读下面材料，在空白处填入适当内容（不多于3个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。
China is a big old country and it has a history of more than five thousand years. We are proud of1. (it) culture and part of the culture even influences the world 2. (great), for example, the thought of Confucius. As Chinese economy develops very fast and plays 3. important role in the world, more and more 4. (foreign) learn Mandarin (普通话) in Confucius institutions. The Chinese traditional culture can be tested by the time. It unites the whole nation and no matter 5. kind of disaster comes, we will fight together for the country’s future. Today, many young people lose 6. (faithful) in traditional culture and they are crazy 7. the western culture. They follow the western fashion, 8. (think) we are the old style. But someday, they 9. (realize) they are wrong 10. (abandon) traditional culture.
There was once a group of young people searching everywhere for happiness, but what they got was only annoyance, grief and misery.
So they ______ Socrates (苏格拉底) for advice on where happiness ______. But ____ giving any answers, Socrates asked them to help with building a _______ first. The group of guys had to ______ the task, laying aside their own business of seeking happiness. It took them a long time to cut down a tall tree, digging out the center. Through painstaking effort, they made a canoe out of the tree. They launched the canoe into a river, and then ______ together in it, singing with ______.
Socrates asked, “My children, do you have happiness now?” They answered in chorus: “We ______ be happier!” Socrates ______ , “That’s it! _______ you are too busy pursuing something to notice anything bitter, happiness will occur.”
From the story I got to know that happiness ______ hides behind every tiny thing that you are involved in, and that you may only get pleasure through ______ work and creativity. We may have to ______ pain in our daily life and in the process of ________ happiness. Sometimes we tend to look for happiness in ______ things, like a new car, clothes, etc. True long-term happiness, ________, comes from within our _______ and spirit. So why not turn suffering into ______ life, and turn tears into the light in your heart? Only in this way can we find true happiness.
So my dear friends, just remember happiness is a state of mind and a matter of _______ , and I ________you all a life of happiness.
1.A. pointed to B. turned to C. referred to D. returned to
2.A. stood B. belonged C. lay D. laid
3.A. instead of B. apart from C. other than D. regardless of
4.A. house B. boat C. bridge D. school
5.A. set out B. set down C. set about D. set up
6.A. sat B. lay C. rowed D. got
7.A. hope B. sorrow C. curiosity D. joy
8.A. mustn’t B. couldn’t C. shouldn’t D. needn’t
9.A. added B. thought C. declared D. assumed
10.A. Unless B. However C. Until D. Whenever
11.A. always B. never C. ever D. seldom
12.A. cautious B. endless C. hard D. simple
13.A. experience B. avoid C. enjoy D. deny
14.A. searching B. looking C. seeking D. improving
15.A. spiritual B. material C. new D. nice
16.A. therefore B. however C. furthermore D. moreover
17.A. body B. part C. soul D. head
18.A. praising B. blaming C. ending D. cursing
19.A. time B. method C. fact D. choice
20.A. promise B. wish C. request D. require
Small talk is the short conversations we have at parties, while we wait in line at the store, at family events or work. Sometimes we make small talk with people we already know but not well. Often we have to make small talk with complete strangers. 1. Here are some tips to improve your small-talking ability.
1. 2.
If you have seen a really good movie or have read a really good book, you can talk about that.
When you are sharing the same experience with someone, it’s easy to start a conversation. You simply notice and comment on what’s going on around you. For example, if you are at a party and a song comes on that you like or that reminds you of something, you can talk about that.
2. Ask open-ended questions
These types of questions require more thought and more than a simple one-word answer. 3., the conversation will go on longer.
3. Become a student
Nobody knows everything. So, as someone is answering one of your open-ended questions, they bring up something about which you know nothing. So, tell them! This lets the other person become the teacher. 4.. It’s a win-win situation.
Like anything, getting good at making small talk takes practice. 5., you might become happier. If you are making small talk using English, you will most definitely improve your speaking and listening skills.
A. Have some conversation starters ready
B. If you make small talk in your native language
C. However, some people are not good at small talk
D. If you ask questions that need more details to answer
E. You can talk about something that you recently learned
F. Many people find these small conversations about random topics easy
G. They feel good about sharing their knowledge and you get to learn something
The world’s first robot police officer has started working. Its name is ‘RoboCop’ and it went into service for the Dubai Police earlier this week. Robocop’s first official duty was to greet guests at the opening of a security conference in Dubai. Apart from greeting visitors’ its job was to answer questions and give directions. RoboCop has a built — in tablet for people to interact with. People can use the tablet to pay traffic fines and use other smart police services. The tablet is linked to a police station, so people can talk to human police officers. In addition, RoboCop can speak six languages, including English and Arabic. The 170 - centimetre - tall robot can also shake hands, salute people and recognize people’s emotions and facial expressions.
Dubai Police says RoboCop is the first of many robot police officers for the city. A spokesman said that by 2030, 25 per cent of the Dubai Police force will be robots. He said: “We are looking to make everything smart in Dubai Police. By 2030, we will have the first smart police station which won’t require human employees.”
“The RoboCop is the latest smart addition to the police force and has been designed to help us fight crime, keep the city safe and improve happiness levels,” He added. He also said that RoboCop would, “assist and help people in the malls or on the streets”. An official at the security conference commented that the future is here now, saying: “The age of the robots is no longer coming. It has arrived.”
1.What was Robocop’s first official duty?
A. To spot criminals in the crowd.
B. To serve guests at a meeting.
C. To organize a secure conference.
D. To offer help to the people on the street.
2.What has made Robocop “smart”?
A. Its social skills.
B. Its built - in tablet.
C. Its language talent.
D. Its ability to recognize people.
3.What can we learn from the spokesman?
A. Human police will become smarter.
B. RoboCop has done a good job at the meeting.
C. Robots will soon take the place of human police.
D. Robots will help Dubai Police do dangerous work.
4.What do the underlined sentences mean in the last paragraph?
A. The age of robots is now on the way.
B. Robots will change the world.
C. Scientists are making smarter robots.
D. The age of robots is already here.
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” 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. Becoming independent should be the goal of most old people.
D. There is no single solution to the problems of the old.
My son has poliomyelitis (小儿麻痹)and he suffered from it a lot. When he was young, my wife and I took him to see so many doctors and got different kinds of treatments. But still, he couldn’t walk like a normal kid.
So he was laughed at by his peers for his walking style. His tears burnt our eyes like sulphuric acid (硫酸 ). Then, he became afraid of going to school. He wouldn’t go anymore.
One night, my wife had a breakdown and shouted at him, “I tell you, my kid, you might be like this forever. You are a freak in other people’s eyes, and perhaps it would never change. But in my eyes, in your dad’s eyes, you are not a freak! You are not! Even if you are, we love you and we will love you forever!” My son spoke nothing for two days. He didn’t eat or sleep. We could read he was hurt. We hoped something wonderful would fall in our family. On the third morning, he struggled to walk to my car, with his school bag in his hand of course. He raised his head high and hugged me, saying “want to go to school. Nothing will beat me.”
You know, from then on, he was never afraid of being mocked or despised anymore. If he couldn’t avoid these looks, he chose to look at them in the eyes. Later, something nice really happened and my son went to MIT. When he was asked how he managed to bear the pressure, he said, “Because of my parents.”
My dear fellows, if you care too much about how other people look at you or what their opinions are, you will never become what you want to be.
1.The author’s son was laughed at by his peers, because_________.
A. he didn’t do well in his lessons
B. he walked in a strange way
C. he was from a poor family
D. he often burst into tears
2.After hearing what the mother said, the son__________.
A. quarreled with his mother and left home angrily
B. went to school unwillingly without speaking anything
C. burst out crying complaining about his bad experience
D. didn’t say anything without eating or sleeping for two days
3.Which of the following is NOT right according to the passage?
A. The boy was brave to face any difficulty after being encouraged by his mother.
B. The boy achieved success and was admitted to a famous university.
C. The boy finally could walk like a normal child after some treatments.
D. The boy owed his success to his parents and was grateful to them.
4.From the passage we can say the boy is_________.
A. confident and outgoing B. brave and hard-working
C. wise and easy-going D. determined and brave
