Life is difficult.
What do you think about life? Maybe most people say that life is difficult. But life is no longer difficult once we truly understand and accept it. Most people do not fully see this truth. Instead, they complain about their problems and difficulties as if life should be easy. It seems to them that their difficulties represent a special kind of suffering especially forced upon (强加于) them or their families, their class, or even their nation.
What makes life difficult is that the process of facing and solving problems is a painful one. Problems, depending on their nature, cause us sadness or loneliness or regret or anger or fear. These are uncomfortable feelings, often as painful as any kind of physical pain. And since life causes an endless series of problems, life is always difficult and is full of pain as well as joy.
Yet, it is in this whole process of solving problems that life has its meaning.
Problems are the serious test that tells success from failure. When we desire to encourage the growth of the human spirit, we encourage the human ability to solve problems, just as in school we set problems for our children to solve. It is through the pain of meeting and working out problems that we learn. As Benjamin Franklin said, “Those things that hurt instruct.” It is for this reason that wise people learn not to fear but to welcome the pain of problems.
1.The writer probably used just one short sentence in the first paragraph to _________.
A. show his opinion B. argue with readers
C. give an example D. get readers’ attention
2.According to the passage we give school children difficult problems in order to _______.
A. help them learn to deal with pain
B. teach them how to respect problems
C. encourage them to solve problems
D. teach them to fear the pain of solving problems
3.The saying from Benjamin Franklin “Those things that hurt instruct.” suggests that _________.
A. pain teaches us important lessons B. we do not learn when we are in pain
C. we do not learn from experience D. the pain of problems is not welcome
4.The passage mainly tells us that _________.
A. everybody has problems
B. we become stronger by facing and solving the problems of life
C. people like to complain about their problems
D. life is difficult because our problems bring us pain
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia – One of the world’s most famous fossils (化石) – the 3.2 million-year-old Lucy skeleton (骨骼) unearthed in Ethiopia in 1974 – will go on an exhibition tour abroad for the first time in the United States, officials said Tuesday.
Even the Ethiopian public has only seen Lucy twice. The Lucy on exhibition at the Ethiopian National Museum in the capital, Addis Ababa, is a replica while the real remains are usually locked in a secret storeroom. A team from the Museum of National Science in Houston, Texas, spent four years discussing with the Ethiopians for the U.S. tour, which will start in Houston next September.
“Ethiopia’s rich culture of both the past and today, is one of the best kept secrets in the world,” said Joel Bartsch, director of the Houston museum.
The six-year tour will also go to Washington, New York, Denver and Chicago. Officials said six other U.S. cities may be on the tour. But they said plans had not been worked out.
Travelling with Lucy will be 190 other fossils.
Lucy, her name taken from a Beatles song that played in a camp the night of her discovery, is part of the skeleton of what was once a 3.5-foot-tall ape-man (猿人).
1.The author writes this text mainly to .
A. introduce a few U.S. museums B. report a coming event
C. discuss the value of an ape-man D. describe some research work
2.What does the words “a replica” in Paragraph 2 refer to?
A. A copy of the skeleton. B. A photograph of Lucy
C. A painting of the skeleton. D. A written record of Lucy.
3.How many cities has Lucy’s U.S. tour plan already included?
A. Eleven. B. Six. C. Five. D. Four.
4.What was the skeleton named after?
A. An ape-man. B. A camp. C. A singer. D. A song.
Pacific Science Center Guide
◆Visit Pacific Science Center’s Store
Don’t forget to stop by Pacific Science Center’s Store while you are here to pick up a wonderful science activity or souvenir to remember your visit. The store is located(位于) upstairs in Building 3 right next to the Laser Dome.
◆Hungry
Our exhibits will feed your mind, but what about your body? Our café offers a complete menu of lunch and snack options, in addition to seasonal specials. The café is located upstairs in Building 1 and is open daily until one hour before Pacific Science Center closes.
◆Rental Information
Lockers are available to store any belongings during your visit. The lockers are located in Building 1 near the Information Desk and in Building 3. Pushchairs and wheelchairs are available to rent at the Information Desk and Denny Way entrance. ID required.
◆Support Pacific Science Center
Since 1962, Pacific Science Center has been inspiring a passion(热情) for discovery and lifelong learning in science, math and technology. Today, Pacific Science Center serves more than 1.3 million people a year and brings inquiry-based science education to classrooms and community events all over Washington State. It’s an amazing accomplishment and one we cannot achieve without generous support from individuals, corporations, and other social organizations. Visit pacificsciencecenter.org to find various ways you can support Pacific Science Center.
1.Where can you buy a souvenir at Pacific Science Center?
A. In Building 1.
B. In Building 3.
C. At the last Dome.
D. At the Denny Way entrance.
2.What does Pacific Science Center do for schools?
A. Train Science teachers.
B. Distribute science books.
C. Distribute scientific research.
D. Take science to the classroom.
3.What is the purpose of the last part of the text?
A. To encourage donations.
B. To advertise coming events.
C. To introduce special exhibits.
D. To tell about the Center’s history.
In 1997, Mary gave a present of $ 500, 000 to the University of Southern Mississippi. She wanted to help poor students. It was a very generous thing to do. But her friends and neighbors were surprised. Mary was a good woman. She went to church. She was always friendly and helpful. But everyone in her town knew that Mary was not rich. In fact, she was poor.
How did a poor 89-year-old woman have so much money? Mary was born in 1908 in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. She had to leave school when she was eight years old to help her family. She took a job washing clothes. She earned only a few dollars a day. She washed the clothes by hand. Then she hung the clothes to dry. She did this for nearly 80 years. In the 1960s, she bought an automatic washer and dryer. But she gave them away. She did not think they got the clothes clean enough！At that time, many people started to buy their own washers and dryers. Mary did not have much work, so she started to iron clothes instead.
Mary never married nor had children. Her life was very simple. She went to work and to church. She read her Bible. She had a black-and-white television. But she did not watch it very much. It had only one channel.
Mary saved money all her life and eventually had about $ 800, 000. When she was 89, a lawyer helped her make a will. She left the money to the church, her relatives and the university. Mary wanted to help others. She did not think she was a special person. But then people found out about her present to the university. She received many honors. She even flew in an airplane for the first time！Mary died in 1999. She was a shy and ordinary woman who became famous.
1.Mary gave $ 500, 000 to the University of Southern Mississippi___________.
A. to surprise her friends and neighbors B. to prove she was a rich woman
C. to help the poor students D. to show her generosity
2.From the passage we can learn that___________,
A. Mary left school young to help support her family
B. Mary’s parents asked her to wash clothes for others
C. an automatic washer and dryer were too expensive for her
D. Mary started to iron clothes because she didn’t get other skills
3.Which of the following tells us Mary lived a very simple life?
A. She didn’t have much work to do.
B. She only had a black-and-white television with one channel.
C. She went to the church every day with friends.
D. She didn’t like others to buy an automatic washer..
4.What kind of person is Mary according to the passage?
A. Rich and friendly. B. Poor and silly.
C. Well-educated and special. D. Hard-working and helpful.
听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1.What is the speaker mainly talking about?
A. The cause of a heart attack.
B. The advice on dealing with a heart attack.
C. The treatment for a heart attack.
2.What should one do to help a patient with a heart attack?
A. Send the patient to hospital immediately.
B. Not give the patient anything to drink or eat.
C. Leave the patient sitting.
3.What do we know about patients who have heart attacks?
A. Most of them can recover completely.
B. Some of them are easier to suffer heart attacks again in the future.
C. Half of them won't suffer heart attacks any more in the future.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.Why did the man stay in London only for a few days?
A. It was too hot. B. It rained all the time. C. It snowed all the time.
2.Which place did the man visit?-
A. The Eiffel Tower. B. The Bondi Beach. C. The Golden Gate Bridge.
3.What did the man do in Sydney?
A. He did some shopping. B. He swam in the sea. C. He played on the beach.
4.What was the weather like in San Francisco?
A. It was sunny. B. It was cloudy. C. It was foggy.
