Everyone knows that the Frenchmen are romantic, the Italians are fashionable and the Germans are serious. Are these just stereotypes or is there really such a thing as national character? And if there is, can it affect how a nation succeed or fail?

At least one group of people is certain that it can. A recent survey of the top 500 entrepreneurs in the UK found that 70% felt that their efforts were not appreciated by the British public. Britain is hostile to success, they said. It has a culture of jealousy. As a result, the survey said, entrepreneurs were “unloved, unwanted and misunderstood.” Jealousy is sometimes known as the “green – eyed monster” and the UK is its home.

Scientists at Warwich University in the UK recently tested this idea. They gathered a group of people together and gave each an imaginary amount of money. Some were given a little, others a great deal. Those given a little were given the chance to destroy the large amount of money given to others – but at the cost of losing their own. Two thirds of the people tested agreed to do this.

This seems to prove that the entrepreneurs were right to complain. But there is also conflicting evidence. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development recently reported that the UK is now the world’s fourth largest economy. That is not bad for people who are supposed to hate success. People in the UK also work longer hours than anyone else in Europe. So the British people are not lazy, either.

“It is not really success that the British dislike,” says Carey Cooper, a professor of management at the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology. “It’s people using their success in a way that seems proud or unfair or which separates them from their roots.”

Perhaps it is the entrepreneurs who are the problem. They set out to do things in their way. They work long hours. By their own efforts they become millionaires. But instead of being happy they complain that nobody loves them. It hardly seems worth following their example. If they were more friendly, people would like them more. And more people want to be like them.

1.Most entrepreneurs surveyed believe that        .

A.the British people hate success

B.the British people are hardworking

C.love of success is Britain’s national character

D.they are considered as “green – eyed monsters”

2.What does the result of the Warwich University’s test show.

A.Two thirds of the people tested didn’t love money.

B.Most people would rather fail than see others succeed.

C.An imaginary amount of money does not attract people.

D.Most people are willing to enjoy success with others.

3.The writer of the passage seems to suggest that         .

A.jealousy is Britain’s national character

B.British entrepreneurs are not fairly treated

C.the scientists at Warwich University did a successful test

D.the entrepreneurs in the UK do not behave properly

4.The best title for this article can be            .

A.Be More Modest and We Will Love You More

B.Proud Entrepreneurs

C.The Frenchmen are Romantic While The British are Hostile

D.Only Pains but No Gains

 

Long long ago people made fires from lightning(闪电)。 But they had to keep the fire burning, for they couldn’t start it again if there was no lightning. Later, they found out hitting two piece of stone together could make a spark (火花). The spark could fire dry leaves. In this way they could make the fire again if it went out. Them people also learned to make a fire by rubbing. They made a hole on a big piece of wood and put a smaller stick into the hole. They turned the stick again and again. After a few minutes they got a fire.

As years went by, people learned other ways to make a fire. Sometimes they used the heat from sun. they held a piece of glass in the right way and made a piece of paper on fire.

About two centuries ago, people began to make matches (火柴). Matches brought people a quick and easy way to make fire. Today matches are still being used, but people have more new ways to make fires. One of them is to use an electric fire starter. Of course an electric fire starter is much more expensive than a box of matches. But it is more useful.

1.A spark can _________.

A.fire any leaves

B.burn anything

C.burn dry leaves

D.keep fires burning

2.We can also get a fire by _________.

A.making a hole on a big piece of wood

B.putting a smaller stick into the hole

C.turning the stick hard for a while

D.doing all the above together

3.Matches have been used _________.

A.for about two thousand years

B.for about two hundred years

C.since people began to use fire for cooking

D.since people used the heat from the sun.

4.From this passage we know _______.

A.using matches is the easiest and most useful way to make fires

B.people don’t use matches any more since they had electric fire starters

C.today there are only two ways to make fires

D.some forest fires happen from lightning

5.Choose the right order of the ways to make fires people got to know _________.

a. with a match   b. from the sun   c. from lightning 

d. by rubbing   e. with an electric fire starter.

A.d ,b, c, a,e

B.d, c, b, a, e

C.c, d, b, a, e

D.c, b, d, a ,e

 

Some children are natural-born bosses. They have a strong need to make decisions,manage their environment,and lead rather than follow. Stephen Jackson,a Year One student,“operates under the theory of what's mine is mine and what's yours is mine,” says his mother. “The other day I bought two new Star Wars light sabers (剑). Later,I saw Stephen with the two new ones while his brother was using the beat-up ones.”

“Examine the extended family,and you'll probably find a bossy grandparent,aunt,uncle or cousin in every generation. It's an inheritable trait,” says Russell Barkley,a professor at the Medical University of South Carolina. Other children who may not be particularly bossy can gradually gain dominance (支配地位) when they sense their parents are weak,hesitant,or in disagreement with each other.

Whether it's inborn nature or developed character at work,too much control in the hands of the young isn't healthy for children or the family. Fear is at the root of a lot of bossy behavior,says family psychologist John Taylor. Children,he says in his book From Defiance to Cooperation,“have secret feelings of weakness” and “a desire to feel safe.” It's the parents' role to provide that protection.

When a “boss child” doesn't learn limits at home,the stage is set for a host of troubles outside the family. The overly willful and unbending child may have trouble obeying teachers or coaches,for example,or trouble keeping friends. It can be pretty lonely as the top dog if no one likes your bossy ways.

“I see more and more parents giving up their power,” says Barkley,who has studied bossy behavior for more than 30 years. “They bend too far because they don't want to be as strict as their own parents were. But they also feel less confident about their parenting skills. Their kids,in turn,feel more anxious.”

1.Bossy children like Stephen Jackson_________.

A. make good decisions                  B. show self-centeredness

C. lack care from others                    D. have little sense of fear

2.The underlined phrase “inheritable trait” in Paragraph 2 means ___________.

A. inborn nature                        B. developed character

C. accepted theory                      D. particular environment

3.The study on bossy behavior implies that parents_________.

A. should give more power to their children

B. should be strict with their children

C. should not be so anxious about their children

D. should not set limits for their children

4.What is the passage mainly about?

A. How bossy behavior can be controlled.       

B. How we can get along with bossy children.

C. What leads to children's bossy behavior.    

D. What effect bossy behavior brings about.

 

A disheveled (头发凌乱的) man appeared in court Thursday on charges of murdering a Chinese woman whose fight with her attacker was seen on webcam(摄像头) by her boyfriend in China. Police refused to release any details about the crime or its possible motive.

The body of York University student Liu Qian, 23, of Beijing, was found Friday in her apartment in Toronto a few hours after her boyfriend witnessed the attack, police said.

She was found undressed from the waist down but there were no obvious signs of sexual attack or trauma (创伤) severe enough to kill her. Police say it may be weeks before the results of an autopsy (尸体解剖) are known.

Brian Dickson, 29, stood before the court in a wrinkled white shirt and blue jeans as a charge of first- degree murder was read out. He did not enter a plea. His case was held over until April 26.

Dickson was arrested Wednesday. Police only announced his name and his age and asked the media not to publish any photos of Dickson, saying it could compromise the investigation. Toronto police spokesman Tony Vella declined to respond to the request further.

Liu’s father, Liu Jianhui, who arrived from China after being informed of his daughter’s death, thanked authorities for their quick action.

“I sincerely thank the people concerned with my daughter’s case,” he told reporters after the arrest. “Our daughter was studying very hard.”

Police released no motive or details about Dickson, but one friend described the Toronto man as an aspiring actor.

Patricia Tomasi, a friend of Dickson’s, told The Associated Press that she acted in a play at a local theater in Toronto with Dickson in 2007.

“He doesn’t seem like the type but that’s what they always say,” Tomasi said. “He’s tall with boyish good looks. I don’t know much about him except that he wanted to be an actor.”

Dickson attended York University where he studied global politics, but did not earn a degree from there.

He later worked for the Atlantic Council of Canada (ACC), where he served as an assistant to the president Juilie Lindhout. According to his biography on a newsletter from the Atlantic Council of Canada, Dickson has also been a running instructor and has been involved with Developments in Literacy, a Pakistani aid organization that raises money for children in Pakistan.

A statement from the Atlantic Council of Canada on Thursday said it was not council policy to comment on staff, but it confirmed that Dickson had been an intern(实习生) with the council from September 29, 2008, until March 27, 2009.

Liu was chatting with her boyfriend, Meng Xianchao, by webcam at about 1 am. Friday when a man knocked on the door, police said.

Meng reported seeing a struggle break out between the two before Liu’s webcam was shut off. Meng contacted other friends in Toronto who in turn called police.

The victim’s father, Liu Jianhui, said his daughter studied at Beijing City University before moving to Canada, where she met Meng.

Liu Qian’s laptop computer, webcam and mobile phone were taken from the apartment the night of the attack, police said. Police said the online chat was on a live streaming camera and was not recorded, though investigators were trying to figure out if there was any way they could recover it.

York University, whose campus is located near one of Toronto’s rougher neighborhoods, is one of Canada’s largest universities with more than 53,000 undergraduate and graduate students. About 3,200 of York’s students come from more than 150 foreign countries, the university’s website says.

1.Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?

A.York University students come from over 150 foreign countries.

B.Dickson was a graduate of York University where he studied global politics.

C.The passage does not mention the reason why Dickson murdered Liu Qian.

D.ACC wouldn’t make any comments on staff even if they committed a crime.

2.The underlined word in paragraph 8 probably means ______.

A.a successful actor

B.a gifted actor

C.a common actor

D.an ambitious actor

3.Why did police ask the media not to publish any photos of Dickson?

A.Worrying about bad influences on the investigation.

B.Not intending to give out any information about Dickson.

C.Not confirming whether Dickson had killed Liu Qian.

D.Wanting to protect their citizen for fear of losing face.

4.What can be inferred from the text?

A.Developments in Literacy raises money for all children

B.Seeing the struggle, Meng contacted Toronto police.

C.Dickson had no bad records before the murder.

D.Investigators could recover the chat record online.

 

One afternoon after school had finished , Peter and Jane were walking along the street. Suddenly they heard a big noise.

“Come on” shouted Peter.“That sounds like an accident. Let’ see what’s happened.”

They ran to where the noise came from. As soon as they got there, they could see what had happened. A small car had knocked into the side of a truck. The accident had happened in a quiet street with only four houses in it. Peter and Jane were the first ones to reach the site. No other people came.“We must be the only ones who saw the accident,” said Jane. They found that both the car driver and the truck driver were hurt.

“Peter,” said Jane,“ Run back down the road to Mrs Day’s house. Ask her to call the policemen and the ambulance. Hurry. I’ll stay here.”

Off went Peter as fast as he could. There was nothing Jane could do but wait. She knew that when people were hurt in an accident, they shouldn’t be moved. It wasn’t long before the police car and the ambulance arrived. The policeman got the car door open and they carried the man out. Then they got the truck driver out. The men weren’t seriously hurt, but they were both taken to the hospital. The policemen thanked Peter and Jane, “You were very good to act so quickly when you saw the accident. Thank you for all your help.”

67.The accident happened _______.

A. in a quiet street one school day afternoon

B. in a busy street one school day afternoon

C. in a quiet street one Sunday after noon

D. in a busy street one Sunday afternoon

68. ______in the accident.

A. Only the car driver was hurt        B. Only the truck driver was hurt

C. Neither of the two drivers was hurt   D. Both the drivers were hurt

69._____called the policeman.

A.Jane  B.The drivers   C. Mrs Day    D. Peter

70.Jane did nothing before the policemen arrived because _____.

A. she was too frightened to do anything   B. she was alone after Peter left

C. she was waiting for Peter

D. she knew she shouldn’t move the two drivers

 

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