Beauty has always been regarded as something praiseworthy. Almost everyone thinks attractive people are happier and healthier, have better marriages and have more respectable jobs. Personal advisors give them better advice for finding jobs. Even judges are softer on attractive defendants(被告). But in the executive(主管的) circle, beauty can become a liability.
While attractiveness is a positive factor for a man on his way up the executive ladder, it is harmful to a woman.
Handsome male executives were considered having more honesty than plainer (不漂亮的)men; effort and ability were thought to lead to their success.
Attractive female executives were considered to have less honesty than unattractive ones; their success was connected not with ability but with factors such as luck.
All unattractive women executives were thought to have more honesty and to be more capable than the attractive female executives. Interestingly, though, the rise of the unattractive overnight successes was connected more to personal relationships and less to ability than that of the attractive overnight successes.
Why are attractive women not thought to be able? An attractive woman is considered to be more feminine(女性的) and has an advantage in traditionally female jobs, but an attractive woman in a traditionally manly position appears to lack the "manly" qualifies required.
This is true even in politics, "When the only clue is how he or she looks, people treat men and women differently, " says Anne Bowman, who recently published a study on the effects of attractiveness on politicalcandidates(候选人). She asked 125 undergraduate students to rank two groups of photographs, one of men and one of women, in order of attractiveness. The students were told the photographs were of candidates for political offices. They were asked to rank them again, in the order they would vote for them.
The results showed that attractive males completely defeated unattractive men, but the women who had ranked most attractive unchangeably received the fewest votes.
1.The word "liability" most probably means ________.
A. advantage B. disadvantage C. misfortune D. trouble
2.Bowman's experiment shows that when it comes to politics, attractiveness________
A. turns out to be a disadvantage to men
B. has as little effect on men as on women
C. affects men and women alike
D. is more of a disadvantage than an advantage to women
3.It can be inferred from the passage that people's views on beauty are often________.
A. objective B. supportive C. subjective D. old - fashioned
4.The author writes this passage to ________.
A. give advice to job - seekers who are attractive
B. stress the impact of appearance on both sexes
C. demand equal rights for women
D. state the importance of appearance
Teaching someone to drive can be very nerve-racking. The experience of offering instruction from the passenger seat while a new driver is driving is not good for your peace of mind, especially when the student's first language is not English.
My good friend Prakash is from southern India. He grew up speaking Telugu, a language that, until I met him, was unknown to me. Prakash is self-conscious about his English, even though I think he speaks it quite well, with a pleasing Indian accent.
Under the pressure of driving instruction, however, his response sometimes abandons him---especially when it comes to the difference between "right" and "left".
During our first drive, with Prakash holding the wheel for dear life and staring dead ahead, I told him to turn left onto a side road, when Prakash asked "Left?"I replied, "That's right."And so, without looking, he turned right. "Left! Left! " I commanded, which alarmed him. He straightened the car, and politely reminded me that I had said "right, "which, of course, I had. I apologized for the outburst and explained the context of what I had said. But a few minutes later, when I told him to turn right, he turned left.
We pulled over. "Prakash,"I said gently, "do you understand the difference between 'right' and 'left' in English? "He smiled pleasantly and assured me that he did. I realized that he probably did, but simply had trouble responding to my instructions under pressure. And then a solution occurred to me.
"Prakash, " I asked, "how do you say 'right' and 'left' in Telugu? "The answers sounded like "kudee" and "yedama."
We set out again into the flow of traffic. Our turn approached. I recalled my newly acquired Telugu. "Kudee! Kudee!"I shouted. It worked. We turned right.
We went on like this for a while. And I learned two more Telugu words:"nehruga" (straight ahead) and the vital word "apu!" (stop!), which I was soon employing. I learned that, armed with these four precious words, I was able to ensure that Prakash and I would live to drive another day.
1.The underlined word "nerve-racking" in Paragraph 1 can best be replaced by" ".
A. boring B. worrying
C. exciting D. interesting
2.Why did the author apologize to Prakash?
A. Because he couldn't speak Telugu.
B. Because he didn't want to teach him.
C. Because he gave a confusing instruction.
D. Because he lost control of his emotions.
3.We can know that Prakash_______.
A. doesn’t speak English
B. is proud of his English
C. speaks English without an accent
D. may interpret English incorrectly
4.Why did the author learn Telugu?
A. To better teach Prakash to drive.
B. Because he thought it was interesting.
C. Because Prakash encouraged him to.
D. To make friends with people from India.
Dodder is an unusual and unwanted plant that attacks other plants. Except for its flowers, the plant looks like spaghetti, a kind of noodles in the shape of long thin pieces that look like string when they are cooked. Its almost leafless, thread-like stems（茎）hang down on top of other plants that dodder needs to stay alive. Dodder does not produce its own food. Instead, it steals food from other plants. It feeds by sucking juices from the plant which is wrapped around, often making its host very weak or even killing it.
Dodder can find other plants by their smell. When a young dodder plant starts growing, it follows the smell of plants it prefers, like tomato plants, potato plants, or other farm crops. Unlike most plants that usually grow in the direction of light or warmth, a dodder plant will grow in the direction of, for example, tomato smell-if a tomato happens to be growing nearby.
However, a young dodder plant must find a host plant quickly. It no longer needs its root once it is attached to the host and wrapped around it. If it cannot catch a smell of a potential host within a few days, it will dry up and disappear-even if there is plenty of water around. Once it finds a host, the young dodder plant will attach itself to it and start growing faster. At that point the dodder plant will drop its root.
Dodder is thus a difficult weed to manage and a real headache for farmers. When it does get out of hand, dodder can greatly reduce a farmer’s harvest or even destroy crops completely. Before sowing their produce, especially farmers in warm parts of the world often check to make sure no unwanted dodder seeds have mixed with their crop seeds. This is a good way to stop dodder plants from making their way to a crop field secretly.
1.Why does the author mention spaghetti in the first paragraph?
A. To analyze the content of some food.
B. To describe tie shape of dodder plants.
C. To explain where the dodder plants come from.
D. To argue that dodder plants can be used.
2.What will happen if a dodder plant starts growing where there are no other plants around?
A. It will die sooner or later.
B. It will grow deep roots.
C. It will attract other plants.
D. It will cover the entire area of soil.
3.What can be inferred from the passage?
A. Dodder does not produce its own food.
B. Dodder can affect farmers’ income.
C. Dodder can only survive in the shade.
D. Dodder only grows in the warm areas.
4.What is the main topic of the passage?
A. A new variety of farm crops.
B. Plants that are harmful to humans.
C. The special abilities of a dangerous plant.
D. Recent improvements in farming methods.
There are many places to go on safari in Africa, but riding a horse through the flooded waters of Botswana's Okavango Delta must rank as one of the world's most exciting wildlife journeys.
Several safari camps operate as the base for this adventure, providing unique rides twice a day to explore deep into the delta. The camps have excellent horses, professional guides and lots of support workers. They have a reputation for providing a great riding experience.
The morning ride, when the guides take you to beautiful, shallow lakes full of water lilies, tends to be more active. It is unlike any other riding experience. With rainbows forming in the splashing water around you and the sound of huge drops of water bouncing off your body and face. It is truly exciting. You are very likely to come across large wild animals, too. On horseback it is possible to get quite close to elephants, giraffes and many other animals. The sense of excitement and tension levels rise suddenly though, as does your heart rate, as you move closer to them.
In the evening, rides are usually at a more relaxed and unhurried pace. With golden light streaming across the grassy delta and the animals coming out to eat and drink. Sedate though they are, rides at this time of day are still very impressive. As the sun's rays pass through the dust kicked up by the horses, the romance of Africa comes to life.
Back at the camp you can kick off your boots and enjoy excellent food and wine. Looking back on your day, you will find it hard to deny that a horseback Safari is as close as you will ever come to answering the call of the wild.
1.What does the author find most exciting about a horse safari?
A. Seeing and feeling the real African life.
B. Enjoying good food and wine at the camp.
C. Hunting large animals just as our ancestors did.
D. Being part of the scene and getting close to animals.
2.What does the underlined word "sedate" probably mean?
A. Wild and romantic. B. Slow and peaceful.
C. Hurry and thirsty. D. Active and excited.
3.The author introduced the riding experience in the Okavango Delta mainly by ________.
A. following space order B. following time order
C. making classifications D. giving examples
听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1.Which position does Orson apply for?
A. Publicity Manager. B. Operations Assistant. C. Sales Manager.
2.How long did Orson study economics in university?
A. Three years. B. Four years. C. Five years.
3.Where did Orson work first after his graduation?
A. Happy Holidays. B. XL Holidays. C. Sky Airlines.
4.Why does Orson want a new job?
A. He wants something new. B. He wants a higher salary. C. He wants good working conditions.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.What happened to the woman?
A. Her car was broken into. B. Her car was lost. C. Her house was robbed.
2.What was in the woman’s handbag?
A. An MP3 player. B. A new iPhone. C. A set of keys.
3.What did the woman do this morning?
A. She went to the police. B. She had her locks changed. C. She repaired her car’s back window.
4.Who is the man probably?
A. A policeman. B. The woman’s colleague. C. The woman’s neighbor.
