Do you sometimes argue about what seems to you to be a simple fact? Do you argue whether it’s cold outdoors or whether the car in front of you is going faster than the speed limit (限速)?
If you get into such arguments, try to think about the story about the six blind men and the elephant. The first blind man who felt the elephant’s trunk (象鼻) said it was like a snake. The second who felt the elephant’s side said it was like a wall, while the third said it was like a spear( 矛 ) as he touched the animal’s tusk. The fourth, who took hold of the elephant’s tail, insisted that it was like a rope. The fifth man said it looked like a tree as he put his arms around one of the elephant’s legs. The last, who was tall and got hold of the elephant’s ears, said it was like a huge fan.
Each man’s idea of the animal came from his own experience. So if someone disagrees with you about a “simple fact”, it’s often because his experience in the matter is different from yours.
To see how hard it is for even one person to make up his mind about a “simple fact”, try this simple experiment. Get three large bowls. Put ice water in one. Put hot water in the second. Put lukewarm water (温水)in the third. Now put your left hand in the hot water. Put your right hand in the lukewarm water. Your right hand will tell you the water is cold. Your left hand will tell you it is hot.
【小题1】There were _______ blind man who were trying to tell what an elephant was like in the story.
A.twoB.fourC.fiveD.six
【小题2】The man who touched the elephant’s ears must be very_______.
A.heavyB.thinC.tallD.strong
【小题3】The underlined word “it” in the last line of the paragraph refers to ___.
A.your left handB.your right handC.the waterD.the bowl
【小题4】What makes people think about simple facts differently?
A.People’s wrong ideas.
B.People’s different experience.
C.Simple facts are different sometimes.
D.People often disagree with each other.
【小题5】It can be inferred from the passage that we should__________.
A.learn from the blind men
B.not agree about simple facts
C.never think about simple facts
D.never decide anything with one side

The 2012 London Olympic Games will be held on July 28th. Do you have time to go there? If you do, maybe you will meet some foreign friends. But do you know their characteristics(特征)?
The Germans are very quiet and they always keep calm. They don’t like to speak more words. They look very serious. They like different kinds of amusements. The Germans are very hard-working. They like tidiness, especially the women, who always keep their home clean.
In some ways, the Englishmen look the same as the Germans. They are very quiet and never talk too much with the strangers. They are really polite, so we often hear they say “Thank you.” or “Sorry”. The gentlemen are also the Englishmen.
The French’s holidays are very long. They like traveling and usually spend their long time staying in other countries. The Frenchmen are more outgoing than the Germans. It is very easy to make friends with them.
Compared to the Frenchmen, the Americans are more outgoing. And they are even opener than all of the Europeans. They don’t like to depend on others. So it is very common that the students do part-time jobs in their free time. And in Americans’ eyes, success is an important part in their life.
【小题1】What does the underlined word “tidiness” mean in Chinese?
A.整洁                 B.安静                     C.时尚        
【小题2】In the writer’s eyes, the gentlemen are__________.
A. the Americans       B. the Frenchmen           C. the Englishmen        
【小题3】You can find it easy to __________ the Frenchmen.
A. depend on           B. make friends with       C. do part-time job with
【小题4】According to the passage, __________ are very quiet.
A. only the Germans        B. only the Englishmen
C. Both the Germans and the Englishmen
【小题5】Which is TRUE according to the passage?
A. Characteristics of the foreigners are the same.
B. All of the Europeans are as outgoing as the Americans.
C. It’s important to be successful in Americans’ eyes.

Values join us together and set us apart. Today, our society has a terrible lack(缺乏)of values. Here are some social values that everyone needs.
◆Respect
Respect means to respect(尊重)others in everyday life. Even if you are against a person, it is important to have respect. It is this respect that makes us human. Without this respect, we become  animals. We need to respect our friends for our friendships. We even need to respect our enemies, because they help us to grow up and be stronger. Respect is one of the crucial values in a relationship.
◆Love
Love is everything. With love in our hearts, we feel no need to hurt another. With love in our hearts, we will pay more attention to the similarities in opinions rather than the disagreement. If we want others to be good to us, we need to be good to them. After all, we give love to get love, right?
◆Loyalty
People often forget the meaning and importance of loyalty(忠诚). Loyalty is necessary for people to believe in each other. In no matter what kind of relationship, we need to believe in each other so that we can work together towards the same goal.
◆Honesty
Honesty is to show other people who we really are. Honesty helps us do better, because it makes us realize our problems and find ways to solve them. It is this honesty, that will make others help you out, not because you need it. But, because they have problems too, which you can help out with. This honesty will help us follow the other values in society and, truly, "heal the world"!
【小题1】The Chinese meaning of the word “value” in the passage is probably “___________”.

A.价格B.价值观念C.生活习惯D.爱好
【小题2】According to the passage, we are different from animals because of ____________.
A.LoyaltyB.HonestyC.LoveD.Respect
【小题3】With love in our hearts, we will ____________.
A.grow up and become stronger
B.believe in each other
C.never hurt another and be good to others
D.realize our problems and find ways to solve them
【小题4】The best title of the passage can be “___________”.
A.Values we need for our societyB.Love and honesty
C.Our societyD.How to change our society

违法和不良信息举报电话:027-86699610 举报邮箱:58377363@163.com

精英家教网