1 . The American dream is the faith held by many people in the United States of America that through hard work, courage, creativity and determination, they can achieve a better life for themselves. More specifically, they agree on how to get ahead in America: get a college education, find a reliable job, and buy their own house. But do Americans still believe in that path, and if they do, is it attainable?
The most recent National Journal poll(民意测验，投票) asked participants about the American dream, what it takes to achieve their goal, and whether or not they felt the control over their ability to be successful. Obviously, the results show that today, the idea of the American dream and what it takes to achieve it looks quite different from it did in the late 20th century. By the large, people felt that their actions and hard work — not outside forces — were the deciding factors in how their lives turned out. But the participants had definitely mixed feelings about what actions make for a better life in the current economy.
In the last seven years, Americans have grown more pessimistic about the power of education to lead to success. Even though they see going to college as a fairly achievable goal, a majority 52 percent think that young people do not need a 4-year college education in order to be successful.
Miguel Maeda, 42, who has a master’s degree and works in public health, was the first in his family to go to college, which has allowed him to achieve a sense of financial stability(稳定) his parents and grandparents never did. While some, like Maeda, emphasized the value of a degree rather than the education itself, others still see college as a way to gain new viewpoints and life experiences. Sixty-year-old Will Fendley, who had a successful career in the military and never earned a college degree, think “personal drive” is far more important than just go to college. To Fendley, a sense of drive and purpose, as well as an effective high-school education, and basic life skills, like balancing a checkbook(支票簿), are the necessary elements for a successful life in America.
1. It was commonly acknowledged that to succeed in America, one had to have ________.| A．a sense of drive and purpose | B．an advanced academic degree |
| C．a firm belief in their dream | D．an ambition to get ahead |
| A．More and more Americans are finding it hard to realize. |
| B．It remains alive among the majority of American people. |
| C．An increasing number of young Americans are abandoning it. |
| D．Americans’ idea of it has changed over the past few decades. |
| A．It helps broaden their minds. | B．It needs to be strengthened. |
| C．It widens cultural diversity. | D．It promotes gender (性别) equality. |
2 . Recently, Kevin Smith, the director of Clerks and Chasing Amy, got kicked off of a Southwestern Airlines flight for being too fat. He used the social media tool Twitter to take pictures of himself in a seat, and criticized the airline’s decision. In reality, most airlines have had policies for “customers of size” for the past 25 years, but few airlines have used these rules because they don’t want the negative publicity.
While it is very politically incorrect to look down on people because of their age, sex, race, or religion, many people believe that obese people are discriminated(歧视) against all the time. For an extremely large person, it is very difficult to get around on normal-sized public transportation, such as buses or subways. Flying is not much easier because the seats are small even for a regular person, and airlines have been squeezing as many people as they can onto flights.
With the combination of September 11 terrorist attack and the economic downturn, the airline business hasn’t been doing very well. This means that airlines are trying to squeeze every dollar out of flyers. Recently, they started charging fees for overweight luggage and extra carry-on bags. It makes sense financially to make an overweight person purchase two tickets if they can’t fit into one seat, but airlines have to be cautious when dealing with this problem. Usually, someone that is heavy is already embarrassed about their weight, and making them pay extra can violate（侵犯）their rights.
Many people believe that those who are overweight have a lack of willpower and should be treated accordingly. In fact, there are many diseases that cause people to be overweight. Discriminating against someone because they are overweight is morally wrong. For airlines to show prejudice against anyone is bad for business.
In conclusion, airlines should consider the special needs of their customers to earn repeat business. If they force obese passengers to buy two tickets for one flight, they not only discriminate them, but they may lose a lot of business as well.
1. Why is the director mentioned in the first paragraph?| A．To promote his movies. | B．To ask him to lose weight. |
| C．To introduce the topic. | D．To complain about the airline. |
| A．Because they want them to lose weight. |
| B．Because they are facing financial problems. |
| C．Because they need to load more luggage and bags. |
| D．Because they prefer to protect regular passengers’ rights. |
| A．Overweight people deserve to be charged more. |
| B．Overweight people should have a stronger willpower. |
| C．It’s a good idea for airlines to charge less for a second ticket. |
| D．It’s bad practice for airlines to discriminate against obese people. |
3 . A survey of 1,000 people showed that an incredible 60 percent of workers ate at their desks every day while two thirds take 30 minutes or less for lunch. This means they are working an extra 180 hours a year—equal to 16 eight-hour days. Even when staffs do manage to leave their desks, they are usually on business with nearly a quarter admitting to regularly using the time to catch up with professional contacts.
An academic expert in the science of workplaces said employees were putting their health at risk by refusing to take a lunch break. Dr Tissington, Associate Dean of Business Partnerships at Aston University, said people feel “under pressure” at work, with many spending long hours at their desks, “tapping away at keyboards, staring at screens and sitting with bad posture in awkward positions.”
He said it was important for workers to take regular breaks, get up, move and walk around a bit. “Resting, or taking a break in the middle of the day helps to clear out the mind and prepares us for a productive afternoon,” he said. “The feeling of guilt for taking lunch breaks is a subject that is concerning and probably requires proper investigation,” he added.
Dr. Tissington mentioned he makes sure to get away from his desk at lunchtime and deliberately chooses to get lunch from different places—changing his route to get there. “This has the added benefit of exercise,” he explained,” and, working in a large organization, it gives me the opportunity to meet different colleagues along the way.”
Office workers had admitted to sacrificing their lunch breaks to further their careers. PR assistant Tammy Phillips, 24, said he hadn’t taken a lunch break since past two years. “The way I view it is that I can get on with work when it’s quieter at lunch time and it never hurts your career for the bosses to see you at your desk when your colleagues swan out for a sandwich,” he said.
“The competition for jobs now is so fierce that I’ve known friends who have quit smoking because they don’t want to be seen to go out for a cigarette during the day.”
1. We can learn from the first paragraph that ________.| A．workers want to escape from their work |
| B．many workers do not take a full lunch break |
| C．different workers have different lunch breaks |
| D．most workers are not permitted to have a full lunch break |
| A．He enjoys physical exercise. |
| B．He feels guilty at taking lunch breaks. |
| C．He likes to stay away from his colleagues. |
| D．He takes different routes to have lunch purposely. |
| A．Time for Having a Lunch Break |
| B．An Increasingly Popular Working Style |
| C．Lunch Skippers Work Extra 16 Days Yearly |
| D．Giving up a Lunch Break: Risk Your Health |
Poor diets are among the top causes of ill health globally, accounting for nearly one in five deaths, according to a study published on Thursday,
Some researchers indicate that eating unhealthy food
The researchers
Progress has been “unacceptably slow”.
5 . When old people live with children and other relatives the relationship is not always a happy one. Even old parents and adult children who live separately can have difficulties. Here the generation gap becomes most visible as the needs and interests of the middle-aged and old diverge. Some middle-aged children are so annoyed by the demands of their parents that they make such comments as “Why don’t the old fools die?”
Although such ugly comments exist, a survey conducted by the American Association of Retired Persons reflects a positive attitude by American population towards the old. That survey showed that 69% adult children have weekly contact with their mothers and 20% have daily contact with their mothers. Other surveys have shown that 40% of adults have face-to face contact with their parents once a week.
The 2014 National Survey of Family and Household (NSFH) showed that 78% of adults view their relationship with their mother and father as excellent. Only 0.03% of those surveyed viewed that relationship as “bad”. The remainders were ambivalent in their perception of their parents. This finding is confirmed by much older studies of the same phenomenon also conducted by the National Survey of Families and Households.
Of those surveyed, 66% contacted their parents once a week or more and only 10% did not contact their parents at all. In part, this is a product of the distance at which adult children live from their parents. The 2014 survey showed that 67% of adult children live within 100 miles of their parents and that 38% live within ten miles of their parents. However, a full 20% of those surveyed live 1,000 miles or more away from their parents.
1. According to the passage, the relationship between most American old people and their adult children is______.
| A．terrible and distant | B．annoying and difficult |
| C．great and close | D．neither good nor bad |
| A．differ | B．meet | C．exist | D．transfer |
| A．generation gap becomes invisible if old parents and adult children live separately |
| B．relationship between parents and children has become much better than before |
| C．some old parents would rather die because their children are annoyed at them |
| D．living far away may lead to people’s less or no contact with their parents |
6 . In our modern world, when something wears out, we throw it away and buy a new one. The
How did we
Another cause is our
Our appetite for new products also
All around the world, we can see the
Maybe there is another way out. We need to repair our possessions
| A．key | B．reason | C．project | D．problem |
| A．gifts | B．rubbish | C．debt | D．products |
| A．face | B．become | C．observe | D．change |
| A．hide | B．control | C．replace | D．withdraw |
| A．Thanks to | B．As to | C．Except for | D．Regardless of |
| A．safe | B．funny | C．cheap | D．powerful |
| A．love | B．lack | C．prevention | D．division |
| A．sensitive | B．kind | C．brave | D．busy |
| A．ways | B．places | C．jobs | D．friends |
| A．donate | B．receive | C．produce | D．preserve |
| A．adapts | B．returns | C．responds | D．contributes |
| A．tired of | B．addicted to | C．worried about | D．ashamed for |
| A．newer | B．stronger | C．higher | D．larger |
| A．pick up | B．pay for | C．hold onto | D．throw away |
| A．advantages | B．purposes | C．functions | D．consequences |
| A．show | B．record | C．decrease | D．measure |
| A．technology | B．environment | C．consumers | D．brands |
| A．However | B．Otherwise | C．Therefore | D．Meanwhile |
| A．by | B．in favour of | C．after | D．instead of |
| A．spending | B．collecting | C．repairing | D．advertising |
