Every time Lionel Messi breaks a record, it seems appropriate to compare him to the legends that came before him.
In 2012, he rewrote soccer history on multiple occasions, and his latest record came when he scored his 86th goal of the calendar year, breaking Gerd Muller’s previous mark, before wrapping up the year with 91 goals.
All statistics indicate that Messi is currently the best player in the world, and that he will go down in history as the top footballer of his generation. But when he is judged against all-time greats like Pele and Diego Maradona, he still has work to do.
We don’t know whether the Barcelona striker will have another year in which he records more than 90 goals, but he must still sustain(维持)a similar level of production for the next several seasons.
Messi has already taken part in three of Barcelona’s victorious Champions League(冠军联赛)campaigns, and he played an important role in two of them. In order to firmly establish himself as the greatest club football player in history, he must win the tournament a few more times.
Most importantly, the Argentine(阿根廷人)needs to win on the international stage. Regardless of what Messi does for Barcelona, his legacy will be incomplete if he cannot win the World Cup with Argentina.
Both Pele and Maradona led their countries to the top of international soccer during their careers, and Messi’s performances for his country have been severely disappointing.
While he was still a teenager in 2006-and his lackluster(平淡的)showing is excusable due to his youth-he cannot brush off the disappointment that characterized Argentina’s performance in 2010.
But the 4-0 loss to Germany in the 2010 World Cup Quarter Final seems to have sparked Messi. He scored 12 times for Argentina last year, and the next World Cup could finally be Messi’s breakout performance in blue and white stripes.
Due to all of his accomplishments, it is easy to forget that the extraordinary footballer is just 25 years old. If he can avoid injury or lengthy slumps(低潮状态)until his speed and skills start to decline due to age, he may continue to break records and win trophies.
1.What will Messi have to do in order to be complete in his soccer career?
A. He must win the World Cup with Argentina.
B. He must win the tournament a few more times.
C. He must defeat Pele and Maradona.
D. He must avoid injury or lengthy slumps.
2.How was Messi’s performance in 2010 World Cup?
A. Excellent.
B. Inspiring.
C. Disappointing.
D. Normal.
3.What can we infer from the passage?
A. Messi has firmly established himself as the greatest club soccer player in history.
B. Messi will try his best to win the next World Cup with Argentina.
C. Messi can avoid injury and lengthy slumps to break records and win trophies.
D. Pele and Maradona led their countries to the top of international soccer during their careers.
4.What is the best title of the passage?
A. Lionel Messi, the Best Soccer Player of All Time
B. Lionel Messi, the Greatest Soccer Player in History
C. Barcelona and Lionel Messi
D. World Cup and Lionel Messi
Move Earth—It’s Not Science Fiction
LONDON—Scientists have found an unusual way to prevent our planet from overheating: move it to a cooler spot. All you have to do is send a few comets(彗星)in the direction of Earth, and its orbit will be changed. Our world will then be sent spinning into a safer, colder part of the solar system.
This idea for improving our climate comes from a group of US National Aeronautics and Space Administration(NASA)engineers and American astronomers. They say their plan could add another six billion years to the useful lifetime of our planet—effectively doubling its working life.
The plan put forward by Dr. Laughlin, and his colleagues Don Korycansky and Fred Adams, needs carefully directing a comet or asteroid so that it passes close by our planet and sends some of its gravitational energy to Earth.
“Earth’s orbital speed would increase as a result and we would move to a higher orbit away from the Sun, ”Laughlin said.
Engineers would then direct their comet so that it passed close to Jupiter or Saturn. The comet would pick up energy from one of these giant planets. Later its orbit would bring it back to Earth, and the process would be repeated.
In the short term, the plan provides an ideal way to global warming, although the team was actually concerned with a much greater danger. The Sun is certain to heat up in about a billion years and so“seriously compromise” our biosphere(生物圈)—by cooking us.
That’s why the group decided to try to save Earth.
The plan has one or two worrying aspects, however. For a start, space engineers would have to be very careful about how they directed their asteroid or comet towards Earth. The smallest miscalculation(误算)in orbit could fire it straight at Earth—with deadly consequences.
There is also the question of the Moon. As the current issue of Scientific American magazine points out, if Earth was pushed out of its current position, it is“most likely the Moon would be stripped away from Earth”. This would greatly change our planet’s climate.
1.What makes the scientists plan to move Earth?
A. A few comets are moving to the direction of Earth.
B. Earth’s working life is coming to an end soon.
C. Earth will become too hot for mankind to keep alive.
D. The moon is moving farther and farther away from Earth.
2.If the plan is successful, Earth will have a working life of years.
A. 12 billion B. 6 billion
C. 18 billion D. 24 billion
3.What serious problems might the plan cause according to the passage?
A. The comet might hit Earth and man might lose the Moon.
B. Earth might be moved too far away and man might be frozen to death.
C. The comet might hit Jupiter or Saturn and never return to Earth.
D. Earth’s working life might be greatly shortened.
4.What does the underlined word“compromise”mean?
A. Provide. B. Benefit.
C. Share. D. Endanger.
Beware of those who use the truth to deceive(欺骗). When someone tells you something that is , but leaves out important information that should be , he can create a false impression.
For example, someone might say, “I just a hundred dollars on the lottery. It was great. I took that dollar ticket back to the store and it in for one hundred dollars!”
This guy is a winner, ? Maybe, maybe not. We then discover that he bought two hundred , and only one was a winner. He’s really a big !
He didn’t say anything that was , but he deliberately left out some important . That’s called a half-truth. Half-truths are not technically , but they are just as not .
Untrustworthy candidates in campaigns often use this tactic(手段). Let’s say that during Governor Smith’s last term, the state lost one million jobs and three million jobs. Then she another term. One of her opponents runs an ad , “During Governor Smith’s term, the state lost one million jobs!”That’s true. , an honest statement would have been, “During Governor Smith’s term, the state had a net gain of million jobs. ”
Advertisers will sometimes use half-truths. It’s the law to make false claims so they try to mislead you with the . An ad might boast, “Nine out of ten doctors recommend Yucky Pills to cure nose pimples. ”It to mention that they only asked ten doctors and nine of them work for the Yucky Corporation.
This kind of deception happens too often. It’s a sad fact of life: Lies are lies, and sometimes the truth can lie as well.
1.A. falseB. true
C. interestingD. boring
2.A. includedB. contained
C. ignoredD. referred
3.A. lostB. found
C. donatedD. won
4.A. changedB. took
C. turnedD. made
5.A. rightB. wellC. reallyD. though
6.A. booksB. papers
C. ticketsD. balls
7.A. winnerB. loser
C. fighterD. thinker
8.A. trueB. real
C. doubtfulD. false
9.A. detailsB. information
C. mistakesD. errors
10.A. storiesB. truth
C. messagesD. lies
11. A. pleasantB. exciting
C. honestD. clever
12.A. politicalB. commercial
C. personalD. public
13.A. stoppedB. found
C. avoidedD. gained
14.A. seeksB. gets
C. achievesD. searches
15.A. writingB. telling
C. sayingD. speaking
16.A. OtherwiseB. However
C. MeanwhileD. Because
17. A. oneB. twoC. threeD. four
18.A. forB. to
C. againstD. in
19.A. wordsB. facts
C. dataD. truth
20.A. failsB. tries
C. managesD. plans
I’m a straight-A student and have been my whole life. When you come from a family of educators, it just seems .
With high academic standards and a competitive , I don’t just like losing and I also can’t it. I need to beat the students, perfectly in everything. I’ve even gone so far as to define myself by my , saying how outstanding I am. If I don’t get the grade I then I am lost.
Today I was sitting in class trying to the last minutes studying for a test in which I had to get full marks. the girl behind me started talking to me, I tried to listen while still glancing at my study sheet . When I thought the conversation required it, I smiled, nodded and . And then I found myself wishing she would be so I could study. After a while, she said, “You know, you’re a really good . You’re so easy to talk to. ”I froze.
I replayed the praise in my head before smiling and accepting it . But inside, I knew it wasn’t true. She’d made every effort to have a conversation and I wasn’t even trying to .
I passed the test excellently despite my of lost study time, but the one thing I needed to learn most wasn’t on that test. I had being the best student so that I had failed at just being normal. So what to me most? What I have is all about my personal and about me being too self-centered. There can only be so many scholars, but there is enough sympathy. I want that to be what matters to me—sympathy.
1.A. usualB. helpless
C. unfortunateD. natural
2.A. spiritB. sport
C. schoolD. market
3.A. takeB. recommend
C. standD. help
4. A. ordinaryB. top
C. handsomeD. strong
5.A. strengthB. appearance
C. gradesD. tricks
6.A. inventB. expect
C. copyD. hide
7.A. saveB. spend
C. collectD. cost
8.A. WhenB. AfterC. BecauseD. Before
9. A. rudelyB. bitterly
C. excitedlyD. politely
10. A. in no timeB. on time
C. for a long timeD. now and then
11.A. refusedB. worked
C. agreedD. waited
12. A. quietB. gentle
C. prettyD. safe
13. A. talkerB. listener
C. lecturerD. teacher
14.A. angrilyB. carelessly
C. disappointedlyD. gladly
15. A. alarmB. gather
C. participateD. shout
16.A. fearB. joy
C. worryD. possession
17. A. given upB. focused on
C. complained ofD. dreamed of
18. A. happensB. matters
C. appealsD. devotes
19. A. successB. failure
C. depressionD. health
20.A. alwaysB. everC. muchD. never
The purpose of a letter of application(求职信)is to help you to“sell”yourself. It should state the job you want, and should tell what your abilities are and what you have . It should be simple, human, personal and brief without out any necessary facts.
In writing a letter of application, keep in that the things a possible employer is most to want to know about are your qualifications(条件), your achievements and your aims. The opening paragraph is perhaps the most important part. the first few sentences fail to the reader’s attention, the rest of the letter may not be at all. Try to key your opening remarks to the needs or interests of the employer not your own need or desires. For example, instead of beginning with “I saw your in today’s newspaper”, you might say“I have made a careful of your advertising during the past six months”or“I have made a survey in my neighborhood to find out how many housewives your product and why they like it. ”
Try to generalities(概述). Be clear about the kind of job for which you are now . College graduates looking for their first positions often ask“What can I in a letter? Employers want experience—which, naturally, no has. ”The answer is that everything you have ever done is .
It is important to write a good strong closing for your letter. a specific request for an interview or give the possible employer something definite to do or expect. An excellent is to enclose(内附)a stamped, self-addressed envelope with your letter. That makes it for a possible employer to get in touch with you.
1.A. easilyB. carefully
C. obviouslyD. clearly
2.A. doneB. found
C. knownD. heard
3. A. sendingB. leaving
C. takingD. picking
4.A. brainB. sight
C. mindD. order
5.A. probableB. possible
C. ableD. likely
6.A. WhileB. Although
C. IfD. As
7.A. winB. pay
C. showD. fix
8.A. keptB. read
C. writtenD. continued
9. A. fromB. for
C. intoD. to
10.A. articleB. report
C. advertisementD. introduction
11. A. watchB. study
C. searchD. discussion
12.A. useB. make
C. sellD. change
13. A. gainB. rememberC. protectD. avoid
14.A. applyingB. losing
C. preparingD. fitting
15.A. offerB. supply
C. provideD. mean
16. A. workerB. manager
C. ownerD. beginner
17.A. successB. experience
C. practiceD. development
18.A. StateB. Ask
C. MakeD. Get
19.A. resultB. idea
C. promiseD. decision
20. A. easierB. happier
C. cheaperD. safer
The “Doorman”
On a trip to California, my family stopped for lunch. As we walked toward the entrance to the restaurant, a man, with a beard and dirty hair, jumped up from a bench and opened the door for us. Regardless of his , he greeted us in a friendly way.
Once inside, my daughters whispered, “Mom, he . ”After we ordered our lunch, I explained, telling the kids to look the dirt. We then watched other customers approach the restaurant but many him. Seeing this rudeness truly upset me. The day I became a mother, I had resolved to set a good to my children. Yet sometimes when things didn’t go right, being a good example was . When our meal arrived, I realized I had left the car-sick pills in the truck. With the windiest trip ahead, the kids needed them, so I myself from the meal and went to get them.
Just then, the “doorman” was opening the door for a couple. They rushed past him without even acknowledging his . Letting them in first, I said a loud “thank you” to him as I .
When I returned, we talked a bit. He said he was not allowed inside he purchased food. I went back and told my family his . Then I asked our waitress to add one soup and sandwich. The kids looked as we had already eaten, but when I said the order was for the“doorman”, they smiled. When it was time to our trip, I noticed the“doorman”enjoying his meal. Upon seeing me, he stood up and thanked me heartily. He then his hand for a handshake and I gratefully accepted. I suddenly noticed the tears in his eyes—tears of . What happened next drew great astonishment: I gave the“doorman”a . He pulled away, with tears down his face.
Back in truck, I fell into deep thought. While we can’t choose many things in life, we can choose when to show gratitude(感恩). I said thanks to a man who had help open a door for me, and also said thanks for that to teach my children by example.
1.A. heavyB. long
C. messyD. grey
2.A. serviceB. appearance
C. statusD. attitude
3.A. smokesB. smiles
C. sniffsD. smells
4.A. beyondB. over
C. aroundD. into
5.A. hatedB. ignored
C. missedD. refused
6.A. targetB. rule
C. recordD. example
7.A. stressfulB. authentic
C. awkwardD. tough
8.A. excusedB. freed
C. preventedD. withdrew
9.A. companyB. presence
C. effortD. attempt
10. A. quittedB. marched
C. exitedD. approached
11.A. beforeB. unless
C. thoughD. since
12.A. storyB. deed
C. experienceD. demand
13. A. concernedB. shocked
C. puzzledD. bored
14.A. makeB. start
C. takeD. continue
15.A. liftedB. washed
C. raisedD. waved
16. A. approvalB. affectionC. sympathyD. gratitude
17. A. hugB. nod
C. liftD. clap
18. A. slippingB. streaming
C. rushingD. breaking
19. A. firmlyB. instantly
C. simplyD. politely
20.A. journeyB. wisdom
C. opportunityD. challenge
