Valerie Jarrett, 58, is serving as a top adviser to President Obama and has been close to the first family since the early 1990s. Joe Heim from WashingtonPost had an interview with her.
Joe Heim: What do you think of a reporter who interviews you for 25 minutes, then later finds out his recorder stopped working and asks you to do the interview again?
Valerie Jarrett: That he's human. You could have just tried to pretend that it didn't happen.
Joe Heim: You're considered the president's closest adviser. Have you ever given him bad advice since he became president?
Valerie Jarrett: I'm sure that I have. I think one of the reasons why the president's management style is very effective is because all of his advisers feel very comfortable being open about their advice. Finally, there's only one decision-maker. And that's the president.
Joe Heim: What misunderstandings are there of you?
Valerie Jarrett: A little-known fact is that I started my life very shy and remained very shy well into adulthood. Painfully shy, I would call it. And I often share this, particularly with young people, because it's something I really had to work hard to overcome. And for all the shy people out there I say, you, too, can overcome it. But it took a lot of hard work on my part, and I discovered along the way that just because you're nervous and you have butterflies in your stomach doesn't mean that it has to show. My point in sharing it with you is that part of life is pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone (舒适区). And if you're going to grow, you have to learn how to take on new challenges that you might not be good at.
Joe Heim: Will you stay until the end of his term?
Valerie Jarrett: I serve at the pleasure of the president. If he wants me to stay, I will.
1.From the underlined words “That he's human”, we can learn Valerie Jarrett is _____.
A. warm-hearted B. broad-minded
C. well-educated D. strong-willed
2.Why does Valerie Jarrett share her shyness?
A. To show her hard way to success.
B. To prove shy people can also be great.
C. To show it is easy to overcome shyness.
D. To ask people to face challenges bravely.
3.In which part of a newspaper could we find this text?
A. People. B. Society. C. World. D. Culture.
From self-driving cars to carebots (care+robots) for elderly people, rapid development in technology has long represented a possible threat to many jobs normally performed by people. But experts now believe that almost 50 percent of occupations existing today will be completely unnecessary by 2025 as artificial intelligence continues to change businesses.
“The next fifteen years will see a revolution in how we work, and a revolution will necessarily take place in how we plan and think about workplaces,” said Peter Andrew, Director of Workplace Strategy for CBRE Asia Pacific.
A growing number of jobs in the future will require creative intelligence, social skills and the ability to use artificial intelligence.
The report is based on interviews with 200 experts, business leaders and young people from Asia Pacific, Europe and North America. It shows that in the US technology already destroys more jobs than it creates.
But the report states: “Losing occupations does not necessarily mean losing jobs — just changing what people do.” Growth in new jobs could occur as much, according to the research.
“The growth of 20 to 40 person companies that have the speed and technological know-how will directly challenge big companies,” it states.
A 2014 report by Pew Research found 52 percent of experts in artificial intelligence and robotics were optimistic about the future and believed there would still be enough jobs in the next few years. The optimists pictured “a future in which robots do not take the place of more jobs than they create,” according to Aaron Smith, the report's co-author.
“Technology will continue to affect jobs, but more jobs seem likely to be created. Although there have always been unemployed people, when we reached a few billion people there were billions of jobs. There is no shortage of things that need to be done and that will not change,” Microsoft's Jonathan Grudin told researchers.
1.According to the report, _____.
A. people won't necessarily lose jobs
B. big companies will face fewer challenges
C. small companies will win against big companies
D. most people will become interested in technology
2.We can infer from the text that in the future _____.
A. people will face many difficulties
B. people will take up more creative jobs
C. artificial intelligence will threaten people's lives
D. most jobs will be done in traditional workplaces
3.What is the attitude of most experts in artificial intelligence and robotics to the future?
A. Mixed. B. Worried. C. Hopeful. D. Doubtful.
4.Jonathan Grudin's words in the last paragraph suggest that _____.
A. there will be enough jobs for people
B. things will change a lot in a few years
C. many people will become unemployed
D. technology will totally change future jobs
It was an autumn morning shortly after my husband and I moved into our first house. Our children were upstairs unpacking，and I was looking out of the window at my father moving around mysteriously on the front lawn. “What are you doing out there?” I called to him.
He looked up, smiling. “I’m making you a surprise.” I thought it could be just about anything. When we were kids, he always created something surprising for us. Today, however, Dad would say no more, and caught up in the busyness of our new life , I eventually forgot about his surprise.
Until one gloomy day the next March when I glanced out of the window，I saw a dot of blue across the yard. I headed outside for a closer look. They were crocuses (番红花）throughout the front lawn — blue, yellow and my favorite pink，with little faces moving up and down in the cold wind. I remembered the things Dad secretly planted last autumn. He knew how the darkness and dullness of winter always got me down. What could have been more perfectly timely to my needs?
My father’s crocuses bloomed each spring for the next five seasons, always bringing the same assurance: Hard times are almost over. Hold on, keep going, and light is coming soon.
Then a spring came with the usual blooms but the next spring there were none. I missed the crocuses, so I would ask Dad to come over and plant new bulbs (植物球茎). But I never did. He died suddenly one October day. My family were in deep sorrow, leaning on our faith.
On a spring afternoon four years later, I was driving back when I felt depressed. It was Dad’s birthday, and I found myself thinking about him. This was not unusual — my family often talked about him, remembering how he lived up to his faith. Suddenly I slowed as I turned into our driveway. I stopped and stared at the lawn. There on the muddy grass with small piles of melting snow, bravely waving in the wind, was one pink crocus.
How could a flower bloom from a bulb more than 18 years ago, one that hadn’t bloomed in over a decade? But there was the crocus. Tears filled my eyes as I realized its significance.
Hold on, keep going, and light is coming soon. The pink crocus bloomed for only a day, but it built my faith for a lifetime.
1.Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
A. The author usually felt depressed in the season of winter.
B. The crocuses bloomed each spring before her father died.
C. The author often thought about her father after he died.
D. The author’s father planted the crocuses to lift her low spirits.
2.According to the first three paragraphs, we learn that ______.
A. it was not the first time that the author’s father had made a surprise
B. the author was unpacking when her father was making the surprise
C. it kept bothering the author not knowing what the surprise was
D. the author knew what the surprise was because she knew her father
3.The author’s father should be best described as ______.
A. a part-time worker who loved flowers
B. a kind-hearted man who lived with faith
C. a full-time gardener with skillful hands
D. an ordinary man with doubts in his life
4.What can be the best title for the passage?
A. Crocuses — My Source of Faith
B. Crocuses— Father’s Surprise
C. A Pink Crocus — My Memory
D. Crocuses in Blossom — My Favorite
The Opening of The Book Nook
Saturday, October 4 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
You will not want to miss the opening of your new neighborhood bookstore! Located at 2289 Main Street, the Book Nook is within walking distance of schools and many homes and businesses. Come and check out the Book Nook on Saturday!
Activities will include:
• Live music by local musicians
• One Book-of-the-Month Club membership giveaway
Wide Selection
The Book Nook has three floors with books of all kinds — any kind you could want. If we do not have the book you are looking for, we can specially order it for you. You will have it in your hands within two days!
Reading Nooks
We are proud of our children’s reading area on the first floor, as well as our teenagers’ nook on the second floor. Come for the activities and stay a while! Settle in one of these inviting reading areas; take a seat with a good book and a free cup of hot chocolate. You will discover the perfect way to spend a few hours.
Book Events
The Book Nook will be featuring (以…为特色) monthly book signings by different authors, giving you a chance to meet and speak with well-known writers. Do not miss the experience of hearing these authors read aloud from their own books!
The Book-of-the-Month Club
Our Book-of-the-Month Club will feature 12 books each year. As a member, you will be able to select one new book each month. The membership fee is only $10.00 per month. That is a great price for 12 books each year!
So please join us on Saturday and learn about all that the Book Nook has to offer. You can come anytime between 10 a.m. and 10 p.m. — our activities last all day long!
1.According to “Reading Nooks”, a nook is _____.
A. a club that children may join B. a space for a certain purpose
C. a program for teenage readers D. a prize in a national competition
2.What can we learn about the Book Nook?
A. It is a well-located bookstore.
B. Any books can be found right there.
C. It is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day.
D. The third floor is specially designed for children.
3.As a member of the Book-of-the-Month Club, you _____.
A. can buy any books in the Book Nook at a low price
B. may borrow as many as 12 books every week
C. need to pay 120 dollars every year
D. should be over the age of 12
4.The purpose of the text is to get more people to _____.
A. give away books
B. visit the bookstore
C. learn from famous writers
D. read different kinds of books
假定你是李华，与留学生朋友Bob约好一起去书店，因故不能赴约。请给他写封邮件，内容包括：1.表示歉意；2.说明原因；3.另约时间。
注意：
1.词数100左右；
2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear Bob,
I’m sorry to say that _________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
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_______________________________________________________________________________
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Yours,
Li Hua
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处，每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1.每处错误及其修改均限一词。
2.只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
Here is my idea about how a friend is like. Firstly, a friend is someone you can share your secrets. If you tell him a secret, never will he talks about it with anybody else. Besides, a friend is always good listener when you need one. After hear your sad stories, he will say some words that is nice and warm. Still, your happiness makes him happily too. What’s more, a good friend is willing to offer the help to which you need, or can at least give you some advices. In a word, friends are those you like and trust, and you will enjoy every minute that you spent with them.
