Heroes of Our Time

A good heart

       Dikembe Mutombo grew up in Africa among great poverty and disease. He came to Georgetown University on a scholarship(奖学金) to study medicine — but Coach(教练) John Thompson got a look at Dikembe and had a different idea. Dikembe became a star in the NBA, and a citizen of the United States. But he never forgot the land of his birth, or the duty to share his fortune with others. He built a new hospital in his old hometown in the Congo. Af friend has said of this good-hearted man: “Mutombo believes that God has given him this chance to do great things.”

Success and kindness

       After her daughter was born, Julie Aigner-Clark searched for ways to share her love of music and art with her child. So she borrowed some equipment, and began filming children’s videos(录像) in her own house. The Baby Einstein Company was born, and in just five years her business grew to more than $20 million in sales. And she is using her success to help others — producing child safety videos with John Walsh of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Julie says of her new program: “I believe it’s the most important thing that I have ever done. I believe that children have the right to live in a world that is safe.”

Bravery and courage

       A few weeks ago, Wesley Autrey was waiting at a Harlem subway station with his two little girls when he saw a man fall into the path of a train. With seconds to act, Wesley jumped onto the tracks, pulled the man into the space between the rails(铁轨), and held him as the train passed right above their heads. He insists he’s not a hero. He says: “We have got to show each other some love.”

What was Mutombo praised for?

   A. Being a star in the NBA.           B. Being a student of medicine.

   C. His work in the church.                    D. His willingness to help the needy.

Mutombo believes that building the new hospital is ______.

   A. helpful to his personal development

   B. something he should do for his homeland

   C. a chance for his friends to share his money

   D. a way of showing his respect to the NBA

What did the Baby Einstein Company do at its beginning?

   A. Produce safety equipment for children.

   B. Make videos to help protect children.

   C. Sell children’s music and artwork.

   D. Look for missing and exploited children.

Why was Wesley Autrey praised as a hero?

   A. He helped a man get across the rails.

   B. He stopped a man from destroying the rails.

   C. He protected two little girls from getting hurt.

   D. He saved a person without considering his own safety.

Many people in China have never dreamed of _______for them to learn to drive after their retirement.

A. being a chance      B. there’s a chance   C. there be a chance    D. there being a chance

第三部：阅读理解  （共两节，满分40分）

第一节：阅读短文（共15小题，每小题2分，满分30分）

     About 4 years ago, as a newly appointed general manager for a chemical plant near Toronto, I was faced with several leadership challenges. When I was first appointed as acting general manager, the plant was not even covering its costs and I was told that it would either be turned around or else!

     I met with all employees and explained the severity(严峻)of the situation and that we would all need to do what we could to increse sales and improve performance or reduce operating expenses. They all appreciated my honesty although they were very nervous about their futures.

     I then started working with each department head to determine how I could support their efforts. At first, they thought that I was looking to fix the blame for inefficiencies(无效率), but over time, they realized that I only wanted to help them find solutions.

     They learned to trust me; as when things sometimes went poorly, I told my boss that I was the person in charge rather than pointing my finger at one of my members of staff. When we gained new busuness and it directly improved our bottom line, I praised the efforts of the entire team.

     The plant workers became more and more motivated and now they all seem to really enjoy their jobs and I feel honored to be their leader. Do we still have challenges? Yes, but the strength of the team is such that we  all pull toghter to face them “as one”, kind of like a family facing life’s ups and downs.

56. When the author bacame the general manager, the plant _____.

A. could only make ends meet

B. had a strong management team

C. was really in bad situation

D. was planning to enter other fields

57. When the author came to the plant the firs time, he impressed the employees with his _____. 

A. practical attitude    B. Intelligence    C. diligence        D. politeness

58. Every time things didn’t go well, the author would _____.

A. take the blame himself

B. ask his staff to take responsibility

C. get very depressed

D. think of ways to increase sales.

59. The passage offers a good example of _____.

A. being a good employee

B. being a good leader

C. reducing operating expenses

D. The importance of honesty.

Liu Qian, a magician from Taiwan, cast his spell(魔法)over an audience of thousands on the CCTV Spring Festival Show. Die-hard fans are still trying to work out the secrets behind many of the tricks he performed.

But Liu, 32, when asked, laughed off the idea that there might be an “answer” to his magic. “The most fascinating things about magic is the puzzling process. People enjoy how magicians make the impossible come true,” said Liu.

Few people today believe in the possibility of real magic. They also often fail to consider magicians’ devotion to their art. It can take a magician years’ of practice to perfect a trick before he performs it on stage.

Part of Liu’s star appeal is his astonishing skill. However, when he began in the industry, he was embarrassingly clumsy. “I could practice thousands of times for one single act. It wasn’t much fun,” he said.

No magician’s supernatural powers on stage extend to their life off stage. Liu says his life was no easier or funnier because he was a magician.

He developed an interest in magic at a young age, but didn’t consider making a living out of it until he graduated from university. He had studied Japanese language and found himself unable to find a job. “My parents never considered being a magician as a proper job. To begin with, I had little confidence I would be doing this in the long term,” he said.

Yet Liu felt a powerful calling to become a magician. “For many people, magic somehow means a miracle, which is something we all secretly wish for no matter how hard-bitten or cynical (愤世嫉俗的)we become,” he said.

Liu may be right. A popular modern dream is of the fairy godmother, who waves her magic wand (棒) and makes our dreams come true. But according to Liu, we all have the power to create magic in our lives. As Liu puts it: it’s not the magic that makes it work；it’s the way we work that makes it magic.

1. According to the passage, we can tell that ________.

A. being a famous magician, Liu Qian leads a comfortable life

B. it is a hard job for magicians to perform magic tricks well

C. Liu Qian’s parents supported his wish of earning a living by being a magician

D. Liu Qian showed great talents in performing magic tricks when he first took it up

2. As to whether there’s real magic, Liu Qian believes ________.

A. there is no real magic and what counts in our life is the way we work

B. if we secretly wish for something, magic will turn out to be a miracle

C. the puzzling process of performing magic tricks is the answer to magic

D. there exists a fairy godmother waving her magic wand to make our dreams come true

3. Which of the following sayings is similar to the underlined sentence in meaning?

A. All roads lead to Rome.                B. Easier said than done.

C. Actions speak louder than words.       D. Where there is a will, there is a way.

4. What is the best title for the passage?

A. Magic in our lives                     B. The answer to magic

C. A popular magician from Taiwan         D. The way to become a successful magician

Every kid wishes to be an adult. But now as grown-ups, some adults find they cannot leave childhood behind. They become "kidults" (kid+adult). Being a kidult has become a lifestyle-choice among young people across Asia.

Some kidults collect toys they once played with.  Hello Kitty, Garfield, and Snoopy have many adult fans around the world. It is not unusual to see a 20-something woman with a big, Garfield-shaped cushion on her sofa or a Hello Kitty mobile phone accessory.(配件)

Other kidults still enjoy children's stories and fairy tales. For example, Bloomsbury even published the Harry Potter novels with an adult cover. That way, no one else on the subway will know that an adult is actually reading a children's book!

"Kidults can be like vitamins to society. Adults who value their childhood and hold on to pure, child-like emotion may be needed in such a rough and dry society," said Lee Sojung, professor of Foreign Studies at Hankuk University(韩国外国语大学). He added that kidult culture may fill the generation gap between adults and kids. It could give children and their parents books, movies, and cartoon shows to enjoy together. He may be right.

Tim Greenhalgh,a professor,explained that some kidults just refuse to grow up. They value childhood because life in a busy and stressful city frightens them. Kidults would like to forget their age and openly show their fear of society and adulthood.

We can infer from the article that _________.

A. Kidults miss their childhood so much that they can't give up their toys

B. Bloomsbury knows some kidults don't want people to know that they are kidults

C. Kidults like to have vitamins very much

D. Some toys are so interesting that even adults like them very much

According to the author, being a kidult is good in some way EXCEPT that _______.

A. it can improve the relationship between parents and their kids

B. it can help kidults feel relaxed

C. it is helpful to solve some social problems

D. it can make people loyal to one's parents

According to the writer, _______.

A. being a kidult is nothing wrong      B. kidults have mental problems

C. our society is very dull             D. some people can never grow up