Nine years ago, a few days before Christmas, I was a director at a company in San Francisco, and I was called into a meeting that was already in progress. That meeting turned out to be my exit interview. I was 64 years old at the time. It wasn’t completely unexpected. I signed a pile of papers and left the company.
So, 40 plus years of employment was over. I had a good reputation and background. Retirement was not a choice for me. I wanted to do something. And then an idea came into my mind, born from my concern for our environment. I wanted to build my own business, designing and producing biodegradable(可生物降解的)packaging from waste. This is called clean technology, and it was really meaningful to me. It could help reduce billions of pounds of single-use plastic packaging wasted each year.
Five years later, I’m delighted and proud to share with you that our income has doubled every year and we have no debt. Meanwhile, I have a wonderful partner, and we’ve won more than 20 awards for the work that we’ve done.
And I am doing the most rewarding and meaningful work of my life right now. But what I really long for is to find other first-time entrepreneurs(企业家)who are my age. I want to connect with them.
So I want to do something about that in a few years. I want us to start talking more about people who don’t become entrepreneurs until they are seniors. And then connecting all of them across industries, regions and countries—building a community.
1.What happened to the author nine years ago?
A. He retired from his former company. B. He failed an interview.
C. He had a good family background. D. He changed his job to a better one.
2.Why was the new business meaningful to the author?
A. It was beneficial to the environment.
B. It developed a clean technology.
C. It provided jobs for lots of people.
D. It brought in quite a lot of money.
3.What is the author’s attitude to the development of his own company?
A. Cautious. B. Disappointed. C. Ambiguous. D. Positive.
4.What does the author plan to do in the future?
A. To do something else about environment.
B. To help people who want to become successful.
C. To meet more people from different backgrounds.
D. To build a community for senior entrepreneurs.
There are many programs for high school students today that help lonely teenagers deal with loneliness. However, loneliness is not only an issue for teens but also an important and rarely acknowledged one in the elderly.
In Britain, Tracey Crouch was appointed to be the first Minister of Loneliness in order to address the issues caused by loneliness. This is the first time such a position has been created.
In Britain, there are around 9 million people who say they are lonely frequently. In Germany, a study conducted by Ruhr University Bochum found that 20 percent of people over the age of 85 felt lonely, and 14 percent of those between age 45 and 65 felt socially lonely. In the United States, more than 25 percent of the population lives alone, more than 50 percent are unmarried.
Loneliness is generally associated with heart disease, overweight, and anxiety. Additionally, the stress from loneliness can cause your cells to change on a molecular(分子)level that reduces its abilities to defend your body against diseases. In fact, doctors believe having feelings of loneliness is equivalent to smoking 15 cigarettes per day in regard to its effect on health!
In Britain, the new Minister of Loneliness will help introduce government policies on the issue and fund a charity—an organization for helping people in need, to devote their efforts towards aiding loneliness. There are charities that link lonely seniors to high school students in order to give them a line of communication whenever they feel lonely!
The possibilities for the new Minister of Loneliness are endless. For example, she can provide education services to household businesses so that they can identify lonely customers if they see one. Loneliness fits into the category of being a social issue that must be monitored by the entire community in order to help those in need. Therefore, government involvement in medical services and care for seniors and others is vital for happy seniors.
1.How does the author develop Paragraph 3?
A. By listing some statistics.
B. By giving examples of lonely people.
C. By pointing out similarities and differences.
D. By comparing different cultures in different countries.
2.What does the underlined word “equivalent” in Paragraph 4 probably mean?
A. Relevant. B. Similar.
C. Opposite. D. Superior.
3.What will the Minister of Loneliness do?
A. Do housework for lonely people.
B. Develop friendships with the elderly.
C. Help fund charities to aid lonely people.
D. Communicate with anxious school students.
4.What is the main idea of the text?
A. UK becomes the capital of loneliness. B. Loneliness affects old people’s life worldwide.
C. Many teenagers suffer from loneliness. D. UK’s Minister of Loneliness settles loneliness.
With its snow-covered mountains and a variety of wildlife, Yellow Stone National Park is one of the scenic treasures of the United States. Located primarily in Wyoming, the park hosts millions of visitors every year. If you plan to travel within the park, keep in mind advice from the National Park Service.
Seasonal Travel
Travel varies vastly from season to season. Roads are generally open in the summer except for cases of rock or mud slides, wild fires, accidents or road construction. Early snows in the fall can cause some roads to close temporarily. In the winter almost all roads are closed to motor vehicles, but snowmobiles and other snow vehicles with tracks are allowed. Roads begin to open for the spring by the latter part of April but can close if snowfall continues.
Driving Time
Grand Loop is the main road through Yellowstone National Park; it passes by most of the major attractions. These include Old Faithful, Yellowstone Lake and the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. The maximum speed limit on the Grand Loop is 45 miles per hour, but the speed limit drops during some of the winding and twisting sections of this narrow road. Allow yourself at least two days to fully travel the loop due to the size of the park and being sometimes stuck in heavy traffic.
Safety Awareness
Buffalo(水牛)often block the roads in the park as they move through the fields. If a group is traveling across the road you are on, you can either wait for them to pass or find an alternative route. If you get out of your vehicle, the National Park Service says to stay at least 25 yards from any buffalo (and 100 yards or more away from bears and wolves). Buffalo are particularly unpredictable and charge people at speeds up to 30 mph.
You can take your bicycle on any public roads and routes designed for bikes, but bicycles are not allowed on the park roads which are narrow with few shoulders. Altitudes range from 5, 300 to 8, 860 feet. The National Park Service recommends cyclists wear helmets and noticeable clothing.
1.What do we know about travelling in the Yellowstone Park?
A. Roads will stay open in case of emergency.
B. Traffic jam happens from time to time.
C. The driving speed on the road can be 50 mph.
D. Motor vehicles are allowed in the winter.
2.What does the National Park Service suggest people do about safety?
A. Stay inside the car throughout the travel.
B. Get out of their vehicles when coming across the Buffalo.
C. Wear the easy-to-see clothes while bicycling.
D. Avoid bicycling on the public roads.
3.From which is the text probably taken?
A. A guidebook.
B. A commercial advertisement.
C. A research paper.
D. A geography textbook.
听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1.How did the servants deal with their earnings in Victorian times?
A. They paid for the housing.
B. They bought food and clothes.
C. They sent them to their families.
2.What was a nurse’s main duty?
A. Cooking meals. B. Looking after children. C. Educating children.
3.How did the Victorian upper class parents treat their children actually?
A. Cruelly. B. Kindly. C. Strictly.
4.What will the speaker talk about next?
A. Lower class families.
B. Upper class children’s situation.
C. Comparisons between upper and lower classes.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.What are the speakers mainly talking about?
A. What job to do in the future. B. Which professor to follow. C. What abilities to possess.
2.What subject does the man probably prefer?
A. History. B. Politics. C. Art.
3.What do the woman’s parents expect her to be?
A. A restaurant manager. B. A politician. C. A teacher.
4.What is the woman good at doing?
A. Dealing with people. B. Working with kids. C. Painting pictures.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.Why does the man’s brother go to the man’s place?
A. To study. B. To work. C. To travel.
2.Where does the man work in the morning?
A. At a university. B. At a restaurant. C. At a bookstore.
3.What language is the woman starting?
A. French. B. Spanish. C. Japanese.
