A good modern newspaper is an extraordinary piece of reading. It is remarkable first for what it contains: the range of news from local crime to international politics, from sport to business to fashion to science, and the range of comment and special features as well, from editorial page to feature articles and interviews to criticism of books, art, theatre and music. A newspaper is even more remarkable for the way one reads it: never completely, never straight through, but always by jumping from here to there, in and out glancing at one piece, reading another article all the way through, reading just a few paragraghs of the next. A good modern newspaper offers a variety to attract many different readers, but far from one reader is interested in what brings this variety together in. One place is its topicality , its immediate relation to what is happening in your world and your locality now. But immediacy and the speed of production that goes with it mean also that much of what appears in a newspaper has no more than transient value. For all these reasons, no two people really read the same paper: what each person does is to put together out of the pages of that day's paper, his own selection and sequence, his own newspaper. For all these reasons, reading newspapers efficiently, which means getting what you want from them without missing things you need but without wasting time, demands skill and self-awareness as you modify and apply the techniques of reading. A modern newspaper is remarkable for all the following EXCEPT its _ . A) wide coverage B) uniform style C) speed in reporting news D) popularity
B
In December,2010,many American newspapers publish a list of the best books of the year. Freedom by Jonathan Franzen is one of the most repeatedly praised books on this year's list of favorites. It tells about the ups and downs of the Berglund family over many years. Mr.Franzen fills the book with sharp observations about American politics, culture and society. Jennifer Egan's book A Visit from the Goon Squad takes place in 13 chapters over 40 years. The story moves back and forth in time,from different viewpoints. One main character is former rock musician Bennie Salazar who works for a record company. The other main character is a troubled young woman named Sasha who works for Bennie. The reader learns about their pasts and those of their friends. The main character in The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman is a failing English Language newspaper published in Rome,Italy. Each chapter of the book tells about a reporter or editor working for this paper. Their stories are filled with intelligence and great personality. Two of the most popular nonfiction books of 2010 were about rock and roll stars. Just Kids is by rock singer Patti Smith. It tells about her friendship with the artist Robert Mapplethorpe in the 1960s and 1970s before they became famous. Life is the autobiography of Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards. It is an honest and exciting look at the development of rock and roll and the wild times this famous band has experienced. Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand tells about a man named Louis Zamperini. She tells about his extraordinary survival story after his plane crashed into the Pacific Ocean during Would War Two. Stacy Schiff has received great praise for her book Cleopatra: A Life. It tells about one of the most misrepresented and famous women in his story, Cleopatra. She ruled ancient Egypt about 2,000 years ago. One critic said Ms. Schiff has brought Cleopatra to life again by unearthing her story from centuries of lies. The last sentence of the passage implies that _ . A) Stacy Schiff is an archaeologist B) the critic finds the character in the book very real C) the critic speaks highly of Cleopatra in history D) Stacy Schiff tells a story about an imaginary Egyptian queen
B
Q: Martin had just finished high school. He would go to college at the far end of the city. He didn't want to live there, and he didn't want to take the bus either. So his father agreed to buy him a car. His father spent all his summer teaching him how to drive, from the ABC to the XYZ. Thinking of the great feeling of driving a new car, Martin learned very quickly, and received his driver's license just before his eighteenth birthday. The second day, all the family, and their dog, went to a car shop. Martin spent almost all the morning going from one car to another. Finally he saw a red Blue Bird. He had a test drive on the open ground, and called out, "This is what I want, Dad!" When everything was done, they were ready to leave. Martin climbed into the front seat. He said excitedly, "It's my first day driving alone. Dad, Mom, and Poo! Enjoy it!" His dad immediately took the back seat, right behind the new driver. Martin wondered why his father chose that seat, for his father always enjoyed looking in front. So he said, smiling, "I'm sure you're back there to have a change after all those weeks of sitting in the front seat teaching me how to drive." "No," Dad replied, "Do you remember what you did to me all those years when I took you to and from school? I am sitting here to hit and kick the back of your seat all the way!" Which of the following is NOT the reason why Martin's father agreed to buy him a car?. A) Martin would go to college and it was far from home. B) Martin preferred living at home to living at college. C) Martin didn't want to take the public transport. D) Martin was able to learn how to drive very quickly.
A: D
"Luck is a matter of preparation meeting opportunity," said the American talk show host Oprah Winfrey. I've never watched her show, but when a self-made billionaire gives life advice it's probably worth listening to. Her point is that blind luck is very rare. You may have to be lucky to find a good job these days but that does not mean you should sit at home waiting for the opportunity to come to you. If you're a Chinese, you may already be familiar with the tale of a farmer waiting by a tree stump for a rabbit to run out and break its neck. A book by the UK psychologist Richard Wiseman, called The Luck Factor, argues we can all make ourselves luckier. It's not about going to a temple to burn some incense hopes that the gods will give you good fortune; it's practical advice you can follow each day. Wiseman conducted an experiment as part of his studies. First he divided volunteers into two groups; those who said they were lucky in life and those who said they were not. He gave everyone a newspaper and asked them to look through it to count how many photographs it had inside. On average, the unlucky people took about two minutes to count the photographs while the lucky people took just seconds. Why? On the second page of the newspaper, a command, "Stop counting. There are 43 photographs in this newspaper," was written in big letters. The unlucky people mostly did not spot the message. It's easy to compare this situation to a young person looking for jobs in a local paper. They might search so hard for one type of position that they miss an even better opportunity. People who are "lucky", in fact, keep an open mind and don't go through the same routine every day. I first came to China in 2002 when it was considered a rather strange thing to do. Like many foreigners, my plan was to teach English for one year. Seven years later, and still here, I've had many great opportunities such as writing for newspapers and magazines. I did not dream these would have been possible. I've also never been sick, had an... Which of the following proverbs most agrees with the writer's point? A) Make the best of a bad job. B) Rome was not built in a day. C) All is not gold that glitters. D) A good heart conquers ill fortune.
A