Her attractive lips seemed to speak words of kindness, while her eyes appeared to seek(寻找) out the good in people. “You have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.” She used to say.

It was for this rare charm and inner beauty that British movie star Audrey Hepburn (1929-1993) was named the most naturally beautiful woman of all time in June, 2004.

“Her skin looks fresh in all her films and her warm and lively personality really shines through,” said one beauty expert.Life was never easy for Hepburn. Shortly after her parents’ painful divorce when she was nine, she found herself in the Netherlands at the start of World War II. Hepburn watched helplessly as several of her relatives were killed. She survived by eating tulip bulbs and carried secret messages for the resistance in her ballet shoes.

She dreamed of becoming a ballet dancer but was told she was too tall and not talented enough to be a success.

Hepburn then turned to musicals and spent most of her time as a chorus girl (舞女). She had some small movie roles but it was not until Roman Holiday (1953) that she became a star. With her good manners and delicate figure, she was perfect in the role of a European princess. She took the Best Actress Oscar for her performance.

In 1988 Hepburn began her most important role—as a Goodwill Ambassador(大使) for UNICEF(United Nations Children’s Fund). She traveled to the poorest places, doing her best to provide care and create awareness of the difficult situations in which some children live.When Hepburn passed away, a message displayed at her funeral read, “In losing Audrey,

the world not only lost a movie star, we lost a princess, an angel, a person who inspired us all and whose selfless and loving examples shall always be remembered.”

1.When Hepburn began to act as a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF, how many yearshad passed since her parents’ divorce? _________

A. 50 B. 52

C. 38 D. 46

2.What is the purpose of the last paragraph?_________

A. To tell readers about Audrey Hepburn’s death.

B. To think highly of Audrey Hepburn’s whole life.

C. To tell readers the message displayed at Audrey Hepburn’s funeral.

D. To say goodbye to Audrey Hepburn.

3.Which of the following best describes Audrey Hepburn’s life? _______

A. Difficult and lucky. B. Miserable and smooth.

C. Hard and successful. D. Easy and smooth.

4.What would be the best title for the passage?_______

A. Beauty Is Not Just Skin Deep.

B. Beauty Is Just Skin Deep.

C. Beauty Never Stays Forever.

D. A World-famous Beauty expert

Some people believe that greed and selfishness has become the basis of modern society, and we should return to the old traditions of family and community then we will have a better life. To what extent do you agree or disagree with the above opinion?

In this fast-paced world, many values are undergoing major changes. While people traditionally prioritize caring, sharing and generosity in life and work, modern people seem to be more self-absorbed and self-concerned.

Modern people act selfishly to survive the harsh competition of life. They say that it is a jungle out there. To survive, you have to fight with whatever means that come handy. Obviously greedy and selfishness go perfectly well with such ideas. In a company, employees do everything they can to get better pay and higher position, even at the cost of colleagues. We are in any way advocating any selfish conduct. It is just that people are pressured to act in a certain way due to outside influences.

In spite of common practice, it is hard to conclude that modern society is built on greed and selfishness, both of which are not newly invented vocabulary. In ancient times people also did greedy and selfish things though such behaviors were more condemned then. But we can not ignore the fact that people in the past lived a relatively more isolated life and faced less pressure compared with their modern counterparts.

Are we happier to share with others and be generous to them? There is no fixed answer either. Some people take great pleasure helping and giving to others while others feel happy doing the opposite. But I personally think that people should not be too selfish. Caring for others can actually encourage the development of a mutually beneficial relationship.

In conclusion, modern people appear to be more self-centered than those in the past due to strong outside pressure. However, we should encourage people to know the importance of being caring and generous and to build a mutually beneficial relationship with others.

Are Modern People Becoming More Selfish?

Main comparisons

Contexts

1. are changing

In the past people put caring, sharing and generosity in the first 2..[

Nowadays, people seem to be more 3.about themselves.

4. are changing too.

People in the past appeared to be modest and self-effacing(谦让的).

People may strive to achieve their own 5. at the price of their coworkers.

The author’s understanding

6. for the changes in author’s eyes

Fierce 7. and great 8.on modern people may be responsible for the changes.

The author’s 9.towards topic

A relationship which can 10. two sides should be established.

What if you arrived home to find it delicious hot meal waiting for you, prepared by your very own kitchen robot It might sound like science fiction. but professors at the university of Tokyo have taken the first steps toward making that scenario a reality. The team recently introduced a humanoid kichen robot that can pour and other drinks into cups and serve the m to guests.When teating is over, the robot can also wash the dishes and put them away.

In Califormia, another interesting kitchen robot has been developed, called Readybot. It can pick up objects and either srore them in cabinets (橱柜)or put them in the trash. It also carries a separate floor-cleaning robot that can operate by itself.Unlike the Japanse robot,Readybot just looks more like a large box with arms and wheels.

Readybot was created by engineers and designers who who etablished a called the Readybot Challlenge. They believe that in the future millions of robots will be needed in homes to perform ordinary household tasks. Readybot is just the step in their plan to create a robot that can do jobs not only in kitchens but in other rooms of homes and in offces as well.

Clearly there are tcchnogical difficulties to to solve before robots can cook a Complete dinner, and there arc diso many safety concerns (忧虑) .Not everyone (especially parents) would be comfortable with the idea of robots in their house, manipulating hot pans and sharp knives. The European Commission recently furtded(资助) a project to study these concerns. According to lead researcher Professor Chris Melhuish,“ Enabling robots to work safely with humans is a key need for the future developmem of

robots.”

1.Compared with Readybot, which of the following is true about the Japanese robot?

A. It is more popular.

B. It performs more jobs,

C. It moves inore quickly.

D. It looks more like a person.

2.What can Readybot be used to do?

A. drive you around

B. clean your kitchen

C. prepare food for you

D. work for office workers

3.what's the meaning of Ac underlined word “manipulating ” in the last paragrsph?

A. Inventing

B. Avoiding.

C. Controlling.

D. Making.

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