Life gets noisier every day and very few people can be free from noise of some sort or another. It doesn’t matter where you live－ in the middle of a modern city, or a faraway village the chances that you will be disturbed by jet aeroplanes, transistor radios, oil-powered engines, etc, are almost everywhere. We seem to be getting used to noise, too. Some people feel quite lonely without background music while they are working.
Scientific tests have shown that total silence can be very frightening experience for human beings. However, some people enjoy listening to pop music which is very loud, and this can do harm to their eardrums(耳鼓). The noise level in some disco is far above the usual safety level for heavy industrial areas.
One recent report about noise and concentration(专心) suggested that although a lot of people say that any noise disturbs their concentration , what really affects their ability to concentrate is a change in the level of noise. It goes on to say that a background noise, which doesn’t change too much (music, for example ) may even help people to concentrate.
1.The best title for this passage is________.
A. Noisy Life B. Background Noise
C. Disturbed Concentration D. Changeable Noise
2.From this passage, the pollution of noise__________.
A. doesn’t matter much
B. has become worse everywhere
C. has become better in big cities
D. has become better in villages
3.“Background music” in the passage means___________.
A. music played in the concert
B. a kind of noise coming into your ears
C. music helps people to concentrate
D. music played while people are working
4.Scientists have discovered that what prevents people from concentrating is _________.
A. any kind of noise
B. great changes in level of noise
C. background noise
D. various background music
Mr Parker was born in a small village. His father was so poor that he couldn’t send him to school. The boy had to help his parents to do some farming and learned English and maths by himself when he was free. Later on he was made to leave his home village and hoped to find a job in a city. And as soon as war broke out, he joined the army(军队). He couldn’t forget his terrible past and fought with the enemies bravely(勇敢的). So he became a general when he was fifty. He was honest and friendly to his soldiers and often punished those who tried to pocket a portion of the soldiers’ pay(克扣军饷). And his soldiers liked him very much.
Once Mr Parker heard from a soldier. In the letter the young man said the food in their military camp(军营)was very bad and he wished the general could go to find out the reasons. The old man went there at once without telling anybody. He went in the kitchen and examined everything carefully and found it was very dirty. Then he went in the soldiers’ bedrooms and found there were a lot of fleas. He became angry and asked the soldiers, “What do you think of your food, young men?”
The soldiers saw their officer standing by the general and said nothing. Only a new soldier said, “Very bad, sir!”
“What did you have for lunch today?” asked Mr Parker.
“A fried chicken, some fish and pork, a cake, six eggs and I had three cups of wine(酒).”
“Really?” Mr. Parker called out in surprise. “It’s the King’s(国王)lunch, I think!”
“So do I, General,” said the young man. “But it’s my birthday today. I paid three hundred dollars for them all in the restaurant!”
1.Mr. Parker was respected because .
A. he was strict with the officers
B. he cared about his soldiers
C. he was friendly to everybody
D. he paid attention to the soldiers letters
2.Mr. Parker went to the military camp to .
A. look for the soldier who wrote to him
B. punish the cooks
C. inspect the kitchens
D. find out if the matter in the letter was true
3.The soldiers didn’t say anything because .
A. they were afraid of the general
B. they thought their foods were good
C. the officer followed the general
D. the general didn’t agree with them
4.Which of the following is true?
A. Mr. Parker found nothing in the military camp.
B. The new soldier had a birthday dinner in the restaurant.
C. The officer wanted to frighten the soldiers.
D. The general no longer believed the soldiers.
We can make mistakes at any age. Some mistakes we make are about money. But most mistakes are about people.“Did Jerry really care when I broke up with Helen?” When I got that great job, did Jim really feel good about it, as a friend? Or did he envy(嫉妒)my luck?”“And Paul-why didn’t he pick up that he was friendly just because I had a car?”When we look back, doubts like these can make us feel bad. But when we look back, it’s too late.
Why do we go wrong about our friends or our enemies? Sometimes what people say hides their real meaning. And if we don’t really listen we miss the feeling behind the words. Suppose someone tells you, “You’re a lucky dog.”that’s being friendly. But“lucky dog”?There’s a bit of envy in those words. Maybe he doesn’t see it himself. But bringing in the “dog” bit puts you down a little. What he may be saying is that he doesn’t think you deserve your luck.
“Just think of all the things you have to be thankful for ”is another noise that says one thing and means another . It could mean that the speaker is trying to get you to see your problem as part of your life as a whole. But is he? Wrapped up(包藏) in this phrase is the thought that your problem isn’t important. It’s telling you to think of all the starving people in the world when you haven’t got a date for Saturday night.
How can you tell the real meaning behind someone’s got a date for Saturday night? Good look at the person talking. Do his words fit the way he looks? Does what he says agree with the tone of voice? His posture(姿态)?The look in his eyes? Stop and think. The minute you spend thinking about the real meaning of what people to you may save another mistake.
1.This passage is mainly about_____.
A. how to interpret(understand) what people say
B. what to do when you listen to others talking
C. how to avoid mistakes when you communicate with people
D. why we go wrong with people sometimes
2.According to the author, the reason why we go wrong about our friends is that_______.
A. we fail to listen carefully when they talk
B. we tend to（倾向）doubt what our friends say
C. people usually state one thing but means another
D. people tend to be annoyed when we check what they say
3.In the sentence “Maybe he doesn’t see it himself.”In the second paragraph, the pronoun “it”refers to____.
A. being friendly B. a bit of envy C. lucky dog D. your luck
4.When we listen to a person talking , the most important thing for us to do is _______.
A. notice the way the person is talking
B. take a good look at the person talking
C. mind his tone, his posture and the look in his eyes
D. examine the real meaning of what he says based on his manner, his tone and his posture
A good teacher is many things to many people. In my own experience, the people I respect the most and think about the most are the teachers who demanded (要求) the most discipline (纪律) from their students.
I miss one teacher in particular that I had in high school. I think she was a good teacher because she was a very strict person. I remember very vividly (清晰地) a sign over her classroom door. It was a simple sign that said, “Laboratory—in this room the first five letters of the word was emphasized (强调), not the last seven.” In other words, I guess, labor for her was more important than oratory, which means making speeches.
She prepared her work very carefully and demanded us to do the same. We got lots of homework from her. Once she had broken her arm, and everybody in the class thought that maybe the homework load would be reduced, but it continued just the same. She checked our work by stamping her name at the bottom of the papers to show that she had read them.
I think sometimes teachers who demand the most are liked the least. But as time goes by, this discipline really seems to benefit (有益于) the students.
1.Which of the following is considered a good teacher by the writer?
A. A patient teacher. B. An honest teacher.
C. A strict teacher. D. A hard-working teacher.
2.The teacher put up the sign over her classroom door ___.
A. to remind the students that this room was a laboratory
B. to advise the students to follow the disciplines
C. to warn the students not to be careless
D. to tell the students to work hard in the classroom
3.When the teacher’s arm was broken, she ___.
A. gave her students the usual amount of homework
B. gave her students less homework
C. asked her students to check the homework themselves
D. gave her students more homework
4.What’s the writer’s opinion of discipline?
A. It makes the students dislike their teachers.
B. It does good to the students in the long run.
C. It’s too much for young children.
D. It does more harm than good to the students.
As I held my father’s hands one night, I couldn’t help but notice their calluses(老茧）and roughness. His hands tell the story of his life as a , including all his struggles.
One summer, I remember, a drought (旱灾）hit Ontario, turning it into a desert. On one of those hot mornings I was picking sweet corn with my dad to fill the last from the grocery store. Fifty dozen was all we needed, which took twenty minutes. That morning, however, the process didn’t quickly. After forty minutes of aimlessly walking in the field, we needed twenty dozen. I was completely frustrated and . Dropping the basket heavily, I declared, “If the store wants its last twenty dozen, they can pick it themselves.” Dad , “Just think, my little girl, only ten dozen left for each of us and then we’re .” Such is Dad—whatever problem he , he never gives up.
, the disastrous (灾难性的) effects of the drought were felt all over our county. It was a challenging time for everyone, Dad remained optimistic. He to be grateful for other things like good health and food on our plates. Only then did I truly begin to Dad and his faith that guided us through the hard times.
Dad is also a living example of real . From dawn to dusk, he works countless hours to our family. He always puts our happiness his own, and never fails to cheer me on at my sports games his exhaustion after long days. His loving and selfless nature has inspired me to become more sympathetic (同情心的) and putting others first.
Dad, the life I have learned from you will stay with me forever. You are my father, teacher, friend and, most importantly, my hero.
1.A. teacher B. gardenerC. farmer D. grocer
2.A. stormy B. lively C. disappearingD. burning
3.A. order B. form C. gap D. position
4.A. repeatedlyB. normallyC. finally D. really
5.A. go B. begin C. occur D. change
6.A. yet B. still C. even D. nearly
7.A. surprised B. nervousC. angry D. frightened
8.A. apologizedB. cried C. complained D. laughed
9.A. lost B. done C. gone D. touched
10.A. meets withB. brings upC. works out D. thinks about
11.A. ThankfullyB. HopefullyC. UnfortunatelyD. Strangely
12.A. or B. for C. so D. but
13.A. happenedB. seemedC. continued D. aimed
14.A. face B. appreciateC. examine D. question
15.A. love B. pride C. friendship D. honesty
16.A. support B. settle C. start D. impress
17.A. after B. before C. beside D. under
18.A. in spite ofB. in terms ofC. in control ofD. in place of
19.A. careful B. regretfulC. considerate D. humorous
20.A. history B. motto C. patterns D. lessons
—Could I use your computer for a few moments, please?
— . I’m not using it myself.
A.Come on B.It depends C.Go ahead D.That’s great
