1 . After years of observing human nature, I have decided that two qualities make a difference between men of great achievement and men of average performance — curiosity and discontent. I have never known an outstanding man who lacked either. And I have never known an average man who had both.
Together, these deep human urges (驱策力) count for much more than ambition. Galileo was not merely ambitious when he dropped objects of varying weights from the Leaning Tower at Pisa and timed their fall to the ground. Like Galileo, all the great names in history were curious and asked in discontent, “Why? Why? Why?”
Fortunately, curiosity and discontent don’t have to be learned. We are born with them and need only to recapture them. “The great man,” said Mencius, “is he who does not lose his child’s heart.” Yet most of us do lose it. We stop asking questions. We stop challenging custom. We just follow the crowd. And the crowd desires only the calm and restful average.
Most of us meet new people, and new ideas, with hesitation. But once having met and liked them, we think how terrible it would have been, had we missed the chance. We will probably have to force ourselves to waken our curiosity and discontent and keep them awake.
How should you start? Modestly, so as not to become discouraged. I think of one friend who couldn’t arrange flowers to satisfy herself. She was curious about how the experts did it.
The way to begin is to answer your own excuses. You haven’t any special ability? Most people don’t; there are only a few geniuses. You haven’t any time? That’s good, because it’s always the people with no time who get things done. Harriet Stowe, mother of six, wrote parts of Uncle Tom’s Cabin while cooking. You’re too old? Remember that Thomas Costain was 57 when he published his first novel, and that Grandma Moses showed her first pictures when she was 78.
However you start, remember there is no better time to start than right now, for you’ll never be more alive than you are at this moment.
1. In writing Paragraph 1, the author aims to ________.A.present an argument | B.make a comparison | C.reach a conclusion | D.propose a definition |
A.Scientists tend to have varied ambitions. | B.Trial and error leads to the finding of truth. |
C.Creativity results from challenging authority. | D.Greatness comes from a lasting desire to explore. |
A.Observe the unknown around you. | B.Develop a questioning mind. |
C.Lead a life of adventure. | D.Follow the fashion. |
A.Gaining success helps you become an expert. |
B.The genius tends to get things done creatively. |
C.Lack of talent and time is no reason for taking no action. |
D.You should remain modest when approaching perfection. |
2 . Recently, I pulled a jacket from my wardrobe, paired it with my red trousers and earrings, and hit the town for a book signing event. That night, I found myself unexpectedly satisfied. I got more praise over this jacket than I had got in years. But what made me feel way better was to respond, “Thank you. I bought it at a second-hand shop.”
Not only did I spend minimal amount on a clearly unbelievable find, but I also joined the ranks of consumers turning to circular fashion”-a growing trend in refreshing our wardrobe and producing new clothes in more planet-friendly ways.
As for the clothing industry; it produces close to 10% of the world's carbon dioxide emissions (碳排放) and is a massive consumer of the world's water supplies. To create a single pair of jeans, for example, requires nearly 2,000 gallons of water. And each year, around 8 billion barrels of oil are used to produce artificial materials.
Consumers also contribute to the problem. They buy cheap new clothes, wear them a few times, and then throw them out. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that Americans threw away 16 million tons of clothing in 2018, with only 15 percent recycled--the rest ended up in landfills or being exported abroad.
Something’s got to give. Scientists are working to develop less harmful carbon-negative fabrics, while some leading brands are shifting from linear take-make-waste economies to circular ones in which fewer clothes are made, waste and pollution are vastly reduced, and the used clothing is given new life.
But there’s also a role for the individual in addressing the problem. “Following the circular fashion, you’ll build an affordable cupboard that's better for the planet,” says Gama, co-founder of a company that helps brands scare their recycling and resale programs.
According to ThredUP, the world’s largest fashion resale platform, the U.S. second-hand market is expected to more than double by 2026. “Our resale report data found that over half of the consumers are more opposed to waste, both financially and environmentally, says ThredUP president Anthony Marino.
1. What amazed the author at the book signing event?A.People thought highly of her books. |
B.People got attracted by “circular fashion” |
C.She got others’ recognition for her dressing |
D.She had the chance to buy second-hand goods. |
A.The high costs of artificial materials. |
B.The seriousness of environmental pollution. |
C.The necessity of producing artificial materials. |
D.The high environmental costs of the clothing industry. |
A.Improving the quality of their clothes. |
B.Researching recyclable clothing materials. |
C.Promoting a sustainable clothing industry. |
D.Making their clothes affordable to consumers. |
A.Uncertain. | B.Confident. | C.Objective. | D.Curious. |
3 . Though the spread of good reproduction of works of art can be culturally valuable, museums continue to promote the special status of original work. Unfortunately, this seems to place severe limitations on the kind of experience offered to visitors.
One limitation is the way the museum presents its exhibits. Art museums are called “treasure houses”. We are reminded of this before we view a collection by the presence of security guards who keep us away from the exhibits. In addition, a major collection like that of London’s National Gallery is housed in numerous rooms, where a single piece of work is likely to be worth more than all the average visitor possesses. In a society that judges the personal status of the individual so much by their material worth, it is difficult not to be impressed by one’s own relative “worthlessness” in such an environment.
Furthermore, consideration of the “value” of the original work impresses the viewer that since these works were originally produced, they have been assigned a huge value in terms of money by some person more powerful than themselves. Evidently, nothing the viewer thinks about the work is going to alter that value, and so today’s viewer is discouraged from trying to extend that immediate and self-reliant kind of interpretation which would originally have met the work.
The visitor may then be struck by the strangeness of seeing such a variety of paintings, drawings and sculptures brought together in an environment for which they were not originally created. This “displacement effect” is further heightened by the huge volume of exhibits.
This is particularly distressing because time seems to be a vital factor in the appreciation of all art forms. Operas, novels and poems are read in a prescribed time sequence, whereas a picture has no clear place at which to start viewing, or at which to finish.
Consequently, the dominant critical approach becomes that of the art historian, a specialized academic approach devoted to “discovering the meaning” of art within the cultural context of its time. This is in harmony with the museum’s function, since the approach is dedicated to seeking out and conserving “authentic”, “original” readings of the exhibits.
1. The writer mentions London’s National Gallery to illustrate ______.A.the undesirable cost to a nation of maintaining a huge collection of art |
B.the conflict that may arise in society between financial and artistic values |
C.the negative effect a museum can have on visitors’ opinion of themselves |
D.the need to put individual well-being above large-scale artistic schemes |
A.lack the knowledge needed |
B.fear it may have financial implications |
C.have no real concept of the work’s value |
D.feel their personal reaction is of no significance |
A.involve direct contact with an audience |
B.require a specific location for performance |
C.need the involvement of other professionals |
D.call for a specific beginning or ending |
A.Original work: killer of artistic appreciation |
B.Original work: reduction to value of art works |
C.Original work: substitute for reproduction |
D.Original work: art historians’ bread and butter |
4 . One Saturday afternoon in a small town, Emma came out of a shoe shop with some new shoes. They were
It was a
“Help! Help!” Emma cried. But nobody came. Emma
At the hospital a doctor looked at Emma’s head and back and told her to stay in hospital for a few days. Emma thanked the
Later, a policeman
After two days, in a morning a policeman came to the hospital with Emma’s new shoes and an empty bag. “A little girl
A.nice | B.suitable | C.cheap | D.expensive |
A.pleased | B.bored | C.patient | D.angry |
A.drive | B.walk | C.run | D.miss |
A.busy | B.noisy | C.quiet | D.safe |
A.Suddenly | B.Luckily | C.Finally | D.Happily |
A.eyes | B.nose | C.legs | D.head |
A.sat down | B.turned around | C.fell down | D.gave up |
A.quickly | B.slowly | C.easily | D.proudly |
A.kind | B.strict | C.strange | D.funny |
A.school | B.station | C.hospital | D.shop |
A.nurse | B.policeman | C.girl | D.doctor |
A.saw | B.reached | C.left | D.remembered |
A.closed | B.bought | C.borrowed | D.opened |
A.made | B.enjoyed | C.took | D.drew |
A.dropped | B.lost | C.carried | D.found |
5 . Quantum ( 量子 ) computers have been on my mind a lot lately. A friend has been sending me articles on how quantum computers might help solve some of the biggest challenges we face as humans. I’ve also had exchanges with two quantum-computing experts. One is computer scientist Chris Johnson who I see as someone who helps keep the field honest. The other is physicist Philip Taylor.
For decades, quantum computing has been little more than a laboratory curiosity. Now, big tech companies have invested in quantum computing, as have many smaller ones. According to Business Weekly, quantum machines could help us “cure cancer, and even take steps to turn climate change in the opposite direction.” This is the sort of hype ( 炒作 ) that annoys Johnson. He worries that researchers are making promises they can’t keep. “What’s new,” Johnson wrote, “is that millions of dollars are now potentially available to quantum computing researchers.”
As quantum computing attracts more attention and funding, researchers may mislead investors, journalists, the public and, worst of all, themselves about their work’s potential. If researchers can’t keep their promises, excitement might give way to doubt, disappointment and anger, Johnson warns. Lots of other technologies have gone through stages of excitement. But something about quantum computing makes it especially prone to hype, Johnson suggests, perhaps because “‘quantum’ stands for something cool you shouldn’t be able to understand.” And that brings me back to Taylor, who suggested that I read his book Q for Quantum.
After I read the book, Taylor patiently answered my questions about it. He also answered my questions about PyQuantum, the firm he co-founded in 2016. Taylor shares Johnson’s concerns about hype, but he says those concerns do not apply to PyQuantum.
The company, he says, is closer than any other firm “by a very large margin ( 幅度 )” to building a “useful” quantum computer, one that “solves an impactful problem that we would not have been able to solve otherwise.” He adds, “People will naturally discount my opinions, but I have spent a lot of time quantitatively comparing what we are doing with others.”
Could PyQuantum really be leading all the competition “by a wide margin”, as Taylor claims? I don’t know. I’m certainly not going to advise my friend or anyone else to invest in quantum computers. But I trust Taylor, just as I trust Johnson.
1. Regarding Johnson’s concerns, the author feels ________.A.sympathetic | B.unconcerned | C.doubtful | D.excited |
A.His dominance in physics. | B.The competition in the field. |
C.His confidence in PyQuantum. | D.The investment of tech companies. |
A.Open. | B.Cool. | C.Useful. | D.Resistant. |
A.Is Johnson More Competent Than Taylor? |
B.Is Quantum Computing Redefining Technology? |
C.Will Quantum Computers Ever Come into Being? |
D.Will Quantum Computing Ever Live Up to Its Hype? |