When middle-aged Alex gave up his job and made up his mind to become a self-empl

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When middle-aged Alex gave up his job and made up his mind to become a self-employed writer, no one could tell surely

whether he would succeed or not．He found a cold storage room in a building, set up a used typewriter and settled down to work．
After a year or so, however, Alex began to doubt himself．He found it was difficult to earn his living by selling what he wrote．But Alex determined to put his dream to the test-even though it meant living with uncertainty and fear of failure．This is the shadow land （虚幻世界） of hope, and anyone with a dream must learn to live there．
One day Alex got a call, "We need an assistant, and we"re paying $ 6,000 a yea

r．" $ 6,000 was real money in 1960．It would enable Alex to get a nice apartment, a used car and more．Besides, he could write in his spare time．As the dollars were dancing in Alex"s head, something cleared his senses．He had dreamed of being a fulltime writer．"Thanks, but no," Alex said firmly and swiftly.
After Alex got off the phone, he pulled out everything he had: two cans of vegetables and 18 cents．Alex put the cans and cents into a paper bag, saying to himself," There"s everything you"ve made of yourself so far．I"m not sure I ever felt so low．"
Finally his work was published in 1970．Instantly he had the kind of fame and success that few writers ever experience．The shadows had turned into focus of attention．
Then one day, Alex found a box filled with things he had owned years before．Inside was a paper bag with two cans and 18 cents．Suddenly he pictured himself working in that cold storage room．It reminds Alex, and anyone with a dream, of the courage and persistence （坚毅） it takes to stay the course (坚持到底)in the shadow land．
小题1:Why did A

lex give up his job?

A．Because he didn"t like the working conditions．

B．Because he couldn"t earn enough to make a living．

C．Because he felt he had no potential in his job．

D．Because he wanted to be a full-time writer．

小题2:What did Alex exp

ress when he answered the call?

A．He refused the job offer．

B．He was willing to give them a hand．

C．He expected them to pay him more money．

D．He would write in his spare time．

小题3:What kind of person is Alex?

A．Determined．

B．Modest．

C．Shy．

D．Brave．

小题4:Which of the following can be the best title of the passage ?

A．Look before you leap．	B．Two heads are better, than one．
C．Hold on to your dream, and it will come true．	D．A bird in hand is worth two in the bush．

答案

小题1:D
小题1:A
小题1:A
小题1:C

解析

略

举一反三

Long bus rides are like television shows. They have a beginning, a middle, and an end with commercials thrown in every three or four minutes. The commercials are unavoidable. They happen whether you want them or not. Every couple of minutes a billboard glides by outside the bus window. "Buy Super Clean Toothpaste.” Drink Good Wet Root Beer.” Fill up with Pacific Gas.” Only if you sleep, which is equal to turning the television set off, are you spared the unending cry of "You Need It! Buy It Now!"
The beginning of the ride is comfortable and somewhat exciting, even if you’ve traveled that way before. Usually some things have changed new houses, new buildings, sometimes even a new road. The bus driver has a style of driving and it’s fun to try to figure it out the first hour or so. If the driver is particularly reckless （鲁莽的） or daring, the ride can be as thrilling （惊心动魄的） as a suspense story. Will the driver pass the truck in time? Will the driver move into the rightor the lefthand lane? After a while, of course, the excitement dies down. Sleeping for a while helps pass the middle hours of the ride. Food always makes bus rides more interesting. But you’ve got to be careful of what kind of food you eat. Too much salty food can make you very thirsty between stops.
The end of the ride is somewhat like the beginning. You know it will soon be over and there’s a kind of expectation and excitement in that. The seat of course, has become harder as the hours have passed. By now you’ve sat with your legs crossed, with your hands in your lap, with your hands on the armrests even with your hands crossed behind your head. The end comes just at no more ways to sit.
小题1:According to the passage, what do the passengers usually see when they are on a long bus trip?

A．Buses on the road.	B．Films on television.
C．Advertisements on the billboards.	D．Gas stations.

小题2:What is the purpose of this passage?

A．To give the writer’s opinion about long bus trips.

B．To persuade you to take a long bus trip.

C．To explain how bus trips and television shows differ.

D．To describe the billboards along the road.

小题3:The writer of this passage would probably favor .

A．bus drivers who aren’t reckless	B．driving alone
C．a television set on the bus	D．no billboards along the road

小题4:The writer feels long bus rides are like TV shows because .

A．the commercials

both on TV shows and on billboards along the road are fun

B．they both have a beginning, a middle, and an end, with commercials in between

C．the drivers are always reckless on TV shows just as they are on buses

D．both traveling and watching TV are not exciting.

小题5:The writer thinks that the end of the ride is somewhat like the beginning because both are .

A．exciting

B．comfortable

C．tiring

D．boring

题型：不详难度：| 查看答案

The iPhone, the iPad, the iPod : each of Apple’s products sounds cool and has become a fad (时尚). Apple has cleverly taken advantage of the power of the letter “i” — and many other brands are following suit. The BBC’s iPlayer — which allows Web users to watch TV programs on the Internet — adopted the title in 2008. A lovely bear — popular in the US and UK — that plays music and video is called “iTeddy”. A slimmed-down version of London’s Independent newspaper came out last week under the name “i”.
In general, single-letter prefixes have been popular since the 1990s, when terms such as e-mail and e-commerce first came into use.
Most “i” products are aimed at young people and considering the major readers of Independent’s “i”, it is no surprise that they’ve selected this fashionable name.
But it’s hard to see what’s so special about the letter “i” . Why not use “a”, “b” or “c” instead? According to Tony Thorne, head of the Language Center at King’s College, London, “i” works because its meaning has become ambiguous. When Apple uses “i”, no one knows whether it means Internet, information, individual or interactive, Thorne told BBC Magazines. “Even when Apple created the iPad, it seems it didn’t have one clear definition ,” he says.
“However, thanks to Apple, the term is now associated with portability (轻便).” adds Thorne.
Clearly the letter “i” also agrees with the idea that the Western World is centered on the individual. Each person believes they have their own needs, and we love personalized products for this reason.
Along with “Google” and “Twitter”, readers of BBC Magazines voted “i” as one of the top 20 words that have come to define the last decade.
But as history shows, fads come and go. From the 1900s to 1990s, products with “2000” in their names became fashionable as the year was associated with all things advanced and modern. However, as we entered the new century, the trend inevitably（不可避免地）disappeared.
小题1:People use iPlayer to ____________.

A．listen to music

B．make a call

C．watch TV programs online

D．read newspapers

小题2:We can infer that the Independent’s “ i ” is aimed at _____________.

A．young readers

B．old readers

C．fashionable women

D．engineers

小题3: Nowadays, the “i” term often reminds people of the products that are ______________.

A．advanced

B．portable

C．recyclable

D．environmentally friendly

小题4:The author of the passage would probably agree that _______________.

A．“i” products are often of high quality	B．all “i” products have something to do with Internet
C．the popularity of “i” products may not last long	D．iTeddy is a live bear

题型：不详难度：| 查看答案

完型填空（共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分）
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从36—55各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。
It’s Saturday morning. Tony’s sitting at the kitchen table,   36   with a piece of bread. He’s not even   37 . Is he ill? No, but he does have a   38 . He has nothing to do because the Internet is down. When he 39 up this morning, Tony was feeling 40 . He jumped out of bed full of plans for the weekend 41 . It would be a weekend like any other --- a great weekend. But that was 42  he turned on his computer and 43 he was unable to go online. Having no Internet changes everything.
Every weekend, Tony   44 goes online to email friends, read the 45  to keep up with what’s happening in the world and 46  a few online chess games with his cousin Helen to finish the weekend off. The perfect weekend --- online!
Just as Tony is 47 how he can possibly have a normal weekend without the Internet, his mum walks into the 48 . “Cheer up, Tony. Don’t  49  the Internet any more, OK?” Tony makes no   50 but sighs (叹气). “Go and play chess with Helen!” Tony’s mum 51 .
“Oh, yes! Helen lives just around the 52 . We can meet and play chess face to face for a 53 . Maybe this weekend won’t be so bad,” Tony   54 , as he walks to the phone. There is 55  without the Internet after all.

小题1:

A．cutting

B．playing

C．eating

D．thinking

小题2:

A．hungry

B．generous

C．equal

D．confident

小题3:

A．lifestyle

B．problem

C．pressure

D．tradition

小题4:

A．dialled

B．rang

C．stood

D．woke

小题5:

A．great

B．peaceful

C．urgent

D．unusual

小题6:

A．around

B．above

C．ahead

D．away

小题7:

A．after

B．before

C．until

D．when

小题8:

A．thought

B．guessed

C．surprised

D．found

小题9:

A．usually

B．nearly

C．especially

D．already

小题10:

A．disasters

B．news

C．reports

D．documents

小题11:

A．admire

B．explore

C．play

D．involve

小题12:

A．suffering

B．wondering

C．realizing

D．supposing

小题13:

A．living-room

B．hall

C．kitchen

D．study

小题14:

A．talk about

B．care about

C．think about

D．look about

小题15:

A．answer

B．progress

C．movement

D．choice

小题16:

A．requests

B．cries

C．solves

D．suggests

小题17:

A．edge

B．distance

C．corner

D．end

小题18:

A．challenge

B．champion

C．ceremony

D．change

小题19:

A．promotes

B．smiles

C．reacts

D．continues

小题20:

A．study

B．task

C．weekend

D．life

题型：不详难度：| 查看答案

The girl looking for the job turned out to be excellent but she ended up giving her employer a headache when it also turned out that she used an unreal diploma(文凭).
In December, a Civil Administration Bureau in the city of Wuhan, Hubei Province, announced that it needed five new staff members. Some 120 people applied and took the exam. Applicants were required to show proof of a college degree at least.
Mei Jing beat everyone in the test and the interview. When a follow-up check was done, however, her education certificate(证书) was discovered to be an unreal one.
This was a bit of an embarrassment for the employers. A dilemma, one might say. If she were hired because of her excellent performance, she still wouldn"t have the qualifications on paper. But, if she were dropped because she didn"t meet the education requirements, they would lose a good worker. Tough problem!
While Mei"s future hangs in the balance, the public having learned of the case got involved. Some people said the Bureau should employ her, since results are the only important thing. “After all, ability is more important than a diploma, ”said one office worker.
Others, however, have attacked Mei"s dishonesty. They said that morality was, after all, more important than talent, especially in the case of a government position. Mei wasn"t honest, so she shouldn"t be hired.
But, Shen Ronghua, the head of the Shanghai Public Administration and Human Resources Institute, tries to be a bit more philosophical.
“There is still a sort of "diploma means this" prejudice among people,” Shen explains, “Many employers regard a diploma as the only sign of ability and talent.”
So, with this in mind, people may pay little attention to whether someone has real ability or not. They turn to chasing a diploma instead. The unreal diploma is the natural product of this thought.
The conclusion? "China needs a new human resource system. The new system will not define a person only by his or her diploma, " Shen says.
小题1:What"s the meaning of the underlined word “dilemma” in Paragraph Four?

A．A problem easy to deal with or solve.

B．A situation in which it is difficult for you to make the decision.

C．A difference in two or more statements, ideas, or stories.

D．Something said or done that is funny.

小题2:What can we infer from this news report?

A．The Civil Administration Bureau of Wuhan employed the girl.

B．The girl was not employed because of dishonesty.

C．It remained to be seen whether the girl was to be employed or not.

D．Another Human Resource Institute employed the girl.

小题3:What does Shen Ronghua mean by saying “diploma means this”?

A．A diploma can tell whether a person is honest or not.

B．A diploma is the only sign of ability and talent.

C．A diploma is what you get after you finish a course.

D．A diploma means a job.

小题4: Which of the following do you think is the best title of this news report?

A．A Girl"s Unlucky Experience.	B．Unreal Diploma.
C．Dishonesty Has Been Attacked.	D．Can A Diploma Be All There Is.

题型：不详难度：| 查看答案

Photos that you might have found down the back of your sofa are now big business!
In 2005, the American artist Richard Prince’s photograph of a photograph, entitled (Cowboy), was sold for $ 1, 248, 000.
Prince is certainly not the only contemporary artist to have worked with so-called “found photographs”—a loose term given to everything from discarded(丢弃的) prints discovered in a junk shop to old advertisements or amateur photographs from a stranger’s family album. The German artist Joachim Schmid, who believes “basically everything is worth looking at”, has gathered discarded photographs, postcards and newspaper images since 1982. In his on-going project, Archiv, he groups photographs of family life according to themes: people with dogs; teams; new cars; dinner with the family; and so on.
Like Schmid, the editors of several self-published art magazines also champion (捍卫) found photographs. One of them, called simply Found, was born one snowy night in Chicago, when Davy Rothbard returned to his car to find under his wiper(雨刷) an angry note intended for someone else: “Why’s your car HERE at HER place?” The note became the starting point for Rothbard’s addictive publication, which features found photographs sent in by readers, such as a poster discovered in your drawer.
The whole found-photograph phenomenon has raised some questions. Perhaps one of the most difficult is: can these images really be considered as art? And if so, whose art? Yet found photographs produced by artists, such as Richard Prince, may raise endless possibilities. What was the cowboy in Prince’s Untitled doing? Was he riding his horse hurriedly to meet someone? Or how did Prince create this photograph? It’s anyone’s guess. In addition, as we imagine the back-story to the people in the found photographs artists, like Schmid, have collated (整理), we also turn toward our own photographic albums. Why is memory so important to us? Why do we all seek to freeze in time the faces of our children, our parents, our lovers, and ourselves? Will they mean anything to anyone after we’ve gone?
In the absence of established facts, the vast collections of found photographs give our minds an opportunity to wander freely. That, above all, is why they are so fascinating.
小题1:The first paragraph of the passage is used to _________.

A．remind readers of found photographs

B．advise reader to start a new kind of business

C．ask readers to find photographs behind sofa

D．show readers the value of found photographs

小题2:The underlined word “them” in Para 4 refers to __________.

A．the readers	B．the editors
C．the found photographs	D．the self-published magazines

小题3:By asking a series of questions in Para 5, the author mainly intends to indicate that ________.

A．memory of the past is very important to people

B．found photographs allow people to think freely

C．the back-story of found photographs is puzzling

D．the real value of found photographs is questionable

小题4:The author’s attitude towards found photographs can be described as _________.

A．critical

B．doubtful

C．optimistic

D．satisfied

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