I am a taxi driver. One Monday morning, I had stopped at New York Hospital when I found _ man dashing down the steps. He was waving to me. I waited until he jumped into the cab. " LaGuardia Airport, please," he said. As always, I wondered about my passenger. " What do you do?" " I am in the neurology department at the hospital." For some unknown reason, I decided to ask for his help. " Could I ask a favor of you?" He didn't answer. " I have a son, 16. He's doing well in school. He wants a job this summer. Is there any possibility that you might get him a summer job?" After a pause, he said, " The medical students have a research project. Maybe he could fit in. Have him send me his school records." He searched his pocket and handed me a card. That evening, I pulled the card from my pocket. " Robbie," I announced proudly, " this could be a summer job for you. Send him your school records." He read it out loud, " Fred Plum, New York Hospital." " Is this a joke?" he said in disbelief. After I shouted and threatened to cut off his pocket-money, Robbie promised to send off his grades the next morning. Two weeks later, when I arrived home, my son handed me a letter from Plum. He was to phone Plum's secretary for an interview. Robbie got the job. The white coat he wore made him feel more important than he really was. As high school graduation neared, Plum was kind enough to write letters of recommendation for universities. To our delight, Robbie was admitted to New York Medical College. It never occurred to me that a stranger should change my son's future. It can be inferred from the passage that Plum is _ . A) patient and selfless B) generous and respectful C) kind and helpful D) wealthy and handsome
C
In modem society there is a great deal of argument about competition.Some value it highly,believing that it is responsible for social progress and prosperity.Others say that competition is bad, that it sets one person against another and that it leads to unfriendly relationship between people. I have taught many children who held the belief that their self-worth relied on how well they performed at tennis and other skills.For them,playing well and winning are often life-and-death affair. In their single-minded pursuit of success,the development of many other human qualities is sadly forgotten. However,while some seem to be lost in the desire to succeed,others take an opposite attitude.In a culture which values only the winner and pays no attention to the ordinary players,they strongly blame competition.Among _ are youngsters who have suffered under competitive pressures from their parents or society.Teaching these young people,I often observe in them a desire to fail.They seem to seek failure by not trying to win or achieve success .By not trying,they always have an excuse:"I may have lost,but it doesn't matter because I really didn't try.'' What is not usually admitted by themselves is the belief that if they had really tried and lost,that would mean a lot.Such a loss would be a measure of their worth. Clearly,this belief is the same as that of the true competitors who try to prove themselves.Both are based on the mistaken belief that one's self-respect relies on how well one performs in comparison with others.Both are afraid of not being valued.Only as this basic and often troublesome fear begins to dissolve can we discover a new meaning in competition. Which point of view may the author agree to? A) Every effort should be paid back. B) Competition should be encouraged. C) Winning should be a life--and--death matter. D) Fear of failure should be removed in competition.
D
Q: Dear friend, For the past 17 years, you have been my best friend. I remember that you told me you were called Cigarette because of your features. You have seen me through difficult times, happy times and just about every stage of my life. You have always been here when I need you. Some of my family and friends didn't like you so much, but I've always been on your side. I thought you were a great friend, and I _ you at all times, especially when I was not very happy. It's hard for me to tell you this, but in the past few months, I have been seriously thinking about ending our relationship. I think that I've just been too dependent on you, and I feel that at the age of 35 I should start being more independent. I thought about just maybe seeing you once in a while, but I don't think that would work. Eventually, I'd start relying on you all the time again. I feel the only way to end our relationship is to end it forever. I've always included you in everything I've done. But next week, I'm going on a trip, and I've decided not to take you along. I feel this would be a good time to break up. I will be gone for a whole week without you and if I can make it on my own for that week, I know I can make it forever. It is a little sad for me knowing that I won't be able to rely on you any more, but I think I will be a better person in the end. By writing the letter, the author wants to _ . A) say goodbye to his girlfriend B) tell his friendship with Cigarette C) tell his travelling plan D) give up smoking
A: D
Question: Mrs Smith's husband went off on a business trip to Australia. He wanted to catch the 3:30 plane to Darwin. She was very surprised when he telephoned her at 5 o'clock and said that he was still at the airport. "What happened?" asked Mrs Smith. "Well," said Mr Smith, "everything was going fine. I got my ticket, checked my luggage and waited in line at the gate. I walked across the runway to the airplane and I saw my friend Jack Scott. Jack was an airplane engineer. I shouted to him and a policeman caught me." "Why did he catch you?" "I don't know," said Mr Smith," All I said was 'Hi, Jack! '" The word "hijack" means "to take control of a plane by force". Mrs Smith was very surprised because A) Mr Smith didn't arrive in Darwin B) Mr Smith telephoned her later C) Mr Smith didn't leave the airport D) Mr Smith was in Darwin
Answer: C
*Question*
One of China's most popular folk arts is paper cutting . Archaeological finds trace the tradition back to the 6thcentury; it is supposed that the beginnings of paper cutting were even a few centuries earlier. Paper cuttings are used for religious purposes, for decoration and as patterns . Today, paper cuttings are mainly used as decoration. They _ walls, windows, doors, columns mirrors, lamps and lanterns in homes. They are also used for decoration on presents, and are given as presents themselves. They are of special importance at festivals. At the Spring Festival for example, entrances are decorated with paper cuttings which are supposed to bring good luck. Paper cuttings are not produced by machine, but by hand. There are two kinds of paper cuttings; scissor cuttings and knife cuttings. Scissor cuttings are fashioned with scissors. Several pieces of paper--- up to eight pieces---are fastened together. The motif is then cut with sharp, pointed scissors. Knife cuttings are fashioned by putting several layers of paper on a relatively soft foundation consisting of a mixture of tallow and ashes. Following a pattern, the artist cuts the motif into the paper with a sharp knife which he usually holds vertically . The advantage of knife cuttings is that considerably more paper cuttings can be made in one operation than scissor cuttings. In the countryside, paper cuttings are usually made only by women and girls. This used to be one of the skills that every girl was to master and that were often used to judge brides . Professional paper cutting artists are, on the other hand, almost always men who have guaranteed incomes and work together in workshops. Which is the best title of this passage? A) The ways of paper cutting B) The reasons for paper cutting C) The purposes of paper cutting D) Paper cutting
**Answer**
D