On December 22, 2016 I landed in the land of the “American Dream.” 1. Here is one of the things I’ve struggled with during my almost one year in the States.
2. My uncle and aunt joked that I brought rain from Saigon to America. Saigon, where I come from, is the old name of Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam. Vietnam is a tropical country where it rains most of the year. Before going to the U.S., actually, I had no idea what to expect about its weather, but the big rain on my arrival gave me the first expectation of what the weather here might be like.
California is known for having a great climate — more sunshine, cooler in summer and warmer in winter. 3. However, having been here for a pretty long while now, I have experienced various forms of climate in California.
4. Most of the time I was living in Silicon Valley, where the weather is a bit colder than where I study in Orange County. But I was really surprised to find chill-to-the-bone weather in San Francisco — a big shift from Silicon Valley in only about an hour’s drive. How strange!
5. The worst is that I get n runny nose whenever I wake up in the morning. Because I am allergic to the cold and windy weathers, I keep sneezing badly, and even more badly if I get caught in the cold. I think that my body needs more time to get used to this climate, but as many people said, I am luckier to be in California where I don’t have to fight with extreme weathers as in other stales.
A. I am sensitive to weather change.
B. Such strange weather has affected my health.
C. So the amount of rain this year is considered unusual.
D. LAX airport in California welcomed me with a big rain.
E. So I quickly get used lo the unchangeable climate in California.
F. The weather varies widely depending on where you are in the state.
G. Since then, I have discovered tons of dilemmas about life in America.
No one likes to make mistakes. But a new study says organizations learn more from their failures than from their successes, and keep that knowledge longer.
One of the researchers was Vinit Desai, an assistant professor at the University of Colorado Denver Business School. He worked with Peter Madsen from the Marriott School of Management at Brigham Young University in Utah.
They did not find much long-term "organizational learning" from success. It is possible, they say. But Professor Desai says they found that knowledge gained from failure lasts for years. He says organizations should treat failures as a learning opportunity and not try to ignore them.
The study looked at companies and organizations that launch satellites and other space vehicles. Professor Desai compared two shuttle flights. In two thousand two, a piece of insulating (隔热的) material broke off during launch and damaged a rocket on the Atlantis. Still the flight was considered a success. Then in early two thousand three, a piece of insulation struck the Columbia during launch. This time, the shuttle broke apart on re-entry and the seven crew members died. NASA officials suspended all flights and an investigation led to suggested changes.
Professor Desai says the search for solutions after a failure can make leaders more open-minded. He points to air-lines as an example of an industry that has learned from failures in the past. He advises organizations to look for useful information in small failures and failures they avoided. He also urges leaders to encourage the open sharing of information. The study appeared in the Academy of management Journal.
The mistakes we learn from do not have to be our own. We recently asked people on our Facebook page to tell us a time they had done something really silly. Fabricio Cmino wrote: Not long ago I wanted to watch TV, but it wouldn't turn on, so I did everything I could to start it. Thirty minutes later my mum showed up and, passing by, said to me "Did you try plugging it?" "I'm just dusting, Mum!" So she wouldn’t notice how dumb I am sometimes!
Bruno Kanieski da Silva told about a time he looked everywhere for his key. It was in his pocket. He wrote: I always promise I will never do it again, but after a few weeks, where is my wallet? For sure it will be in a very logical place.
1.What we get from failure differs from that from success is that ________.
A. what we learn from failure is more powerful
B. what we learn from success does no good to us
C. the knowledge gained from failure is important
D. the knowledge gained from failure lasts longer
2.From the passage, we can infer that ________.
A. the insulating material problem in 2002 didn't arouse enough attention
B. there were no astronauts on Columbia
C. in spite of the problem, Atlantis was considered a success
D. Columbia exploded during its launch time
3.The writer gives the last two paragraphs to show that ________.
A. many people make mistakes in the world
B. mistakes were a very embarrassing thing when found by others
C. we can also draw a lesson from others’ mistakes
D. making mistakes was a necessity
4.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. Only organizations can learn from mistakes.
B. Failure may result from faults that have been ignored.
C. Lessons from the shuttle flights are more important.
D. Leaders often lack an open mind and seldom share information.
Humans and many other mammals have unusually efficient internal temperature regulating systems that automatically maintain stable core body temperatures（核心体温）in cold winters and warm summers. In addition, people have developed cultural patterns and technologies that help them adjust to extremes of temperature and humidity（湿度）.
In very cold climates, there is a constant danger of developing hypothermia（低体温）, which is a life threatening drop in core body temperature to below normal levels. The normal temperature for humans is about 37.0°C. However, differences in persons and even the time of day can cause it to be as much as 6°C higher or lower in healthy individuals. It is also normal for core body temperature to be lower in elderly people. Hypothermia begins to occur when the core body temperature drops to 34.4°C. Below 29.4°C, the body cools more rapidly because its natural temperature regulating system usually fails. The rapid decline in core body temperature is likely to result in death. However, there have been rare cases in which people have been saved after their temperatures had dropped to 13.9—15.6°C. This happened in 1999 to a Swedish woman who was trapped under an ice sheet in freezing water for 80 minutes. She was found unconscious, not breathing, and her heart had stopped beating, yet she was eventually saved despite the fact that her temperature had dropped to 13.7°C.
In extremely hot climates or as a result of uncontrollable infections, core body temperatures can rise to equally dangerous levels. This is hyperthermia. Life threatening hyperthermia typically starts in humans when their temperatures rise to 40.6—41.7°C. Only a few days at this extraordinarily high temperature level is likely to result in the worsening of internal organs and death.
1.Why can humans keep stable body temperatures in different seasons?
A. Because their bodies are unusually efficient.
B. Because they experience different climates.
C. Because they can adjust to cultural patterns and technologies.
D. Because they have internal temperature regulating systems.
2.What does Paragraph 2 mainly discuss?
A. The dangerous effects of hypothermia.
B. The change of body temperature.
C. The survival of the Swedish woman.
D. The regulating systems of natural temperature.
3.People are unlikely to survive under the body temperature .
A. higher than 34.4°C B. lower than 29.4°C
C. between 40.6—41.7°C D. between 34.4—37°C
4.What is the best title for the passage?
A. Surviving in an ice trap
B. Getting to know hypothermia
C. Adapting to climate extremes
D. Changing core body temperature
International Airport Sheremetyevo Moscow
If You've Lost Personal Belongings
On Board --Contact the airline’s representatives
At the Airport --Contact:
-- Sheremetyevo Police Department
……………………………………+7(495)578-22-55
--Unclaimed luggage storage room in Terminal C
……………………………………+7(495)578-23-26
--Umclaimed luggage storage room in Terminal D
……………………………………+7(499)500-65-52
(domestic flights)
+7(495)753-86-41
(international flights)
When collecting Lost and Found items, you shall have an identification document, a boarding pass or a ticket,and also to indicate a place where the items were lost and prove they are yours.
If Your Luggage Is Lost or Damaged
Before leaving the arrival area, please turn to the Lost and Found counter to file a report. The written claim shall be submitted to the airline company not later than seven days from the time when the luggage was to be collected.
If your luggage is not found withintwenty-one days of the time when the claim was filed, you have the right to claim damages in the amount of not more than 600 rublesper kilogram. Amount refunded(退款) for a hand luggage lost through the fault of an airline is not more than 11,000 rubles regardless of its weight. Amount refunded for damaged luggage is calculated based on the same tariffs(关税).
Keep your flight documents (a ticket, boarding pass, luggage tag, anddelayed luggage report filed at the airport) untilthe end of the procedure for searching for your luggage.
Current information on luggage-tracing results
……………………………………+7(495)578-76-65
Lost and Found service of Aeroflot Airlines
……………………………………+7(495)544-33-25
(from9:00to20:00)
+7(495)753-86-41
(24 hours)
For further information please contact the airline.
1.What should you do if you find your personal possessions lost on board an airplane?
A. Submit a claim to the company. B. Go to the Lost and Found counter.
C. Contact the airline’s representatives. D. Contact the unclaimed luggage storage room.
2.How much money can you claim if your 20-kilogram hand luggage is lost?
A. 600 rubles. B. 11,000rubles at most.
C. 12,000 rubles at least. D. 12,000 rubles at most.
3.Which number will you probably dial to see whether your lost luggage has been found?
A. 7(495)578-76-65 B. 7(495)544-33-25
C. 7(499)500-65-52 D. 7(495)753-86-41
听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1.Where was the school located?
A. In the woods. B. Two miles from a farm. C. In the middle of a field.
2.What did all the students bring with them to school?
A. Books. B. Food. C. Money.
3.How old was the speaker on his first day at that school?
A. Fifteen years old. B. Eight years old. C. Seven years old.
4.What was the speaker confused about?
A. Why they had to eat outside.
B. Why smoking was not considered bad.
C. Why they had to go to school in summer.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.Where are the speakers?
A. In Los Angeles. B. In Chicago. C. In Connecticut.
2.What does the woman finally buy?
A. A light coat. B. A heavy coat. C. A wool coat.
3.What discount does the woman get for the coat?
A. Five percent. B. Ten percent. C. Fifteen percent.
4.What does the man recommend to the woman in the end?
A. Some scarves. B. Some gloves. C. Some shirts.
