A friend is better than fortune. A friend is worse than poison in some cases. 

The two sentences above have opposite meanings and seem to be unreasonable, but they can be explained as follows: the first refers to all good friends who drive us towards good while the second all bad ones who lead us into bad ways.

　　My ideal friend is of course a good friend whose goodness is shown below — he has no bad habits, such as smoking and drinking. He lives in frugality (节俭). He studies hard so as not to waste his golden time. At home he honors his parents and loves his brothers; at school he respects his teachers and shares the feelings of his classmates. He treats those truly who are true to him. In a word, he has all the good characteristics that I don’t have. I can follow him as a model. With his help I can be free from all difficulties.

Indeed, if I have such a person as my friend, I shall never fear difficulty and I shall never know the existence of the word “failure”.

1.This passage tells us ____.

　  A. how to make friends with others         B. how to help friends

　  C. what kind of person the writer’s friend is

　  D. what kind of person we should make friends with

2.According to the writer, an ideal friend refers to _______. 

　  A. a friend without bad habits           　B. a famous man

　  C. a perfect man                       D. a respectable man

3.From the passage we can learn that ________. 

　  A. the writer and his ideal friend have a lot to learn from each other

　  B. the writer has a lot to learn from his ideal friend

　  C. the writer’s ideal friend has a lot to learn from him

　  D. the writer has only a little to learn from his ideal friend

4.From the second paragraph, we can infer the writer is sure that _______. 

　  A. friendship means a great deal to him

　  B. nothing can be done without friends

　  C. he who does not smoke or drink must be a good friend

D. good friends should always help each other

On November 19, 1863, Abraham Lincoln went to Gettysburg in Pennsylvania to speak at the National Soldiers Cemetery. The Civil War was still going on. There was much criticism of President Lincoln at the time. He was not at all popular. He had been invited to speak at Gettysburg only out of politeness. The principal speaker was to be Edward Everett, a famous statesman and speaker of the day. Everett was a handsome man and very popular everywhere.

　　It is said that Lincoln prepared his speech on the train while going to Gettysburg. Late that night, alone in his hotel room and tired out, he again worked briefly on the speech. The next day Everett spoke first. He spoke for an hour and 57 minutes. His speech was a perfect example of the rich oratory of the day. Then Lincoln rose. The crowd of 15,000 people at first paid little attention to him. He spoke for only nine minutes. At the end there was little applause. Lincoln turned to a friend and said , "I have failed again." On the train back to Washington, he said sadly, "That speech was a flat failure, and the people are disappointed."

　　Some newspapers at first criticized（批评）the speech. But little by little as people read the speech they began to understand better. They began to appreciate its simplicity and its deep meaning. It was a speech which only Abraham Lincoln could have made.

　　Today, every American school child learns Lincoln's Gettysburg Address by heart. Now everyone thinks of it as one of the greatest speeches ever given in American history.

1..

 In 1863, Abraham Lincoln was_________.

　　A. very critical

　　B. unpopular

　　C. very popular

　　D. very courteous （礼貌）

2..

. Lincoln was invited to speak at the National Soldiers Cemetery because he was_________.

　　A. a famous speaker

　　B. a very handsome man

　　C. President of the country

　　D. a popular statesman

3..

 It can be inferred from the text that_________.

　　A. Lincoln prepared his speech very carefully before he went to Gettysburg

　　B. Lincoln was very busy at the time and didn't have much time to prepare his speech

　　C. Lincoln's speech was full of rich words

　　D. Lincoln's speech was very long

4..

It was a fact that Lincoln's speech was _________.

　　A. an immediate success

　　B. warmly applauded

　　C. a total failure

　　D. not well-received at first

5..

 Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?

　　A. Lincoln's Gettysburg Address has deep meaning.

　　B. Lincoln's Gettysburg Address is simple in style.

　　C. Lincoln's Gettysburg Address is memorized by every American school child.

　　D. Lincoln's Gettysburg Address is the greatest speech ever delivered in the United        States.

This is my first letter to you, although I have been reading your column for many years. I need an outside opinion.

I am a grandmother in my 70s and have just returned from visiting my daughter, her husband and their three dearly loved children—all under the age of 5—and I’m upset with some of their parenting ways.

For example:

They lock the doors to their children’s bedrooms at night because “the children might get out of their beds and wander around the house, and we may not hear them”.

If one child should get punishment, all three are punished, and if one child says a “naughty” word, all three are given hot sauce(辣酱汁)in the mouth.

I know these parents love their children very much, but are these ways of disciplining them wise? Please understand, it is not my aim to interfere(干涉).

Gram

Dear Gram,

Children’s bedroom doors should not be locked. If a fire breaks out, it would be a nightmare (可怕的事物).

Punishing all the children when only one has earned the punishment is a good way to make them grow up to hate each other.

Children who use “naughty” words should not be punished with hot sauce in the mouth. They should be taught the proper and acceptable words to use instead of the “naughty” words.

Abby

1. From the passage we can see that Abby is probably_______.

A. a famous writer　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　    B. a columnist (专栏作家)

C. a friend of hers　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. a government official

2. Gram’s daughter_______.

A. is very strict with her children

B. does not love her three children

C. always punishes her children at night

D. often gives her children hot sauce

3. Gram writes the letter in order to_______.

A. disclose her daughter’s ways as a mother

B. criticize her daughter’s ways as a mother

C. express her anger about her daughter’s ways as a mom

D. get others’ opinion about her daughter’s ways as a mom

During the fall months at high school guidance counseling programs, juniors run to the stage to participate in an exercise to help them understand that it is not “where you go” that matters. They hold posters with the names and faces of famous people while their peers (同龄人) and parents shout out with confidence the names of elite (精英) colleges they assume the celebrities attended. The “oohs” and “aahs” follow when they learn that Steven Spielberg, Steve Jobs and Bill Gates dropped out of college, that Oprah Winfrey is a graduate of Tennessee State and that Ken Burns graduated from Hampshire College. If even a few stressed students and their anxious parents benefit from this information, it is a worthwhile exercise.

Even better is giving the students a task to identify the happy, successful people in their own circle of family, friends, co-workers and neighbors and challenging them to go and ask “if or where they went to college” as a means of broadening the conversation in their search for a life after high school.

The key to success in college and beyond has more to do with what students do with their time during college than where they choose to attend. A long-term study of 6,335 college graduates published by the National Bureau of Economic Research found that graduating from a college where entering students have higher SAT scores -- one marker of elite colleges --- didn’t pay off in higher post-graduation income. Researchers found that students who applied to several elite schools but didn’t attend them --- either because of rejection or by their own choice --- are more likely to earn high incomes later than students who actually attended elite schools.

In a summary of the findings, the bureau says that “evidently, students’ motivation, ambition and desire to learn have a much stronger effect on their future success than average academic ability of their classmates.”

The late author Loren Pope, who wrote Looking Beyond the Ivy League and Colleges That Change Lives, noted that the greater the opportunity for engagement and critical, creative and cooperative learning with staff, peers and community, the more likely the chance for future success.

59. The purpose of the guidance counseling programs is to help students _________.

A.apply for suitable colleges

B. learn about college life

C. choose the most famous colleges

D. know about famous graduates

60. Ken Burns’ example shows that the successful people _________.

A. don’t need support from their friends　　　　　　　　

B. have their own circle of family

C. don’t necessarily graduate from a famous college

D. graduate from a famous college　

61. What contributes most to students’ success in college and after graduation is _________.

A. whether they enter the elite college or not

B. whether they have spared no effort in college or not

C. whether they possess a higher SAT scores or not

D. whether they have famous schoolmates or not

62. According to Loren Pope, future success depends more on _________.

A. staff, peers and community

B. motivation, ambition and desire to succeed

C. average academic ability of the classmates

D. creation, cooperation and opportunity

“Opinion” is a word that is used carelessly today. It is used to refer to matters of taste, belief, and judgment. This casual use would probably cause little confusion if people didn’t attach too much importance to opinion. Unfortunately, most believe it is of great importance. “I have as much right to my opinion as you to yours,” and “Everyone’s entitled to his opinion,” are common expressions. In fact, anyone who would challenge another’s opinion is likely to be considered intolerant(不可容忍的).

    Is that label accurate? Is it intolerant to challenge another’s opinion? It depends on what definition of opinion you have in mind. For example, you may ask a friend “What do you think of the new Ford cars?” And he may reply, “In my opinion, they’re ugly.” In this case, it would not only be intolerant to challenge his statement, but foolish. It’s obvious that by opinion he means his personal preference, a matter of taste. And as the old saying goes, “It’s pointless to argue about matters of taste.”

　　But consider this very different use of the term, a newspaper reports that the Supreme Court has delivered its opinion in a controversial(有争议的) case. Obviously the justices did not share their personal preferences, their likes and dislikes; they stated their considered judgment, painstakingly arrived at after thorough inquiry and careful consideration.

　　Most of what is referred to as opinion falls somewhere between these two extremes. It is not an expression of taste. Nor is it careful judgment. Yet it may contain elements of both. It is a view or belief more or less casually arrived at, with or without examining the evidence. Is everyone entitled to his opinion? Of course, this is not only permitted, but guaranteed. We are free to act on our opinions only so long as, in doing so, we do not harm others.

1.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

　 A. Everyone has a right to hold his own opinion.

　 B. Free expression of opinions often leads to confusion.

　 C. Most people tend to be careless in forming their opinions.

　 D. Casual use of the word “opinion” often brings about quarrels.

2.The new Ford cars are mentioned as an example to show that ________.

　 A. it is foolish to criticize a famous brand

　 B. one should not always agree to others’ opinions

　 C. personal tastes are not something to be challenged

　 D. it is unwise to express one’s likes and dislikes in public

3.Considered judgment is different from personal preference in that ________.

　 A. it is stated by judges in the court      

 B. it reflects public likes and dislikes

　 C. it is a result of a lot of argument　　

 D. it is based on careful thought

4.As indicated in the passage, being free to act on one’s opinion ________.

　 A. means that one can ignore other people’s criticism

　 B. means that one can force others to accept his preferences

　 C. doesn’t mean that one has the right to do things at will

　 D. doesn’t mean that one has the right to charge others without evidence