From an early age,Parker always said that he would be an astronaut when he grew up.But no matter how much he studied and took tests,he was never______to fly in space.______,he grew over the maximum age for taking the selection tests.In other words,he would never be able to fulfill his______.
Thinking about ll the time and______Parker had put into trying to be an astronaut,people felt______for him. Despite what he was told about having to______his ambition,Parker continued training and studying,______he was going to have the tests next month.
He______as he got older,and when he was a very old man he heard that they were doing some very important
____experiments.For those experiments they needed a very______.astronaut.Parker,who now walked with a_____,
was the only old man in the whole world who was______to fly in a rocket.Therefore,Parker found himself flying in
____,all with the help of science.It was clear that the______gained during those missions helped to cure one of the worst sicknesses for old people,and Parker was______as a hero.
Photos of the astronaut with a walking stick and no teeth______all over the world,and became a______of how you can never train or learn too much.It showed that______effort always brings______.even though it may not be in the form we had first______.
1.A. noticed B. selected C. invited D. permitted
2.A. Secretly B. Suddenly C. Luckily D. Finally
3.A. dream B. task C. need D. belief
4.A. money B. energy C. effort D. practice
5.A. happy B. sorry C. nervous D. calm
6.A. ignore B. forget C. develop D. abandon
7.A. so that B. now that C. as if D. even though
8.A. carried on B. went on C. turned off D. got off
9.A. electrical B. physical C. medical D. political
10.A. sick B. experienced C. active D. old
11.A. map B. stick C. guide D. candle
12.A. planned B. trained C. forced D. allowed
13.A. silence B. danger C. action D. space
14.A. knowledge B. experience C. money D. opportunity
15.A. replaced B. educated C. praised D. affected
16.A. moved B. flew C. spread D. took
17.A. symbol B. mark C. case D. doubt
18.A. desperate B. persistent C. cautious D. apparent
19.A. award B. prize C. result D. reward
20.A. expected B. guessed C. suggested D. proved
Where do you think the world's happiest people live? Somewhere hot with sandy beaches?A country with a tradition of the fine food and culture? Not according to a recent study by the University of Leicester.Who are the happiest people on Earth?1.Surprised? Well you'll be more surprised when you hear that the Danes pay some of the highest taxes in the world.So what is the secret of their success?
Let's start with all that tax they pay.The Danish government provides its people with one of the finest education and health systems in the world.It spends more on children and elderly people per capita（人均）than any other country.
2.Thanks to the tax policy,a shop assistant's final salary is not that much less than someone who works in a bank.As a result,Danes don't choose their careers based on money or status as people in other countries do.They choose the job they want to do.There's a philosophy in Denmark known as "Jante-lov",which translates as "you're no better than anybody else."3.But workers in other countries are not used to looking at life in this way.
Money doesn't seem as important in Denmark.It has been called a “post consumerist” society.4.What is more important is the sense of society and it's no surprise that Danes are very used to socializing.92% of Danes belong to some kind of social club and these clubs are even paid for by the government.
5.They also show an amazing amount of trust in each other and their government.You can see signs of this all over the country.You'll find vegetable stalls with no assistant.You take what you want and leave the money in a basket.Perhaps the bike is a good symbol for Denmark.The Danes can afford cars but they choose bikes-simple, economical,non-polluting machines that show no status and help keep people fit.
A.In a list ranking countries by the happiness of their citizens,it put tropical Fiji 50 places below freezing Iceland.
B.The street sweeper can hold his head up high as he proudly does his job.
C.Danish people aren't as suspicious as many other nations.
D.High taxes in Denmark widen the gap between different jobs.
E.Those 5.5 million people who call Denmark their home.
F.People have nice things in their houses,but they don't attach too much importance to shopping and spending.
G And there's another advantage to those high taxes.
In the dull twilight of the winter afternoon,Scarlett came to the end of the long road which had begun the night Atlanta fell.She had set her feet upon that road as a spoiled,selfish and untried girl,full of youth,warm of emotion, easily confused by life.Now,at the end of the road,there was nothing left of that girl.Hunger and hard labor,fear and constant pressure,the terrors of war and the terrors of Reconstruction had taken away all warmth and youth and softness.Around the core of her being,a shell of hardness had formed and,little by little,layer by layer,the shell had thickened during the endless months.
But until this very day,two hopes had been left to support her.She had hoped that the war being over,life would gradually return to its old face.She had hoped that Ashley's return would bring back some meaning into life.Now both hopes were gone.She realized that for her,for the whale South,the war would never end.The bitterest fighting, the most violent and cruel revenges,were just beginning.And Ashley was imprisoned forever by words which were stronger than any jail.
Peace had failed her and Ashley had failed her,both in the same day,and it was as if the last crevice（裂口）in the shell had been closed,the final layer hardened.She had become what Grandma Fontaine had counseled against,a woman who had seen the worst and so had nothing else to fear.Not life nor Mother nor loss of love nor public opinion.Only hunger and her nightmare dream of hunger could make her afraid.
A curious sense of lightness,of freedom,went through her now that she had finally hardened her heart against everything that tied her to the old days and the old Scarlett.She had made her decision and,thank God,she wasn't afraid.She had nothing to lose and her mind was made up.
1.Which of the following adjectives best describe the mood in the first paragraph?
A. Gloomy and depressed. B. Cheerful and relaxed.
C. Peaceful and calm. D. Nervous and anxious.
2.What can be inferred from the passage?
A. Scarlett believed that the war would end soon.
B. Scarlett felt hopeless about the future when the war broke out.
C. Ashley may have been an important person to Scarlett.
D. Grandma Fontaine had advised Scarlett to be fearless.
3.What does the underlined sentence "...and it was as if the last crevice in the shell had been closed,the final layer hardened" suggest?
A. Scarlett would shut herself off from others.
B. Scarlett would refuse to face the reality.
C. Scarlett.would be trapped in a state of desperation.
D. Scarlett would grow mentally tougher and more determined.
4.Which of the following best summarizes the main idea of the passage?
A. It mainly describes the hopes and fear of Scarlett after Atlanta fell.
B. It mainly describes the destructive impact of the war on Scarlett's life.
C. It mainly describes the gradual change of Scarlett's feelings and attitude.
D. It mainly describes the sufferings of people in the South during the w:u:
“Heaven is where the police are English,the cooks are French the mechanics are German,the lovers are Italian and everything is organized by the Swiss.Hell is where the.police are German,the cooks are English,the mechanics are French,the lovers are Swiss,and everything is organized by the Italians.”
Obviously the national stereotypes（模式化的思想）in this,old joke are generalizations,but such stereotypes are often said to "exist for a reason".Is there actually a sliver of truth in them?Not likely,an international research team now says.
"National and cultural stereotypes do play an important role in how people see themselves and others,and being aware that these are not dependable is a useful thing,"said study author Robert McCrae of the National Institute on Aging."These are in fact unfounded stereotypes.They don't come from looking around you,"McCrae said.
If national stereotypes aren't rooted in real experiences,then where do they come from?One possibility is that they reflect national values,which may become known from historical events.For example,many historians have argued that the spirit of American individualism has its origins in the experiences of the pioneers on the Old West.
Social scientists such as psychologist Richard Robins have given several other possible explanations for stereotypes and why they may be incorrect.Robins notes that some stereotypes may have been correct at one point in history and then remained unchanged while the culture changed.
We may be "hard-wired",to some degree,to keep incorrect stereotypes,since we are less likely to notice and remember information that is different from our stereotypes.Generally,according to Robins,when we meet people who are different from our stereotypes,we see them as unique individuals rather than typical national or cultural groups.
1.What is the function of the first paragraph?
A. To introduce the topic of national stereotypes.
B. To make a comparison between the characters of different countries.
C. To exemplify the argument against stereotyping.
D. To analyze the strengths and weaknesses of people in different countries.
2.Which of the following best describes McCrae's attitude towards national stereotypes?
A. Supportive. B. Indifferent.
C. Critical. D. Uncertain.
3.According to social scientists,why aren’t national stereotypes always correct?
A. Because they are formed by individual historians.
B. Because people tend to have false idea about other cultures.
C. Because generalizations are made through personal experience.
D. Because what was true in the past may not be true at present.
4.What does the underlined word "hard-wired" in the last paragraph probably mean?
A. Forgetful. B. Fixed.
C. Anxious. D. Helpless.
When it's five o'clock,people leave their office.The length of the workday,for many workers,is defined by time. They leave when the clock tells them they're done.
These days,the time is everywhere: not just on clocks or watches,but on cell-phones and computers.That may be a bad thing,particularly at work.New research shows on that clock-based work schedules hinder morale and creativity.
Clock-timers organize their day by blocks of minutes and hours.For example: a meeting from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m., research from 10 a.m.to noon,etc.On the other hand,task-timers have a list of things they want to accomplish.They work down the list,each task starts when the previous task is completed.It is said that all of us employ a mix of both these types of planning.
What,then,are the effects of thinking about time in these different ways? Does one make us more productive? Better at the tasks at hand? Happier? In experiments conducted by Tamar Avnet and Anne-Laure Sellier,they had participints organize different activities-from project planning,holiday shopping,to yoga-by time or to-do list to measure how they performed under "clock time" vs "task time".They found clock timers to be more efficient but less happy because they felt little control over their lives.Task timers are happier and more creative,but less productive. They tend to enjoy the moment when something good is happening,and seize opportunities that come up.
The researchers argue that task-based organizing tends to be undervalued and under-supported in the business culture.Smart companies,they believe,will try to bake more task-based planning into their strategies.
This might be a small change to the way we view work and the office,but the researchers argue that it challenges a widespread characteristic of the economy: work organized by clock time.While most people will still probably need,and be,to some extent,clock-timers,task-based timing should be used when performing a job that requires more creativity.It'll make those tasks easier,and the task-doers will be happier.
1.What does the author think of time displayed everywhere?
A. It makes everybody aware of time.
B. It is a convenience for work and life.
C. It may have a negative effect on creative work.
D. It clearly indicates the fast pace of modern life.
2.What did Tamar Avnet and Anne-Laure Sellier find in their experiments about clock-timers ?
A. They seize opportunities as they come up.
B. They always get their work done in time.
C. They have more control over their lives.
D. They tend to be more productive.
3.What do the researchers say about today's business culture?
A. It does not support the strategies adopted by smart companies.
B. It does not attach enough importance to task-based practice.
C. It places more emphasis on work efficiency than on workers’ lives.
D. It aims to bring employees' potential and creativity into full play.
4.What do the researchers suggest?
A. Task-based timing is preferred for doing creative work.
B. It is important to keep a balance between work and life.
C. Performing creative jobs tends to make workers happier.
D. A scientific standard should be adopted in job evaluation.
Big messaging apps abroad
While WeChat is China's biggest mobile messaging app,there are many equivalent apps in other countries that offer similar features.
WhatsApp (US)
Users: more than 300 million
Platforms: Android,iOS,Windows Phone,BlackBerry
Features: Text chat,push-to-talk,file sharing,location sharing
With more than 300 million active users,WhatsApp is one of WeChat's biggest competitors.Developed by two ex-Yahoo employees in 2009,WhatsApp originally focused on text chat,but on Aug.6 it also started push-to-talk service.It's noted for its accessibility,ease of use and the absence of adverts.The service is free for the first year,after which $0.99 (6.06 yuan) is charged for a one-year subscription.
Kakao Talk (South Korea)
Users: more than 100 million
Platforms: Android,iOS,Windows Phone,BlackBerry and Bada (an operating system developed by Samsung)
Features: Text chat,group chat,push-to-talk,group calls,file sharing
With more than 100 million users in more than 230 countries,Kakao Talk is a multi-platform texting applicbtion that allows users to send and receive messages for free.With Kakao Talk,users can message each other one-on-one or in group chats with unlimited numbers of friends.You can also choose from more than 250 animated emoticons and share them with friends.
Line (Japan)
Users: more than 200 million
Platforms: Android,iOS,Windows Phone,BlackBerry and PC
Features: Text chat,group chat,push-to-talk,file sharing,location sharing,gaming,stickers
Line tops the list of the most downloaded free apps in 52 countries.Apart from text and voice messaging,Line provides its users with more than 250 original stickers and emoticons to buy from its own shop.In the first quarter of 2013 alone,it made $17 million just from stickers.The popular app also allows friends to battle each other in the LINE Game.
1.Compared with the other two apps,which of the following features makes Line stand out?
A. Group mobile games. B. Free emoticons.
C. Free download of the app. D. Text and group chat.
2.Which of the statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A. Users can always send and receive messages for free with WhatsApp.
B. Users can share files with any of the three apps.
C. Kakao Talk frees users from unwanted advertisjments.
D. Line ranks first in the list of the most downloaded apps in 52 countries.
3.In which part of the newspaper may this article be found?
A. Advertisement. B. Economy and Finance.
C. Entertainment. D. Science and Technology.
