Who do you think was the most important woman of the past 100 years?

Jane Addams (1860 - 1935)

Addams helped the poor and worked for peace. She created shelters, education opportunities and services for people in need. In 1931, Addams became the first American woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize.

Rachel Carson (1907 - 1964)

Rachel Carson was born in the rural river town of Springdale, Pennsylvania in America. The popular 1962 book “Silent Spring” by Rachel Carson made people realize the dangers and the harmful effects (影響) of pollution on humans and on the world’s lakes and oceans.

Angela Merkel (1954 -   )

In 2005, Germans chose Angela Merkel as their first woman head of the country. She had been a scientist in the past. As Germany’s leader, she has had an effect on the whole world.

Sandra Day O’Connor (1930 -   )

When Sandra Day O’Connor finished her class at Stanford Law School, in 1952, she could not find work because she was a woman. However, she became the first woman to join the U.S. Supreme Court (最高法院) in 1981 after years of hard work.

Margaret Thatcher (1925 -   )

In 1979, Margaret Thatcher became Britain’s first woman Prime Minister (首相). She served until 1990, which made her the first British leader to serve three terms in a row. Because of her high standards and strong will, people called her Britain’s Iron Lady.

Marie Curie (1867-1934)

Polish-born scientist Marie Curie discovered that some types of metal give off energy called radiation (輻射能). Her research led to new medical treatments and arms. She received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1903 and in Chemistry in 1911.

1.Who once won the Nobel Prize?

A．Jane Addams and Marie Curie.

B．Jane Addams and Margaret Thatcher.

C．Marie Curie and Angela Merkel.

D．Marie Curie and Rachel Carson.

2.We can infer from the text that Rachel Carson worked to _____.

A．help the poor

B．spread geographic knowledge

C．protect the environment

D．protect the rights of women

3.What do Angela Merkel and Margaret Thatcher have in common?

A．Both of them were scientists before coming to power.

B．Both of them are the first woman head of their country.

C．Both of them are famous for being strict.

D．Both of them have worked for three terms.

4.Who once failed to find a job?

A．Jane Addams.                          B．Sandra Day O’Connor.

C．Rachel Carson.                         D．Margaret Thatcher.

5.What would be the best title for the text?

A．Great women                          B．Famous scientists

C．Strong leaders                          D．Ways to success for women

 

Despite being tall, Michelle Obama is much smaller than she appears on television． And she seemed a little short by her surroundings in the great hall of Christchurch College as she spoke quietly without a microphone because of a technical mistake． Her audience were 40 young girls from a London state school where 50 languages are spoken．

“I remember how well-meaning but misguided people questioned whether someone with my background could succeed at an elite （精英） university,” she said． “When I was accepted, I had all kinds of worries and doubts． I wouldn’t be as well prepared as students from privileged families and I wouldn’t fit in． But you are just as capable and have just as much to offer as anyone else．”

This was Mrs． Obama’s only solo outing during the state visit and part two of an unusual relationship which she has struck up with Anderson College in Islington． Two years ago on her first visit to the UK she visited the school．

Yesterday she returned to meet the pupils but this time at Christchurch College where they were taking part in an open day run to improve Oxford’s still poor record on diversifying student intake．

Mrs． Obama was asked why she married her husband, what it was like being First Lady and when there would be a female President in the White House． Her message—which she repeated time and again—was work hard, have self-belief, and don’t be afraid to fail． It was very un-British, but rather effective． Afterwards there were hugs for everyone and a photo with her．

And watching the group of multicultural young Britons surround her among the splendor of the college building one thought stood out． Had Mrs． Obama been born in Britain, she would almost certainly not have made it to Oxford as she did to Harvard． But now—thanks in part to her—some of these children just might．

1.According to the passage, Michelle Obama ____________．

   A． graduated from Anderson College

   B． paid her first visit to the UK this time

   C． was confident when she entered the college

   D． came from a family without good background

2.It is implied in the passage that these 40 young girls ____________．

   A． were all from the United States

   B． were students of Oxford University

   C． came from different cultural backgrounds

   D． stayed with Mrs． Obama because of hard work

3.Michelle Obama thinks success may come from the following EXCEPT ____________．

   A． working hard                        B． believing in yourself

   C． good opportunities                                D． facing failure without fear

4.What can we learn from the underlined sentence?

   A． The British pupils couldn’t understand her message．

   B． Her message reached the British pupils successfully．

   C． Repetition is not the British way to give a message．

   D． All effective messages are not conveyed in British．

 

With long brown hair, deep blue eyes, a tall and thin figure(身軀) Brad Pitt seems to be a born actor.He made his first appearance in a film in 1990.Though he was in the film for only 14 minutes, people flooded the cinema to see him.In his next film Pitt played the role of a fisherman.To make the film better, he learned the skill of fishing from a fisherman.

Pitt, caring more about roles than money, has a special favor for the “hard” roles.After reading the screenplay(劇本) of “Legends of the Fall”, he was attracted by the leading character.He asked for a lower pay from the shooting team and was willing to work in hard conditions in the Rocky Mountains for six months.“The film gives the chance to know life.I shall always remember the time when we were making the film,” Pitt said after completing it fully.

Pitt started his dream of art when he was in university.Though born in a common family in 1964, he showed his interest in film at an early age.After leaving high school, he went to university to study law.Because he loved film more than law, shortly before he could graduate, he dropped out for a life of his own, with only 325 dollars in hand, sometimes as a porter or a waiter.Thanks to his hard work, he finally opened up a new field of his own.

1.Pitt acted his first film at the age of        .

A．6                B．14               C．26               D．36

2.The underlined expression “a born actor” means        .

A．he was born in an actor family

B．he became an actor soon after he was born

C．he was an actor when he was born

D．he has a strong natural ability to be an actor

3.From the passage we know        .

A．Pitt became known as an actor at an early age.

B．To achieve his goal, Pitt suffered a lot before success

C．it was wrong of Pitt not to finish his university education

D．In order to develop his interest, Pitt failed to enter university

4.Which of the following words can best describe the character of Pitt?

A．Devoted.          B．Generous.         C．Selfish.           D．Mean.

 

John and Booby joined a wholesale company together just after graduation from college the same year. Both worked very hard. After several years, however, the boss promoted（提升）Bobby to the position of manager but John remained an ordinary employee（雇員）. John could not take it any more, so he sent his resignation(辭職信) and complained that the boss did not value（重視）hard working workers but only promoted those who said good words of him.

The boss knew that John worked very hard for the years. He thought for a moment and said, “Thank you for telling me, but I have a request. I hope you will do one more thing for our company before you leave. Perhaps you will change your mind and take back your resignation.”

John agreed. The boss asked him to go and find out anyone selling watermelons in the market. John went and returned soon. He said he had found out a man selling watermelons. The boss asked how much per kg, John shook his head and went back to the market to ask and returned to tell the boss $1.2 per kg.

The boss told John to wait a second, and he called Bobby to go and find anyone selling watermelons in the market. Bobby went, returned and said only one person sold watermelons. $1.2 for a kg, $10 for 10kg and his watermelons added up to 340. On the table 58 melons, every melon weighs about 2 kg, bought from the south two days ago and they were fresh, red and good quality.

John was surprised and realized the difference between himself and Bobby. He decided not to go away but to learn from Bobby.

The story tells us that a more successful person is more concerned and thinks more. Chances are there in the daily details. For the same thing, a person sees one year ahead, while another sees only tomorrow. The difference between a year and a day is 365 times, how could you win?

1.John wanted to stop his job in his company because_________.

A．Bobby was promoted but he was not

B．he didn’t want to say good words of his boss

C．he thought the boss didn’t take his hard work seriously

D．he didn’t want to be an ordinary employee

2.The boss asked John to find out where watermelons were sold in order to _________.

A．persuade him to stay in the company

B．prove he was a hardworking worker

C．buy some watermelons for the company

D．prove his abilities at work for himself

3.From what Bobby did, we can see that he was promoted only because _________.

A．he was a more concerned businessman

B．he knew how to do business

C．he was more experienced at work

D．he knew details about the watermelon market

4.We can conclude from the story that _________.

A．one should stop his job if the boss doesn’t think much of his work

B．it’s necessary to know the market when you buy a watermelon

C．detail plays a very important part in one’s success

D．one should get along well with his boss if he wants to be promoted

5.What can be the best title of the passage?

A．More Concerned, More Successful          B．How to Buy Watermelons

C．Who Is More Successful                  D．Proud John

 

Deep in the Amazon forest, thousands of people still live in isolation from the rest of the world.

In a recent press release, the Brazilian government confirmed the existence of another isolated tribe of about 200 people living in the Vale do Javari reservation. The 200 people living in the Vale do Javari reservation. The reservation, located near the Peruvian border, is about the size of Portugal. At least another 14 isolated tribes, with a total population of about 2000, call the area home.

The newly observed group lives on four large straw-roofed buildings and grows corn, peanut and other crops.

Brazil’s National Indian Foundation (BNTF) first noticed the reservation in the forest using satellite maps, but it wasn’t until April that an airplane expedition was able to confirm the tribe’s existence. “The work of finding and protecting isolated groups is part of Brazilian public policy,” said the BNIF officer for Vale do Javari, Fabricio Amorim. “To confirm something like this takes years of hard work.”

BNIF estimates there are 68 isolated tribes living in the Amazon. The organization uses airplanes to avoid disturbing the tribes through personal contact, but that doesn’t mean others are so respectful of their right to privacy.

Illegal fishing, woodcutting and hunting bring people into the protected area. Oil exploration on the Peruvian side of the border is another threat. All kinds of criminals also invade the lands of the local groups, said Amorim. The outsiders can damage the land and influence the cultures of indigenous(土著的)peoples. They can also bring diseases which can wipe out the whole population that still lack even basic antibiotics(抗生素).

Brazil’s indigenous peoples won the legal right to their traditional lands in Brazil’s 1988 Constitution, which stated that all indigenous lands shall be divided and turned over to tribes within five years. Indigenous groups now control 11 percent of Brazil’s territory, including 22 percent of the Amazon.

Allowing indigenous groups the right homelands is not just a matter of human rights. The rest of the world can benefit from their knowledge. Mark Plotkin has spent years living with the people of the Amazon and learning from their traditional healers. In his lecture, he pointed out that many useful materials and knowledge, including numerous drugs, can be gained from listening to the indigenous groups of the Amazon. Besides this, they are also more effective at protecting the land, and less expensive, than hired rangers(護林人).

1.The underlined word in the first paragraph probably means “a state of            ”.

A．separation	B．interaction
C．satisfaction	D．excitement

2.From the passage we can learn that the tribes in the Amazon forest             .

A．only live on a reservation designated for them

B．prefer straw-roofed buildings to wooden ones

C．keep contact with the outside world through airplanes

D．have the legal right to the land they live on

3.Which of the following is TRUE according to Amorim?

A．Privacy violation is common among the Amazon tribes.

B．The laws dividing the lands of the tribes are far from enough.

C．Modern civilization endangers the tribes and their cultures.

D．It is hard to make public policy to protect primitive tribes.

4.The last paragraph is mainly about              .

A．the lost human rights of the indigenous peoples

B．the benefits of protecting the primitive tribes

C．the value of traditional healing

D．the indigenous peoples as guardians of the Amazon forest