The conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and in life. Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and a variety of cups -- plastic, glass, crystal, some plain-looking, some expensive, some fine -- telling them to help themselves to the coffee. When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said: "If you noticed, all the nice-looking, expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress." "What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the best cups and were eyeing each other's cups." "Now consider this: Life is the coffee and the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain life, and do not change the quality of life. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee. So, don't let the cups drive you... enjoy the coffee instead." The professor brought in a variety of cups because _ . A) he was richer than his students B) he was fond of collecting cups C) there were too many people to drink coffee D) the cups would play an important part in his talk
D
Many of the world's pollution problems have been caused by the crowding of large groups of people into the cities. Supply for the needs of the people leads to further pollution by industry. If the rapid increase of world population in countries continues at the present rate, there may be much greater harm to human beings. Some scientists speak of the increase in numbers of people as "population pollution." About 2,000 years ago, the world population was probably about 250 million. It reached a billion in 1850. By 1930 the population was two billion. It is now three and a half billion. It is expected to double by the year 2,000. If the population continues to grow at the same rate, there will be 25 billion in the world a hundred years from now. Man has been using the earth's resources more and more rapidly over the past years. Some of them are almost used up. Now many people believe that man's greatest problem is how to control the growth of the population. The material supplies in the world will be far from enough to support the human population in time to come, if the present rate of increase continues. Already there is overcrowding in many cities and starvation in some countries. Should man's population keep on growing so rapidly as before? Many people believe that human survival in the future depends on the answer to this question. The rapid increase in population is considered to be _ . A) the increase of resources B) population pollution C) the development of mankind D) the present rate
B
Q: One day King Solomon decided to _ Benaiah Ben Yehoyada, his most trusted minister. He said to him, "Benaiah, there is a certain ring that I want you to bring to me. I wish to wear it for Sukkot which gives you six months to find it." "If it exists anywhere on earth, your majesty," replied Benaiah, "I will find it and bring it to you, but what makes the ring so special?" "It has magic powers," answered the king. "If a happy man looks at it, he becomes sad, and if a sad man looks at it, he becomes happy." Solomon knew that no such ring existed in the world, but he wished to give his minister a little taste of modesty. Spring passed and then summer, and still Benaiah had no idea where he could find the ring. On the night before Sukkot, he decided to take a walk in one of the poorest quarters of Jerusalem. He passed by a merchant who had begun to set out the day's goods on a shabby carpet. "Have you by any chance heard of a magic ring that makes the happy wearer forget his joy and the broken-hearted wearer forget his sorrows?" asked Benaiah. He watched the grandfather take a plain gold ring from his carpet and carve something on it. When Benaiah read the words on the ring, his face broke out in a wide smile. That night the entire city welcomed in the holiday of Sukkot with great festivity. "Well, my friend," said Solomon, "have you found what I sent you after?" All the ministers laughed and Solomon himself smiled. To everyone's surprise, Benaiah held up a small gold ring and declared, "Here it is, your majesty!" As soon as Solomon read the inscription, the smile disappeared from his face. The jeweler had written three Hebrew letters on the gold band: "gimel, zayin, yod", which began the words "Gam zeh ya'avor" -- _ At that moment Solomon realized that all his wisdom and wealth and great power were but fleeting things, for one day he would be nothing but dust. The proverb "This too shall pass" means _ . A) Everyone should struggle for their future. B) Don't wait for tomorrow before all the things pass. C) All the glory and misfortune will pass in the end. D) We will never pass away as long as we have will.
A: C
(Q).
Being able to call on the old boy's network helps you get your foot in the door,but has little impact on your later success.Having good connections does change your possibility of being offered a higher wage when you start working,but has no impact on your eventual wage.Coming from a wealthy background has little impact on lifetime earnings.Over time,brain power soon overtakes ,and intelligence is the factor,which will determine your earnings and success.The speed of your rise through the ranks is determined largely by your own intelligence. The study monitored earnings and promotions over the course of 25 years.Scores were used to assess the SocioEconomic Background(SEB)-wealth and connections-and standard Army intelligence tests used to assess intelligence.The study is sure to infuriate those angered by wealthy groups such as Oxford's upper-crust Bullingdon Club,of which both David Cameron and Borris Johnson were members. Professor Yoav Ganzach says that these findings have a positive message for those,who can't rely on nepotism for their first job."Your family can help you start your career and you do get an advantage,but it doesn't help you progress.And once you start working,you can go wherever your abilities take you," he says.When intelligence and SEB are pitted directly against once another ,intelligence is a more accurate predictor of future career success,he say. How many factors which may influence one's career are mentioned in the passage? A) 1. B) 2. C) 3. D) 4.
(A).
C