— Hello, may I speak to Mr. Wu?
— I’m afraid he is not in now. ______ I take a message?
A. Should B. Can C. Will D. Shall
An old woman had two large pots (罐), one on each end of a pole (扁担). She carried the pole with the pots across her neck.
One of the pots had a crack (裂缝) in it while the other pot was perfect and always delivered (递送) a full pot of water. At the end of the long walk from the well to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half-full.
For two years this happened daily, with the woman bringing home only one and a half pots of water. Of course, the perfect pot was proud. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection.
One day, the cracked pot spoke to the woman by the well: “I am ashamed of myself because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house.”
The old woman smiled: “Did you notice that there are flowers on your side of the path, but not on the other pot’s side? That’s because I have always known about your crack, so I planted flower seeds on your side of the path. And every day while we walk back, you water them.”
“For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate (装饰) the table. Without you being just the way you are, I would not have this beauty.”
Each of us has our own cracks. But it’s these cracks that make our lives together so interesting and meaningful.
1.How did the cracked pot feel about itself at first?
A. Proud. B. Happy. C. Excited. D. Ashamed.
2.Where were the flowers growing?
A. On both sides of the path.
B. In the woman’s house.
C. On the perfect pot’s side.
D. On the cracked pot’s side.
3.Which is the correct order of the following events?
① The woman picked the flowers and decorated the table.
② The woman told the truth to the cracked pot.
③ The cracked pot talked to the woman about its crack.
④ The woman found a crack on one pot.
⑤ The woman planted some flower seeds.
A. ④⑤①③② B. ⑤④③②①
C. ④③①②⑤ D. ④⑤③①②
4.What does the passage mainly want to tell us?
A. Never laugh at old women.
B. Imperfection makes life meaningful.
C. Try your best to be perfect in life.
D. Don’t use a cracked pot to carry water.
Why do Chinese people love hot pot so much? As the winter months begin to settle in, I find myself wondering what it is about this traditional meal, which has existed for more than 1，000 years, that makes it a Chinese food favorite．But it seems that the answer lies beyond the dish itself．
Hot pot isn't just designed to keep you warm during the cold months; it's also a social experience．It's a "theater” cuisine that turns a meal into an event．There is a lot of fun for everyone to have in adding ingredients to the hot pot．
Hot pot is eaten over two to three hours．For this reason, it is often, considered an evening's entertainment, and time to spend with friends and family．However, many westerners would be put off by the idea of other people sticking chopsticks in their food．When we come to eat at the table in the UK, we tend to have our own individual portions （份额）, although the experience is still a social one．
A similar experience to the hot pot one can be found in Korean barbecue restaurants, which let you cook your own meat．This allows people to have their meat done however they want．
For most Westerners, the idea of going to a restaurant to cook their own food is bizarre （古怪的）．But having given hot pot a go, I find it's now one of my favorite meals in Beijing．The steam from the pot left my clothes smelling of food when I got home, but perhaps this is also part of the experience．When the chilly （刺骨的） wind is blowing outside, just grab （抓） some chopsticks, some good friends, and dig in．For me it's like throwing a dinner party where my taste buds （味蕾） and my appetite are equally satisfied in the warm company of friends．
1.According to the author, hot pot is popular in China because ________．
A．it is a fun social experience
B．it has been developing for over 1,000 years
C．it involves many unique ingredients
D．it keeps people warm in winter and it is creative
2.We can conclude from the article that generally British people _______.
A．prefer a Korean barbecue to Chinese hot pot
B．find it interesting to cook their own food in restaurants
C．don't like sharing food with others
D．don't mind the smell of food staying on their clothes after dinner
3.The underlined word "put off" in the third paragraph probably means _____
A．excited B．disappointed C．puzzled D．discouraged
4.What is the tone of the article?
A．Appreciative B. Longing C．Humorous．D．Serious．
In some urban centers, workaholism is so common that people do not consider it unusual．They accept the lifestyle as normal．Government workers in Washington D．C．, for example, frequently work sixty to seventy hours a week．They do this because they have to; they do it because they want to．
Workaholism can be a serious problem．Because true workaholics would rather work than do anything else, they probably don't know
how to relax; that is, they might not enjoy movies, sports, or other
types of entertainment．Most of all, they hate to sit and do nothing．The lives of workaholics are usually stressful, and this tension and worry can cause health problems such as heart attacks or stomach ulcers．In addition, typical workaholics don't pay much attention to their
families．They spend little time with their children, and their marriages may end in divorce．
Is workaholism always dangerous? Perhaps not．There are, certainly, people who work well under stress．Some studies show that many workaholics have great energy and interest in life．Their work is so pleasurable that they are actually very happy．For most workaholics, work and entertainment are the same thing．Their jobs provide them with a challenge; this keeps them busy and creative．
Why do workaholics enjoy their jobs so much? There are several advantages to work．It provides people with paychecks, and this is important．But it offers more than financial security It provides people with self-confidence; they have a feeling of satisfaction when they have produced a challenging piece of work and are able to say," I made that．" Psychologists claim that work gives people an identity; by working, they get a sense of self and individualism．In addition, most jobs provide people with a socially acceptable way to meet others．
1.A workaholic is a person who____．
A． tends to work long hours
B． behaves in a strange way
C． has to do many social jobs
D． holds high social positions
2.What can be the problem of workaholism?
A． Being late．
B． Being lazy．
C． Being hopeless．
D． Being unhealthy．
3.According to some studies, most workaholics .
A． live a hard life
B． regard work as something enjoyable
C． like to be under stress
D． are good at both work and entertainment
4.What are the advantages one can get by working according to the text?
a． popularity b． satisfaction c． good payment
d． self-confidence e． higher positions f． social acceptation
A． a; b; d; e B． b; c; e; f C． a; c; d; f D． b; c; d; f
Mr. Glen is a millionaire. Years ago, after returning from abroad to his motherland, he his company. Speaking of success, Glen often tells us a story about his extra expensive “school” fee. He always his success to it.
At that time, Glen, who already got a Ph.D. degree, to return home, starting a company. Before leaving, he bought a Rolex watch with the made through years. At the airport he had to accept the customs check. The watch on his wrist was also demanded to be taken down for . Glen knew that carrying such goods out had to pay the tax, and he worried about paying for his watch. So while checked, he told a lie that his watch was a fake（假货）. When he was of his “smarts”, immediately, in the presence of Glen, the officers hit the watch, which nearly 100,000, into pieces hearing Glen’s words. Glen was . Before he understood why, he was taken to the office to be examined . For many times of entry-exit he knew that only those people in the “blacklist” would “enjoy” this special treatment. The officers looked over everything carefully, and him no matter what time of entry and exit he must accept the check and if reusing and carrying fake goods, he would be by law! Suddenly, his face turned red, and he had nothing in mind after boarding the plane for long.
After that, he often told the story to his family and his employees. He said that this made a deep on him, because the additional high “school” fee that he had ever paid made him realize the value of , which he would remember as the of his success forever.
1.A. went up B. set up C. took up D. picked up
2.A. owes B. mentions C. brings D. honors
3.A. objected B. refused C. decided D. asked
4.A. books B. things C. pounds D. savings
5.A. ordinary B. regular C. routine D. common
6.A. inspection B. look C. test D. experiment
7.A. it B. one C. them D. these
8.A. careless B. priceless C. hopeless D. worthless
9.A. afraid B. ashamed C. proud D. hard
10.A. spent B. paid C. cost D. took
11.A. at B. on C. in D. by
12.A. amazed B. delighted C. disappointed D. satisfied
13.A. strictly B. quietly C. quickly D. curiously
14.A. conditions B. chances C. experiments D. experiences
15.A. stopped B. warned C. urged D. hoped
16.A. found out B. came out C. sent out D. set out
17.A. hit B. charged C. praised D. blamed
18.A. expression B. idea C. thought D. impression
19.A. lies B. honesty C. goods D. bravery
20.A. choice B. lesson C. secret D. belief
Have you ever dreamed of staging a concert, thousands of people are applauding and appreciating your music?
A . at which B. when C. for which D. which
