As we drove along, my spirits went up again, and I turned, with pleasure, to the thought of the new life which I was entering. But though it was not far past the middle of September, the heavy clouds and strong north-easterly wind combined to make the day extremely cold; and the journey seemed a very long one, so that it was nearly one o’clock before we reached the place of our destination. Yet when we entered the gateway, my heart failed me, and I wished it were a mile or two farther off. For the first time in my life I must stand alone: there was no retreating now. I must enter that house, and introduce myself among its strange people. But how was it to be done? True, I was 
near nineteen; but, thanks to the protecting care of my mother and sister, I well knew that many a girl of fifteen, or under, was gifted with a more womanly address, and greater ease and self-possession, than I was. Yet, anyway, I would do very well, after all; and the children, of course, I should soon be at ease with them.
“Be calm, be calm, whatever happens,” I said within myself; and truly I was so fully absorbed in steadying my nerves and keeping down the rebellious beat of my heart that when I was admitted into the hall and into the presence of Mrs. Bloomfield, I almost forgot to answer her polite greeting; and it afterwards struck me that the little I did say was spoken in the tone of one half-dead or half-asleep.
With due politeness, however, she showed me my bedroom, and left me there to take a little refreshment for a little while and led me into the dining-room. Some beefsteaks and potatoes were set before me; and while I dined upon these, she sat opposite, watching me (as I thought) and trying to keep something like a conversation— consisting chiefly of commonplace remarks. In fact, my attention was almost wholly absorbed in my dinner: not from appetite, but from the toughness of the beefsteaks, and the numbness of my hands.
“I have had so little time to attend to their education myself, but I think they are clever children, and very willing to learn, especially the little boy; he is, I think, the flower of the flock— a generous, noble-spirited boy, one to be led, but not driven, and remarkable for always speaking the truth.” “His sister Mary Ann will require watching,” continued she, “but she is a very good girl on the whole, though I wish her to be kept out of the nursery as much as possible, as she is now almost six years old, and might acquire bad habits from the nurses. I have ordered her bed to be placed in your room, and if you will be so kind as to look after her washing and dressing, and take charge of her clothes, she needs to have nothing further to do with the nursery maid.”
I replied I was quite willing to do so; and at that moment the children entered the room. Tom Bloomfield was a well-grown boy of seven. Mary was a tall girl, for her age of six, somewhat dark like her mother. The second sister was Fanny, a very pretty little girl, looking little younger than Mary. The remaining one was Harriet, a little broad, fat, merry, playful thing of scarcely two, whom I had more desire for than all the rest — but with her I had nothing to do.
1.Which of the following statements best describes how the writer felt when she entered Mrs. Bloomfield’s home?
A. She was nervous, dissatisfied with her manners but still confident.
B. She was cold, hungry but eager to see all the children in the family.
C. She was frightened, nervous and regretful about her decision.
D. She was calm, confident and very happy with all the family.
2.What job would the writer take in Mrs Bloomfield’s home?
A. A nursery maid. B. A house cleaner. C. A home cook. D. A family teacher.
3.Which of the following was TRUE according to the passage?
A. The writer had some difficulty with her lunch because of the tough food and the cold.
B. The delicious food took the writer's attention away from Mrs. Bloomfield’s words.
C. All t
he children were well educated before the writer came to the family.
D. All the children in the family were looked after by Mrs Bloomfield herself.
4.From the passage, we can infer that _______.
A. Mrs Bloomfield would treat the writer kindly and help her a lot
B. The youngest girl Harriet would be the writer’s favorite student
C. the writer would take on more responsibilities than she should
D. Tom Bloomfield would be the cleverest of all the children
How do you design a pay plan that motivates people to do their best work? A new study by three Harvard researchers suggests a novel answer: Shortly after you hire new workers, give them a raise.
"Previous research has shown that paying people more than they expect may elicit reciprocity(相互作用) in the form of greater productivity," notes Deepak Malhotra, a Harvard business-administration professor who worked on the study. What he and his colleagues found, however, was that the connection between more pay and extra effort depends on presenting the increase "as a gift—that is, as something you've chosen to do purely as a nice gesture, with no strings attached."
Malhotra and his team studied 267 people hired by oDesk, a global online network of freelancers, to do a one-time data-entry project for four hours. All of the new hires were people in developing countries, for whom hourly wages of $3 and $4 were higher than what they had been making in previous jobs.
The researchers split the group up into three equal parts. One group was told they would earn $3 an hour. A second group was initially hired at $3 an hour but, before they started working, they got a surprise: The budget for the project had expanded unexpectedly, they were told, and they would now be paid $4 an hour. The third group was offered $4 an hour from the start and given no increase.
Even though the second and third groups were eventually paid the same amount, the second group worked harder and produced more—about 20% more—than either of the other two. People in the second group also showed the most stamina, maintaining their focus all the way through the assigned task and performing especially well toward the end of the four hours. Interestingly, the more experienced employees in the high-performing group were the most productive of all, apparently because their previous work experience led them to appreciate the rarity of an unexpected raise.
Contrary to conventional wisdom, Malhotra points out that higher pay, in and of itself, didn't promote productivity: People who made $4 an hour from the beginning worked no harder than those who were hired at $3 and were then paid $3.
To get the most impact from their pay plans, he adds, companies might consider not only what to pay new hires, but when to pay it.
"The key thing is how you present [the reason for an increase]," he says. Doling out extra money could promote productivity most "if you make it clear that the pay raise is something you're choosing to do just because you can. Our theory is that people will reciprocate. If you do something nice, they'll do something nice back."
1.What does the underlined word “stamina” most probably mean?
A. The quality of being intelligent or clever.
B. The quality of doing something difficult or dangerous.
C. The physical or mental energy needed to do a tiring activity for a long time.
D. A particular method of doing an activity, usually involving practical skills.
2.Why did the second group produce more than the other two groups?
A. Because they thought they were better paid than the other groups.
B. Because they were experienced employees from developing countries.
C. Because an unexpected raise reminded them of their previous work.
D. Because they felt they were nicely treated and tried best to repay it.
3.What can we infer from this passage?
A. No pains, no gains.
B. It matters not what we give but how.
C. Honesty is the best policy.
D. Actions speak louder than words.
In the Caucasus region of Russia, nearly 50 out of every 100,000 people live to celebrate their 100th birthday, and many don’t stop at 100! By comparison, in America only 3 people in 100,000 reach 100. But these Russian old people aren’t alone. The Pakistanis, who live high in the Himalaya Mountains, and the Ecuadorans of the Andes Mountains seem to share the secret of long life, too.
These people remain healthy in body and spirit despite the passage of time. While many older persons in industrial societies become weak and ill in their 60s and 70s, some Caucasians aged 100 to 140, work in the fields beside their great-great-grandchildren. Even the idea of aging is foreign to them. When asked “at what age does youth end?”most of these old people had no answer. Several replied, “Well, perhaps at age 80.”
What accounts for this ability to survive to such old age, and to survive so well？First of all, hard physical work is a way of life for all of these long-lived people. They begin their long days of physical labor as children and never seem to stop. For example, Mr . Rustam Mamedov is 142 years of age. His wife is 116 years old. They have been married for 90 years. Mr. Mamedov has no intention of retiring from his life as a farmer. “Why？What else would I do？”he asks. All these people get healthful rewards from the environment in which they work. They all come from mountainous regions. They live and work at elevations of 1,660 to 1,000 meters above sea level. The air has less oxygen and is pollution-free. This reduced-oxygen environment makes the heart and blood vessel(血管) system stronger.
Another factor that may contribute to the good health of these people is their isolation. To a great extent, they are separated from the pressures and worries of industrial society. Inherited factors also play some role. Most of the longest-lived people had parents and grandparents who also reached very old ages. Good family genes may, therefore, be one factor in living longer.
1.The example of Mr. and Mrs. Mamedov implies that some Caucasians aged 100 to 140 ____.
A．become weak and hopeless
B．are too old to work in the fields
C．benefit from physical work
D．are still working in the fields
2.What is the main way of life for all of these long-lived people?
A．Retiring from their lives as farmers.
B．Having been married for 90 years.
C．Hard physical work.
D．Having no intentions.
3.Which of the following factors isn’t helpful to people’s health and long life?
A．Clean mountain air.
B．Daily hard work.
C． Good genes
D． Stress and pressure.
“A” for Attitude
English was always my favorite subject. In my freshman year of high school, I could write a killer composition. In my second year, my teacher me to give spelling tests to the class. I had a time of my junior year. Mrs Alexander me to sit at her desk and take over the class when she had to leave the room. Only my senior English class was , as we had a teacher right out of college who expected work. Every student received a "C" or "D" grade the first quarter. But English was still my favorite subject.
I graduated from high school, early and had children. about my English, I often helped my kids with their English homework. And I wrote long articles and beautiful poetry as a columnist for a newspaper. Fifteen years later, I went to college, and because I had been an "A" student, I remained an "A" student. I up to my own expectations.
Yesterday, I my high school report cards when I was reading old papers. That bundle of report cards back the old days. I remembered sitting in my advisor's office, explaining that I had always be at English, and recommending that I did not deserve a '"D" from that inexperienced teacher of my senior year. The advisor was but unable to change a（an） . Reading through my old report cards revealed something else too. I wanted to them or hide them. I was not an "A" student in high school English! Somehow, I had myself of this, when the grades clearly reflected an average student with an "A" or "B" but mostly "C” S.
Had I lived up to those grades and myself according to those letters, I would have never confidently sought my writing career. Had I my early grades instead of myself, I would have allowed my fear of failure to enthusiasm and damage my creativity. Instead, I my younger self as an "A" English student, except for that undeserved "D".
1.A. scolded B. allowedC. ordered D. reminded
2.A. badB. complexC. terribleD. wonderful
3.A. approved B. appointed C. expected D. urged
4.A. flexible B. creativeC. disappointing D. controversial
5.A. college-level B. basedC. difficultD. easy
6.A. married B. workedC. succeeded D. progressed
7.A. Sad B. Confident C. AnxiousD. Curious
8.A. added B. lived C. grew D. went
9.A. counted B. remembered C. approachedD. discovered
10.A. brought B. turned C. heldD. kept
11.A. nervous B. excelled C. poorD. terrible
12.A. impolite B. impatientC. inexperienced D. sympathetic
13.A. grade B. figureC. paperD. entry
14.A. tearB. fire C. cryD. escape
15.A. warned B. reminded C. informedD. convinced
16.A. average B. enthusiastic C. outstanding D. occasional
17.A. considered B. definedC. reflected D. described
18.A. abandoned B. given C. believed inD. doubted
19.A. change B. riskC. defeat D. reminded
20.A. looked B. viewedC. sang D. criticized
—Why are you crying? Today is your birthday!
—____________. I am so excited with so many friends surrounding me.
A. Just can’t help itB. Don’t mention it
C. None of your businessD. That’s all right
Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 ___________ course and turned back toward Kuala Lumpur -- but there were no indications from the pilot that he was doing so.
A. must have changed B. could have changed
C. might have changed D. should have changed.
