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| When I first came to the USA, I made friends with a neighbor who used to live only two blocks away from my street. This friend taught me a lot about American __1__, but in some __2__I had to learn the hard way, because we didn't have enough time together for me to learn all about American customs from him. One day this same friend invited me to a party. It wasn't a (n)__3__party, only some kind of informal gettogether. Since it was summer time he had a cookout where most of his American friends and relatives were known to me, but there were others I had never met before. It was the most __4__party for me when I noticed that. Everybody was wearing jeans and simple Tshirts for the day,__5__I arrived in proper dress with my shoes and my hair all fixed for a fancy party. It was hard to __6__my embarrassment to the other guests. When one of them turned around and said, "What nice clothes! What's the occasion?" I felt my __7__ burning hot. I didn't answer at all. If she knew how bad I already felt, she wouldn't have come near me. But she did. Maybe she didn't ask __8__to make me feel bad or uncomfortable, but my reaction had to do with the way I already felt.I could have told her I had to go to another party afterward, but I did not want to continue the __9__. Many times I thought of going home and __10__but I knew they would notice. It would be even __11__for me because I knew they would quickly think that I felt out of __12__. So I wanted to pretend that I was OK. I have already realized their customs are different from mine, but after I talked to my friend, I was more convinced that people here are more __13__. They care less about formality __14__it is a special occasion, like a __15__or a very formal invitation. | ||||
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| 语法填空 A man recognized as a genius in business circles was invited as an honor guest to a TV interview. Everybody was eager to hear a success story from him. He,1.________, only said with a slight smile: "Wouldn't it be better for me to ask you for 2.________ (advise) on a certain problem?" Here is the problem he raised: "People all rushed to the place 3.________a gold mine had recently been discovered but they were blocked by a river 4.________ (flow) across the only way to it. What would you do if you 5.________ (be) among them?" "Make a roundabout way," someone suggested. "Swim across," said another. The genius smiled 6.________ a word. Then he gave his view: "Why not do 7.________ else instead of rushing to the mine? How about buying a boat to do some ferrying?" The audience was shocked. He explained calmly: "The man could make 8.________ great amount of money from the passengers. They were willing to pay for the ferry 9.________ there was gold on the other bank." Do what others have not thought to do or something never attempted before-that is the key 10.________success. A difficult circumstance, in the eyes of a wise man, often means a potential chance for success. |
| 阅读理解 |
| Prolonging human life has increased the size of the human population. Many people alive today would have died of childhood diseases if they had been born 100 years ago. Because more people live longer, there are more people around at any given time. In fact, it is a decrease in death rates, not an increase in birthrates, that has led to the population explosion. Prolonging human life has also increased the dependency load. In all societies, people who are disabled or too young or too old to work are dependent on the rest of society to provide for them. In hunting and gathering cultures, old people who could not keep up might be left behind to die. In times of famine, infants might be allowed to die because they could not survive if their parents starved, where as if the parents survived they could have another child. In most contemporary (当代的)societies, people feel a moral obligation to keep people alive whether they can work or not. We have a great many people today who live past the age at which they want to work or are able to work; we also have rules which require people to retire at a certain age. Unless these people were able to save money for their retirement, somebody else must support them. In the United States many retired people live on social security checks which are so little that they must live in near poverty. Older people have more illnesses than young or middleaged people: unless they have wealth or private or government insurance, they must often "go on welfare" if they have a serious illness. When older people become senile (衰老的)or too weak and ill to care for themselves,they create grave problems for their families. In the past and in some traditional cultures, they would be cared for at home until they died. Today, with most members of a household working or in school,there is often no one at home who can care for a sick or weak person. To meet this_need, a great many nursing homes and convalescent (疗养的)hospitals have been built. These are often profit making organizations, although some are sponsored by religious and other nonprofit groups. While a few of these institutions are good, most of them are simply "dumping (倒垃圾的)grounds" for the dying in which "care" is given by poorly paid, overworked, and under skilled personnel. |
| 1. The author believes that the population explosion results from______. |
| A. an increase in birthrates B. the industrial development C. a decrease in death rates D. human beings' cultural advances |
| 2. It can be inferred from the passage that in hunting and gathering cultures ________. |
| A. it was a moral responsibility for the families to keep alive the aged people who could not work B. the survival of infants was less important than that of their parents in times of starvation C. old people were given the task of imparting the cultural wisdom of the tribe to new generations D. death was celebrated as a time of rejoicing for an individual freed of the hardships of life |
| 3. According to the passage, which of the following statements about the old people in the United States is TRUE? |
| A. Many of them live on social security money which is hardly enough. B. Minority of them remain in a state of near poverty after their retirement. C. When they reach a certain age, compulsory retirement is necessary and beneficial. D. With the growing inflation, they must suffer more from unbearable burdens than ever. |
| 4. The phrase "this need" in Paragraph 3 refers to ________ |
| A. prolonging the dying old people's lives B. reducing the problems caused by the retired people C. making profits through caring for the sick or weak people D. taking care of the sick or weak people |
| 5. Which of the following BEST describes the author's attitude toward most of the nursing homes and convalescent hospitals? |
| A. Sympathetic. B. Approving. C. Optimistic. D. Critical. |
| Nikos Kaklamanakis will go down as one of the best windsurfing athletes the world has ever known. Nikos was the winner of the Gold Medal in the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. Another three athletes also won gold medals for Greece. This marked an important stage for Greece, since it was the first time in the country's history to bring home four gold medals in a single Olympic Games. According to Nikos Kaklamanakis' official website, he says his "entire life is a journey. Set a goal, and give my heart to achieve it. "He further notes that he is not afraid of challenges, nor does he ever want challenges to end. Particularly impressive about Nikos is that throughout his life, he has spent more time at sea than on land. Called by many journalists as the "gios tou anemou", which means "the son of wind," Nikos was honored as the silver medalist at the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens. He also won the gold medals in the Mistral World Championships three times, in 1996, 2000 and 2001 separately. Nikos received praise from the Greek Sports Press Association. At the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Kaklamanakis served as the flagbearer for Greece at the closing ceremony. Lastly, serving as a torchbearer, Nikos was the first athlete to enter the Olympic stadium in the opening ceremony of the 2000 Olympic Games. Nikos received the greatest honor of lighting the Olympic torch in the opening ceremony of the 2004 Summer Olympic Games that were held in Athens, Greece. At 42, Kaklamanakis shows no signs of slowing down. On August 31, 2009 Nikos won another world championship gold medal. This shows greatly that Nikos is like "fine wine". He only gets better with age! Generally Nikos is a man with strength and willpower. He is living proof that nothing is impossible as long as you stay focused and give your heart and soul to achieve your goal. |
| 1. What can we learn about Nikos Kaklamanakis from the passage? |
| A. He is a swimming athlete and practices hard. B. He is the best windsurfing athlete in the world. C. He has won three medals altogether till now. D. He brought great honor to his motherland in 1996. |
| 2. What makes people admire Nikos is that ________. |
| A. he practices very hard B. he sets a very high goal C. he fears no challenges D. he is "the son of wind" |
| 3. Which gives Nikos the highest honor according to the author? |
| A. His serving as a torchbearer. B. His serving as the flagbearer. C. His lighting the Olympic torch. D. His being praised by radio. |
| 4. It can be inferred that ________. |
| A. his courage disappears with age B. the older he is,the better he performs C. he has fallen behind other athletes now D. he is in poor health at present |
| 5. What is the secret of Nikos Kaklamanakis' success? |
| A. Working hard to realize the goal he sets. B. The support from his friends and family. C. The love for windsurfing. D. Paying attention to his goal all the time. |
| 6. 用30词左右概括文章大意 ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ |