For a while, my neighborhood was taken ever by an army of joggers(慢跑者). They were there all the time: early morning, noon, and evening. There were little old ladies in gray sweats, young couples in Adidas shoes, middle-aged men with red faces. “Come on!” My friend Alex encouraged me to join him as he jogged by my house every evening. “You’ll feel great.”

    Well, I had nothing against feeling great and if Alex could jog every day, anyone could. So I took up jogging seriously and gave it a good two months of my life, and not a day more. Based on my experience, jogging is the most overvalued form of exercise around, and judging from the number of the people who left our neighborhood jogging army. I’m not alone in my opinion.

   First of all, jogging is very hard on the body. Your legs and feet a real pounding(追击)ruining down a road for two or three miles. I developed foot, leg, and back problems. Then I read about a nationally famous jogger who died of a heart attack while jogging, and I had something else to worry about. Jogging doesn’t kill hundreds of people, but if you have any physical weaknesses, jogging will surely bring them out, as they did with me.

   Secondly, I got no enjoyment out of jogging. Putting one foot in front of the other for forty-five minutes isn’t my idea of fun. Jogging is also a lonely pastime. Some joggers say, “I love being out there with just my thoughts” Well, my thoughts began to bore me, and most of them were on how much my legs hurt.

    And how could I enjoy something that brought me pain? And that wasn’t just the first week: it was practically every day for two months. I never got past the pain level, and pain isn’t fun. What a cruel way to do it! So many other exercises, including walking, lead to almost the same results painlessly, so why jog?

   I don’t jog any more, and I don’t think I ever will. I’m walking two miles three times a week at a fast pace, and that feels good. I bicycle to work when the weather is good. I’m getting exercise, and I’m enjoying it at the same time. I could never say the same for jogging, and I’ve found a lot of better ways to stay in shape.

From the first paragraph, we learn that in the writer’s neighborhood ______.

A. jogging became very popular

B. people jogged only during the daytime

C. Alex organized an army of joggers

D. jogging provided a chance to get together

The underlined word “them”(Paragraph 3) most probably refers to _____.

A. heart attacks   B. Back problems   C. famous joggers   D. physical weaknesses

What was the writer’s attitude towards jogging in the beginning?

A. He felt it was worth a try.   B. He was very fond of it.

C. He was strongly against it.   D. He thought it must be painful.

Why did the writer give up jogging two months later?

A. He disliked doing exercise outside.  

B. He found it neither healthy nor interesting.

C. He was afraid of having a heart attack.

D. He was worried about being left alone.

From the writer’s experience, we can conclude that______.

A. not everyone enjoys jogging

B. he is the only person who hates jogging

C. nothing other than jogging can help people keep fit

D. jogging makes people feel greater than any other sport.

A jobless man applied for the position of “office boy” at Microsoft. The HR manager interviewed him and then watched him cleaning the floor as a test.
“You are employed,” he said. “Give me your e-mail address and I’ll send you the application to fill in, as well as date when you may start. ”
The man replied, “But I don’t have a computer, neither an email.”
“I’m sorry,” said the HR manager. “If you don’t have an email, that means you do not exist.And who doesn’t exist cannot have the job.”
The man left with no hope at all. He didn’t know what to do, with only $10 in his pocket. He then decided to go to the supermarket and buy 10Kg tomatoes. He then sold the tomatoes from door to door. In less than two hours, he managed to double his capital. He repeated the operation three times, and returned home with $60.
The man realized that he could survive in this way, and started to go every day earlier, and return late. Thus, his money doubled or tripled every day. Shortly, he bought a cart, then a truck, and then he had his own fleet of delivery vehicles. Five years later, the man is one of the biggest food retailers in the US.
He started to plan his family’s future, and decided to have a life insurance. He called an insurance broker, and chose a protection plan.  
When the conversation was concluded the broker asked him his e-mail. The man replied, “I don’t have an email.”
The broker answered curiously, “You don’t have an email, and yet have managed to build an empire. Can you imagine what you could have been if you had an e mail?” The man thought for a while and replied, “Yes, I’d be an office boy at Microsoft!”
【小题1】Why can’t the man have the job at Microsoft?

A.Because he was lazy.B.Because he didn't pass the test.
C.Because he didn’t have an e-mail.D.Because he didn’t have the application.
【小题2】The underlined word “tripled” can be replaced by “_________”.
A.became 3 timesB.became large
C.increased quicklyD.decreased quickly
【小题3】According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?
A.The man is one of the biggest food retailers in the world.
B.Those who have e-mails can work at Microsoft.
C.He started his career by selling tomatoes in the supermarket.
D.The man didn’t give up though he failed the interview.
【小题4】Which proverb can be the title of the story?
A.Misfortune may be an actual blessing (幸事).
B.Actions speak louder than words.
C.Accidents will happen.
D.No pains, no gains.

A primary school teacher who left a class of 25 pupils in tears after she told them Santa Claus did not exist has been fired. When excited youngsters became rowdy as they talked about Santa, the supply teacher said out suddenly, "It's your parents who leave out presents on Christmas Day."
The class of seven-year-olds at Blackshaw Lane Primary School, Royton, Greater Manchester burst into tears and told their parents when they arrived home. Mothers and fathers then complained about the incident and were sent a letter by the school saying the teacher, who only worked at the school for one day last week, has been punished.
The school has now said it will not hire her again.
One father said, "My son came home and said that his teacher had told the class that Santa doesn't exist and it’s their mum and dad that put out presents for them. Obviously, they were all talking about Christmas and being a bit rowdy. She just came straight out with it. "
"My son was in tears and so was everyone else in the class — especially as it was so close to Christmas. I thought it was wrong. He was crazy about it. He’s only seven-year-old and it's part of the magic of Christmas to him. "
"We told him that she did not believe in Father Christmas because of her religion and he's fine now."
"The father described the incident as ' shocking' and believed it was done with malicious intent (恶意地). A lot of parents were angry and complained to the school. The teacher, who was supplied by Rochdale and Oldham Supply Agency, is still listed and will work with other schools," the agency said.
However, the head teacher in Angela McCormick refused to comment on the incident.
【小题1】 Who felt the angriest about the incident?

A.The teacher who was fired.B.The parents whose children cried.
C.The pupils who were in tears.D.Santa Claus the teacher talked about.
【小题2】 We can infer from the passage that       .
A.the teacher was fired and couldn't continue her career in teaching
B.the parents complained about the discipline of the school
C.the little pupils felt disappointed after hearing the words said by the teacher
D.in reality, Santa Claus exists and gives out presents once a year
【小题3】 What’s the meaning of the underlined word "rowdy"?
A.surprised.B.noisy.C.discouraged.D.annoyed.

Christopher Thomas, 27, was a writer by night and a teacher by day when he noticed he was always tired and was losing weight fast. Diagnosed with diabetes (糖尿病), Thomas would need to inject himself with insulin (胰岛素) three times a day for the rest of his life or risk nerve damage, blindness and even death. And if that weren't bad enough, he had no health insurance.

After a month of feeling upset, Thomas decided he'd better find a way to fight back. He left Canton, Michigan for New York, got a job waiting tables, nicknamed himself the Diabetic Rockstar, and created diabeticrockstar.com, a free online community for diabetics and their loved ones — a place where over 1,100 people share personal stories, information, and resources.

    Jason Swencki’s son, Kody, was diagnosed with diabetes at six. Father and son visit the online children's forums(论坛) together most evenings. "Kody gets so excited, writing to kids from all over," says Swencki, one of the site's volunteers. "They know what he's going through, so he doesn't feel alone."

Kody is anything but alone: Diabetes is now the seventh leading cause of death in the United States, with 24 million diagnosed cases. And more people are being diagnosed at younger ages.

    These days, Thomas's main focus is his charity(慈善机构), Fight It, which provides medicines and supplies to people —225 to date— who can't afford a diabetic's huge expenses. Fight-it.org has raised about $23,000 — in products and in cash. In May, Thomas will hold the first annual Diabetic Rockstar Festival in the Caribbean.

Even with a staff of 22 volunteers, Thomas often devotes up to 50 hours a week to his cause, while still doing his full-time job waiting tables. "Of the diabetes charities out there, most are putting money into finding a cure," says Bentley Gubar, one of Rockstar's original members. "But Christopher is the only person I know saying people need help now."

1. Which of the following is true of Christopher Thomas?

A. He needs to go to the doctor every day.

B. He studies the leading cause of diabetes

C. He has a positive attitude to this disease.

D. He encourages diabetics by writing articles.

2. Diabeitcrockstar.com was created for _________.

     A. diabetics to communicate                      B. volunteers to find jobs

     C. children to amuse themselves                   D. rock stars to share resources.

3.According to the text, Kody ______.

     A. feel lonely because of his illness

       B. benefits from diabeticrockstar.com

C. helps create the online kid’s forums

D. writes children’s stories online

4.What can we learn about Fight It?

A. It helps the diabetics in financial difficulties. 

B. It organizes parties for volunteer once  a year.

C. It offers less expensive medicine to diabetics. 

D. It owns a well-known medical website.

5.The last paragraph suggests that Thomas ______.

A. works full-time in a diabetes charity         

B. employs 22 people for his website

C. helps diabetics in his own way              

D. ties to find a cure for diabetes

 

President Obama,s plan last week to overhaul(改善)former president George W.Bush’s No Child left Behind program is an improvement on a good thin9.But it doesn’t go far enough.

    Obama outlined a goal that by 2020,all grade school and high school students ale on a path toward college and career readiness.

    However, what we need is a practical plan that not only requires all high school graduates to take at least two years of college but also makes it financially possible for them to do so. We’ve provided a free public education through the l2th grade.If we’re going to keep up—or catch up—with some other countries(1ike China)in preparing young people for careers,a 12-year education program no longer is enough.

    About 3 million students across the USA will graduate from high school this spring. But only 2 million will go on to college, according to a survey by the National Center for Education Statistics(NCFES).For the more than l million who won’t go on,money is a major factor.If tuition(学费)were free,about half of them could make up other COSTS from family or part—time jobs.

    Critics(批评家)of free college tuition will say we can’t afford it because of the federal deficit(联邦赤字)and other rising costs.Let’s see some government spending in detail:

  In the last nearly 10 years.the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have cost us $1 trillion(that’s $1,000 billion,or an average of$100 billion a year).Federal money spent on public elementary and secondary education in the last year for which figures are available was$47 billion.If we end costly and unnecessary wars and nation—building efforts abroad,the federal government could provide more money on public education,for which state and local governments now carry most of the burden(负担).

1.According to President Obama’s plan,in 10 years,   

   A.there will be no expensive and unnecessary Wars

   B.all grade and high school students can go to college

   C.the U.S.will catch up with China in career preparation

   D.students Call enjoy a l2-year public free education

2.If tuition were not charged.

A.about 2.5 million students could afford college education

B.about 2 million students could be provided chances of college education[来源:Zxxk.Com]

C.over l million students still could not afford college education

D.about 3 million students could graduate from high school

3.The author may agree that President Obama’s plan

    A.has little to do with Gorge W.Bush’s program

    B. does not agree with the survey by NCFES

C.does not contain practical measures to achieve its goal

D.will lighten the burden of state and local governments

4.It can be inferred from the passage that

A.the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are expensive but necessary

B.the federal Can not provide more money on education

C,critics of free college tuition think little of the plan

D.President Obama’s plan might be hard to carry out

 

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