A punctual person is in the habit of doing a thing at the proper time and is never late in keeping an appointment.

The unpunctual man, on one hand, never does what he has to do at the proper time. He is always in a hurry and in the end loses both time and his good name. A lost thing may be found again, but lost time can never be regained. Time is more valuable than material things. In fact, time is life itself. The unpunctual man is for ever wasting and mismanaging his most valuable asset (财产) as well as other’s. The unpunctual person is always complaining that he finds no time to answer letters, or return calls or keep appointments promptly. But the man who really has a great deal to do is very careful of his time and seldom complains of want of it. He knows that he can not get through his huge amount of work unless he faithfully keeps every piece of work when it has to be attended to.

Failure to be punctual in keeping one’s appointments is the sign of disrespect towards others. If a person is invited to dinner and arrives later than the appointed time, he keeps all the other guests waiting for him. Usually this will be regarded as a great disrespect to the host and all other guests present.

Unpunctuality, moreover, is very harmful when it comes to do one’s duty, whether public or private. Imagine how it would be if those who are put in charge of important tasks failed to be at their proper place at the appointed time. A man who is known to be habitually unpunctual is never trusted by his friends or fellow men.

1. What does the author think is the main difference between a punctual person and an unpunctual person?

A. A punctual person does everything ahead of time while an unpunctual person does everything behind schedule.

B. A punctual person does everything at the right time while an unpunctual person seldom does anything at the correct time.

C. A punctual person has a lot of appointments while an unpunctual person has few appointments.

D. A punctual person has much time to do everything while an unpunctual person has little time to do anything.

2. According to the passage, the main reason that a person is always unpunctual is that _______.

A. he has more work to do than other people

B. he is always in a hurry when he works

C. he doesn’t care much about time

D. he always mismanages and wastes his time

3. According to the third paragraph, when you are invited to dinner, you should arrive there _______.

A. after other guests have arrived

B. before all other guests

C. at the appointed time

D. after the host has got things ready

4. Which of the following statements best describes the harm of unpunctuality?

A. If you are an unpunctual person, you cannot be in charge of any important task.

B. If your friends know that you are unpunctual, they may not see you again.

C. Unpunctuality may bring about heavy losses for both public and private affairs.

D. Unpunctuality may make you miss a lot of appointments and lose friends.

Work is a very important part of life in the United States. When the early Protestant immigrants(新教徒移民) came to this country, they brought the idea that work was the way to God and heaven. This attitude, the Protestant Work Ethic(道德规范), still influences America today. Work is not only important for economic benefits, the salary, but also for social and psychological needs, the feeling of doing something for the good of the society. Americans spend most of their lives working, being productive. For most Americans, their work defines(给…下定义) them: they are what they do. What happens then, when a person can no longer work? Almost all Americans stop working at age sixty-five or seventy and retire. Because work is such an important part of life in this culture, retirement can be very difficult. Retirees often feel that they are useless and unproductive. Of course, some people are happy to retire; but leaving one’s job, whatever it is, is a difficult change, even for those who look forward to retiring. Many retirees do not know how to use their time or they feel lost without their jobs. Retirements can also bring financial problems. Many people rely on Social Security checks every month. During their working years, employees contribute a certain percentage of their salaries to the government. Each employer also gives a certain percentage to the government. When people retire, they receive this money as income. These checks do not provide enough money to live on, however, because prices are increasing very rapidly. Senior citizens, those over sixty-five, have to have savings in the bank or other retirement plans to make ends meet. The rate of inflation(通货膨胀) is forcing prices higher each year; Social Security checks alone cannot cover these growing expenses. The government offers some assistance(补助), Medicare(health care)and welfare(general assistance), but many senior citizens have to change their life styles after retirement. They have to spend carefully to be sure that they can afford to buy food, fuel and other necessities.

Of course, many senior citizens are happy with retirement. They have time to spend with their families or enjoy their hobbies. Some continue to work part time, others do volunteer(志愿) work. Some, like those in the Retired Business Executives Association, even help young, people to get started in new business. Many retired citizens also belong to “Golden Age” groups. These organizations plan trips and social events. There are many chances for retirees.

American society is only beginning to be concerned about the special physical and emotional needs of its senior citizens. The government is taking steps to ease the problem of limited income. They are building new housing, offering discounts(折扣) in stores and museums and on buses, and providing other services such as free courses, food service, and help with housework. Retired citizens are a rapidly growing percentage of the population. This part of the population is very important and we must meet their needs. After all, every citizen will be a senior citizen some day.

1. The author believes that work first became important to Americans because of _______.

A. religion             B. economy           C. psychology               D. family

2. The passage is mainly about _______.

A. money and check                           B. senior and junior

C. work and retirement                       D. Protestants and Americans

3. When Americans stop work, it’s difficult for them to _______.

A. get Social Security checks               B. feel productive

C. enjoy themselves                            D. be religious

4. The author mentions _______ examples of the government' steps to ease the problem of limited income.

A. two            B. four           C. five            D. three

Motherhood may make women smarter and may help prevent dementia(痴呆) in old age by bathing the brain in protective hormones(荷尔蒙) , U.S. reseachers reported on Thursday.

Tests on rats show that those who raise two or more litters of pups do considerably better in tests of memory and skills than rats who have no babies, and their brains show changes that suggest they may be protected against diseases such as Alzheimer’s(早老痴呆症). University of Richmond psychology professor Craig Kinsley believes his findings will translate into humans.

“Our research shows that the hormones of pregnancy(怀孕) are protecting the brain, including estrogen(雌激素), which we know has many neuroprotective (保护神经的) effects,” Kinsley said.  

“It’s rat data but humans are mammals just like these animals are mammals,” he added in a telephone interview. “They go through pregnancy and hormonal changes.”

Kinsley said he hoped public health officials and researchers will look to see if having had children protects a woman from Alzheimer’s and other forms of age-related brain decline.

“When people think about pregnancy, they think about what happens to babies and the mother from the neck down,” said Kinsley, who presented his findings to the annual meeting of the Society of Neuroscience in Orlando, Florida.

“They do not realize that hormones are washing on the brain. If you look at female animals who have never gone through pregnancy, they act differently toward young. But if she goes through pregnancy, she will sacrifice her life for her infant—that is a great change in her behavior that showed in genetic alterations(改变) to the brain.”

1. How do scientists know “Motherhood may make women smarter”?

A. Some researchers have told them.

B. Many women say so.

C. They know it by experimenting on rats.

D. They know it through their own experience.

2. What does the phrase “litters of pups” mean in the second paragraph?

A. Baby rats.         B. Animals.    C. Old rats.            D. Grown-up rats.

3. What can protect the brain of a woman according to the passage?

A. Estrogen.                            B. The hormones of pregnancy.    

C. More exercise.                     D. Taking care of children.

4. “It’s rat data but humans are mammals just like these animals are mammals.” What does the sentence suggest?

A. The experiments on the rats have nothing to do with humans.

B. The experiments on the rats are very important for animals.

C. The experiments on the rats are much the same on humans.

D. The experiments on the rats are much the same on other animals.

5. Which title is the best for this passage?

A. Do You Want to Be Smarter?

B. Motherhood Makes Women Smarter

C. Mysterious Hormones  

D. An Important Study

Look at the timetable. Hurry up!  Flight 4026  ____off at 18:

A. takes                    B. took              C. will be taken          D. has taken

Hard-working Making People Live Longer 努力工作使人长寿

Scientists find that hard-working people live longer than average men and women. Career women are ___1___ than housewives, Evidence (证据) shows that ___2___ are in poorer health than the job-holders. A study shows ___3___ the unemployment rate increases by 1%, the death rate increases correspondingly (相应地) by 2%. All this ___4___ one point: Work is helpful to health.

      Why is work good for health? It is because work keeps people busy, __5___ loneliness and solitude (孤独). Researches show that people feel __6___ and lonely when they have nothing to do. Instead, the happiest are those who are ___7___. Many high achievers who love their careers feel that they are happiest when they are working hard. Work serves as ___8___ between man and reality. By work, people ___9___ each other. By collective (集体的) activity, they find friendship and warmth. This is helpful to health. The loss of work __10___ the loss of everything. It affects man spiritually and makes him liable to (易于)___11___.

      __12___, work gives one a sense of fulfillment (充实感) and a sense of ___13___. Work makes one feel his value and status in society. When ___14___ finishes his writing or a doctor successfully __15___ a patient or a teacher sees his students ___16___, they are happy __17___.

      From the above we can come to the conclusion ___18___ the more you work, __19___ you will be. Let us work hard, __20___ and live a happy and healthy life.

1. A. more healthier              B. healthier          C. weaker             D. worse

2. A. career women         B. the busy          C. the jobless        D. the hard-working

3. A. that whenever              B. whether           C. that though               D. since

4. A. comes down to         B. equals to          C. adds up to        D. amounts to

5. A. 不填                   B. off                  C. in touch with      D. away from

6. A. happy, interested                             B. glad, joyful

  C. cheerful, concerned                          D. unhappy, worried

7. A. busy                      B. free               C. lazy                  D. empty

8. A. a river                   B. a gap         C. a channel           D. a bridge

9. A. come across                                 B. come into contact with

  C. look down upon                              D. watch over

10. A. means                  B. stands            C. equals                      D. matches

11. A. success                 B. death         C. victory              D. disease

12. A. Besides                       B. Nevertheless    C. However        D. Yet

13. A. disappointment       B. achievement      C. regret             D. apology

14. A. a worker                B. a farmer        C. a writer            D. a manager

15. A. manages                 B. controls         C. operates on        D. deals with

16. A. raise                    B. grow         C. rise                   D. increase

17. A. in a word             B. without a word  C. at a word         D. beyond words

18. A. that                     B. which                C. what                 D. 不填.

19. A. the lonelier and weaker                     B. lonelier and weaker

   C. happier and healthier                      D. the happier and healthier

20.A. study well             B. studying well     C. study good        D. studying good

These pictures will show you ___.

A. what does our village look like  B. what out village looks like

C. how does our village look like  D. how our village looks like

I don't think it's a good idea, ___ ?

A.is it B.isn’t it  C.do I D. don't I

There is one foreign product the Japanese are buying faster than others, and its popularity has caused an uneasy feeling among many Japanese.

That product is foreign words.

Gairaigo—words that come from outside— have been part of the Japanese language for centuries. Mostly borrowed from English and Chinese, these terms are often changed into forms no longer understood by native speakers.

But in the last few years the trickle (涓涓流水) of foreign words has become a flood, and people fear the increasing use of foreign words is making it hard for

the Japanese to understand each other and could lead to many people forgetting the good qualities of traditional (传统的) Japanese.

“The popularity of foreign words is part of the Japanese interest in anything new,” says university lecturer and writer Takashi Saito. “By using a foreign word you can make a subject seem new, which makes it easier for the media(媒体) to pick up."

“Experts (专家) often study abroad and use English terms when they speak with people in their own fields. Those terms are then included in government white papers," said Muturo Kai, president of the National Language Research Institute.

   “Foreign words find their way easily into announcements made to the general public, when they should really be explained in Japanese."

Against the flow of new words, many Japanese are turning back to the study of their own language. Saito's Japanese to Be Read Aloud is one of many language books that are now flying off booksellers' shelves.

“We were expecting to sell the books to young people," said the writer, “but it turns out they are more popular with the older generation, who seem uneasy about the future of Japanese.”

1.What advantages do foreign words have over traditional Japanese terms?

A.The ideas expressed in foreign words sound new.

B. Foreign words are best suited for announcements.

C. Foreign words make new subjects easier to understand.

D. The use of foreign words makes the media more popular.   

2.In the opinion of Takashi Saito, Japanese people  ________.

A. are good at learning foreign languages

B. are willing to learn about new things

C. trust the media

D. respect experts

3.Which of the following plays an important part in the spread of foreign words?

A.The media and government papers.

B.Best selling Japanese textbooks.

C.The interest of young Japanese.

D.Foreign products and experts.  

4.The book Japanese to Be Read Aloud ________.

A.sells very well in Japan

B. is supported by the government

C. is questioned by the old generation

D. causes misunderstanding among the readers 

New York, 10 November—5:27pm,yesterday. Biggest power failure in the city's

 history.

? Thousands of people got stuck in lifts. Martin Saltzman spent three hours between the 21st and 22nd floors of the Empire State Building. “There were twelve of us. But no one panicked. We passed the time telling stories and playing word games. One man wanted to smoke but we didn't let him. Firemen finally got us out.”

?“It was the best night we've ever had,”said Angela Carraro,who runs an Italian restaurant on 42nd Street.“We had lots of candles on the tables and the waiters were carrying candles on their trays. The place was full—and all night, in fact, for after we had closed, we let the people stay on and spend the night here.”

?The zoos had their problems like everyone else. Keepers worked through the night. They used blankets to keep flying squirrels and small monkeys warm. While zoos had problems keeping warm, supermarkets had problems keeping cool.“All of our ice cream and frozen foods melted,” said the manager of a store in downtown Manhattan.“They were worth $50,000.”

?   The big electric clock in the lobby(大厅)of the Waldorf?Astoria Hotel in downtown Manhattan started ticking(滴答) again at 5:25 this morning. It was almost

on time.

1.Throughout the period of darkness, Martin Saltzman and the eleven others were  ________ .

A. nervous          B. excited          C. calm      D. frightened 

2.In what way was the night of November 9 the best night for Angela Carraro?

A. She had a taste of adventure.

B. Burning candles brightened the place.

C. Business was better than usual.

D. Many people stayed the night in her restaurant. 

3.How long did the power failure last?

A. Nearly 12 hours.                   B. More than 12 hours.

C. Nearly 24 hours.                   D. More than 24 hours. 

As a graducate in computer science, he ___ to work out the problem.

A. wouldn't have failed  B. can't have failed  C. mustn’t have failed  D. might not have failed