulate wealth. I have put my earnings in a bank, and with investments(投资) and regular interest rates, have almost doubled my savings. Your money will double after twelve years at a modest rate of six percent interest. Many teens I know spend all the money they earn so it never has a chance to grow.
Teens should realize that now is a prime time to begin saving. In high school many parents pay for almost everything, so expenses can be small. If you have a job, you should have fun with some of the money. But you should also save some so that it will grow for you without your working, and begin planning for your future.
After high school, college is expensive and then “real” life begins, with expenses such as food and rent.
If you can hold onto a good part of the money you earn as a teen, going to college and buying a house will be much easier. The earlier you begin saving, the more time the money has to grow.
Saving early means you will have to work fewer years when you are older and allow you to spend time doing things you want. You also want to be financially secure so you can live the way you want without worrying. Also, you will be able to retire at a reasonable age.
1.Which of the following is an advantage of saving money when young?
A. It teachers important life lessons. B. It helps develop good habits.
C. It results in a sense of responsibility. D. It contributes to one’s future.
2.The author advises teens ________.
A. to put all their earnings in a bank for interest
B. not to spend the money until twelve years later
C. to pay for their schooling by themselves
D. not to spend all their earnings having fun
3.According to the author, what will “real” life bring about?
A. Lower interest rate. B. Higher living cost.
C. Difficulty in finding jobs. D. Less time to save money.
4.What is the best title of the passage?
A. The Earlier, The Better B. Money Is Everything
C. The Importance of Saving D. To Save for Your Old Age
The summer before my junior year in high school, my family and I took a trip to a completely new world. Being from a small town, I had never really been exposed to a large city such as New York City.
As we stood waiting for a taxi outside of the airport, it was immediately apparent to me that New York City was not the same as New Caney, Texas. It seemed like everyone there was in a hurry to get to another place. The loud and constant sound of cars was heard throughout the entire trip. When we found our hotel in Times Square, I noticed that it wasn’t just the cars that were in a hurry. Everyone in the streets was walking quickly that indicated a rush to be somewhere. Just standing and watching the many people rushing their own separate ways was an interesting observation.
In addition to the people and transportation, the buildings were also an incredible sight. Each street was crammed with buildings that were built side by side with no room in between, and a number of skyscrapers were present throughout the city as well. The stores were also large compared to the ones of my little town. A small shop in New Caney would be a huge store that took up an entire building in New York. This would make it seem logical that the prices of everything in New York were almost double those back home.
For the first time in my life, I was exposed to a little taste of what the real world is like. The incredible transportation, the huge skyscrapers, and all of the thousands of people made me anxious to grow up and perhaps move to an incredible city such as this one. Either way, my first trip to New York was one of the most incredible experiences of my life, one I will always treasure.
1.According to the author, New Caney is _______.
A. a very large city B. a rather small town
C. a busy and noisy place D. an undeveloped village
2.The author was impressed by all of the following EXCEPT_________.
A. the people B. the transportation
C. the buildings D. the custom
3.The underlined phrase “was creamed with” in Paragraph 3 can be replaced by “_________”.
A. was full of B. was ruined by
C. was lacking in D. was narrowed by
4.What is the main idea of the passage?
A. Big cities can provide young people with more chances.
B. A trip to New York City reduced my love of my hometown.
C. My visit to New York City was a life changing experience.
D. One’s impression of a city is usually formed by the first visit.
Disneyland calls itself the happiest place in the world, but to keep visitors happy in its five locations across the globe, each theme park is adjusted to cater to local cultures and tastes. Outside of the two original resort areas in the US, Disneyland in California and Walt Disney World in Florida, the Disneylands in Paris, Tokyo and Hong Kong offer subtly different layouts(布局) to make their millions of visitors each year feel at home.
Disneyland Paris
After excitedly entering Disneyland Paris, which opened in 1992, visitors can see an arcade(拱廊) that features a small replica(复制品) of the Statue of Liberty—a gift from France to the US in 1886, making it a fitting introduction to Europe’s only instance of this American theme park. The arcade also offers essential cover from the cold and rain that typically hit Pairs. As you venture further into Disneyland Paris, you will see a lot of European visionaries.
Tokyo Disneyland
Opened in 1983, Tokyo Disneyland is the third most visited of any theme park in the world after the two Disney parks in the US. Like Walt Disney World in Florida, Cinderella’s Castle is located at the center of the park, said to culture than Sleeping Beauty, whose castle is featured in the center of Disneyland California.
Hong Kong Disneyland
The Hong Kong Disneyland, opened in 2005, incorporates feng shui and traditional Chinese elements into its design to attract tourists from the Chinese mainland.
Feng shui balances the elements of wood, fire, earth, metal and water to create positive energy, and these elements can be seen throughout the theme park. Rocks represent stability and prevent good luck from flowing away, so two gigantic boulders (圆石) have been placed at the park’s entrance to stop energy from flowing out of the resort. Water stimulates fortune and wealth, and the theme park is full of lakes, ponds and streams—not to mention the large fountain featuring Disney characters placed at the main entrance of the park.
1.Which of the following is the third most visited theme park in the world?
A. Walt Disney World.
B. Disneyland Paris.
C. Hong Kong Disneyland.
D. Tokyo Disneyland.
2.According to the text, the Statue of Liberty replica in Disneyland Paris is to __________.
A. serve as an introduction to American Disneyland
B. reflect the historical relationship between France and the US
C. show Americans’ artistic taste and knowledge
D. ensure the visitors’ safety from all over the world
3.The passage is mainly about Disneyland theme parks’ ________.
A. popularity around the world
B. small similarities between them
C. differences between each other
D. adjustments to local cultures
