My newly-rented small apartment was far away from the centre of London and it was becoming essential for me to find a job, so finally I spent a whole morning getting to town and putting my name down to be considered by London Transport for a job on the underground. They were looking for guards, not drivers. This suited me. I couldn’t drive a car but thought that I could probably guard a train, and perhaps continue to write my poems between stations. The writers Keats and Chekhov had been doctors. T.S. Eliot had worked in a bank and Wallace Stevens for an insurance company. I’d be a subway guard. I could see myself being cheerful, useful, a good man in a crisis. Obviously I’d be overqualified but I was willing to forget about that in return for a steady income and travel privileges — those being particularly welcome to someone living a long way from the city centre.

The next day I sat down, with almost a hundred other candidates, for the intelligence test. I must have done all right because after about half an hour’s wait I was sent into another room for a psychological test. This time there were only about fifty candidates. The interviewer sat at a desk. Candidates were signaled forward to occupy the seat opposite him when the previous occupant had been dismissed, after a greater or shorter time. Obviously the long interviews were the more successful ones. Some of the interviews were as short as five minutes. Mine was the only one that lasted a minute and a half.

I can remember the questions now: “Why did you leave your last job?” “Why did you leave your job before that?” “And the one before that?” I can’t recall my answers, except that they were short at first and grew progressively shorter. His closing statement, I thought, revealed (揭示) a lack of sensitivity which helped to explain why as a psychologist, he had risen no higher than the underground railway. “You’ve failed the psychological test and we are unable to offer you a position.”

Failing to get that job was my low point. Or so I thought, believing that the work was easy. Actually, such jobs — being a postman is another one I still desire — demand exactly the sort of elementary yet responsible awareness that the habitual dreamer is least qualified to give. But I was still far short of full self-understanding. I was also short of cash.

The writer applied for the job chiefly because _________.

A.he wanted to work in the centre of London

B.he could no longer afford to live without one

C.he was not interested in any other available job

D.he had received some suitable training

The writer thought he was overqualified for the job because _________.

A.he often traveled underground          B.he had written many poems

C.he could deal with difficult situations       D.he had worked in a company

The length of his interview meant that _________.

A.he was not going to be offered the job

B.he had not done well in the intelligence test

C.he did not like the interviewer at all

D.he had little work experience to talk about

What does the writer realize now that he did not realize then?

A.How unpleasant ordinary jobs can be.     B.How difficult it is to be a poet.

C.How unsuitable he was for the job.  D.How badly he did in the interview.

   Is a loved one missing some body parts? Is everyone at your dinner table of the same species? Humans and chimps(黑猩猩)differ in only 400 genes. And should that worry us ?Is it horrible for you thinking one fifth of all our genes are owned by someone else, or a person and his family may be hunted cross-country because they happen to have certain valuable genes? We live in a time of great scientific leaps!

   Next challenges our sense of reality, blending fact and fiction into a breathless tale of a new world where nothing is what it seems.

   The son of a zookeeper, 16-year-old Pi Patel is raised in Pondicherry. India. Planning a move to Canada, his family takes a ride on an enormous ship. After a shipwreck。Pi finds himself in the Pacific Ocean, trapped on a 26-foot lifeboat with a wounded zebra, a hyena(鬣狗), a orangutan(猩猩), and a tiger named Richard Parker It sounds like a colorful setup. But these wild animals don’t burst into song as in the Disney cartoons. All want to survive, however Pi finds himself the weakest one of all. After much infighting, Pi and Richard Parker remain the boat’s only passengers. Pi is left to survive for 227 days through waters with his large dangerous companion, using all his knowledge, wits and faith.

Five people you meet in heaven

When a lonely and elderly man dies in an accident, he awakens in an unfamiliar place called Heaven where five people, some strangers, some loved ones, take him on a clear journey through his life. Each soul has a story to tell, a secret to reveal(揭示), and a lesson to share. Through them Eddie learns “lessons”, finds out why certain events happened in his physical life, and understands the meaning of his own life. The book explores the unexpected mysteries of the afterlife by reminding us what really matters here on earth

Marley&Me:life and love with the world’s worst dog

Job and Jenny were just beginning their life together They brought home Marley, a yellow fur-ball of a dog Life would never be the same. Marley crashed through doors, and ate nearly everything he could get his mouth around. However, just as he refused any limits on his behavior, his love and loyalty were boundless, too. He shard the couple’s joy and heartbreak. He was there whenever the couple needs help Marley&Me is so much more than the story of a lovable dog;it’s the story of a family. Toward the end of book, Grogan speaks of the life lessons-loyalty, courage, devotion, simplicity, joy-that Marley taught him.

1. What does the underlined word “blending” in the first hook introduction mean_________.

A. ruin                         B. break                     C. combine                  D. attempt

2. What happened to the survivors on the life boat according to the introduction?

A. Pi managed to kill those animals and finally survived

B. They worked hand in hand to get through the sea

C. They had to fight against one another in order to survive

D. Richard Parker killed other animals but was killed by Pi.

3. Five People You Meet in Heaven tells an old man’s experience in Heaven in order to reveal___.

A. the existence of Heave                          B. the mystery of death

C. human’s future life                               D. the true meaning of life

4. Who is Grogan most probably according to the introduction?

A. The author of Marley&Me                    B. A friend of John and Jenny

C. An expert taming dogs.                         D. The previous owner of the dog


In this age of Internet chat, videogames and reality television, there is no shortage of mindless activities to keep a child occupied. Yet, despite the competition, my 8-year-old daughter Rebecca wants to spend her free time writing short stories. She wants to enter one of her stories into a writing contest, a competition she won last year.
As a writer I know about winning contests, and about losing them. I know what it is like to work hard on a story only to receive a rejection slip (退稿条) from the publisher. I also know the pressures of trying to live up to a reputation created by previous victories. What if she doesn’t win the contest again? That’s the strange thing about being a parent. So many of our own past scars and ruined hopes can surface.
A revelation (启示) came last week when I asked her, “Don’t you want to win again?”
“No”, she replied, “I just want to tell the story of an angel going to first grade.”
I had just spent weeks correcting her stories as she spontaneously (自发地) told them. Telling myself that I was merely an experienced writer guiding the young writer across the hall, I offered suggestions for characters, conflicts and endings for her tales. The story about a fearful angel starting first grade was quickly “guided” by me into the tale of a little girl with a wild imagination taking her first music lesson. I had turned her contest into my contest without even realizing it.
Staying back and giving kids space to grow is not as easy as it looks. Because I know very little about farm animals who use tools or angels who go to first grade, I had to accept the fact that I was co-opting (借用) my daughter’s experience.
While stepping back was difficult for me, it was certainly a good first step that I will quickly follow with more steps, putting myself far enough away to give her room but close enough to help if asked. All the while I will be reminding myself that children need room to experiment, grow and find their own voices.
67. What do we learn form the first paragraph?
A. Now too many entertainments take up too much time.
B. Children do find lots of fun in many mindless activities.
C. Rebecca is much too occupied to enjoy her free time.
D. Rebecca draws on a lot of online materials for her writing.
68. What did the author say about her own writing experience?
A. She was constantly under pressure of writing more.
B. Most of her stories had been rejected by publishers.
C. She did not quite live up to her reputation as a writer.
D. Her way to success was full of pains and frustrations.
69. Why did Rebecca want to enter this year’s writing contest?
A. She had won a prize in the previous contest.
B. She wanted to share her stories with readers.
C. She was sure of winning with her mother’s help.
D. She believed she possessed real talent for writing.
70. What’s the author’s advice for parents?
A. Children should be given every chance to voice their opinions.
B. Parents should keep an eye on the activities their kids engage in.
C. Children should be allowed freedom to grow through experience.
D. A writing career, though attractive, is not for every child to pursue.

The definition of the standard kilogram is almost entirely wrong. Getting that definition right is a challenge that has tried the patience and intelligence of scientists for decades.

Scientists use just seven basic units to define all the other quantities we use — quantities such as speed or electric power. All of those basic units except the kilogram are themselves defined according to natural properties(属性)that are beyond human control.

For example, the standard second (time) is defined as a specific number of vibration(振动)of a type of radiation sent out by atoms of a special metal. The standard metre (length), in turn, is defined as the length of the path light travels under certain conditions.

Not so the kilogram. This orphan of the basic unit family is simply the mass of a small platinum-iridium alloy cylinder(铂—铱合金筒)locked away in a container maintained by the International Bureau of Weights & Measures in Sevres, France, near Paris. Official bodies around the world have copies of the cylinder.

Embarrassingly, the last time the copies were brought to Sevres for a checkup in the 1980s, officials found that some copies had gained about 20 parts per billion in weight compared to the master cylinder since the previous checkup in the 1940s. This implies that the master cylinder itself may be an inconstant standard.

Several efforts in several different countries are under way to redefine the kilogram according to basic physical quantities such as counting the actual number of atoms of a specific substance in a kilogram or the electromagnetic(电磁的)force that balances a kilogram mass against gravity. A project of the latter type at the laboratories in Gaithersburg, Md., hopes eventually to define mass by means of electrical units.

So far, none of these redefinition projects has borne fruit. They require the very accuracy of measurement and control of experimental conditions. The slightest influence — even a tiny change in weather — can ruin results. You’ve got to hand it to scientists who are willing to devote many years to such painstaking — but extremely important — research.

 

1. Compared with other basic units, the kilogram is ____.

    A. as accurate as other basic units        

B. not universally accepted in the world

    C. not defined according to natural properties

    D. defined in the same way as other basic units

2.The author introduced the examination of copies of a platinum-iridium alloy cylinder in the 1980s to indicate that ____.

    A. the causes of weight changes had been found

    B. such kind of checks had been carried out regularly

    C. the changes in weight challenged the definition of the kilogram

    D. the consequences of such changes were great in research

3. According to the passage, to define the weight of mass by means of electrical units ____.

    A. is the only way to redefine the kilogram scientifically

    B. has been accepted as the only possible redefinition project

    C. is not as complicated as people understand

    D. has been considered by some scientists as a better approach

4. Which of the following cannot be concluded from the passage?

A. Scientists will achieve success in redefining the kilogram in the near future

B. Some scientists are trying to redefine the kilogram according to basic physical quantities.

C. The redefining of the standard kilogram is quite complicated and can be affected by a number of factors.

D. A number of experiments are being carried out to redefine the kilogram.

 

 

The national assistance system for poor college students is getting more effective as proved by fewer phone calls to the hotline of the National Center for Student Assistance Administration.

     "Poor college students and their parents are getting more satisfied with the national assistance system," said Ma Wenhua, deputy director of the administration, on Saturday. Over the past three years, the hotline received 8,488 calls. Statistics show 62 percent of the calls were made to ask about the funding policy, while 38 percent (3,200 calls) complained local colleges had failed to abide by the rules to support the students.

     Complaints were seen a year-on-year decrease from 2006 to 2008. Ma said some poor families might still overlook what they should do to get support for their child. To ensure education equality, the government has introduced a set of favorable policies to help poor students, such as scholarships, grants(助学金), student loans, tuition waivers(学费全免) and the work-study programs under which poor students are helped out in libraries, teachers' offices or service departments to earn money.

    Statistics show the government spent 29.3 billion yuan last year to aid college students, up 7.6 percent from the previous year. Around 40 million persons of college students received the national aid.

    The Ministry of Education of the government would ensure that no students drop out of colleges or universities because of poverty.

    Among the 20 million students in the country's public and private universities and colleges last year, about 20 percent came from poor backgrounds, official figures show.

1.The national assistance system is set up ___.

  A. for parents and students to complain

B. to help poor college students

  C. for poor students to get free education

 D. to help students find jobs

2.The underlined phrase "abide by" in the second paragraph probably means ____.

A. follow                 B. break               C. bear            D. agree to

3.From the passage, we know that ____.

  A. students will drop out of university because of poverty

  B. Chinese poor college students are more satisfied with national assistance system

  C. more and more parents are complaining about their local colleges

  D. college students are suffering from great economic pressure

 

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