I joined a crowd that ran from terminal to terminal in search of a flight out. Eventually, I found six strangers willing to rent a van with me. We drove through the night to Washington, where I took a train the rest of the way to Providence.
The real problem, of course, is that incidents like this happen every day, to everyone who flies, more and more often. It really gets to me, though, because for eight years I was on the other side, as a flight attendant for Trans-World Airlines(TWA).
I know the days are gone when attendants could be written up if we did not put the lines napkins with the TWA logo in the lower right-hand corner of the first-class diners’ trays. As are the days when there were three dinner options on flights from Boston to Los Angeles in economy class. When, once, stuck on a tarmac (机场停机坪) in Newark for four hours, a planeload of passengers got McDonald’s hamburgers and fries by thoughtfulness of the airline.
I have experienced the decline of service along with the rest of the flying public. But I believe everything will change little by little, because I remember the days when to fly was to soar (翱翔). The airlines, and their employees, took pride in how their passengers were treated. And I think the days are sure to come back one day in the near future.
1. Many people crowded the terminal because ________.| A．they were ready to board on the planes |
| B．something was wrong with the terminal |
| C．the flights to the Northeast were canceled |
| D．the gate agent wouldn’t help the passengers |
| A．by air | B．by van | C．by train | D．by underground |
| A．Incidents happened to those who fly quite often. |
| B．The writer used to be a flight attendant for Trans-World Airlines. |
| C．Even a small mistake might cause complaints from passengers in the past. |
| D．McDonald’s hamburgers and fries were among regular dinner options. |
| A．The writer lived in Charlotte, North Carolina. |
| B．The writer thought the service was not as good as it used to be. |
| C．The writer with other passengers waited to be picked up patiently. |
| D．Passengers would feel proud of how they were treated on the plane. |
The study suggests the influence of these names might persist. Children continued to eat about 50 percent more carrots even on the days when they were no longer labeled as anything special.
The research, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, was presented at the annual meeting of the School Nutrition Association in Washington, D.C..
“Cool names can make for cool foods,” said the lead author Brian Wansink of Cornell University. “Whether it be ‘power peas’ or ‘dinosaur broccoli trees’, giving a food a fun name makes kids think it will be more fun to eat. And it seems to keep working — even the next day,” Wansink said.
Similar results have been found with adults. A restaurant study showed that when the Seafood Filet was changed to Romantic Hawaii, sales increased 28 percent and taste rating increased by 12 percent. “Same food, but different expectations, and a different experience,” said Wansink, author of “Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think.”
The study was conducted in pre-schools, but the researchers believe the same naming tricks can work with children at home.
“I’ve been using this with my kids,” said researcher Collin Payne, “Whatever sparks(激发) their imagination seems to spark their appetite.”
1. Those four-year-old kids ate ________ when the carrots were renamed X-ray Vision Carrots.
| A．twice more carrots | B．nearly double carrots |
| C．about 50 percent more carrots | D．as many carrots as they used to |
| A．power peas | B．dinosaur broccoli trees |
| C．fun names of food | D．cool foods |
| A．sales increased 28 percent when the name Romantic Hawaii was taken |
| B．taste rating increased by 12 percent after the Seafood Filet was renamed |
| C．same food would let people have a different experience with different names |
| D．the researchers got similar results when they work with children at home |
| A．people prefer food with cool names |
| B．how to name the food which kids eat |
| C．how to help kids eat in a healthy way |
| D．kids often imagine when they eat food |
Certainly, most of the world’s great religions （宗教） order us to be open-hearted and share what we have with those less fortunate than ourselves. But has the world changed? Maybe what was morally （道德方面） right in the old days, when one knew exactly who in the village had suffered misfortune and needed help, is no longer the best idea. Quite a few people will not give to beggars. Let us look at their arguments.
First, some believe that many city beggars dress up on purpose to look pitiable and actually make a good living from begging. Giving to beggars only encourages this sort of evil （恶行）. Secondly, there is the worry that the money you give will be spent on beer, wine or drugs. Thirdly, there is the opinion that there is no real excuse for begging. One might be poor, but that is no reason for losing one’s sense of pride and self-dependence.
Related to this is the opinion that the problem should be dealt with by the government rather than ordinary people. Some people think beggars should go to the local government department and receive help.
It is hard to come to any final conclusion; there are various cases and we must deal with them differently. A few coins can save a life in some situations, and even if the money is wasted, that does not take away the moral goodness of the giver.
1. What is mainly discussed in the passage?
| A．Moral deeds of people. | B．Religious activities of the church. |
| C．Moral goodness of the giver. | D．Arguments on giving to beggars. |
paragraph?
| A．People no longer know who suffers misfortune in the village. |
| B．Some people will not do what was morally right in the past. |
| C．We don’t meet with those who need help any more. |
| D．Now it is the government’s duty to help the beggars. |
| A．Some people dress up to pretend to be beggars. |
| B．Some beggars want money to help their children go to school. |
| C．Some beggars use the money to buy drugs. |
| D．Some beggars have no excuse for begging. |
| A．the cases can be so different |
| B．there are so many beggars |
| C．there is so much money wasted |
| D．there are so many different arguments |
John Blanchard was studying the crowd making their way through the station. He was looking for the girl whose heart he knew, but whose face he didn’t, the girl with the rose.
When reading a book in a Florida library a year before, John became interested not in the contents of the book, but in the notes penciled in the margin. The handwriting reflected a thoughtful soul and beautiful mind. He discovered the former owner’s name in the front of the book: Miss Hollis Maynell.
He located her address and wrote a letter introducing himself. The next day he was shipped overseas to serve in the army. During the next year, they grew to know each other through the mail and their friendship developed. John requested a photograph, but she refused, saying if he really cared, it wouldn’t matter what she looked like. When the day finally came for him to return home, their first meeting was suggested — 7:00 p.m. at the Grand Central Station in New York.
She wrote, “You’ll recognize me by the red rose I wear on my coat.” So now John was in the station to meet the girl with a rose.
As a pretty and slim girl in green came over, John noticed her blue eyes like flowers in spring. He walked directly towards her, entirely forgetting she was not wearing a rose. As John came closer to her, he saw another woman with a red rose stood nearby. Well past 40, this woman had graying hair done under a worn hat. Seeing the girl in green walk quickly away, John felt as if he were split in two.
He desired to follow that girl, but longed for the woman whose spirit had truly companioned and supported him.
The woman looked gentle and sensible. John went to her, saying, “I’m Captain John Blanchard. You must be Miss Maynell. I am glad to meet you here. May I take you to dinner?”
She replied with a smile, “I don’t know what this is about. But the lady in green who just went by, begged me to wear this rose on my coat. She said if you asked me out to dinner, I’d tell you she is waiting for you in the big restaurant across the street. She said it was some kind of test!”
1. John was eager to know the former owner of the book because he ______.
| A．was very interested in the contents of the book |
| B．was impressed by the notes written by its owner |
| C．wanted to improve his handwriting |
| D．wanted to discuss the book with her |
| A．He served in the army abroad. |
| B．He went overseas for vacation. |
| C．He went on a business trip in New York. |
| D．He visited Miss Maynell. |
| A．She was Miss Maynell’s close friend. |
| B．She was a waitress in the big restaurant. |
| C．She was probably a passerby. |
| D．She was paid to meet John at the Station. |
| A．An Interesting Book | B．A Woman With a Rose |
| C．A Brave Soldier | D．A Love Test |
5 . Texas——US President George W.Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin failed to bridge their differences over a key arms control treaty last week, but that didn’t stop them from backslapping（喧闹的狂欢） as they ended a summit.
The two leaders also offered differing interpretations of the fate of nuclear warheads to be removed from missiles under arms reductions they each announced last week.Bush said he intended to destroy the warheads, but Putin said their fate should be negotiated.
The two men untied on the need for Northern Alliance forces——to allow for a broad based government that respects all parties there.
Bush and Putin had spent the night at Bush’s ranch.Despite the rain, the rural environment and friendly company appeared to have worked its magic.They slapped on the back and joked, at one point teasing each other about whether it is better to visit Texas in the heat of August or Siberia in winter.
Analysts say the dramatic warming in US-Russian relation could herald（预示） an era of pragmatism（务实的想法或做法） in global affairs as the two old rivals finally end decades of hostility and become friends.
“Washington and Moscow are no longer playing the ‘big game’ against each other, but with each other,” said Karl Heniz Kamp, an analyst at the Konrad Adenanaer Foundation，a German think tank.
1. It can be concluded that President Bush and President Putin__________.| A．didn’t agree on key arms control treaty |
| B．offered different explanations of the future of nuclear warheads under arms reductions |
| C．neither A or B |
| D．both A and B |
| A．they were needed by the Northern Alliance forces |
| B．they had taken the advice given by Karl Heniz Kamp, an analyst of German think tank. |
| C．they had already been partners |
| D．they had no different opinions on everything |
| A．the two persons end hostility and become friends |
| B．US can benefit a lot from global affairs |
| C．there will be an end to all the armies of the world |
| D．it is a turning point to words being practical in global affairs |
| A．they appeared friendly but in fact they didn’t |
| B．they just made fun of each other |
| C．they are friendly and humorous |
| D．they invited each other to their countries in the bad weather |
Gerner manages school facilities （设施） for Clark County, Nevada, a district roughly the size of Massachusetts. By 2018, 143,000 additional students will enter the already crowded public-education system. Gerner needs 73 new schools to house them. Four architecture teams have nearly finished designing primary school prototypes （样品）; they plan to construct their schools starting in 2009. The district will then assess how well the schools perform, and three winners will copy those designs in 50 to 70 new buildings.
Green schools are appearing all over, but in Clark County, which stands out for its vastness, such aggressive targets are difficult because design requirements like more natural light for students go against the realities of a desert climate. “One of the biggest challenges is getting the right site orientation （朝向）,”Mark McGinty, a director at SH Architecture, says. His firm recently completed a high school in Las Vegas. “You have the same building, same set of windows, but if its orientation is incorrect and it faces the sun, it will be really expensive to cool.”
Surprisingly, the man responsible for one of the most progressive green-design competitions has doubts about ideas of eco-friendly buildings. “I don’t believe in the new green religion,” Gerner says. “Some of the building technologies that you get are impractical. I’m interested in those that work.” But he wouldn’t mind if some green features inspire students. He says he hopes to set up green energy systems that allow them to learn about the process of harvesting wind and solar power. “You never know what’s going to start the interest of a child to study math and science,” he says.
1. How did the architects react to Gerner’s design requirements?
| A．They lost balance in excitement. | B．They showed strong disbelief. |
| C．They expressed little interest. | D．They burst into cheers. |
| A．Assessment — Prototype — Design — Construction. |
| B．Assessment — Design — Prototype — Construction. |
| C．Design — Assessment — Prototype — Construction. |
| D．Design — Prototype — Assessment — Construction. |
| A．The large size. | B．Limited facilities. |
| C．The desert climate. | D．Poor natural resources. |
| A．They are questionable. | B．They are out of date. |
| C．They are advanced. | D．They are practical. |
