People often said Thomas Edison was the greatest genius of his age. There are only a few men in all of history, who have changed the lives of other men as much as the inventor of the first useful electric light. But Edison could never be pleased only because someone said he was a genius. "There is no such thing as genius," Edison said. He thought what people called genius was mostly hard work.
But Edison was a dreamer as well as a worker. From his earliest days as a child he wondered about the secrets of nature. He tried to understand them, and then he tried to learn what he could usefully do with them.
Edison enjoyed thinking. He knew that most people would do almost anything instead of the difficult work of thinking, especially if they do not think very often. But he knew, too, that thinking could give men enjoyment and pleasure.
Edison could not understand how anyone could not be interested in life. As he loved to think, he also loved to work. On the day he became 75 years old, someone asked him what idea he had about life. “Work,” he answered, “Discovering the secrets of nature and using them to make men happier.” He said he had enough inventions in his mind to give him another 100 years of work.
1.According to Thomas Edison, what's genius?
|
A．Hard thinking. |
B．Useful inventions |
|
C．Useful dreams. |
D．Hard work. |
2.After exploring the secrets of nature, Edison always tried to______．
|
A．make them useful in life |
|
B．carry out a new experiment |
|
C．write down what he had learnt |
|
D．share them with others |
3.Edison could not understand______.
|
A．how anybody enjoyed life |
|
B．how anybody loved working |
|
C．why anybody loved thinking |
|
D．why anybody was tired of life |
4.The underlined sentence in the last paragraph means that______．
|
A．Edison was able to live another 100 years |
|
B．life was too short for Edison to work for human beings |
|
C．Edison was born to be a great inventor |
|
D．Edison was ready to make his l00th invention |
Americans Spend Their Free Time In Various Ways
America is a country of sports—of hunting，fishing and swimming，and of team sports like baseball and football．Millions of Americans watch their favorite sports on television．They also like to play in community orchestras(管弦乐队)，make their own films or recordings，go camping，visit museums，attend lectures，travel，garden，read，and join in hundreds of other activities．The people also enjoy building things for their homes，sewing their own clothes，even making their own photographs．They do these things for fun as well as for economy．
But as much as Americans enjoy their free time，the country is at the same time a“self-improvement” country．More than 25 million adults continue their education，chiefly by going to school in the evening， during their own free time，at their own expense．Added to the time spent on personal activities，Americans a1so devote a great amount of their time to the varied needs of their communities．Many hospitals，schools，libraries，museums，parks，community centers，and organizations that assist the poor depend on the many hours citizens devote to these activities，often without any pay. Why do they do it?
There are several answers．The idea of cooperating and sharing responsibility with one another for the benefit of all is as old as the country itself．
When the country was first founded in 1776，it was necessary for the settlers to work together to live．They had crossed dangerous seas and risked all they had in their struggle for political and religious freedom．There remains among many Americans a distrust of central government．People still prefer to do things themselves within their communities，rather than give the government more control．
Sometimes people offer their time because they wish to accomplish something for which no money is paid，to do something that will be of benefit to the entire community．It is true that some people use their leisure because they are truly interested in the work；or they are learning from the experience．
No matter what the reason is，hundreds of thousands of so-called leisure hours are put into hard，unpaid work on one or another community need．
1.The writer mentions the foundation of the country in order to indicate ____．
|
A．the reason for Americans’ willingness to cooperate and share responsibility |
|
B．the American people’s determination to live |
|
C．the American people’s love for freedom |
|
D．the early history of America |
2.Which of the following best explains the meaning of the underlined word “leisure”?
A．work time B. spare time C. energy C. effort
3.This passage is mainly about ________ ．
|
A．how Americans are devoted to their community activities |
|
B．why America is a “self-improvement” country |
|
C．why America is a country of sports |
|
D．how Americans spend their free time |
阅读下面短文，从短文后各题的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出适合填入对应空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该选项涂黑。、
When I was in primary school, I got into a major argument with a boy named Tom in my class. I can’t remember what it was about, 21 I have never forgotten the 22 I learned that day.
I was 23 that I was right and he was wrong--and he was sure that I was wrong and he was right. The 24 decided to teach us a very important lesson. My English teacher, Ms Green 25 both of us up to the 26 of the class and 27 him on one side of her desk and me on 28 . In the middle of her desk was a large, round object. I could 29 see that it was black. She asked the boy what 30 the object was. “White,” he answered.
I couldn’t believe he said the object was white, 31 it was obviously black! Another 32 started between my classmate and me, this time about the 33 of the object.
The teacher told me to go stand where the boy was standing and told him to come stand where I had been. We changed 34 and now she asked me what the color of the object was. I 35 answer, “White.” It was an object with two 36 colored sides, and from his side it was white. 37 from my side was it black.
My teacher taught me a very important lesson that day: You must 38 in the other person’s shoes and look at the 39 through their eyes in order to 40 understand their view.
|
1. |
|
|
2. |
|
|
3. |
|
|
4. |
|
|
5. |
|
|
6. |
|
|
7. |
|
|
8. |
|
|
9. |
|
|
10. |
|
|
11. |
|
|
12. |
|
|
13. |
|
|
14. |
|
|
15. |
|
|
16. |
|
|
17. |
|
|
18. |
|
|
19. |
|
|
20. |
|
At yesterday’s meeting, some are against his plan while others are ______ it, with no agreement reached.
|
A．in favour of |
B．in place of |
C．in search of |
D．in honour of |
The 2012 Summer Olympic Games ______, taking place in London for a third time this summer.
|
A．approaches |
B．to approach |
C．approached |
D．are approaching |
When asked about the secret of his success， he ______ it to his friends’help.
|
A．belonged |
B．donated |
C．owed |
D．gave |
