1 . Road trip stories are basically wild adventures of self-discovery. But the book Me (Moth) carves out a path through ancestry (祖先), pains and art.
Moth is a dancer with a loving, supportive family - until a terrible car accident takes them all away. Now she doesn't dance any more and lives with her sad aunt, wearing borrowed clothes and living on what feels like borrowed time, because not even the wisdom and Hoodoo (扶都教) passed down to her by her grandfather can bring back her family or ease her pain. Her survivor's guilt is so strong that she makes herself almost invisible.
Until the new boy at school, Sani, notices her. He sings when he thinks no one is listening and he sees Moth like no one else does. The two young people decide on a road trip across the country and hope to make some sense of their life on the way.
Novels in poetic language can sometimes feel awkward, but the book, Me (Moth) spills effortlessly across the page, becoming the song that Moth and Sani write together on their journey. It's all in Moth's voice, and her words dance, giving the reader a real sense of how she can move her body if she isn't afraid to. The language is sometimes so beautiful and terrible that it catches me off guard.
During their trip to the South, Moth and Sani stop to pay respect to the spirits of those who came before them, and to think about their strengths as well as the pains that they've suffered. As they do so, their own strengths and pains are connected with the ones that came before.
1. What can we learn from the underlined part in paragraph
| A．She is sad with her aunt. |
| B．She wears borrowed clothes. |
| C．She doesn't have time to dance. |
| D．She feels guilty of surviving alone. |
| A．Painful. | B．Joyful. | C．Rewarding. | D．Challenging. |
| A．A biography. | B．A book review. |
| C．A love story. | D．A travel journal. |
| A.deliver B.resist C.resolve D.inquiry E.aspect F.series G.destructive H determine L rooted J. disgusting K.trial |
Why do people read negative Internet comments and do other things that will obviously be painful'？Because humans have an inherent need to
In a
Twenty-seven students were told which pens were electrified；another twenty-seven were told only that some were electrified.When left alone in the room，the students who did not know which ones would shock them clicked more pens and incurred（遭受）more shocks than the students who knew what would happen.Subsequent experiments reproduced this effect with other stimuli，such as the sound of fingernails on a chalkboard and photographs of
The drive to discover is deeply
Unhealthy curiosity is possible to
3 . Is loyalty in the workplace dead?
Just recently, Lynda Gratton, a workplace expert, proclaimed that it was. In The Financial Times, she said that it had been “killed off through
It’s sad if this good virtue is now out of place in the business world. But the situation may be more
Fifty years ago, an employee could stay at the same company for decades, said Tammy Erickson, an author and work-force consultant. Many were
Now many companies cannot or will not hold up their end of the bargain, so why should the employees hold up theirs? Given the opportunity, they’ll take their skills and their portable retirement accounts elsewhere. These days, Ms. Gratton writes,
Ms. Erickson says that the quid pro quo (交换物，报酬) of modern employment is more likely to be: As long as I work for you, I promise to have the relevant skills and
For some baby boomers, this
A longtime employee who is also productive and motivated is of enormous value, said Cathy Benko, chief talent officer at Deloitte. On the other hand, she said, “You can be with a company a long time and not be highly committed.”
Ms. Benko has seen her company shift its
Then there are the effects of the recent recession. Many people - if they haven’t been
If the pendulum(摇摆不定的事态或局面) shifts, how will businesses persuade their best employees to stay?
Loyalty may not be what it once was, but most companies will still be better off with at least a core of people who stay with them across decades.
If loyalty is seen as a
| A．tightening | B．lengthening | C．shortening | D．loosening |
| A．complicated | B．confused | C．difficult | D．conservative |
| A．confine | B．convince | C．identify | D．define |
| A．guaranteed | B．provided | C．supplemented | D．rewarded |
| A．belief | B．trust | C．confidence | D．tolerance |
| A．occupy | B．engage | C．sacrifice | D．involve |
| A．rightly | B．immediately | C．exactly | D．fairly |
| A．difference | B．exchange | C．shift | D．modification |
| A．assuming | B．ensuring | C．assuring | D．approving |
| A．focus | B．mind | C．faith | D．importance |
| A．laid off | B．employed | C．valued | D．supported |
| A．Salary | B．Money | C．Loyalty | D．Credit |
| A．However | B．Rather | C．Therefore | D．Otherwise |
| A．promise | B．compliment | C．commitment | D．command |
| A．interest | B．sake | C．disadvantage | D．benefit |
4 . The 16th-century dramatist Ben Johnson generously called Shakespeare a writer “not of an age, but for all time.” And so it has proven to be, for Shakespeare’s plays are still the most translated and most
This last explanation seems a little
Shakespeare has been dead almost 400 years, but the words and saying attributed (归功于) to him still
full circle a sorry sight
at one fell swoop neither here nor there
wear my heart upon my sleeve the world is (my) oyster
Macrone is more interested in the Shakespearean language that has survived than the reasons for its
Regardless of such technicalities, it is still remarkable that so many of Shakespeare’s words have survived the large
| A．selected | B．performed | C．evaluated | D．revised |
| A．unexpected | B．varying | C．individual | D．enduring |
| A．magic | B．evidence | C．creativity | D．count |
| A．In a word | B．As a consequence | C．By contrast | D．To some degree |
| A．possible | B．convincing | C．unsatisfactory | D．boring |
| A．man | B．literature | C．history | D．focus |
| A．condition | B．emotions | C．factor | D．resources |
| A．qualify for | B．judge from | C．specialize in | D．identify with |
| A．proved | B．phrased | C．believed | D．understood |
| A．color | B．define | C．represent | D．involve |
| A．honored | B．improved | C．coined | D．chose |
| A．significance | B．variety | C．livelihood | D．popularity |
| A．concept | B．time | C．context | D．outline |
| A．shifts | B．conflicts | C．similarities | D．trends |
| A．usage | B．wording | C．originality | D．message |
To understand the changing role of women in China, consider the runaway success of a novel titled Du Lala’s Rise. Decades after Mao Zedong declared that women hold up half the sky,” the success of Du Lala and her peers reflects a curious fact about women in China: they appear to be far more ambitious than their counterparts (对应者)in the United States.
Rjpa Rashid, a senior vice president at the Center for Work-Life Policy, says the rapid growth “creates this excitement”， and builds on a cultural and historical legacy (遗产)in which Chinese women are not just encouraged to participate in the workforce, they are expected to.
One result has been a generation of women and girls who believe they belong among China’s power elite ( 精 英 ). In the US, that shift followed decades of battles over equality and women’s rights. In China, there are fewer institutional barriers for women trying to succeed professionally.
That’s true, too, in the executive suite. Grant Thornton International, the tax consultancy, found that roughly eight out of 10 companies in China had women in senior management roles, compared with approximately half in the European Union and two thirds in the US. Similarly, in China, 31 percent of top executives are female, compared with 20 percent in America.
Thirdly, child care is easily accessible in China, enabling them to pursue their careers after giving birth to their children. Fourthly, ambition has become a matter of necessity in fast-paced China, and both the husband and wife have to work in order to keep up with the skyrocketing housing prices.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
6 . Not too many decades ago it seemed “obvious” both to the general public and to sociologists that modern society has changed people’s natural relations, loosened their responsibilities to kin (亲戚) and neighbors, and substituted in their place superficial relationships with passing acquaintances. However, in recent years a growing body of research has revealed that the “obvious” is not true. It seems that if you are a city resident, you typically know a smaller proportion of your neighbors than you do if you are a resident of a smaller community. But, for the most part, this fact has few significant consequences. It does not necessarily follow that if you know few of your neighbors you will know no one else.
Even in very large cities, people maintain close social ties within small, private social worlds. Indeed, the number and quality of meaningful relationships do not differ between more and less urban people. Small-town residents are more involved with kin than are big-city residents. Yet city dwellers compensate by developing friendships with people who share similar interests and activities. Urbanism many produce a different style of life, but the quality of life does not differ between town and city. Nor are residents of large communities any likelier to display psychological symptoms of stress or alienation, a feeling of not belonging, than are residents of smaller communities. However, city dwellers do worry more about crime, and this leads them to a distrust of strangers.
These findings do not imply that urbanism makes little or no difference. If neighbors are strangers to one another, they are less likely to sweep the sidewalk of an elderly couple living next door or keep an eye out for young trouble makers. Moreover, as Wirth suggested, there may be a link between a community’s population size and its social heterogeneity (多样性). For instance, sociologists have found much evidence that the size of a community is associated with bad behavior including gambling, drugs, etc. Large-city urbanities are also more likely than their small-town counterparts to have a cosmopolitan(见多识广)outlook, to display less responsibility to traditional kinship roles, to vote for leftist political candidates, and to be tolerant of nontraditional religious groups, unpopular political groups, and so—called undesirables. Everything considered, heterogeneity and unusual behavior seem to be outcomes of large population size.
1. Which of the following statements best describes the organization of the first paragraph?| A．An argument is examined and possible solutions given. |
| B．Two contrasting views are presented. |
| C．Research results concerning the quality of urban life are presented in order of time. |
| D．A detail description of the difference between urban and small-town life is given. |
| A．could not develop long-standing relationships. |
| B．did not have the same interests as their neighbors. |
| C．tended to be associated with bad behavior. |
| D．usually had more friends. |
| A．disrupt people’s natural relations. |
| B．make them worry about crime. |
| C．cause them no to show concern for one another. |
| D．cause them to be suspicious of each other. |
| A．the better its quality of life |
| B．the more tolerant and open-minded it is. |
| C．the likelier it is to display psychological symptoms of stress. |
| D．the more similar its interests |
7 . Each stage of life has different major demands mainly because our needs change. As children, a period of deep uncertainty and sensitivity,
At each stage, although everyone may
For each period of life, the needs are decided by that stage, and as we grow older, whether we like it or not, we gain
Physically, even when we stay fit and able, the body cannot deliver in quite the same way as youth. This comes as a(n)
| A．finance | B．security | C．marriage | D．education |
| A．testing | B．sharing | C．changing | D．setting |
| A．financial advisor | B．childhood companion | C．life partner | D．household keeper |
| A．take action | B．calm down | C．look forward | D．pay attention |
| A．believe | B．persevere | C．vary | D．persist |
| A．easy | B．random | C．formal | D．similar |
| A．noble | B．fresh | C．reasonable | D．superior |
| A．experience | B．responsibility | C．respect | D．agreement |
| A．individualism | B．materialism | C．idealism | D．socialism |
| A．resist | B．enjoy | C．evolve | D．strengthen |
| A．unexpectedly | B．terribly | C．comparatively | D．necessarily |
| A．inquiry | B．instinct | C．refusal | D．shock |
| A．worsen | B．manage | C．judge | D．feel |
| A．wrinkled | B．depressed | C．impressive | D．serious |
| A．with high requirements | B．in full circle | C．without difficulty | D．on a large scale |
8 . Gender Stereotypes Are Messing with Your Kid
Gender stereotypes are messing with your kid. It’s not just one movie. It’s not just one TV show. It’s constant exposure to the same dated concepts in the media over and over, starting before preschool and lasting a lifetime --- concepts like: Boys are smarter than girls: certain jobs are best for men and others for women; and even that girls are responsible for their own sexual assaults.
According to a recent report, which analyzed more than 150 articles, interviews, books, and other social-scientific research, gender stereotypes in moves and on TV shows are more than persistient.
Think of preschoolers who are just beginning to identify as boys or girls. The characters they see on TV often have an obvious masculine or feminine appearance, such as a superhero’s big muscles or a princess’ long hair. These characters also are often associated with specific traits---for example, being strong and brave or fearful and meek.
For young audiences who absorb ideas from the media on how to behave and what to become, these characterizations can lead to false assumptions and harmful conclusions. These oversimplified characterizations play out in many ways over and over. According to the report, a lifetime of viewing stereotypical media becomes so ingrained that it can ultimately affect kids’ career choices, self-worth, relationships, and ability to achieve their full potential.
And lots of parent are concerned about these issues, too. We polled nearly 1,000 parents across the country and found that they believe the media has a significant influence on their kids, from how girls should look and behave to how seeing violence can affect boys’ beliefs about themselves.
While there are movies and TV shows that defy gender stereotypes---and Hollywood is making some progress on this front --- you’re not going to be able to prevent your kids from seeing everything that sends the wrong message. And your kids probably like a lot of media that reinforces stereotypes.
| A．Luckily, parents can assert control over the messages that Hollywood dishes out. |
| B．You have a lot of control over your kids’ media --- mostly when they’re little, but even as they grow. |
| C．Fortunately, the most powerful messages kids absorb are from you. |
| D．Ideally, self-segregate based on gender --- boys want to play with boys, and girls want to play with girls. |
| E．They’re incredibly effective at teaching kids what the culture expects of boys and girls. |
| F．Fast-forward to the tween and teen years, when characters begin to wrestle with relationships, life, and job prospects. |
9 . Lazer loves running, and although he experiences a series of potentially fatal heart problems, he always cherishes a new finish line to inspire his
By 2008, Lazer had undergone six heart
“After
To Lazer, that meant running, since it was such a big part of that life.
Lazer
| A．recovery | B．champion | C．competition | D．growing |
| A．hurts | B．broken | C．surgeries | D．rehabilitation |
| A．devastated | B．debilitated | C．strove | D．hesitated |
| A．brighter | B．higher | C．happier | D．stronger |
| A．pick up | B．add up | C．switch up | D．turn up |
| A．Eventually | B．Normally | C．Quickly | D．Strangely |
| A．put up | B．lace up | C．take on | D．control with |
| A．master | B．disease | C．competitor | D．road |
| A．getting out of | B．returning to | C．running out of | D．dropping out |
| A．achieve | B．compromise | C．change | D．promote |
| A．train | B．find | C．continue | D．start |
| A．switch | B．play | C．fiddle | D．press |
| A．Besides | B．However | C．But | D．So |
| A．from | B．at | C．on | D．about |
| A．consecutive | B．successful | C．ordinary | D．special |
| A．doubts | B．credits | C．hopes | D．ponders |
| A．somehow | B．anyone | C．somebody | D．anyhow |
| A．late | B．long | C．painful | D．relaxed |
| A．thinking | B．struggling | C．braving | D．striving |
| A．drug | B．life | C．anchor | D．entire |
10 . Life is filled with challenges. As we get older we
When we are faced with a challenge, we usually have two
Although there are certainly
When we are committed to something, it means that no matter how
In dealing with many challenges that friendship will bring to you, try to see them for
| A．seem to | B．come to | C．hope to | D．try to |
| A．design | B．promote | C．direct | D．shape |
| A．confidence | B．pressure | C．friendship | D．difficulty |
| A．choices | B．expectations | C．opportunities | D．aspects |
| A．demanding | B．deserving | C．predicting | D．presenting |
| A．comment | B．loss | C．trouble | D．expense |
| A．means | B．times | C．dates | D．ages |
| A．cases | B．fields | C．parts | D．occasions |
| A．assessment | B．commitment | C．encouragement | D．adjustment |
| A．doubtful | B．shameful | C．harmful | D．painful |
| A．keep | B．control | C．face | D．catch |
| A．chance | B．plan | C．topic | D．space |
| A．If | B．As | C．While | D．Unless |
| A．other than | B．rather than | C．or rather | D．or else |
| A．what | B．who | C．where | D．which |
| A．pass by | B．come across | C．get through | D．run over |
| A．unnecessary | B．necessary | C．impossible | D．possible |
| A．serves | B．means | C．aims | D．attempts |
| A．opens | B．appeals | C．goes | D．happens |
| A．look down on | B．look back on | C．look forward to | D．look up to |
