1 . A punctual (准时) person is in the habit of doing a thing at the proper time and is never late in keeping an appointment.
The unpunctual man, on the other hand, never does what he has to do at the proper time. He is always in a hurry and in the end loses both time and his good name. A lost thing may be found again, but lost time can never be regained. Time is more valuable than material things. In fact, time is life itself. The unpunctual man is forever wasting and mismanaging his most valuable things as well as others. The unpunctual person is always complaining that he finds no time to keep appointments, answer letters, or return calls promptly.
A punctual person can be very busy and really has a great deal to do. What is different is that he is very careful of his time and seldom complains of shortage of it. He knows that he cannot get through huge amount of work unless he faithfully deals with every piece of work when it has to be attended to.
Failure to be punctual in keeping one’s appointments is a sign of disrespect towards others. If a person is invited to dinner and arrives later than the appointed time, he keeps all the other guests waiting for him. Usually this will be regarded as a great disrespect to the host and all other guests present.
Unpunctuality, moreover, is very harmful when it comes to doing one’s duty, whether public or private. Imagine how it would be if those who are put in charge of (负责) important tasks failed to be at their proper place at the appointed time. A man who is known to be habitually unpunctual is never trusted by his friends or fellow men.
1. The correct description of an unpunctual person is that ________.| A．he always does things at the right time |
| B．he is always very busy doing things |
| C．he can’t do things when they should be done |
| D．he complains of having no letter to answer |
| A．losing good name | B．losing health |
| C．losing trust from others | D．losing the best time of doing things |
| A．eventually | B．kindly |
| C．patiently | D．immediately |
| A．has lots of things to deal with |
| B．is very careful with time |
| C．is never short of time |
| D．gets through his work quickly |
| A．arrive at the appointed time | B．arrive before all other guests |
| C．arrive after all other guests | D．keep all other guests waiting |
| A．Time: Most Valuable |
| B．Lost Time: Never to Be Regained |
| C．Being Punctual: a Meaningful Lifestyle |
| D．Being Unpunctual: Harmful to Others and Yourself |
2 . One day in March,seven years ago,during happy hour at a bar in my hometown of Fayetteville,Arkansas,made a surprise announcement to my friends:I was going to shut down my law practice and attempt to travel around the globe in a year.What’s more,I would do it without taking any flights or making a single advance reservation of any kind.My announcement drew mixed reactions from my friends.Some offered support and encouragement,while others were more doubtful.
Once I had said the words,there was no turning back.It took months to shut down my practice and get things in order.Once I set off on my adventure in December 2008,found travelling without using planes was not easy.Trying to circle the globe in 16 months(it took me a bit longer than the initial 12 months planned)made it even harder.Even so,travelling overland was the most amazing way to truly understand the immensity(浩瀚无际)of our wonderful planet.
I took three consecutive(连续)overnight buses to travel 3,000 km through Argentina,from Ushuaia to the capital Buenos Aires.I would look out the windows for hours on end of the completely unspoiled plains,as if humans had never touched it.
It took seven consecutive days and nights on trains to get from Moscow to Beijing,each day spent staring out the windows for hours as the Siberian plains swept by.Sometimes,I wouldn’t see a village or a human being for 10 hours.Later in my journey,it took 22 days on a cargo freighter(货船)to get from New Zealand through the Panama Canal and back to Philadelphia,to finish my round-the-world adventure.
It turned out that travelling with no reservations was far less difficult than had imagined.Pulling into a city on a bus with a backpack,looking in a guidebook for a few suggestions of accommodations(住宿),and then finding an empty room was never much of a problem anywhere.It also kept me flexible and open about all my travel plans,which is advice I give everyone who asks—plan far less than you think you should.
1. The author's trip was special in that .| A．he made it at the expense of giving up his job |
| B．it hardly cost him anything |
| C．he did not make advance booking or travel by air |
| D．it was a global trip |
| A．June 2009 | B．December 2009 | C．February 2010 | D．April 2010 |
| A．Unimportant. | B．Undamaged. | C．Invaluable. | D．Priceless. |
(1)Moscow (2)Philadelphia (3)New Zealand
(4)Ushuaia (5)Beijing (6)Buenos Aires
| A．(5)(4)(1)(6)(3)(2) | B．(4)(6)(1)(5)(3)(2) |
| C．(4)(5)(1)(6)(3)(2) | D．(5)(1)(6)(4)(3)(2) |
| A．Challenging but pleasant. | B．Dangerous but wonderful. |
| C．Boring and disappointing. | D．Costly and painful. |
3 . Nobody laughed when the UK comedy show Little Britain toured the US. Americans didn’t find the “British stereotypes(刻板印象)”funny. One character was a woman who was sick whenever she saw a foreigner.Another was a loud and rude 15-year-old girl cursing(骂)at her teachers.But back home,British people were laughing,thinking,“Yes!That’s exactly what we’re like!”
A laugh is a laugh in any language,but the reasons for it can be very different.Britons and Americans speak the same language,but humor does not always translate.
Take The Office as an example.This was originally a UK TV series but it was changed for the US.Both the US and UK series are set in a boring workplace in a boring town.But David Brent,the boss of the UK office,is not a nice guy like Michael Scott in the US version. “We had to make Michael Scott a slightly nicer guy,”wrote series creator Ricky Gervais.“He couldn’t be too mean.”
Gervais said British people are different from Americans because“Britons cruelly make fun of people we like or dislike…and of ourselves”. He believes the differences between the American and British senses of humor are because of“our upbringing”.
“Americans are brought up to believe they can be the next president of the United States,”he wrote.“Britons are told,‘It won’t happen for you’.”
Things usually turn out fine at the end of every US Office episode(集). Even if they’re not perfect, the characters “learn a lesson” for the future.
But in David Brent’s office—and in lots of UK comedies—the last scene is often sad. You are often left with the feeling that things just couldn’t get worse. For British people, this seems truer to life and so much funnier.
It’s not just Britain and the US that have comic differences. Few foreigners would understand a Chinese cross-talk show,for example.
Cultural differences are no laughing matter. But comic differences can be a window into a culture.
1. What is the purpose of the first paragraph?| A．To show that British humor is not funny at all. |
| B．To show that American people don't understand British people. |
| C．To show that Britain and America have different stereotypes. |
| D．To show how humor may mean different things in different cultures. |
| A．Unkind. | B．Great. | C．Average. | D．Ugly-looking. |
| A．David Brent is quite a nice guy. |
| B．Michael Scott is a rather mean guy. |
| C．Episodes in the UK version often end on a hopeless note. |
| D．Episodes in the US version often end in a boring way. |
| A．Britons do not like to make fun of others. |
| B．British comedy often has a moral message. |
| C．American people are brought up to be more positive. |
| D．Jokes are difficult to translate from one language into another. |
| A．They are slight differences that can be ignored. | B．They can partly show cultural differences. |
| C．They show stereotypes of different cultures. | D．They help people communicate with each other. |
4 . Brandon Smith, in Houston, Texas, turned 12 on April 11. It is a tough time to have a birthday. But he still had a socially distanced birthday celebration that he will always remember.
Celebrations in the age of the coronavirus（冠状病毒） have forced people to get creative. Brandon’s father, Jody Smith, went on Twitter with a simple request. He posted a picture of Brandon on it. In the photo, Brandon is holding up a drawing. It is a blank map of the world. Mr. Smith asked people on Twitter to reply to his post and say where they are. That way, his map-loving son could mark the locations.
“I thought it would be fun to get 50-maybe 100-people to reply from around the world, and most would be in the US.” Smith said, “That’s really what my expectations were.”
To his surprise, however, thousands of responses to Smith’s request came in. Pictures were sent from the Caribbean, South America and Europe.
Brandon would add each spot to his map. “He is having a blast,” Mr. Smith said.
In the afternoon of April 11, Brandon was popular on Twitter. He was the most-talked-about topic.
Brandon did not really want a birthday party. He wanted to do an activity he likes. “Brandon is on the autism spectrum（自闭症）.” Smith said. Children with autism have different abilities. They get very interested in things. They will be interested in it for just a few weeks, Sometimes, months, One thing that Brandon continues to love is maps.
Mr. Smith’s phone pinged with so many birthday messages. Each time one arrived, Brandon put a mark on his map. He put it wherever the message came from. He knew where most places were. He hardly had to look at a real map to check.
By noon, Brandon’s map was covered in marks. Mr. Smith was grateful for all the responses.
“These are pretty trying times,” Mr. Smith said. He was glad to see people being kind. Mr. Smith said the responses made Brandon feel so special on his birthday.
1. Why did Smith ask people on Twitter to send birthday messages to his son?| A．Brandon needed encouragement during this difficult time. |
| B．He wanted to see how many responses he could get. |
| C．Brandon spends much of his time talking to people on the internet. |
| D．He could not celebrate how he usually would because of the coronavirus. |
| A．He marked the locations on his map. |
| B．He added the spots to a list. |
| C．He mailed them a letter. |
| D．He read about the places. |
| A．The coronavirus has changed how people are celebrating. |
| B．Friends have what is being called socially distanced birthday parties. |
| C．Children with autism have different abilities. |
| D．Mr. Smith explained that Brandon gets very interested in things. |
| A．He thought that more people would reply to it. |
| B．He did not expect so many people to reply to it. |
| C．He thought that more people from Texas would reply to it. |
| D．He did not know that he had so many Twitter followers. |
| A．Difficult. | B．hard-working. |
| C．Interesting. | D．tiring. |
5 . People who have got rhythm might have an advantage when it comes to language and reading skills. A new study shows the brains of people who can move to a musical beat react to speech on a more consistent basis than those who can't. Researchers also find that musical training can sharpen the brain’s response to language.
The researchers say their discovery provides the first biological link between the ability to keep a beat and how the brain responds to speech, something that can have important value for reading skills. To gather materials for their research, the team got more than 100 teenagers who lived in Chicago, Illinois. The teens were given two tests. First, they were instructed to listen to and tap their fingers along to the beat. The researchers calculated low accurately their young volunteers were able to tap along to the musical timekeeper. Second, the teen subjects were linked to an EEG device, which measures electrical activity in the brain. The EEG device was focused on an area of the brain that not only processes sound, but is also connected to parts of the brain responsible for motor-movement. The researchers recorded the brainwaves as their teen subjects listened to the synthesized speech sound, which was repeated irregularly for half an hour. The researchers were able to find out how the nerve cells in that particular region of the brain responded every time the synthesized sound was played.“Across this population of adolescents, the more accurate they were at tapping along to the beat, the more consistent their brains' response to the letter unit was,” said Nina Kraus.
While past studies have showed the links between reading skills and a person’s ability to keep a beat, the researchers said their new findings show the hearing system is what provides a common basis for those links. “Rhythm is naturally a part of music and language.” Nina said.
1. According to the first paragraph, what can get the brain’s reaction to language more effectively?| A．Rhythm. | B．Reading skills. |
| C．Language. | D．Musical training. |
| A．It shows how the brain works. |
| B．It is very important for reading ability. |
| C．It shows how the brain reacts to speech. |
| D．It is helpful to researchers' findings. |
| A．persons or animals that are studied in an experiment or a research |
| B．areas of knowledge studied in a school, college, and so on |
| C．things that are being discussed in a conversation or a book |
| D．persons or things that are the main features of works of art |
| A．reading skills may make language learners keep a beat |
| B．the hearing system may be useless while a person is learning to read |
| C．the hearing system may separate sound from meaning while a person is reading |
| D．the hearing system may be used while a person is reading or taking musical training |
| A．Moving to a musical beat is more popular. |
| B．Experts are expanding their studies on rhythm. |
| C．Rhythm might help us improve our reading skills. |
| D．Experts find the links between the hearing system and reading. |
6 . Many parents worry that showing negative emotions in front of their children will cause them to suffer. For example, children may end up thinking it's their fault or simply "catch" the emotion. Indeed, this worry has a sound basis — the phenomenon of “emotional contagion"（情绪感染）is real, and one recent study found that parents can transfer their fear of going to the dentist, for example, to their children.
On the other hand, there is the natural idea that we should “be real" with our children, and that they will benefit from watching a parent who struggles and eventually deals with their negative emotions like any other human being.
There are three concepts to consider when it comes to emotional display in front of children: suppression （压抑），"uncontained" expression, and talking about emotions. Suppression of emotion is when you hide the outward signs of an emotion. Unfortunately, it doesn't work very well — the act of suppressing your emotion actually increases your blood pressure. Observers can pick up on your distress despite your efforts to hide it, making them feel stressed. The recent research has also found that when parents feel negative emotions and keep them from their children, they experience lower relationship quality and decreased responsiveness to their child's needs.
On the other hand, “uncontained" expression of anger and sadness by the parent is also not salutary for the child. Uncontained means high intensity emotion, with no attempts to regulate or take ownership of it. Shouting, smashing （摔）things and blaming someone else for "making you angry" are all example of this .
So, what is the middle ground? That would be talking about emotion taking ownership of them and showing your child that you are trying to deal with them. Classic research found that six-year-old kids had better emotional understanding and perspective-taking skills if their mothers had talked to them about their emotions at the age of three. In fact, the more the mothers had talked, the better the outcome would be.
So next time you feel sad, angry or frustrated and your child is watching you expressing emotion, do explain what's going on in terms they can understand.
1. The author uses the example of going to the dentist mainly to _______.| A．explain parents' common fear |
| B．introduce the topic of negative emotions |
| C．show children may catch parents' emotions |
| D．present the consequences of transferring negative emotions |
| A．she will not make her kids feel stressed |
| B．she can hide her emotions from her kids |
| C．she will often shout at her kids for no reasons |
| D．she can't respond effectively to her kids' needs |
| A．Enough. | B．Beneficial. |
| C．Necessary. | D．Reliable. |
| A．To encourage parents to "be real" with our children. |
| B．To call on parents to develop a positive attitude to life. |
| C．To inform parents of the consequences of negative emotions. |
| D．To recommend parents to talk about negative emotions with children. |
A． | B． |
C． | D． |
7 . That morning, I dropped our eldest at kindergarten and returned home to let our two younger children play while I worked on my medical report. It was wonderful, but it hit me that my career in hospital wasn't making a difference in anyone's life. I needed something that would stretch my limits and push me to grow. My career enabled me to work from home. I could work from home, and become a foster (领养) mother, providing safety for a child who needed it desperately.
On Monday morning, I picked up the phone and dialed the number I had googled for the nearest Department of Children's Services. The man on the other end was receptive to my questions and explained the next step of training, involving eight weeks of classes designed to prepare and educate foster parents. We continued through all the classes, the home visits, background checks, and seemingly endless steps.
Five long months after we were approved, the phone rang. In the middle of the night, I woke my husband and rushed to East Tennessee Children's' Hospital. Our placement was waiting for us in the emergency room, sick and lack of nutrition. It didn't take long for us to realize the full depth of her suffering. Six months later, her half-brother came to us by our request. We now had five children under our care.
On August 12, 2016, our family of seven walked into a small courtroom. The children's lawyer and social worker were there. With just a few words, our adoption was finalized. These two amazing children weren't going home, because they were already home. We are their forever family, and they are our forever children. We may not be able to change the entire world, but we have changed the world entirely for our new children.
1. How did the author feel about her hospital work?| A．Unusually demanding. | B．Lacking in motivation. |
| C．Filled with challenges. | D．Packed with chances. |
| A．She wanted to make a difference in other people. |
| B．She felt sympathetic for abused children she knew. |
| C．She felt confident about her ability to raise children. |
| D．She experienced training to raise children properly. |
| A．The foster parents must be healthy and well-educated. |
| B．It was impossible to go through all the endless process. |
| C．The man on the phone was nice and gave clear instructions. |
| D．The home visits and background checks would take eight weeks. |
| A．The child to be adopted. | B．The need to get trained. |
| C．The approval of adoption. | D．The official at the hospital. |
| A．To put the adopted kids elsewhere. | B．To receive another adopted child. |
| C．To begin the kids' adoption in her home. | D．To make the adoption officially legal. |
8 . You can choose happiness regardless of your circumstances. You can choose to be happy no matter what challenges life brings you. Let the following simple strategies guide you back to your natural happy state.
Make lemonade when life gives you lemons.
Besides happiness, trouble will also be part of life. It’s how you choose to react to your situations that make the difference. If you look at something hard enough, you’ll see the positive side of it.
Do what you love doing.
Do you have a lifelong dream or desire? If so, start working towards it. Taking baby steps towards a goal will help you feel like you’re accomplishing something. You’ll find drive and determination to reach that goal when it’s something you love doing.
Use one of your talents.
One reason why so many people are unhappy is that they’re not doing what they’re called to do with their God-given talents. Each of us has a purpose in life. You have natural talents to help you achieve your purpose, so use your talents effectively.
Call a friend who you know is positive and cheerful.
Talk about your feelings and listen to their advice. Usually, people allow themselves to go deeper and deeper into self-depression. The truth is that you don’t have to be sad. You can decide to be happy. You just have to make up your mind to do so.
Gratitude is the quickest cure for sadness.
When you focus on what’s wrong with your life, you forget to look at what’s right and good. Take a step back and reflect on your life. Do you have children or family to be thankful for? Yes, they may not be the person we’d like them to be, but imagine life without them. Now, be thankful that you have them in your life.
Let your feelings out on paper.
Often you’ll find that just getting your feelings down on paper will allow you to work through them, helping you feel better about yourself and your beautiful life!
1. The first paragraph is used to _______.| A．expect readers to ignore themselves |
| B．start a discussion among readers |
| C．introduce the topic to readers |
| D．carry out a challenge among readers |
| A．trouble is part of life |
| B．lemonade is very delicious |
| C．life is full of sweetness and bitterness |
| D．lemons can only be used to make lemonade |
| A．diverse | B．natural |
| C．excellent | D．learned |
| A．Be grateful. | B．Do many activities. |
| C．Call a cheerful friend. | D．Use one of your talents. |
| A．excited | B．depressed |
| C．bad-tempered | D．kind-hearted |
Can’t your newspaper do something about the custom of hitchhiking?
A short time ago, on a car travel I counted at least 50 people standing beside the road, asking for rides. Many of them were young women.
Don’t they understand how dangerous it is to get into the car driven by a stranger? How much do they know about the driver? Is he a good driver of not? Nothing!
Many of these young hitchhikers may come from good families. Don’t their parents teach them anything about the world? I always taught my children not to talk to strangers. I never let them take rides from people they didn't know.
Isn’t there enough crime (犯罪) today without asking for trouble by hitchhiking? On the other hand, hitchhiking may bring some traffic trouble. Don’t you think what I said is true?
A Worried Grandfather
1. The word “hitchhiking” means ______.| A．waiting for a bus at the bus station |
| B．driving to somewhere in a dangerous way |
| C．going somewhere by getting free rides in others’ cars |
| D．asking a stranger the ways in a car |
| A．He will either return the letter to the old man or give it to the police station. |
| B．He will write back to the Worried Grandfather and tell him not to hitchhike. |
| C．He will write something about the danger of hitchhiking in the newspaper. |
| D．He will hold a meeting to tell the drivers to make less traffic trouble. |
10 . Earlier this month, 6-year-old Isaac went on vacation to Fort Walton, Florida, with his family. While there, his mother Garrett learned about LuLu, a restaurant that offers food to customers with food allergies (过敏症).
At LuLu, Isaac could eat a salad and roast chicken with rice. ''Isaac looked at me as if he was asking me, 'Is this OK? ''' Garrett said. Once his mom gave the OK, Isaac enjoyed for the first time the experience of ordering and eating at a restaurant. ''That look on his face seemed to show that this was the coolest thing he had ever done. '' Garrett said.
Garrett and her family hardly go out to restaurants because of Isaac's food allergies. When they go out, she cooks something for Isaac at home before they leave and brings it with her to the restaurant. ''It's not fun and it feels unfair.'' Isaac said.
Their night at LuLu marked a celebration for Isaac. Isaac felt terribly fulfilled because of eating at the restaurant. Garrett shared the moment on the restaurant's Facebook page to thank them for helping her son. ''Thank you from the bottom of my heart for giving him this experience.'' she wrote in her post.
Barnett, the restaurant's manager said, ''When customers tell the staff that someone in their group has a food allergy, I help with the order by passing it to the kitchen, ensuring it's cooked in a separate station and offering the finished food to the guests. We have been improving this process over the last 10 years since our allergy program was started.''
On Garrett’s Facebook post, LuLu thanked Garrett for sharing her story. ''Thank you for sharing your experience with us. '' the restaurant wrote in a comment. ''We are excited to see your son so happy!''
Garrett is hoping her post's popularity will make other restaurants, especially the places near her family's home about 30 minutes away from Mashville, provide such a service. ''LuLu offers quality services to the guests with food allergies. Nothing would make us happier than that.'' She said.
1. Why do Garrett and her family hardly eat out at restaurants?| A．Because they are on a low income. |
| B．Because Garrett likes cooking herself. |
| C．Because Isaac easily suffers from food allergies. |
| D．Because they consider the food in restaurants unhealthy. |
| A．She leaves her son alone at home. |
| B．She orders some special food for her son. |
| C．She lets her son choose his favorite dishes. |
| D．She prepares some food for her son ahead of time. |
| A．Satisfied. | B．Disappointed. |
| C．Moved. | D．Embarrassed. |
| A．He will help them order food. |
| B．He will offer services to them first. |
| C．He will provide private room for them. |
| D．He will introduce their allergy program. |
| A．LuLu's response to her post. |
| B．Her son's experience at LuLu. |
| C．LuLu's concern for the guests with allergies. |
| D．More restaurants' following in LuLu's steps. |
