If Confucius（孔子）were still alive today and could celebrate his September 28 birthday with a big cake, there would be a lot of candles． He’d need a fan or a strong wind to help him put them out．
While many people in China will remember Confucius on his special day, few people in the United States will give him a passing thought． It’s nothing personal． Most Americans don’t even remember the birthdays of their own national heroes．
But this doesn’t mean that Americans don’t care about Confucius． In many ways he has become a bridge that foreigners must cross if they want to reach a deeper understanding of China．
In the past two decades, the Chinese studies programs have gained huge popularity in Western universities． More recently, the Chinese government has set up Confucius Institutes in more than 80 countries． These schools teach both Chinese language and culture． The main courses of Chinese culture usually included Chinese art, history and philosophy． Some social scientists suggest that Westerners should take advantage of the ancient Chinese wisdom to make up for the drawbacks of Westerners philosophy． Students in the United States, at the same time, are racing to learn Chinese． So they will be ready for life in a world where China is an equal power with the United States． Businessmen who hope to make money in China are reading books about Confucius to understand their Chinese customers．
So the old thinker’s ideas are still alive and well．
Today China attracts the West more than ever, and it will need more teachers to introduce Confucius and Chinese culture to the West．
As for the old thinker, he will not soon be forgotten by people in the West, even if his birthday is．
1.The opening paragraph is mainly intended to _______．
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A．provide some key facts about Confucius |
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B．attract the readers’ interest in the subject |
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C．show great respect for the ancient thinker |
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D．prove the popularity of modern birthday celebrations |
2.We can learn from Paragraph 4 that American students_______．
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A．have a great interest in studying Chinese |
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B．take an active part in Chinese competitions |
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C．try to get high scores in Chinese exams |
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D．fight for a chance to learn Chinese |
3.What is the best title for the passage?
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A．Forgotten Wisdom in America |
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B．Huge Fans of the Chinese Language |
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C．Chinese Culture for Westerners |
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D．Old Thinker with a Big Future |
4.The passage is likely to appear in _______．
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A．a biography |
B．a history paper |
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C．a newspaper |
D．a philosophy textbook |
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1.What made “I” finally think of getting a cell phone?
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A．Being stuck by the highway． |
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B．Being urged by his grandkids． |
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C．Being persuaded by cell phone salespersons． |
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D．Being attracted by the friendly return policy． |
2.On the monthly basis of 100 minutes, the Jitterbug weekly rate is about_______．
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A．$3．75 |
B．$4．99 |
C．$14．99 |
D．$19．99 |
3.An advantage of Jitterbug mentioned in the passage is _______．
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A．its discount price with a free gift |
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B．its reasonable rate plans without a contract |
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C．its "global-positioning" system with 911 access |
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D．its good customer service all over the world |
4.The main purpose of the passage is to _______．
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A．tell a customer’s story of Jitterbug |
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B．provide two ways to order Jitterbug |
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C．give a brief introduction of Jitterbug |
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D．attract potential customers to Jitterbug． |
Peanuts to This
Proudly reading my words, I glanced around the room, only to find my classmates bearing big smiles on their faces and tears in their eyes． Confused, I glanced toward my stone-faced teacher． Having no choice, I slowly raised the report I had slaved over, hoping to hide myself． “What could be causing everyone to act this way?”
Quickly, I flashed back to the day Miss Lancelot gave me the task． This was the first real talk I received in my new school． It seemed simple: go on the Internet and find information about a man named George Washington． Since my idea of history came from an ancient teacher in my home country, I had never heard of that name before． As I searched the name of this fellow, it became evident that there were two people bearing the same name who looked completely different! One invented hundreds of uses for peanuts, while the other led some sort of army across America． I stared at the screen, wondering which one my teacher meant． I called my grandfather for a golden piece of advice; flip （掷） a coin． Heads—the commander, and tails—the peanuts guy． Ah! Tails, my report would be about the great man who invented peanut butter, George Washington Carver．
Weeks later, standing before this unfriendly mass, I was totally lost． Oh well, I lowered the paper and sat down at my desk, burning to find out what I had done wrong． As a classmate began his report, it all became clear, “My report is on George Washington, the man who started the American Revolution．” The whole world became quiet! How could I know that she meant that George Washington?
Obviously, my grade was awful． Heartbroken but fearless, I decided to turn this around． I talked to Miss Lancelot, but she insisted: No re-dos; no new grade． I felt that the punishment was not justified, and I believed I deserved a second chance． Consequently, I threw myself heartily into my work for the rest of the school year． Ten months later, that chance unfolded as I found myself sitting in the headmaster’s office with my grandfather, now having an entirely different conversation． I smiled and flashed back to the embarrassing moment at the beginning of the year as the headmaster informed me of my option to skip the sixth grade． Justice is sweet!
1.What did the author’s classmates think about his report?
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A．Controversial． |
B．Ridiculous． |
C．Boring． |
D．Puzzling． |
2.Why was the author confused about the task?
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A．He was unfamiliar with American history． |
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B．He followed the advice and flipped a coin． |
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C．He forgot his teacher’s instruction． |
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D．He was new at the school． |
3.The underlined word “burning” in Para． 3 probably means _______．
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A．annoyed |
B．ashamed |
C．ready |
D．eager |
4.In the end, the author turned things around _______．
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A．by redoing his task |
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B．through his own efforts |
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C．with the help of his grandfather |
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D．under the guidance of his headmaster |
The trip to that city was eye-opening for everyone, and near its end, all the young people in our group began to reflect on what it had meant． We 41 the first night we had arrived． We had all gone into the markets of the city 42 the young people could experience its energy． But what we actually saw simply 43 us all --- the rundown houses, the children in rags, the people begging for money… Walking home, 44 under a low bridge, we came across 45 families of homeless people seeking a bit of dry ground to sleep on 46 the night． We had to step over bodies as we found our way through the darkness．
The poverty was 47 than anything my young companions had ever imagined． Back in the hotel, an air of sadness settled over the group． Many 48 and cried． Spending time in this 49 moves a person to care about humanity．
That evening, our group spent hours talking about what we had 50 ． Gently, I encouraged everyone to talk about the difficult 51 that day’s discoveries had inspired． Sitting together 52 a circle as everyone had a chance to speak, we all began to realize that 53 of us was alone in our struggle to cope with our reactions．
Based on my 54 in poverty-stricken areas, I suggested that 55 the emotions we had were painful, they could also be important in helping us to move forward． We all 56 that we had seen things that should never be allowed to happen． 57 , what could we do about it? Together, we began to brainstorm ways we could help to ease the 58 we had seen． As I encouraged group members to focus on 59 they could do, a sense of determination 60 the previous sadness． Instead of despair, these young people began to feel a call to action．
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My colleague has been recovering gradually since the operation, and it wont’ be long ______ he comes back to work．
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A．before |
B．since |
C．after |
D．when |
Don’t you know ______, my dear friend, it is you that she loves?
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A．who |
B．which |
C．that |
D．what |
