Failing Successfully
Two years ago I took part in a speech competition. It was a hard time for me when the judge______ the winners. At last, the moment of truth came. I got the worst.______ not being placed in the competition, I really wanted to _______ again. I realized that finding the right topic was the most important part of the whole _______. It needs to be motivational and inspirational to the _______. So I reworked my speech for the following year,______ a different topic and spending countless hours _______ the speech, line by line, word by word to make it _______better.
The next year I participated in the _______ again. As was expected, my speech ______down well and I was hoping to do that a bit better this year._______, my wish didn’t come true. The competition was so fierce that again I didn’t _______it.
I was deeply disappointed, since I couldn’t accept the fact that I had _______ twice in something that I had worked so hard on. However, I knew that losing is _______ and part of life. One of the judges said to me that my speech was quite good,_______ it needed to be better if I wanted to go any further. He advised me to struggle to_______ something like some of the empty gestures. He said that I would surely succeed some day.
While I didn’t earn _______ in the competition, I did gain a new viewpoint. I discovered that I could fail successfully. I think I’ll _______ to work hard and enter the next competition. Now, whenever I’m faced with a defeat, I _______ myself of what a famous person said, “The path was worn and slippery. My foot slipped from under me, knocking the other out of the way, but I recovered and said to myself that it’s a slip and not a_______.”
1.A. announced B. predicted C. observed D. interviewed
2.A. Unless B. Once C. Though D. Since
3.A. suffer B. compete C. win D. check
4.A. range B. condition C. system D. process
5.A. audience B. companion C. director D. author
6.A. reviewing B. supposing C. picking D. comparing
7.A. appreciating B. making C. reciting D. polishing
8.A. increase B. flow C. expose D. occur
9.A. competition B. party C. examination D. invitation
10.A. wrote B. sounded C. went D. slowed
11.A. Angrily B. Sadly C. Fortunately D. Eagerly
12.A. settle B. hate C. make D. pass
13.A. decreased B. escaped C. struggled D. failed
14.A. flexible B. normal C. appropriate D. typical
15.A. but B. so C. for D. or
16.A. assume B. declare C. overcome D. acquire
17.A. profits B. awards C. comments D. qualities
18.A. continue B. agree C. regret D. apply
19.A. allow B. inform C. accuse D. remind
20.A. kick B. push C. fall D. walk
Three Ways to Self-fund College
The idea that parents should pay for their children’s college education is a nice one, but it’s far from a reality for many students. 1. Whatever the case may be, it’s time to take a good look at your options for funding college on your own.
Turn over every stone.
If you’ re not a straight-A genius who could easily win college scholarships, there’s good news:2. Check out these popular College Confidential threads to see which awards average and above-average students are aiming at. Are your parents retirees? Are you a first-generation student? Is your family attached to any church or community groups? (Seriously, there are scholarships for all those things.) The secret to scoring major cash is following every possible source of funding.
3.
Instead of going straight to a four-year institution, many students are choosing to start out at an affordable community college and transfer later.4. If these are options that could work for you, just be sure you have a solid plan in place, and don’t let yourself get sidetracked from your goal of earning a college degree.
Take what you can get.
Remember that not all valuable contributions are monetary（与钱有关的. It’s time to sit down with your parents and have a serious talk about other expenses they might be able to help you with.5. You can save several thousand per year on housing. What about books, meals, and other expenses? Even relatively small savings can be a huge leg up in the long run.
A．Take an alternative route.
B．You don’t need to be a genius to qualify for scholarships.
C．If they’re fine about letting you live at home, that’s great.
D．Think about if you can afford a price of around $10,000 per year.
E．Recent studies show a widespread lack of understanding of the real cost of college.
F．Similarly, some choose to take a year or two off after high school to save up as much as possible.
G．Some parents believe the responsibility of paying for college should fall on the person seeking a degree— that’s you.
Chicago is considering firm measures to prevent the Asian carp，a giant fish native to the Far East, from coming into North America’s Great Lakes in large numbers. Such a move could cost up to$18bn, a heavy economic burden to the city.
This species, more than a metre in length, was originally introduced to southern US states three decades ago to control weeds in sewage (污水) treatment plants. But they escaped into the Mississippi River and increased in number quickly, making their way north towards the Great Lakes and threatening the native fish species along the way.
“Dozens of them will often leap out of the water as boats approach.’’ Michael Beecham，a local environmental expert, described how frightening the scene was. “I’ve gone down the river and seen these fish jump up and hit me in the face．It is a big problem for our native species.” he said.
A meeting has been organized to find a technological solution to the carp problem, one of which involves blocking parts of Chicago’s canal system．Listening at the meeting was John Goss, who was worried about the effect that having barriers in the canal system would have on industry. “It would certainly increase the cost of transportation,” he told. “It is currently very cheap and efficient to bring materials and finished goods down the Chicago ship canal.’’
Another cheaper option is to eat the fish out of existence. Dirk Fucik is selling carp burger(鲤鱼汉堡包) at his fish shop not far from downtown Chicago．He thinks the carps are a great resource. “To catch it and throw it away is a waste,” he says. “Eating them helps solve the problem and also provides jobs.” But the idea has not yet caught on．So far，he is the only person in Chicago selling carp burgers.
1.What can we learn about the Asian carp according to the passage?
A. It is very adaptable to the new environment.
B. It is originally used to control weeds in the Great Lakes.
C. It has become a new food in many restaurants.
D. It has caused parts of Chicago’s canal system to be blocked.
2.From John Goss’s point of view，the building of barriers ______________.
A. can force the Asian carp out of the Great Lakes
B. may lead to the increasing cost of industrial products
C. will help the canal system work more efficiently
D. will bring high profits to the related companies
3.What can be inferred from the last paragraph of the passage?
A. The Americans have included the Asian carp in their food list.
B. Catching Asian carps has created many jobs in America．
C. Dirk Fucik is a pioneer in selling carp burgers in Chicago．
D. Throwing away the caught fish is a waste of the resources．
4.What’s the best title of the passage?
A. Chicago goes to war with Asian carps
B. The Asian carp escapes from the Great Lakes
C. Possible ways to handle non-native species
D. The Great Lakes, new home for Asian Carps
One of India’s top engineering schools has restricted Internet access in its boarding houses, saying addiction to surfing, gaming and blogging was affecting students’ performance, making them lonely and even suicidal.
Authorities at the best Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Mumbai said students had stopped socializing and many were late for morning classes or slept through them. “Now, a student doesn’t even know who lives two doors away from him because he is so busy on the Internet,” said Prakash Gopalan, dean of Student Affairs. “The old dormitory culture of companionship and socializing among students is gone. This is not healthy in our opinion.”
IIT-Mumbai, with about 5,000 students, is one of the seven IITs across India which are considered to be among the finest engineering schools in the world. They are also a talent pool for global technology giants. But their hard courses, tough competition and lonely campus lifestyle have taken an effect on students. Depressive and dysfunctional lifestyles are known to be common among IIT students, and at least nine have committed suicide in the past five years. Students have unlimited free Internet access in their boarding houses to help them in their studies, but many also use it to surf, chat, download movies and music, blog and for gaming.
“Starting Monday, Internet access will be banned between 11 p.m. and 12:30 p.m. at IIT-Mumbai’s 13 boarding buildings to encourage students to sleep early and to try and force them out of their shells.” Gopalan said. But the move has not gone down well with students who say they hate their lives being regulated. “Now they will say we need to listen to a lullaby (摇篮曲) to go to sleep.” said Rajiv, an electronics student.
1.What may happen to the students addicted to the Internet in IIT-Mumbai?
A. Feel lonely and even suicidal. B. Perform well in studies.
C. Know their classmates better. D. Participate in social activities.
2.What does the underlined word “dysfunctional” in Paragraph 3 most probably mean?
A. unpopular B. meaningful
C. abnormal D. exciting
3.What measures have been taken in IIT-Mumbai?
A. Students must go to bed before 11 p.m.
B. Students are forbidden to surf the Internet on campus.
C. Students have unlimited free Internet access in their dormitories.
D. Internet access is unavailable in deep night in boarding buildings.
4.What can we infer from the last paragraph?
A. All electronics students hate the banning order.
B. Some students complain about the banning order.
C. There is no Internet access on the IIT campus ever since.
D. More students prefer listening to music to surfing the Internet.
A serious problem for today’s society is who should be responsible for our elderly and how to improve their lives. It is not only a financial problem but also a question of the system we want for our society. I would like to suggest several possible solutions to this problem.
First, employers should take the responsibility for their retired employees. To make this possible, a percentage of profits should be set aside for this purpose. But when a company must take life-long responsibility for its employees, it may suffer from a commercial disadvantage due to higher employee costs. Another way of solving the problem is to return the responsibility to the individual. This means each person must save during his working years to pay for his years of retirement. This does not seem a very fair model since some people have enough trouble paying for their daily life without trying to earn extra to cover their retirement years. This means the government might have to step in to care for the poor.
In addition, the government could take responsibility for the care of the elderly. This could be financed through government taxes to increase the level of pensions. Furthermore, some institutions should be created for senior citizens, which can help provide a comfortable life for them. Unfortunately, as the present situation in our country shows, this is not a truly viable answer. The government can seldom afford to care for the elderly, particularly when it is busy trying to care for the young.
One further solution is that the government or social organizations establish some working places especially for the elderly where they are independent.
To sum up, all these options have advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, it is reasonable to expect that some combination of these options may be needed to provide the care we hope to give to our elderly generations.
1.What is the writer’s main purpose in writing this article?
A. To discuss some possible solutions to an important social problem.
B. To make general readers aware of the problems of retired people.
C. To point out the need for government support for old people.
D. To instruct retired people on how they can have a happier life.
2.What does the underlined word “viable” in Paragraph 3 most probably mean?
A. Impossible. B. Practical.
C. Useful. D. Successful.
3.According to the passage, how can the government help to improve the lives of retired people?
A. Set aside some profits to help people with problems after they retire.
B. Increase savings levels of people during their working years.
C. Increase the discounts for food and transport for the old.
D. Make available pensions for those who have retired.
4.What can be concluded from the passage?
A. Taking care of the old is mainly an issue of money.
B. Employers should allow their workers to retire at a later age.
C. There is no single solution to the problems of the old.
D. Becoming independent should be the goal of most old people.
Are you interested in hi-tech products? Here are some that you might find at the market pretty soon.
CX-1
Tired of dragging your bag through busy airports? Then you might want to consider CX-1. The smart suitcase uses facial recognizing software to follow its owner as he / she is checking in or heading to the gate. Though CX-1 can only move at a speed of up to seven miles per hour, a tiny tool enables owners to keep track of the suitcase’s location. It is expected to be sold on the market by late 2018.
Aibo
Sony’s latest version of the Aibo robotic dog is almost as fun as the real thing—but much less work. The pet dog can recognize its owner, obey several commands, and even recall the behavior that pleases its master the most. Aibo can also learn new tricks, take photographs, and over time, develop its own unique personality.
Forpheus
Forpheus, an “athletic” robot developed by Japanese technology company Omron. It teaches users how to play ping-pong. The 10-feet-tall machine uses a camera and artificial intelligence to track the ball’s speed and can predict the ball’s direction correctly. The smart Forpheus can also quickly test its player’s abilities and adjust the playing level, making the game fun.
Black Box VR
Though many people determine to go to the gym once a week, few reach their goal. Black Box VR wants to change that by turning hard exercise into fun video games. Using it, gym users will find themselves fighting enemies, including big creatures—all while getting exercise.
1.What is the feature of CX-1?
A. It can be opened by facial expressions.
B. It can recognize and follow its owner.
C. It can move very fast in busy places.
D. It can sense the suitcase’s location.
2.Who would most probably want an Aibo?
A. People who want to walk a dog.
B. People who often play tricks on others.
C. People who want to take high-quality photographs.
D. People who want a dog but can’t look after a real one.
3.Which product can help people work out regularly in a gym?
A. CX-1. B. Aibo.
C. Forpheus. D. Black Box VR.
