题目内容
How should one invest a sum of money in these days of inflation(通货膨胀)? Left in a bank it will hardly keep its value, however high the interest rate.Only a brave man, or a very rich one, dares to buy and sell on the Stock Market (股市).Today it seems that one of the best ways to protect your savings and even increase your wealth is to buy beautiful objects from the past.Here I am going to offer some advice on collecting antique (古董) clocks, which I personally consider are among the most interesting of antiques.
I sometimes wonder what a being from another planet might report back about our way of life.“ The planet Earth is ruled by a mysterious creature that sits or stands in a room and makes a strange ticking sound.It has a face with twelve black marks and two hands.Men can do nothing without its permission, and it fastens its young round people’s wrists so that everywhere men go they are still under its control.This creature is the real master of Earth and men are its slaves.”
Whether or not we are slaves of time today depends on our culture and personality, but it is believed that many years ago kings kept special slaves to tell the time.Certain men were very clever at measuring the time of day according to the beating of their own hearts.They were made to stand in a fixed place and every hour or so would shout the time.So it seems that the first clocks were human beings.
However, men quickly found more convenient and reliable ways of telling the time.They learned to use the shadows cast by the sun.They marked the hours on candles, used sand in hour-glasses, and invented water-clocks.Indeed, any serious student of antique should spend as much time as possible visiting palaces, stately homes and museums to see some of the finest examples of clocks from the past.
Antique clocks could be very expensive, but one of the joys of collecting clocks is that it is still possible to find quite cheap ones for your own home.After all, if you are going to be ruled by time, why not invest in an antique clock and perhaps make a future profit ?
According to the passage, collecting antique clocks___________.
A.can hardly keep the value of your savings
B.will cost much of your savings
C.may increase your wealth
D.needs your bravery
By quoting (引用) the remark (话) of a being from another planet, the author intends to ________________.
A.suggest human beings are controlled by a clock
B.describes why clocks can rule the planet Earth
C.tell readers what clocks look like
D.compare clocks to human beings
Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a way to measure the time ?
A.Counting the beating of one’s own heart.
B.Making use of candles, sand and water.
C.Observing shadows cast by the sun.
D.Keeping all the slaves busy day and night.
The underlined phrase stately homes in paragraph 4 means ____.
A.state-owned houses B.houses in very good condition
C.grand houses open to the public D.houses where statesmen meet regularly
The purpose of the passage is ________________.
A.to introduce the culture of antique clocks
B.to offer some advice on collecting antique clocks
C.to compare different ways to make a future profit
D.to explain convenient and reliable ways of telling time
【小题1】C
【小题2】A
【小题3】D
【小题4】C
【小题5】B
解析:
略
Sometimes you'll hear people say that you can't love others until you love yourself. Sometimes you’ll hear people say that you can't expect someone else to love you until you love yourself. Either way, you've got to love yourself first and this can be tricky. Sure we all know that we’re the apple of our parents’eyes,and that our Grandmas think we’re great talents and our Uncle Roberts think that we will go to the Olympics. But sometimes it's a lot harder to think such nice thoughts about ourselves. If you find that believing in yourself is a challenge,it is time you build a positive self-image and learn to love yourself.
Self-image is your own mind’s picture of yourself. This image includes the way you look,the way you act,the way you talk and the way you think. Interestingly, our self-images are often quite different from the images others hold about us. Unfortunately, most of these images are more negative than they should be. Thus changing the way you think about yourself is the key to changing your self-image and your whole world
The best way to defeat a passive self-image is to step back and decide to stress your successes. That is,make a list if you need to,but write down all of the great things you do every day. Don’t allow doubts to occur in it.
It very well might be that you are experiencing a negative self-image because you can’t move past one flaw or weakness that you see about yourself. Well, roll up your sleeves and make a change of it as your primary task. If you think you’re silly because you aren’t good at math, find a tutor. If you think you’re weak because you can’t run a mile,get to the track and practice. If you think you’re dull because you don’t wear the latest trends,buy a few new clothes. But remember, just because you think it doesn’t mean it’s true.
The best way to get rid of a negative self-image is to realize that your image is far from objective,and to actively convince yourself of your positive qualities. Changing the way you think and working on those you need to improve will go a long way towards promoting a positive self-image. When you can pat yourself on the back,you’ll know you're well on your way. Good luck!
【小题1】You need to build a positive self-image when you___________.
A.dare to challenge yourself | B.feel it hard to change yourself |
C.are unconfident about yourself | D.have a high opinion of yourself |
A.have positive effects | B.are hot true |
C.are often changeable | D.have different functions |
A.To keep a different image of others. | B.To make your life successful. |
C.To understand your own world. | D.To change the way you think. |
A.How to prepare for your success. | B.How to face challenges in your life. |
C.How to build a. positive self-image. | D.How to develop your good qualities. |
A.Parents. | B.Adolescents. | C.Educators. | D.People in general. |
Urban legends are stories that are told and believed in many places.Too many places,in fact.It simply isn’t credible that the same unlikely events take place in so many different towns.For some reason,though,that particular set of events appeals to the imagination and the tale spreads.
A very common North American urban legend concerns a mad man in the woods.A dangerous mad man has escaped from a hospital for the mentally ill.At some point in his life he has lost a hand and it has been replaced by a hook.A boy and a girl are out dating,sitting in a car.They hear on the radio that the area is dangerous,so they drive off.When they arrive home they find a bloodstained hook hanging on the door handle of the car door next to the girl.
Missing kidney(肾)stories are fairly common.Of course,the details are variable.It might be a woman waking up in a strange hotel in Bangkok,or a man finding himself in a cold bath in Toronto.or a young man with faint memories of wild disco party,but they all find a flesh wound,and discover that one of their kidneys has been removed and,probably, sold.
The back seat killer has plenty of drama.A woman gets into her Car late at night.Another Car follows her, speeding,flashing lights and really frightening her.She gets home and keeps on pressing the horn.Her husband runs out.The chasing car stops.The husband demands to know why the driver has been frightening his wife.He says he saw a strange man get into the back of the car as the wife got in,and then hide.They go and look,and there is a dangerous mad man...
1.What is the writer’s attitude towards “urban legends”?
A.Curious. |
B.Disgusted. |
C.Frightened. |
D.Doubtful. |
2.What can be inferred from the hook hanging on the Car door?
A.The mad man left it there as a warning. |
B.The mad man narrowly escaped being injured in a car accident. |
C.The mad man had just been about to attack the girl. |
D.The boy had meant to frighten the girl with it. |
3.What do we know about the three people mentioned in the third paragraph?
A.They had their kidney removed when they were unconscious. |
B.They sold their kidneys for profit. |
C.They were suffering loss of memories. |
D.They had been wounded before the accident. |
4.Why does the woman driver keep on pressing the horn?
A.To warn the other driver not to follow her. |
B.To give herself enough courage to face the danger. |
C.To made her husband aware of something urgent. |
D.To inform her family of her safe return. |
5.How should we describe the second driver in the 4th paragraph?
A.Crazy. |
B.Dangerous. |
C.Brave. |
D.Helpful. |