题目内容
It is easier to start to learn a new language than to become good at it. I’ve started to learn many new languages, such as French, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Afrikaans (南非荷兰语), and so on. I can’t speak them yet, but I’ve started picking up a few words and phrases that help me when I’m visiting. Most importantly, I’ve had fun doing this.
I’ve started to learn Italian, but I haven’t learned any Italian grammar, and when I visit Italy I’m not able to speak Italian correctly. My aim is just to communicate at a very basic level when I visit a country, to make an effort, and to show appreciation of the language and culture. I’m not trying to talk about politics or explain my views on life. I pick key or useful words and phrases that I want to learn. For example, as a visitor to another country, the key words in a foreign language are the words which will be of the most use to you and which you will use most often. These key words and phrases will vary from visitor to visitor, depending on the purpose of their trip.
It is worth remembering that it is easier to start a task than to finish it, and the same goes for learning a new language. The better you are at it, the slower your rate of progress will be, as you have to learn grammar, words and so on. If you are only trying to learn a few foreign words and phrases, you will make faster progress, have more fun, and won’t have to spend too much time on any given language.
- 1.
From the second paragraph, we can infer that ______.
- A.the writer is good at Italian, although it is rather difficult
- B.the writer doesn’t like learning Italian because it is no fun
- C.discussing politics or explaining one’s view requires an advanced language level
- D.it is great fun to communicate with the local people in another country
- A.
- 2.
Which of the following does the writer prefer to learn?
- A.Sentence structure.
- B.Important words and phrases.
- C.Complicated sentences.
- D.Grammar.
- A.
- 3.
You can make faster progress ______.
- A.if your language level is advanced
- B.if you only try to learn some basic words
- C.once you speak the language well
- D.once you have mastered several other languages
- A.
- 4.
Which of the following would be the best title of this passage?
- A.Starting Learning a New Language Is Easier than Becoming Good at It
- B.How to Visit a Foreign Country
- C.The Importance of Learning a Foreign Language
- D.Why You Should Learn Several Foreign Languages
- A.
Mom was right! If you say thank you, for even the smallest gift or slightest show of kindness, you’ll feel happy.
Gratitude, says Robert A. Emmons, a professor or psychology at the University of California, is an important element of happiness. In his recent took, Thanks!, Emmons uses the first major study on gratitude to prove mom’s point. In acknowledging and developing this much-ignored expression of thankfulness, he explains how people have benefited---- even improved their health.
As one of the leading scholars of the positive psychology movement, he admits gratitude may be difficult to express. He advises you to begin by admitting that life is good and full of events and elements that make daily existence a wonder. Second, recognize that the source of life’s goodness is more than just you. That source may be your mom, a friend, partner, child, colleague at work or play, or any combination of these.
Gratitude is always other-directed, notes Emmons. You can be pleased or angry with yourself and feel guilty about doing something wrong, but you can never be grateful to or for yourself.
Expressing gratitude shouldn’t be a reaction; it should be a state of mind. To feel grateful when life is a breeze and you have more than you need is easy. To feel grateful in time of crisis---- anger, hatred and bitterness----is easier. Also, too many people are aware of life’s blessings only after these are lost.
It’s crisis and chaos ---- danger, disease, disability and death ---- that bring many individuals to realize just how dependent they are on others. Yet it’s the way each of us begins life and ends it. It’s too bad that so many people waste those decades in between labouring under the illusion they are self-sufficient, says Emmons.
The abundance of voices expressing gratitude from his studies of individuals with chronic health problems is many. But Emmons goes beyond his “groundbreaking” science to make his case for gratitude by including the inspirational writings of philosophers, novelists and saints, as well as the beliefs of various religions and their respective scriptures. Taken together, these observations are summed up quite nicely by famous humanist Albert Schweitzer, who said the secret of life is “giving thanks for everything.”
To enable and embrace gratitude, Emmons encourages the readers of Thanks! To keep a gratitude diary. He even provides easy-to-follow directions on how to practice and develop gratitude.
I’m not a reader or advocate of self-help books, but I am thankful for the reference I found in a newspaper article to the research Emmons was conducting on gratitude involving organ donors and recipients. The chance discovery led me to this book.
Mom implied that kindness seems to find its way back to the giver because life really is all about giving, receiving and repaying. So I’ll pay attention to her professional advice and say: Thank you, professor Emmons.
【小题1】What is the text mainly discussed?
A.There are many ways of being thankful. |
B.Gratitude is important to happiness. |
C.Mom is great for her being thankful. |
D.Being thankful will keep you fit. |
A. Professor Emmons supports mom’s study on psychology.
B. mom is as great a psychologist as Professor Emmons.
C. Professor Emmons is a famous psychologist.
D. mom is right about her viewpoint on gratitude.
【小题3】It will be easier for you to feel grateful when ___________.
A.you live a comfortable life |
B.you receive gifts on your birthday |
C.you get help during your hard times |
D.you are congratulated on your success |
A.It is enough to thank others orally. |
B.Whether you are thankful is always up to you. |
C.Remember to be thankful anytime and anywhere. |
D.It is easier to be thankful for yourself than for others. |
A.one-sided | B.reasonable | C.puzzling | D.helpful |
Traffic jam and cities, it seems, go hand in hand. Everyone complains about being stuck in traffic; but, like the weather, no one seems to do anything about it. In particular, traffic engineers, transportation planners, and public officials responsible for transportation systems in large cities are frequently criticized for failing to solve traffic jam.
But is traffic jam a sign of failure? Long queues at restaurants or theater box offices are seen as signs of success. Should transportation systems be viewed any differently? I think we should recognize that traffic jam is an unpreventable by-product of successful cities, and view the “traffic problem” in a different light.
Cities exist because they promote social interactions and economic transactions.
Traffic jam occurs where there are lots of people but limited spaces. Culturally and economically successful cities have the worst traffic problems, while decaying cities don’t have much traffic. New York and Los Angeles are America’s most crowded cities. But if you want access to major brokerage houses (经纪行), you will find them easier to reach in crowded New York than in any other large cities. And if your firm needs access to post-production film editors or satellite-guidance engineers, you will reach them more quickly through the crowded freeways of LA than through less crowded roads elsewhere.
Despite traffic jam, a larger number and wider variety of social interactions and economic transactions can be made perfect in large, crowded cities than elsewhere. Seen in this light, traffic jam is an unfortunate consequence of prosperity, not a cause of economic decline and urban decay.
So while we can consider traffic jam as increasing costs on the areas of big cities, the costs of inaccessibility (交通不便) in uncrowded places are almost certainly greater.
There is no doubt that traffic jam brings the terrible economic and environmental damage in places like Bangkok, Jakarta, and Lagos. But mobility is far higher and traffic jam levels are far lower here in the US, even in our most crowded cities. That’s why, for now, we don’t see people and capital streaming out of San Francisco and Chicago, heading for cities like California, and Illinois.
【小题1】 We can conclude from the first paragraph that_______.
A.traffic jam and weather are the two factors preventing the development of the big city |
B.traffic jam seems to be very difficult to deal with |
C.if traffic engineers try their best, traffic jam can be solved |
D.public officials are always criticized for misusing their power |
A.In cities, traffic jam is unavoidable. |
B.Traffic jam is both a sign of failure and a sign of success. |
C.Traffic jam is the consequence of successful cities. |
D.For a successful city, traffic jam is not unpreventable. |
A.declining | B.developing |
C.rich and successful | D.strong and healthy |
A. The traffic jam in the two cities has been worsened.
B. New York and Los Angeles are the most successful cities in the USA.
C. It is easier to reach major brokerage houses in the two cities than in other cities.
D. Despite the traffic jam in LA, you’ll find a satellite-guidance engineer more quickly there.
【小题5】What can we learn from the last paragraph? _______
A.California is as crowded and successful as San Francisco. |
B.The traffic jam in San Francisco has resulted in the capital becoming empty. |
C.The traffic jam level in Jakarta is lower than that in the US. |
D.Traffic jam has caused terrible bad effects in cities such as Bangkok and Lagos. |