There was a businessman who was deep in debt and could see no way out. He sat on the park bench, head in hands,______if anything could save his company from bankruptcy (破产).
Suddenly an old man appeared before him. “I can see that something is______you,” he said. After listening to the businessman’s troubles, the old man said, “I believe I can help you.” He asked the man his name, wrote out a______, and pushed it into his hand saying, “Take this money. Meet me here exactly one year from today, and you can pay me back at that time.” Then he turned and disappeared as______as he had come.
The businessman saw in his hand a check for $500,000,______by John D. Rockefeller, then one of the richest men in the world! “I can______my money worries in an instant!” he realized. But______, he decided to put the uncashed check in his safe. Just knowing it was there might give him the______to work out a way to save his business, he thought.
With renewed______, he negotiated better deals. Within a few months, he was out of debt and making money once again.
Exactly one year later, he returned to the______with the uncashed check. At the______time, the old man appeared. But just as the businessman was about to______the check and share his success story, a ______came running up and grabbed the old man. “I’m so delighted I______him!” she cried. “I hope he hasn’t been bothering you. He’s______escaping from the rest home and telling people he’s John D. Rockefeller.” And she led the old man away______the arm.
The businessman just stood there,______. All year long he’d been buying and selling,______he had half a million dollars behind him.
Suddenly, he realized that it wasn’t the money, real or______, that had turned his life around. It was his______self-confidence that gave him the power to achieve anything he went after.
1.A. wondering B. suspecting C. estimating D. hesitating
2.A. attacking B. disturbing C. interrupting D. amusing
3.A. number B. note C. letter D. check
4.A. calmly B. quietly C. quickly D. proudly
5.A. signed B. handed C. drawn D. deposited
6.A. lose B. remove C. face D. ignore
7.A. instead B. therefore C. rather D. meanwhile
8.A. weakness B. belief C. urge D. strength
9.A. creativity B. permission C. optimism D. curiosity
10.A. hospital B. company C. street D. park
11.A. advanced B. appointed C. announced D. delayed
12.A. hand back B. give out C. put out D. turn over
13.A. policeman B. banker C. nurse D. guard
14.A. beat B. cheated C. pushed D. caught
15.A. never B. seldom C. always D. occasionally
16.A. on B. in C. by D. at
17.A. exhausted B. astonished C. disappointed D. excited
18.A. convinced B. informed C. reminded D. warned
19.A. created B. imagined C. discovered D. donated
20.A. long-lost B. non-existent C. ever-lasting D. newly-found
Parents usually teach their children how to cross the street safely, by looking both ways for cars.1.The city of Honolulu, Hawaii wants everyone to learn that lesson.
2.Beginning on October 24, you will be fined from $15 to $99 if you step into a Honolulu street while looking at your phone. Honolulu is the first major U.S. city to ban what is called “distracted walking”. It recently passed a law in a seven to two vote. The law says, “No pedestrian shall cross a street or highway while viewing a mobile electronic device.”3.
The law includes all electronic devices with screens: cellphone, tablets, gaming devices, digital cameras and laptop computers.4.Pedestrians may use such devices in the street to call emergency services and rescue workers, such as firefighters and police officers.
Pedestrian deaths have been increasing as the use of cellphones rises. The Governors Highway Safety Association, or GHSA, says pedestrian deaths in the United States increased 25 percent between 2010 and 2015. That trend continued in 2016 with the number of pedestrian deaths rising to almost 6000, 11% higher than in 2015.
5.The state of Washington was the first to outlaw distracted driving back in 2007. Now, 46 other states as well as D. C. , Puerto Rico, Guam and the U. S.Virgin Islands, have laws against texting while driving.
If you still want to text while walking, you could avoid being fined in Honolulu by using a voice-controlled digital assistant such as Siri or Google Assistant. Or you could just wait until you are again, safely, off the street.
A. The law does permit an exception.
B. Other U. S. cities may follow Honolulu.
C. But do they also teach them to put away their cellphones?
D. Texting while crossing the street will soon be banned in the city.
E. Do you like Honolulu’s new law that bans texting while walking?
F. In other words, do not look at a screen when you cross the street or you could be fined.
G. The law’s creator hope it will lower the number of people hit and killed by cars in the city.
Many of us have reached in our pockets, feeling a vibration (振动), wrongly believing our mobile phones have just rung. The phenomenon even has a name: ‘phantom (幻觉的) vibration syndrome’—and found it is surprisingly common.
Now scientists believe that we are so alert (警觉) for phone calls and messages we are misinterpreting slight muscle spasms (痉挛）as proof of a call. Robert Rosenberger, an assistant professor at the Georgia Tech Institute of Technology has studied the delusional calls. He said sufferers describe a vague tingling feeling which they think is their mobile phone indicating it has received a text message or call while on ‘silent’. But when the device is retrieved, there was no one on the other end.
Dr. Rosenberger said he found so many people say, “This happens to me, but I thought I was the only one. I thought I was odd.” It seems that the syndrome particularly affects people at the beck and call of mobile phones or pagers. A 2010 study by Michael Rothberg and colleagues found that nearly 70 per cent of doctors at a hospital in Massachusetts suffered phantom vibrations. A more recent study of US college students found the figure was as high as 90 per cent.
While the odd feeling is widespread, it does not seem to be considered a grave problem. Dr. Rosenberger said: “It’s not actually a syndrome in a technical sense. That’s just the name that’s got stuck to it.” He added,” Only 2 per cent of people consider it a problem.”
While this phenomenon is widespread, the scientific community has not yet invested much effort in getting to the bottom of why we suffer phantom calls.
Dr. Rosenberger said: “People are guessing it has something to do with nervous energy. The cognitive（认知的）scientists are talking about brain chemistry, cognitive pathways changing. But it’s not like they have brain scans to go on.” He said: “We have a phone call in our pocket all the time and it becomes sort of an extension of ourselves. We have this sort of readiness to experience a call. We feel something and we think, OK, that could be a call.”
1.Why do some people mistake slight muscle spasms for a call?
A. They all have a vivid imagination.
B. They are sensitive to calls and messages.
C. There are few calls and messages in their life.
D. Slight muscle spasms affect them more than other people.
2.Which of the following are more likely to have phantom vibration syndrome than others?
A. Doctors. B. University professors.
C. College students. D. The cognitive scientists.
3.In Dr. Rosenberger’s opinion, phantom vibration syndrome .
A. isn’t a kind of disease actually
B. is considered a problem by most people
C. is a serious problem ignored by people
D. has something to do with brain chemistry
4.What does the text mainly talk about?
A. Most people have phantom vibration syndrome.
B. How to keep away from phantom vibration syndrome.
C. How to reduce phantom phone vibrations.
D. People care too much about phantom phone vibrations.
A biologist once criticized for stealing eggs from the nests of the rarest bird in the world has been awarded the “Nobel Prize” of conservation after his methods saved nine species from extinction.
Professor Carl Jones won the 2016 Indianapolis Prize --- the highest accolade in the field of animal conservation --- for his 40 years of work in Mauritius, where he saved an endangered kestrel from becoming the next Great Auk.
When the 61-year-old first travelled to the east African island in the 1970s, he was told to close down a project to save the Mauritius kestrel. At the time there were just four left in the wild, making it the rarest bird on Earth. However, he stayed, using the techniques of captive breeding (人工繁殖), which involved snatching eggs from the birds’ nests and hatching（孵化）them under incubators, prompting the mothers to lay another set of eggs in the wild.
A decade later, the number of Mauritius kestrels had soared to over 300 and today there are around 400 in the wild. The biologist has also been necessary in efforts to bring other rare species back from the edge of extinction, including the pink pigeon, echo parakeet and Rodrigues warbler.
Prof Jones was awarded the $250,000 (£172,000) prize at a ceremony in London.
“As a young man in my 20s, I certainly didn’t enjoy the stress and the tension of the criticism I received,” reflecting on the start of his career, he said the Maurutius kestrel project had been seen as a “dead loss” at the time. In the 1970s there was fierce opposition to the captive breeding techniques, with critics arguing that they were too risky and took the emphasis off breeding in the wild.
Prof Jones has devoted his whole life to his work, only becoming a father for the first time eight years ago, at 53. He said receiving the prize was particularly important to him, because it proved that his work to save birds was right.
1.What does the underlined word “accolade” mean in Paragraph 2?
A. return B. level
C. honor D. research
2.According to the passage, Great Auk is ________.
A. an endangered bird B. an extinct bird
C. a popular bird D. a fierce bird
3.What can we know from the figures in Paragraph 4?
A. Taking eggs from the nests has worked well.
B. The wild environment for kestrel has changed a lot.
C. Kestrel has adapted to the life in the wild.
D. It’s difficult to protect kestrel.
4.Prof Jones’ idea of taking eggs from the birds’ nests ________.
A. was proved of no use B. was widely accepted
C. was promoted officially D. was criticized by some people
I once complained to my friend Mike, “I often cycle two miles from my house to the town center but unfortunately there is a big hill on the route.” He replied, “You mean fortunately.” He explained that I should be glad of the extra exercise that the hill provided.
My attitude to the hill has now changed. I used to complain as I approached it but now I tell myself the following. This hill will exercise my heart and lungs. It will help me to lose weight and get fit. It will mean that I live longer. This hill is my friend. Finally I comfort myself with the thought of all those silly people who pay money to go to a gym and sit on stationary exercise bicycles when I can get the same value for free. I have a smile of satisfaction as I reach the top of the hill.
Problems are there to be faced and overcome. We cannot achieve anything with an easy life. Helen Keller was the first deaf and blind person to gain a university degree. Her activism and writing proved inspirational. She wrote, “The character cannot be developed with ease. Only through experiences of suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired and success achieved.”
One of the main determinants of success in life is our attitude towards adversity. From time to time we all face hardships，problems，accidents and difficulties. Some are of our making but many are no fault of our own. While we cannot choose adversity, we can choose our attitude towards it.
Douglas Bader was 21 when in 1931 he had both legs cut off following a flying accident. He was determined to fly again and went on to become one of the leading flying aviators in the Battle of Britain with 22 aerial victories over the Germans. He was an inspiration to others during the war. He said, “Don’t listen to anyone who tells you that you can’t do this or that. That’s nonsense. Make up your mind, and you’ll never use crutches or a stick, and then have a go at everything. Go to school, and join in all the games you can. Go anywhere you want to. But never, never let them persuade you that things are too difficult or impossible.”
The biographies of great people are full of examples of how they took steps to overcome the difficulties they faced. The common thread is that they did not become depressed. They chose their attitude. They chose to be positive. They took on the challenge. They won. Nevertheless, there is still the problem of how you change your attitude towards adversity.
1.Which of the following is TRUE according to the author of the passage?
A. One who wants to achieve success can’t expect to live an easy life.
B. Climbing hills on bicycles is the best way to take exercise.
C. Going to a gym is greatly beneficial to people’s health.
D. People’s attitude to hardships is the only factor of their success.
2.What does the author intend to tell us by quoting what Douglas Bader said?
A. Failure is the mother of success.
B. A bad workman quarrels with his tools.
C. If you risk nothing, you will have nothing.
D. Nothing is difficult to the man who will try.
3.What will the author further talk about in the following paragraph?
A. How his friend helped him to change his attitude towards the challenge he faced.
B. Why it is important to keep optimistic in the face of trouble.
C. What steps to take to change your attitude towards the difficulties you face.
D. What great people have in common.
4.Which of the following might be the best title of the passage?
A. Different attitudes towards misfortune
B. Face difficulties with a smile
C. Nothing is impossible
D. Life is full of adversity
Golden Gate Bridge
Located in San Francisco, the Golden Gate Bridge started in the year 1933 to connect the San Francisco Peninsula with Marin County. It was finally thrown open to public traffic in 1937. It cost $25.7 million in the construction. Till the year 1957, the Golden Gate Bridge, at a length of 2,737 meters, was the longest suspension bridge in the world.
Brooklyn Bridge
The Brooklyn Bridge is located in Brooklyn. It is one of the oldest suspension bridges in the United States, having been opened in the year 1883. The length of the bridge is 1,843 meters. The bridge has been featured in several Hollywood movies.
George Washington Bridge
Also known as the Hudson River Bridge and the Columbus Bridge, the George Washington Bridge which connects Fort Lee to Manhattan came into use in 1931 after a construction period of almost 4 years. It is a two level suspension bridge that cost about $52 million to build.
Mackinac Bridge
This is the third biggest suspension bridge in the world at a length of 8,038 meters. The architect of this bridge was Dr. David B. Steinman, who directed the construction of the bridge which started in the year 1954 and opened to the public in 1958. People using this bridge are charged a certain amount of money.
Navajo Bridge
Located in Arizona, this bridge crosses the Colorado River and is almost 250 meters long. The construction of this bridge started in the year 1927, ending two years later, costing $390,000. In the 1990s, a second bridge was built which was opened to the public in 1994. The first bridge is now used only by pedestrians.
1.What do we know about the Golden Gate Bridge?
A. It consists of two bridges.
B. It costs the least of the five bridges.
C. It is the longest suspension bridge in the world.
D. It takes about 4 years to complete the construction.
2.Which of the following bridges was built the earliest?
A. Golden Gate Bridge.
B. Brooklyn Bridge.
C. George Washington Bridge.
D. Navajo Bridge.
3.What will you do if you drive across Mackinac Bridge?
A. Have to pay some money.
B. Use the second bridge.
C. Cover nearly 250 meters.
D. See the statue of Dr. David B. Steinman.
