On Easter Day 1722,some European explorers found a lonely island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. They   1   it Easter Island. The explorers found that the island had good soil  2  the 200 natives living there survived with little food. Even more  3  ,these people also lived among the ruins of what might have been a once great civilization. All that is left of it are around 800 giant stone statues  4  human heads. They   5  up to 270 tons and the tallest measures over 11 metres. The stone men face   6  ,rather than out to sea, and their eyes are focused upon the sky. They are all carved from   7  volcanicrock(火山岩)and some have hats on their heads and eyes made from white coral. Since their  8  ,these huge stone men   9  one of the greatest mysteries of all time. Who built them? Why did they do it? Some experts believe the stone men are   10  to Inca stonework, and suggest the figures were created by people of Peruvian descent(血统).   11   have even gone so far as to say that they came from outer space. The latest suggestion   12   the idea that Easter Island represents  one of the worst cases of resource abuse in human history. It is said that a small group of Asians settled on Easter Island   13   between 400 and 700 AD.They developed a great civilization with huge forests and   14  food. At the peak of their civilization, the people began to build the giant   15   men. Why they did this is still   16   but it is possible the figures represent the settlers’ gods or ancestors.  17  the statues grew larger, the people’s lifestyles became more and more wasteful. The forest began to disappear, which   18   all the animals dying out.   19  couldn’t get food and were forced to eat other humans. Society began to   20  and the islanders themselves finally destroyed the stone men.

1.A.said                     B.were called         C.named               D.spoke

2.A.and                   B.but                 C.however             D.still

2,4,6

 
3.A.surprise              B.surprised            C.surprising          D.surprisingly

4.A.looking               B.resembling         C.liking             D.standing for

5.A.weigh               B.lift                 C.get                 D.measure

6.A.forward              B.outward           C.onward            D.inward

7.A.broken                B.soft              C.hard               D.burnt

8.A.looking              B.invention          C.discovery            D.covering

9.A.have happened      B.have led to          C.have taken place   D.have created

10.A.usual              B.common             C.familiar            D.similar

11.A.Another           B.Other               C.Others                D.Many

12.A.is focused on      B.is based on       C.is depended on     D.is concentrated on

13.A.some day           B.one day             C.sometime          D.once

14.A.plenty of          B.number of          C.much of           D.amount of

15.A.clever             B.stone              C.wooden           D.iron

16.A.welcome         B.known                C.unimportant         D.unknown

17.A.While             B.After              C.With                   D.As

18.A.resulted in         B.resulted from      C.created          D.lay in

19.A.The islands         B.The people          C.The animals       D.The Europeans

20.A.break out        B.break in           C.break into      D.break down

Spiritual Intelligence Quotient

Our spiritual intelligence quotient(精神智商),or SQ, helps us understand ourselves, and live fuller, happier lives.

While we’re all born with SQ, most of us don’t even realize that we have it. Fortunately, you don’t have to sign up for classes to learn how to improve your SQ. Here are some simple steps that can lead you to this new level of understanding.

Sit Quietly. The process of developing spiritual intelligence begins with solitude (独处)and silence. To tune in to your spirit, you have to turn down the volume in your busy, noisy, complicated life and force yourself to do nothing at all. Start small by creating islands of silence in your day. In the car, instead of reading or doing something else, use the time to think. At work, shut the door to our office between meetings, take a few breaths and let them out very, very slowly. Enjoy the stillness in your home after the kids are finally in bed.

Step Outside. For many people , nature sets their spirit free. Go outside to watch a beautiful sunset. If you are walking with your dog, take the time to admire flowers in bloom; follow the flight of birds; watch clouds float overhead.

Ask Questions of Yourself. Ask open-ended questions, such as “ What am I feeling?” “ What are my choices?” or “ Where am I heading?” But don’t expect an answer to arrive through some supernatural form or e-mail. “ Rarely do I get an immediate answer to my question,” says Reverend Joan Carter, a Presbyterian minister in Sausalito, California. “ But later that day I suddenly find myself thinking about a problem in a perspective(角度) I never considered before.”

Trust Your Spirit. While most of us rely on gut feeling to realize danger, spiritual intelligence pushes us, not away from, but towards some action that will lead to a greater good.

1.The passage is mainly about _____.

       A.what your SQ is and in what way it can benefit your life

       B.what your SQ is and in what way it can be improved

       C.the relationship between your SQ and your life

       D.advantages and disadvantages of SQ

2.The underlined phrase “ tune in to your spirit “ in the third paragraph probably means _____

       A.get your spirit relaxed                      B.keep up your spirit

      C.keep seated quietly                         D.change your spirit

3.The author mentions the example of Reverend Joan Carter to show that ______.

      A.there are no immediate answer to your questions

      B.e-mails can’t keep working out a problem

      C.the more questions you ask, the better answers you’ll get

      D.changing your way of thinking might help you solve a problem

   BRITAIN is a popular tourist place .But tours of the country have pros and cons.

Good news

Free museums .No charge for outstanding collections of art and antiquities .Pop music .Britain is the only country to rival(与……比敌)the US on this score.

Black cabs .London taxi drivers know where they are going even if there are never enough of them at weekends of night.

Choice of food .Visitors can find everything from Ethiopian to Swedish restaurants.

Fashion .Not only do fashion followers love deeply and respect highly brand names such as Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen; street styles are justly loved, too.

Bad news

Poor service .“ It’s part of the place .People can dine out on the rudeness they have experienced,” says Professor Tony Seaton, of Luton University’s International Tourism Research Center.

Poor public transport .Trains and buses promised to defeat the keenest tourists, although the over-crowded London tube is unbelievable popular.

Lack of languages .Speaking slowly and clearly may not get many foreign visitors very far, even in the tourist traps.

Rain .Still in the number one complaint.

No air-conditioning .So that even splendidly hot summers become as unbearable as the down-pours.

Overpriced hotels .The only European country with a higher rate of tax on hotel rooms is Denmark.

Licensing hours .Alcohol(酒)is in short supply after 11p.m .even in “24-hour cities.”

1.What do tourists complain most?

     A.Poor service.                                    B.Poor public transport 

       C.Rain.                                               D.Overpriced hotels.

2.What do we learn about pop music in Britain and the US through this passage?

     A.Pop music in Britain is better than that in the US.

     B.Pop music in Britain is as good as that in the US.

     C.Pop music in Britain is worse than that in the US.

     D.Pop music in Britain is quite different from that in the US.

3.When is alcohol not able to get easily?

     A.At 9:00 p.m.       B.At 10:00 p.m.    C.At 11:00 p.m.    D.At 12:00 p.m.

4.Which of the following is true according to the passage?

     A.You have to pay to visit the museums . 

       B.It’s very cheap to travel by taxi there.

       C.You cannot find Chinese food there .  

       D.The public transport is poor there.

Language is a major problem for the European Union. The agreement or treaty which created the organization that eventually became the EU, the Treaty of Rome, stated that each country's language must be treated equally. The original six countries had only three languages between them; French, German and Dutch/Flemish. However, there are now 15 countries in the EU, with a total of 12 languages. EU documents must be translated into all these languages, and at official meetings the speeches must be translated into all the languages by interpreters.

    All this translating is very expensive and time-consuming It is said that nearly half of all employees of the EU are engaged in translating documents and speeches, and nearly half of the EU’s administrative costs are spent on this task. In the near future it is probable that several more countries, most of them having their own languages, will join the EU, thus making the situation even worse.

    The problem is not just cost; there are practical difficulties as well. With 12 languages, there are 132 possible “translation situations” that might be needed. It is often difficult to find people in the right place at the right time who can translate from (for example) Danish into Greek, or Dutch into Portuguese, at a high professional standard

In practice the problem has been made less severe by the use of English in many contacts between EU officials, since almost all of them speak some English. However, any move to reduce the number of official languages( perhaps to four or five) would be a blow to the pride of the smaller countries. Another commonly suggested solution is to make English the official language for all EU business. However, this is strongly resisted by powerful member countries like France and Germany.

1.The organization that eventually became the EU _____.

    A.was started by France and Germany

    B.started with three countries

    C.was set up by the Treaty of Rome

       D.included l32 languages

2.What's the main purpose of this passage?

    A.To give a solution to a problem.

    B.To find out a problem and show how severe it is.

    C.To criticize the European Union for inefficiency.

       D.To show that the problem cannot be solved.

3.According to the writer, the use of English in contacts among EU officials has _____.

    A.angered the officials who don't speak English

    B.reduced the number of official languages

    C.lessened the effect of the problem

       D.been opposed by powerful member countries

4.The writer mentions “Danish into Greek” as an example of _____.

    A.a situation that might be difficult to deal with

    B.a situation that occurs often

    C.one of the 12 situations that requires an interpreter

       D.languages easily being interpreted

5.The writer suggests that if the number of official languages was reduced _____.

    A.the EU would not know which official languages to choose

    B.countries whose languages were not used officially would be unhappy

    C.only languages which are easy to translate would be used officially

       D.the smaller member countries would be pleased

 

The medical world is gradually realizing that the quality of the environment in hospital may play an important role in helping patients to get better.?

As part of a nationwide effort in Britain to bring art out of the museums and into public places, some of the country’s best artists have been called in to change older hospitals and to soften the hard edges of modern buildings. Of the 2500 national health service hospitals in Britain, almost 100 now have very valuable collections of present art in passages, waiting areas and treatment rooms.?

These recent movements first started by one artist, Peter Senior, who set up his studio at a Manchester hospital on northeastern England during the early 1970s.?

He felt the artist had lost his place in modern society, and that art should be enjoyed by a wider audience.?

A common hospital waiting room might have as many as 5,000 visitors each week. What a better place to hold regular exhibitions of art! Senior held the first exhibition of his own paintings in the outpatients waiting area of the Manchester Royal Hospital in 1975. Believed to be Britain’s first hospital artist, Senior was so much  in demand that he was soon joined by a team of six young art school graduates.?

The effect is striking. Now in the passages and waiting rooms the visitor experiences a full view of fresh colours, playful images(形象) and restful courtyards.

The quality of the environment may reduce the need for expensive drugs when a patient is recovering from an illness. A study has shown that patients who had a view onto garden needed half the number of strong pain killers compared with patients who had no view at all or only a brick wall to look at.?

1.From this text, we’ve learnt that _________           .

       A.artists in Britain have completely lost their places in modern society?

       B.patients should be encouraged to learn art?

       C.hospitals in Britain should be changed into art museums?

       D.art is encouraged to be introduced into British hospitals

2.After the improvement of the hospital environment, _________           .

       A.patients no longer need drugs to kill their pains?

       B.patients needn’t buy any expensive drugs?

       C.patients need fewer pain killers when they are getting better after illness

       D.patients can take fewer pills each time

3. It can be inferred from this text that _________           .

       A.the role of hospital environment is being recognized?

       B.hospital artists have done a lot for patients?

       C.exhibitions of art in hospital attract more audience than that in museums

       D.hospitals in Britain look more beautiful than those in other countries

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 establishd.

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