It was New Year’s night. An aged man was standing at a window. Few more hopeless people than himself now moved towards their certain goal-the tomb. He had already passed sixty of the age leading to it, and he had brought from his journey nothing but errors and regrets.
The days of his youth appeared like dreams before him, and he recalled the serious moment when his father placed him at the entrances of the two roads. One leading to a peaceful, sunny place covered with flowers and fruits; the other leading to a deep dark cave which was endless. He looked towards the sky and cried painfully, “Oh youth, return! Oh, my father, place me once more at the entrance to life”. But both his father and the days of his youth had passed away.
He saw the lights flowing away in the darkness,and these were the days of his wasted life; he saw a star fall from the sky and disappear, and this was the symbol of himself. Then he remembered his friends in his childhood, who entered life together with him. But they had made their way to success and were then honored and happy on that New Year’s night.
The clock in the high church tower struck and the sound made him remember his parents. They had taught him and prayed to God for his good. But he chose the wrong way with shame and grief. He dared no longer to look towards the heaven where his parents lived. He burst out a cry: “Come back, my early days!”And his youth did return, for all this was only a dream on New Year’s night. He was still young though his faults were real. He had not yet entered the deep dark eave, and he was still free to walk on the road which leads to the peaceful and sunny land.
1. Which of the following words can best describe the aged man?A.Confident. | B.Selfless. |
C.Regretful. | D.Fortunate. |
A.The man’s friends missed their youth. |
B.The man’s friends suffered failure finally. |
C.The man wasted his life at one time. |
D.The man was lonely in his childhood. |
A.The old man didn’t take his father’s advice. |
B.The old man was enjoying his journey. |
C.The old man’s father accompanied him during the journey. |
D.The old man was like lights in the darkness. |
A.A Special New Year’s Night | B.An Old Man’s Hesitation |
C.Youth Coming Back | D.Two Roads to Take |
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【推荐1】Driving a car at high speed along a highway seems to be fun. You need only to follow the bright traffic signs beside the highways and it will take you to where you wish.
But to a London taxi driver, driving is not an easy job. A taxi driver has to have not only good driving skills but also a good knowledge of the city of a London, from the smallest lane to the most popular bar around. He has to be at the service of all kinds of passengers at all times.
A certain London taxi driver told of his job as follows.
During the night it is quite usual for him to stop two or three times for some refreshments (点心). He said. “I never drink when I’m working -- I would lose my license.”
He normally goes home between 2 and 3 o’clock in the night, there are times he has to stay longer and try to make more runs. He said, “That’s the worst thing about working for yourself. If you don’t make the money, no one is going to give it to you.”
London taxi drivers not only ‘take’ but also ‘give’. Every summer hundreds of children from London will go for a day at the sea-- by taxi! Their rides are paid by the taxi drivers, and these fares all go to the ‘London Taxi Fund for Underprivileged Children.’ At the sea, they are met by the mayor, and a lunch party is also held in honour of the taxi drivers and the children. After a happy day running around the sea beaches and visiting the market, the children go home again-- by taxi, and free of charge, of course!
1. To be a London driver is not easy because ________.A.he has to follow the bright traffic signs |
B.he has to have good driving skills and know all the places in the city |
C.he has to serve all kinds of passengers at all times |
D.both B and C |
A.work hard because no one would give them money for doing nothing |
B.never stop driving in the city |
C.only work between 2 and 3 o’clock in the night |
D.are very rich |
A.the taxi driver works longer than is necessary |
B.the more runs the taxi driver makes, the more he gets |
C.the taxi driver doesn’t like to work for others |
D.the taxi driver doesn’t take money |
A.take money because they have to pay for the children’s ride |
B.go to the sea for a day in the summer |
C.pay the fares for the poor children to the sea for a day once every year |
D.give the poor children a free ride for a day at the sea once every year |
【推荐2】An Indonesia man believed to be the oldest person alive celebrated his 146th birthday Saturday,despite having claimed(声称)he no longer wants to be alive.
Mbah Gotho,whose official name is Sodimejo,lives with his grandson in a town called Sragen within Indonesia's Central Java province.
Gotho made international headlines in September after speaking to local media,which led local officials to confirm the truth of his identity card.Gotho's birth date is listed as Dec.31,1870.
While officials say the document is real,they admitted it would be impossible to prove whether Gotho was actually born that year.
However,the man claimed to remember the opening of a local sugar factory,which was recorded in 1880.
Gotho said he has outlived four wives,10 brothers and sisters,and three children.His only remaining close relatives are grandchildren,great-grandchildren and great-great-grand-children,he claimed."What I want is to die."he told local media in September,according to Reuters,one of the biggest names in media worldwide.
Gotho's grandson claimed the 146-year-old had made arrangements for his death as far back as 1992,when he bought a forever sleeping place close to the burial sites of his children.
Gotho's grandson also said the elder was in relatively good health,suffering only from eyesight problem and loss of hearing,and enjoyed his days smoking and eating.
1. Which of the following can be concluded from the passage?A.The public had been familiar with Gotho before he celebrated his 146th birthday. |
B.As early as 1992,Gotho meant to be buried next to his children's tombs when he died. |
C.The local officials believed Gotho was born on Dec.31,1870. |
D.Gotho's health conditions are failing as he enjoys smoking and eating. |
A.Mbah Gotho is the name used on the old man's identity card. |
B.Gotho wants to die because he is ill-treated by his grandchildren. |
C.Reuters is regarded as one of the most famous media in the world. |
D.Gotho is officially confirmed to have lived for 146 years by Dec.31,2016. |
A.a newspaper | B.a healthy guide |
C.an entertainment magazine | D.an interview |
【推荐3】How do you kill your time on your way to work? Most of us stare at our cell phones, and refuse to make eye contact with others. We just read, chat with others online or play games online. Or maybe we' re using the time between stops to do our makeup, catch up on emails, or read a few chapters of a book. However, Dina Alfasi takes a very different approach.
Each day she has to travel hours on buses and trains to get to her engineering job at a hospital in Israel . Rather than look at her cell phone in silence, she uses one very special way to have connection with strangers. It is portraits of the people she meets on public transport every day that she is taking. The paintings catch those quiet and personal moments of people readying themselves for the day ahead. Some people lean their head against the window and go to sleep, some stare into space and have a daydream, and others sit quietly to read their documents or books. Each picture catches one tiny moment in people's lives, ripe with potential for your imagination. It is wonderful for her to look at someone's commute (上下班)and make up an entire story about the rest of their daily existence, from the father travelling with a baby to the woman welcoming a change.
“ What inspires me very much are the little moments that happen every day," Dina told My Modern Met. "My work is to tell stories through a single portrait, and it proves that all you need is just to look around and find those magic moments.”
1. As for people's behaviour on the way to work, what does Paragraph 1 imply?A.Most of us like to catch early buses. |
B.Most of us need to go to work punctually. |
C.Most of us tend to concentrate on our mobile phones. |
D.Most of us feel frightened to make eye contact with others. |
A.Sitting quietly to read her books. |
B.Keeping chatting with others all the way. |
C.Using phones to take photos of every scene attracting her. |
D.Drawing people while travelling on buses and trains to work. |
A.Sceptical. | B.Enjoyable. | C.Cautious. | D.Tolerant. |
A.Little moments make Dina special. |
B.Cell phone is used to take special portraits. |
C.Dina takes portraits of others when commuting. |
D.People go to work with different ways to kill time. |
【推荐1】Growing up, I always wanted to be an outgoing person because I thought that was the way I should be. I was always stuck on the idea that bigger personalities could achieve more. So I connected outgoingness with success.
However, I started letting go of the idea that outgoingness would help me achieve more when my skills as a leader were put to the test.
When I was 16, I volunteered at a summer camp for a week, where I led 12 fifth graders. Although I tried to solve problems as they came up, it seemed there was always another problem following.
Every night, I was supposed to read bedtime stories, but as my campers were getting ready for bed on Thursday, things reached a boiling point when one camper accused (指责) another of ruining camp for her. After I called in a teacher, our small wooden house was finally silent, but the hidden anger made me realize that my campers’ experience would become less enjoyable if I left things unsolved.
Instead of reading stories that night, I decided to share a good memory I had of each of my campers. Afterwards, I invited my campers to describe their own memories, and watching the atmosphere (气氛) in our house changing as they described the good moments in the week gave me the feeling that finding my own ways to be a leader could be good enough.
The experience made me realize that I should grow in my own direction rather than forcing myself into a type that never really fit.
1. Which of the following can best describe the author?A.Determined and critical (批判性的). |
B.Creative and attractive. |
C.Careful and inconsiderate (考虑不周的). |
D.Confident and impatient. |
A.give up | B.insist on | C.take in | D.put out |
A.It made her praised by all teachers. |
B.It helped her become an outgoing person. |
C.It helped her understand many of the bedtime stories |
D.It helped to shape her own values and beliefs in terms of growth. |
A.Growing in our own directions really fits better. |
B.The author’s camping experience was less enjoyable. |
C.Students involved in camps can easily rise to challenges. |
D.Students who are outgoing are more likely to make achievements. |
【推荐2】William had worked hard to pass the exams to enter high school. When the term began, however, his father told him that there was no money to pay for his school fees because of the summer drought. Still, William wanted to learn.
He made the village library his school. One day, he found a book called Using Energy. On the book’s cover was a picture of windmills, tall steel towers with blades (叶片) spinning like giant fans. He learned that wind—something of which his hometown had plenty—could produce electricity.
He couldn’t help picturing his own windmill in mind, but collecting the parts and tools he needed would take months. In a junkyard, he dug through piles of used metal, old cars, and worn-out tractors, searching for anything that might help him construct his machine. He made four-foot-long blades from plastic pipe, which he melted over a fire, flattened out, and hardened with bamboo poles.
Earning some money, he paid a blacksmith to attach the piston (活塞) to the pedal sprocket (踏板链轮) of an old bicycle frame. This would be the axle (轮轴) of the windmill. When the wind blew, the spinning blades would turn the bicycle wheel and spin a small dynamo (发电机), donated by his friend.
When he had collected all the parts, William began putting them together. He fixed the blades to the tractor fan he found, using washers (垫圈) he’d made from bottle caps. Next he pushed the fan onto the piston joint to the bicycle frame. With the help of his two best friends, William built a 16-foot-tall tower from trunks of trees and lifted the ninety-pound windmill to the top.
The big moments eventually came. He climbed up the tower and connected two wires that held a small bulb. As the wind whipped around him, the blades began to turn, slowly at first, then faster and faster. The light bulb flickered (闪烁), then flashed to life. The crowd cheered from below. “Wachitabwina (well done)!”
William’s machine now powered his house. And the story of the boy who’d built a power-generating windmill to rescue his family from the drought spread across the Internet.
1. After reading Using Energy, what did William decide to do?A.Make use of wind. | B.Enter a high school. |
C.Build a village library. | D.Learn to survive a drought. |
A.Humorous. | B.Determined. |
C.Cooperative. | D.Friendly. |
A.It was built by villagers. |
B.It worked at the first attempt. |
C.It took him years to complete it. |
D.It was made from metal materials. |
A.Winds Of Hope | B.Ideas Worth Spreading |
C.Learning from Experience | D.Windmills for Villages |
【推荐3】Born into poverty on 21 May 1799, Mary Anning had to work hard from a young age. Her parents had 10 children, of whom only two survived childhood — Mary and her elder brother Joseph. Mary’s own survival was said by her parents to be a wonder. At the age of 15 months, a sudden rainstorm hit the shelter, where Mary, her babysitter, and two children stayed. A lightning strike killed them all except Mary.
She didn’t have formal education and was only taught to read at a Sunday school. Raised in the seaside holiday village of Lyme Regis in Dorset, Mary and Joseph made a living by selling fossils to holidaymakers at their father’s waterfront booth.
Her life changed in 1811 when Joseph noticed bones mixed together with rock. Unknown to them, this was the first ever discovery of an ichthyosaurus (鱼龙), a marine lizard from the Triassic period. Anning noted down every find she made, and after failing to find any new fossils for over a year, in 1821 she made her next discovery, digging up three more ichthyosaur skeletons. This was followed two years later by an even more impressive find — a complete plesiosaur (蛇颈龙). This was so extraordinary that many leading scientists declared it fake, unwilling to believe that an uneducated 24-year-old could find such remarkable remains. Additionally, society at the time was highly religious and many rejected these discoveries as they conflicted with the teachings of the Bible.
Despite the setback, Anning continued to make more shocking revelations. Anning also dug up fossilized waste, which made experts know the diets of prehistoric creatures. But her biggest find of all was the first complete skeleton of a pterosaur (翼龙) in 1828.
All of Mary Anning’s discoveries helped influence the study of paleontology (古生物学) as scientists began to take an increased interest in fossilized animals and plants. Her work also encouraged people to question the history of the Earth in more detail and encouraged girls and those from poor backgrounds by proving that they could succeed in scientific study, a profession mainly controlled by wealthy upper-class men.
1. What can we learn about Mary Anning from the first two paragraphs?A.It was not easy for her to survive. |
B.She didn’t experience the lightning strike. |
C.She sold fossils to the locals in the supermarkets on weekends. |
D.It was impossible for her to find a job outside. |
A.Because Joseph mixed bones together with rock. |
B.Because Anning didn’t study the ichthyosaurus when she was at school. |
C.Because Anning wasn’t well-educated and the discovery conflicted with the Bible. |
D.Because Anning didn’t believe in the Bible. |
A.her get international fame |
B.make her become more professional |
C.experts better understand prehistoric creatures |
D.convince the leading scientists of her discovery |
A.The process of her findings. |
B.The significance of her discoveries. |
C.The discoveries of fossilized animals. |
D.The background of her scientific study. |
【推荐1】
“Developed and developing nations can learn from each other seeking a lowcarbon economy,” a Chinese government official said in Shanghai yesterday.
“China doesn't lag developed nations in terms of energy saving and green economy,” said Zhou Changyi, director of the energy saving department of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.
“While we can learn many aspects from developed nations, they also should learn something from us, such as water conservation,” Zhou said in a speech during the new Path of China's Industrialization forum at the ongoing China International Industry Fair 2009.
He said industrialized nations and China are dealing with different issues to combat climate change. The United Kingdom, for example, is concerned about transport, buildings and new energy in reducing carbon emissions.For China, the most urgent task is how to realize new type of industrialization and avoid mistakes that other countries made when they industrialized.
As such, overseas exhibitors at this year's fair are showing ways to help China achieve lowcarbon emissions in the industrial section.
Swiss power and automation technology group ABB called for a stronger focus on product life cycle assessment, or LCA, which is used to study the environmental impact of a product from the research and manufacturing stage through its usage and recycling.
Tobias Becker, head of ABB's process automation division for North Asia and China, said LCA is an effective tool in helping manufacturing industries to reduce carbon emissions.
LCA shows that industrial customers should focus on a product's environmental impact throughout its life cycle instead of on its initial investment or ready to use stage.For example, a motor's initial investment accounts for only 3 percent of its life cycle cost, while 94 percent goes to fuel consumption and the rest to maintenance.
Richard Hausmann, North East Asia CEO of Siemens, said:“The color of future industrialization is green.”
The Germany Company recently announces that it wants to receive orders worth more than 6 billion Euros (D|S 8.8 billion) for intelligent net power networks, Smart Grid, over the next five years.Siemens has set a 20 percent market share target for the global smart grid business.
A smart grid delivers electricity from suppliers to consumers using digital technology, advanced sensors specialized computers that save energy, reduce costs and increase reliability.The United States and China are considered the two biggest markets for smart grid.
1. The underlined word “lag” in Paragraph 2 can be replaced by “________”.A.fall behind | B.be superior to |
C.attack | D.fear |
A.LCA is used to study the impact on a product. |
B.LCA can help manufacturing industries decrease carbon release a lot. |
C.LCA shows industrial customers should focus on a product's environmental influence on its initial investment. |
D.LCA was one of the exhibitions at this year's fair. |
A.Siemens has occupied 20 percent market share for the global smart grid business |
B.Siemens received orders worth 6 billion Euros recently |
C.Siemens will earn D|S8.8 billion from intelligent power networks |
D.Siemens' plan about Smart Grid may come true in the future |
A.Developed and Developing Nations Can Learn from Each Other |
B.LowCarbon Economy — a Shared Goal |
C.Intelligent Power Networks |
D.Two Biggest Markets for Smart Grid |
【推荐2】In the world today, all of the people need recreation. We cannot work all the time if we are going to keep healthy and enjoy life.
Everyone has his own way of relaxing. Perhaps the most popular form is to take part in sports. There are team sports, such as basketball and football. There are also individual sports, such as swimming and running. Skating and mountain climbing are the most popular recreation for people who like to be outdoor. Not everyone who enjoys sports likes to take part in them. Many people like watching them on TV or listening to them on the radio. So many people like some forms of recreation, such as watching TV, singing and dancing. It doesn’t matter whether we like indoor recreation or take part in outdoor sports. It is important for everyone to relax from time to time and enjoy some forms of recreation.
1. People want to take part in sports in order to ____.A.keep healthy and enjoy life | B.make friends |
C.find a good job | D.make more money |
A.watching TV | B.singing and dancing |
C.listening to the radio | D.skating and mountain climbing |
A.basketball is a kind of team sport |
B.everyone who enjoys sports should take part in them |
C.different people have different ways of relaxing |
D.indoor recreation is not as important as outdoor sports |
【推荐3】People around the world used their computers to buy goods, communicate with others, listen to music, see pictures and learn about different places and ideas. In 2006, more people around the world used new ways to communicate and connect with each other through the Internet.
The blog is one form of communication that enjoys growing popularity. Blog is a short way of saying Web log. Through these personal Web sites(网址), people can share their experiences, ideas and opinions with anyone on the Internet.
People of all ages have their own blogs(博客). For young people, they are a way to show their writings and other forms of self – expression.
Many Web sites offer free services to create personal Web pages and fill them with writings and pictures. These sites include ''MySpace'', used mainly by teenagers and young adults. MySpace is an online community that lets people share messages and pictures with an increasing number of friends. It is the most popular social networking site on the Web.
YouTube is another Internet site that became more popular this year. This Web site lets anyone create, share and watch short videos. People can watch almost anything on YouTube: news, sports and entertainment events. There are music videos, and videos made by people in their own homes. These include videos of people singing or dancing, or animals doing funny things. Three young men created YouTube almost two years ago as a personal video sharing service. They recently sold it to Google for more than one and one half billion dollars.
Games and entertainment(娱乐) also became a larger part of the Internet this year. One Internet social site is called Second Life. It is an online world in which computer users create a new self and live a different life. They get married, build homes, operate businesses, buy and sell goods, work, play and attend school.
1. People all around the world use blogs toA.buy goods | B.express themselves |
C.listen to music | D.watch videos |
A.Web pages | B.blogs |
C.space stations | D.web sites |
A.create and share videos | B.sing and dance to music |
C.get personal information | D.raise animals |
【推荐1】Ever since I graduated from high school I’ve worked in the factories surrounding my hometown every summer. However, making the transformation between school and full-time blue-collar work during the break never gets any easier. For a student like me who considers any class before noon to be unacceptable, getting to a factory by 6 o'clock each morning is suffering. My friends never seem to understand why I’m so relieved to be back at school or that my summer vacation has been anything but a vacation.
There’re few people as self-confident as a college student who has never been out in the real world. People of my age always seem to overestimate the value of their time and knowledge. In fact, all the classes did not prepare me for my battles with the machine I ran in the plant, which would jam whenever I absent-mindedly put in a part backward or upside down.
The most stressful thing about blue-collar life is knowing your job could disappear overnight. Issues like downsizing(裁员) and overseas relocation had always seemed distant to me until my co-workers told me that the unit I was working in would shut down within six months and move to Mexico, where people would work for 60 cents an hour.
After working 12-hour shifts(轮班) in a factory, the other options lave become only too clear. “This job pays well, but it’s hell on the body,” said one co-worker. “Study hard and keep reading.” she added. When I’m back at the university, skipping classes and turning in lazy re-writes seems too irresponsible after seeing what I would be doing without school. All the advice and public-service announcements about the value of an education that used to sound stale(陈腐的) now ring true.
My experiences in the factories have inspired me to make the most of my college years before I enter the real world for good.
1. What does the author think of his summer holiday?A.It was no holiday for him at all. |
B.It brought him nothing but suffering. |
C.It was a relief from his hard work at school. |
D.It offered him a chance to make more friends. |
A.They do better in the real world. |
B.They are confident when they work. |
C.They think too highly of themselves. |
D.They are expert at handling machines. |
A.a satisfactory income | B.job security |
C.a stable location | D.enough break |
A.He became responsible for his work. |
B.He learned to be more practical at work. |
C.He began to respect blue-collar workers. |
D.He came to appreciate his college education. |
【推荐2】For many of us, summertime means road trips to the beach or mountains, or at the very least some additional dust on the outside of our vehicle. The extra dirt leads us to do one of two things: wash our car in the driveway or head to the car wash. But which choice is better for the environment?
The main concerns with either choice are the amount of fresh water used and the types of chemicals used to get rid of the dirt. Both of these concerns can be closely monitored when washing the car at home, says Katy Gresh, spokeswoman for the Southwest Region of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. She advises car owners to keep a set amount of water in a container for the entire wash. “You don’t want to leave the water running or use more than you need for the job,” she says. But even following this piece of advice comes with an environmental risk: Washing your car in the driveway gets the dirty water into drains (下水道).
“Drains are not made for treating waste.” says John Schombert, executive director of 3 Rivers Wet Weather. Even when car owners use natural soaps to wash their car, Schombert says they are probably ineffective in breaking down grease(油脂)anyway.
The commercial car wash knows full well the rules regarding wastewater in drains. According to the International Carwash Association (ICA), professional car washes must use special water treatment systems. These processes not only keep the dirty water out of drains and regular water treatment systems, but also work to reduce water usage at commercial facilities.
As experts point out, cleaning our car at home can use 100 gallons of water. Compare that to self-service car washes, which allow you to use only about 17 or 18 gallons of water. And most full-service car washes average about 30 to 45 gallons of water per vehicle.
1. What does Katy suggest people do about washing cars?A.Use soft toothbrushes. | B.Save treated water. |
C.Put aside some water. | D.Avoid using chemicals. |
A.Disapproving. | B.Favorable. | C.Indifferent. | D.Objective. |
A.Rules of handling wastewater. | B.Advantages of professional car washes. |
C.Processes of getting rid of dirty water. | D.Drawbacks of water treatment systems. |
A.The full-service car washes. | B.Car washing in the driveway. |
C.The self-service car washes. | D.Car washing using natural soaps. |
【推荐3】There are many reasons to skip deep-fried fast food, one of which is the challenge of dealing with used cooking oil. But researchers at the University of Toronto have discovered amusing method of transforming this useless waste product into an affordable plastic ink for 3D printers. And there’s more good news! The ink can breakdown naturally, unlike conventional 3D printing resins (树脂).
Professor Andre Simpson is director of the Department of Chemistry at the University of Toronto. He first became interested in the idea when he got a 3D printer around three years ago. After noticing that the molecules (分子) used in commercial resins resembled fats found in cooking oil, he wondered whether such a molecule could be created using waste cooking oil.
Using old cooking oil from a local McDonalds restaurant close to a campus, Professor Simpson and his research team applied a one-step chemical process in the lab, using about one liter of used cooking oil to make just under half of that amount in resins. The resin was then used to print a plastic butterfly that was structurally and thermally (热地) stable. This means that it won’t crumble or melt above room temperature.
Speaking to Goodnet, Professor Simpson outlined his high hopes for the creative and cheaper route to recycling that waste cooking oil: “Normally 3D printing resins come from fossil fuels, but by recycling used cooking oil into a high value product, we hope it will reduce the financial barriers, which should be a win-win for the environment.
Professor Simpson is also excited that the new lower cost of this 3D printing material will open up access to the near-limitless creative opportunities. “We hope that as the resin can be made very cheaply, it could reduce the 3D printing cost, so the technology is available to everyone,” he explains.
1. How do the researchers deal with the waste cooking oil?A.Produce 3D printers from it. |
B.Make plastic inkfor3D printers from it. |
C.Throw it away as waste products. |
D.Use it as 3D printing resins directly. |
A.Swell up | B.Get up | C.Break up | D.Heat up |
A.They are much stronger. | B.They can be recycled easily. |
C.They are lower in cost. | D.They won’t breakdown naturally. |
A.Researchers Invent New 3D Printers. | B.Waste Cooking Oil Finds a New Life. |
C.3D Printing Resins Bring More Hopes. | D.A High-tech Product Changes Our Lives. |