Our listener question this week comes from Vietnam．Quang Khoi asks about Murphy's Law．Murphy's Law says：“Everything that can possibly go wrong will go wrong．” Like many other popular sayings, it is difficult to find one explanation for it．
Those trying to explain Murphy's Law agree that it began in the United States Air Force, which says the expression was named after officer Edward Murphy．He was an engineer working on a project in space flight research in 1949．One story says Captain Murphy was commenting about the failure of some equipment he was using in an experiment．He reportedly mentioned the worker responsible by saying：“If there is a way to do it wrong, he will find it．” Another official heard this and called it Murphy's Law．
Another story is found in a book called A History of Murphy's Law by Nick Spark．It says members of the research team working with Captain Murphy created a similar phrase：“If it can happen, it will happen．” They called this Murphy's Law．But Spark later said there are in fact many different explanations about who invented the expression．
Still, many stories say the first use of the term Murphy's Law was at a press conference several weeks later．John Stapp was an Air Force captain at the time．He spoke to reporters about the tests completed by Captain Murphy and his team．Stapp said no one was injured during the tests because the Air Force considered “Murphy's Law” before carrying out their experiments．He said this meant that they considered everything that could go wrong before a test and planned how to prevent those mistakes from happening．
Today, you can find examples of Murphy's Law in everyday life．For example, you might say that if you drop a slice of buttered bread on the floor, it will always land with the buttered side down．
(1)
The passage is probably taken from ________
[ ]
A．
a newspaper
B．
a history textbook
C．
a radio programme
D．
a cultural magazine
(2)
According to the first explanation, we can learn that Murphy was ________ the worker responsible．
[ ]
A．
pleased with
B．
dissatisfied with
C．
familiar with
D．
concerned about
(3)
According to Nick Spark, we can know that ________．
[ ]
A．
nobody knows who really invented the expression
B．
it was Captain Murphy who invented this expression
C．
Murphy's teammates created this popular expression
D．
it is a waste of time to discuss who invented the expression．
It was a long process that involved creating a resume, submitting an online application(申请)and attending a round of interviews．Naturally Tan Kaiyin, a 21-year-old student is excited when she was selected, as more than 660, 000 people signed up to volunteer at the 16th Asian Games in Guangzhou, but only less than 10 percent were finally chosen to work in the venues and wear the white and green sport uniforms．
Like in any major sporting event, volunteers play a vital role in assisting with operations and Tan's function here is not any different．She is based at the Garden Hotel and is tasked with helping guests and officials who have issues with their accreditation cards(注册卡)．"I deal with guests from all over the world, I have never met so many international people and it is very, very exciting to have this opportunity to interact with them．They come to the office because they need to make a change in their accreditation card and usually they are in a hurry, so we try our best to get it done quickly．”
She admits the first few days involved extremely long hours, however she likes the challenge as it gives her an immense sense of satisfaction especially when an irate guest turns a frown into a smile and says "thank you"．
Tan deals with people from different cultures and personalities and feels she has learned so much in the past week, an experience that she would have never gotten if not for the Guangzhou Asian Games, therefore she is very happy and grateful for being a part of this．She also has kind words for her managers and fellow colleagues and says the hard work and positive atmosphere has bonded them into a family．She enjoys her responsibilities so much that she is afraid of feeling lost when the Games finally end on Nov．27．
However, she is aware of all the positive effects the Games have had on Guangzhou．From improvements to air and water quality to better transportation and infrastructure in the city, but most importantly to her is the fact that the Asian Games has placed Guangzhou prominently onto the world map．This, she believes, will encourage people from all over the world to continue visiting her city, and this in turn will give the residents of Guangzhou a fantastic opportunity to continue learning about different cultures．The official Asian Games Volunteer Slogan is, "Together, we can make it better! " Indeed it seems they can．
(1)
What can we learn from the text?
[ ]
A．
At most 660, 000 people signed up to volunteer at the 16th Asian Games．
B．
It is not difficult to be selected as a volunteer at the 16th Asian Games．
C．
Tan felt excited to have the opportunity to interact with people from all over the world．
D．
It is very easy for Tan to do the voluntary work．
(2)
What makes Tan feel happy and grateful for being part of Guangzhou Asian Games?
[ ]
A．
She experienced a lot and learned so much in her work
B．
She earned a large amount of money
C．
She learned different cultures
D．
She dealt with people from different personalities．
(3)
In Tan's opinion, what is NOT the positive effects the Games have had on Guangzhou
[ ]
A．
Improvements of air and water quality and better transportation
B．
Asian Games has place Guangzhou prominently onto the world map．
C．
The Game will give the residents of Guangzhou a fantastic opportunity to continue learning about different cultures．
D．
It disturbs people's normal life who are living in Guangzhou．
(4)
Which word is not suitable to describe Tan?
[ ]
A．
brave
B．
optimistic
C．
responsible
D．
depressed
阅读理解
阅读下列材料，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项。
I climbed the ladder, heard my dive announced, and began the moves that would push me into the air．Pushing off the diving board with my legs, I lifted my arms and shoulders back, and knew immediately I would be close to the board and might hit my hands．I tried to correct myself as I turned, spreading my hands wide apart．Then I heard a strange sound and my body lost control．Moments later I realized I had hit my head on the board．
At the beginning, I felt embarrassed．I wanted to hide, to get out of the pool without anyone seeing me．Next I felt intense fear．Had I cut my head? Was I bleeding? Was there blood in the pool? Swimming to the side, I noticed many shocked faces．People were worried about my head; I was worried about something far more threatening．An official examined my head．In a hurry, I pushed him away, and everyone else who approached me．“Don't touch me!” I felt like screaming．“Get away from me!”
These were the trials(选拔赛)for the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, Korea．Until this dive, I had been ahead．But now, something else was more significant than winning．I might have endangered other divers' lives if I had spilled blood in the pool．For what I knew- that few others knew－was that I was HIV-positive．
According to my mother, my natural parents were Samoan(萨摩亚人)and only teenagers when I was born, so they gave me up for adoption．When I was only eighteen months old, I started gym classes．At ten, I explored doing gym exercises off the diving board at the pool．
Because of my dark skin, kids at school called me names．My diving made me feel good about myself when my peers made me feel stupid．At sixteen, I knew I had a shot at the 1976 Olympics．
Everyone was alarmed when I hit my head on the board in Seoul．Regardless, I made it to the finals．During my last dive in the finals, I enjoyed for the last time the quietness underwater and then swam to the side of the pool．The crowd cheered, and I knew I'd won－two gold medals．AIDS forced me to stop diving; I had to give up diving professionally after the Olympics．
(1)
Immediately before he hit his head on the board, the writer ________．
[ ]
A．
climbed the ladder
B．
started the moves that would push him into the air
C．
knew he was too close to the board
D．
corrected his actions when he turned
(2)
The writer pushed away everyone who came near to him because ________．
[ ]
A．
he hated them
B．
he was HIV- positive and feared that others would be infected if they touched his bleeding head
C．
he felt embarrassed and wanted to hide without anyone seeing him
D．
he felt like screaming
(3)
The writer's natural parents put him up for adoption because ________．
[ ]
A．
they were too young to raise him
B．
they were too poor to raise him
C．
they didn't love him
D．
they were Samoan
(4)
According to the passage, the writer's diving gave him the sense of being ________．
[ ]
A．
stupid
B．
strong
C．
successful
D．
lonely
(5)
After he hit his head on the board at the trails, the writer ________．
[ ]
A．
practiced less
B．
was scared and gave up diving forever
C．
lost the chance to compete at the finals
D．
still got the chance to compete at the finals
阅读理解
阅读下列材料，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项。
The story began on a downtown Brooklyn street corner．An elderly man had collapsed while crossing the street, and an ambulance rushed him to Kings County Hospital．There, when he came to now and again, the man repeatedly called for his son．
From a worn letter located in his pocket, an emergency room nurse learned that his son was a marine stationed in North Carolina．Apparently there were no other relatives．
Someone at the hospital called the Red Cross office in Brooklyn, and a request for the boy to rush to Brooklyn was sent to the Red Cross director of the North Carolina Marine Corps camp．Because time was short－the patient was dying－the Red Cross man and an officer set out in an army vehicle．They found the young man walking through some marshes(沼泽)in a military exercise．He was rushed to the airport in time to catch the only plane that might enable him to reach his dying father．
It was dusk when the young marine walked into the entrance lobby of Kings County Hospital．A nurse took the tired, anxious serviceman to the bedside．
“Your son is here,” she said to the old man．She had to repeat the words several times before the patient's eyes opened．The medicine he had been given for the pain from his heart attack made his eyes weak and he could only see the shadow of the young man in Marine Corps uniform standing outside the oxygen tent．He reached out his hand．The marine wrapped his strong fingers around the old man's weak ones, squeezing a message of love and encouragement．The nurse brought a chair, so the marine could sit by the bed．
Nights are long in hospitals, but all through the night the young marine sat there in the dimly lit ward(病房), holding the old man's hand and offering words of hope and strength．Occasionally, the nurse urged the marine to rest for a while．He refused．
Whenever the nurse came into the ward, the marine was there, but he paid no attention to her and the night noises of the hospital－the banging of an oxygen tank, the laughter of the night staff exchanging greetings, the cries and breathing of other patients．Now and then she heard him say a few gentle words．The dying man said nothing, only held tightly to his son through most of the night．
It was nearly dawn when the patient died．The marine placed the lifeless hand he had been holding on the bed, and went to inform the nurse．While she did what she had to do, he smoked a cigarette, his first since he got to the hospital．
Finally, she returned to the nurse's station, where he was waiting．She started to offer words of sympathy, but the marine interrupted her．“Who was that man?” he asked．
“He was your father,” she answered, shocked．
“No, he wasn't,” the marine replied．“I never saw him before in my life．”
“Why didn't you say something when I took you to him?” the nurse asked．
“I knew immediately there'd been a mistake, but I also knew he needed his son, and his son just wasn't here．When I realized he was too sick to tell whether or not I was his son, I guessed he really needed me．So I stayed．”
With that, the marine turned and left the hospital．Two days later a message came in from the North Carolina Marine Corps base informing the Brooklyn Red Cross that the real son was on his way to Brooklyn for his father's funeral．It turned out there had been two marines with the same name and similar numbers in the camp．Someone in the personnel office had pulled out the wrong record．
But the wrong marine had become the right son at the right time．And he proved, in a very human way, that there are people who care what happens to their fellow men．
(1)
An emergency room nurse found out that the old man's son was a marine ________．
[ ]
A．
by calling the Red Cross office in Brooklyn
B．
because the old man repeatedly called for his son
C．
from a letter found in the old man's pocket
D．
form the old man's relatives
(2)
When the marine was found, ________．
[ ]
A．
he was setting out in an army vehicle with an officer．
B．
he was participating in a military exercise
C．
he and his fellow soldiers were stuck in marshes
D．
he was already with the old man
(3)
In the hospital, ________．
[ ]
A．
the nurse stayed by the old man's bed most of the night
B．
the dying man said a few words to the young man
C．
the young marine offered him comfort in the last few hours of the old man's life
D．
the night was cold and long, with people coming and going all night
(4)
The young marine told the nurse that he was not the real son of the old man ________．
[ ]
A．
after the old man died
B．
when the nurse sensed something strange
C．
before the marine came to the nurse's station
D．
as soon as he arrived
(5)
The mistake was due to ________．
[ ]
A．
the fact that the two marines had the same name and looked alike
B．
carelessness on the part of someone in the personnel office
C．
the wrong records kept in the North Carolina Marine Corps base
D．
the wrong information provided by the Brooklyn Red Cross
(6)
The sentence “the wrong marine had become the right son at the right time” in the last paragraph means that ________．
[ ]
A．
the marine was wrong in fooling the dying man
B．
the marine did not tell the truth at the hospital until some time later
C．
the marine told the real story about him and the old man
D．
the marine made the right decision about what he should do
阅读理解，阅读下列材料，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项。
Poet Dean Young has dealt with impermanence(无常)a lot in his career, but it's a particularly strong theme in Young's latest collection, Fall Higher．The new collection was published in April, just days after the poet received a life-saving heart transplant(移植)after about a decade of living with a weakening heart condition．
Young, whoso work is often frank and rich with twisted humor, tells NPR's Renee Montaigne that as he recovers from operation, he's also slowly returning to his everyday writing habits．
"I'm getting back to it, " Young says．"Not with the sort of concentration and sort of flame that I look forward to in the future, but I am blackening some pages．"
And on those blackened pages you'll find poems like " How Grasp Green, " which carries themes of springtime and rebirth．It's one of the first poems Young has written since his transplant．
It's easy to spot clues(线索)to Young's awful health situation in the lines of his poetry．Fall Higher's "Vintage" opens with, "Because I will die soon, I fall asleep, during the lecture on the ongoing emergency．" And the poem "-The Rhythms Pronounce Themselves Then Vanish-published in The/Vew Barker in February -opens with the CT scan that revealed Young's heart condition．
Young says "Rhythms" was written about the beginning of his illness．
"I had been having a lot of physical pain so that I could hardly walk a block．I got sent to a gastroenterologist and he did a series of tests, and then the tests came back to me and it was all heart related, " he says．" And the outlook wasn't good．
Hearts tend to come up a lot in poetry, and that's especially true of Young's work, which has clearly been influenced by the troubles of his own heart,
"A lot of times, it's not just a metaphor(比喻), " Young says．"For me, it's an actual concern because I've been living with this disease for over 10 years．My father died of heart problems when he was 49, so it's been a sort of shadowy concern for me my whole life．
But Young's poems also deal with more abstract matters of the．heart．He wrote Fall Higher's, "Late Valentine" for his wife．"We've been married since late November and most of it has been spent in the hospital, " Young says of his marriage to poet Laurie Saurborn Young, who says " 'Late Valentine' is very sweet．
Today, Young says, his friends can't help but comment on how pink his cheeks have become-the result of a new heart and better circulation(循环)．But Young wrote the poems of Fall Higher before the transplant, at a time when, at its weakest point, his old heart was pumping at 8 percent of what it should have been．
He was staring death in the face-but he was still able to look at his life and see art in it．
Young's work also touches on themes of randomness and fate-two factors that contributed to him getting a second chance in the form of a new heart from a 22-year-old student．
"Everything in life is molecules(分子)bouncing against molecules, " Young says, and having a successful transplant is no different．" Somebody had to die; it had to be a fit; my blood and his blood had to not have an argument; the heart had to be transported; I had to get it．"
There were, in short, an amazing number of variables(变量)that led to Young being here today．
"I just feel enormous gratitude, " he says of his donor(捐献者)．"He gave me a heart so I'm still alive-"I'm sure I'm going to think about this person for the rest of my life．"
(1)
The poetry collection．Fall Higher ________．
[ ]
A．
was published in February
B．
refers darkness as its main theme
C．
is Young's latest collection of poetry
D．
was written after Young's heart transplant
(2)
We can learn from the text that Young ________．
[ ]
A．
was born with heart disease
B．
received a heart transplant in February
C．
married a female poet after he wrote "Late Valentine"
D．
wrote a poem for his wife in his collection
(3)
What does the writer try to say in Paragraph 3?
[ ]
A．
The writer expected some．bright future, but he was disappointed．
B．
The writer had less enthusiasm than before, but he still kept on writing．
C．
The writer devoted more time to poems, so he grasped a good chance．
D．
The writer wrote poems with less enthusiasm, so he quitted for a while．
(4)
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
[ ]
A．
"How Grasp Green" is the first poem in Fall Higher．
B．
Young began all his poems with his illness．
C．
Young's father died when Young was 49 years old．
D．
Young's health situation is mentioned in his poetry．
