Years ago, when I started looking for my first job, wise advisers advised,  “Barbara, be enthusiastic（热情的）! Enthusiasm will take you further than any amount of experience.” How right they were!

“Nothing great was ever done without enthusiasm,” wrote Ralph Waldo Emerson. It is the paste（浆糊） that helps you hang in there when the things get tough. It is the inner voice that tells you, “I can do it!” when others shout, “No, you can’t!” It took years and years for the early work of Barbara McClintock, a geneticist who won the 1983 Nobel Prize in medicine, to be generally accepted. Yet she didn’t stop working on her experiments.

We are all born with wide-eyed, enthusiastic wonder and it is the childlike wonder that gives enthusiastic people such youthful air, whatever their age. At 90, cellist Pablo Casals would start his day by playing the cello（大提琴）. As the music flowed through his fingers, his shoulders would straighten and joy would reappear in his eyes. As writer and poet Samuel Ullman once worte, “Years wrinkle(起皱纹) the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul.”

Enthusiastic people also love what they do, not considering money or title or power. Patricia Mellratl, a retired director of the Missouri Rpertory Theater in Kansas City, was once asked where she got her enthusiasm. She replied, “My father, long ago, told me, ‘I never made any money until I stopped working for it.’”

We can’t afford to waste tears on “might-have-been”. We need to turn the tears into sweat as we go after “what-can-be”. We need to live each moment whole-heartedly, with all our senses finding pleasure in the sweet of a backyard garden, the simple picture of a six-year-old, and the beauty of a rainbow.

What is the passage mainly talking about?

A. Enthusiasm is more important than experience.

B. Enthusiasm can give people more success and fame

C. Enthusiastic people will never get old

D. Enthusiasm can make you succeed and enjoy life.

We can infer that enthusiasm is more important for a person especially when __________.

A. he is in trouble          B. he is getting old

C. he can do what he love   D. he has succeeded

The author mentions Pablo Casals in the third paragraph to show that ______.

   A. enthusiasm can make people feel young

   B. music can arouse people’s enthusiasm

   C. enthusiasm can give people inspiration needed to succeed

   D. enthusiasm can keep people healthy

How many examples are referred in the passage to show the importance of enthusiasm?

   A. Three      B. Four      C. Five      D. Six

Which proverb(谚语) may the writer agree with according to the last paragraph?

   A. A good beginning makes a good ending

   B. Don’t cry over the spoiled milk

   C. Love me, love my dog

   D. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy

Uganda is a country in East Africa and,as in many such countries,a high percentage of the population,about 80 percent,are village-dwellers living in huts,which are often no bigger than a garage. The walls of the huts are made of mud,which is held together by reeds and sticks,and the roofs of the older ones are thatched（覆盖）with grass,although an increasing number of newer village houses have roofs made from corrugated（波纹形的）iron.

Several generations of the same family live together in the huts,which are usually divided into two sections by a curtain. The inner section,the one furthest from the open door of the hut,is where everyone sleeps and food is prepared and served in the outer part. If the family owns chickens or goats,they are kept in a small room attached to the main house.

Food is usually prepared on open fires although some people prefer to cook inside. However,this is quite dangerous and also means that the walls of the hut are stained by smoke and the atmosphere is acrid. The family sit in a circle on mats while they eat.

Newer village houses are almost always made of corrugated iron and are bigger,with one or two separate bedrooms and the kitchen in a smaller building beside the main house. But,old or new,the houses are not powered by electricity,and all homes are lit by paraffin（石蜡）candles called “tadobba”.

Nor is there any running water in the houses. Some villages have their own well,but in many cases,collecting water involves a long and arduous walk to a river or spring,carrying plastic containers or pots made of clay.

Children are the ones who have to fetch water,and they have to do this early in the morning before they go to school,or in the evening when they come home. They often have to climb high hills or walk through valleys with narrow paths through dense vegetation. It is no surprise that they grow up muscular and fit after such daily exercise,walking for several kilometres carrying such heavy weights.

1.Most Ugandans live        .

A．with their whole family in large mud houses in the countryside

B．in towns in small houses made of mud and iron

C．in villages in small houses made of wet earth,grass and wood

D．With their parents and children as well as their chickens and goats

2.Where is food usually prepared?

A．In the kitchen.

B．On the floor in the middle of the house.

C．On fires in front of the hut.

D．In a small room attached to the main house.

3.How are the old and new houses the same?

A．Both of them have roofs made of corrugated iron.

B．Neither of them have a garage or kitchen.

C．Neither of them have electricity,lights or running water.

D．Both of them have water inside but no electric light.

4.The majority of Ugandan children have to          .

A．go to a well or a river and often carry it for a long distance

B．do a lot of work cooking and carrying water

C．collect water on the way home from school

D．get water out of their own well

 

 

Los Angeles June 14, 2006 – Hollywood actress Daryl Hannah was arrested yesterday after spending two weeks sitting in a walnut tree on an urban farm a few kilometers from downtown Los Angeles. She was one of 40 people, including celebrities from the music and movie world, who were protesting at the proposed destruction of the 14 – acre farm. Police officers cut away branches from the tree and used a fire engine to reach Ms Hannah and her co – protester, environmentalist John Quigley. The two of them raised their fists in defiance（反抗）as they were removed.

Protesters, some of whom had chained themselves to concrete –filled barrels（桶），said that it was essential to keep the farm operating, as it provided food for hundreds of poor families in the area. About 350 people grow produce and flowers on the farm, which has been there for more than a decade and is situated in an inner –city area surrounded by warehouses and railroad tracks. However, the local authority recently approved plans for the area to be cleared and redeveloped for the construction of a huge new warehouse.

 

Ms Hannah, 45, star of films such as Splash and Kill Bill was not thrilled about being arrested. “But I felt it was important to show my support for the people,” she said. “This farm should be a model for sustainable (可持续的) urban agriculture. It needs to be replicated, not eradicated.”

The record length for a tree protest is held by a woman called Julia Hill, who remained on top of a 30-metre-high redwood tree in Northern California for 738 days from December 1997 to December 1999. She was successful in saving the tree and those around it from destruction. Ms Hill was also at the Los Angeles urban farm project this week, but her presence failed to stop the inevitable (不可避免的). No sooner had the protesters been removed than earth-moving machines moved in and began to clear the land.

1．Daryl Hannah was involved in a protest to           .

       A．save an agricultural city farm from destruction

       B．save a farm outside Los Angeles that provided jobs for the poor

       C．complain to the local council about all their development plans

       D．stop the police and fire department from cutting down trees

2．What did the protesters do?

       A．40 of them chained themselves to trees.

       B．They climbed trees with celebrities and refused to come down.

       C．They all chained themselves to large pieces of concrete.

       D．They fought with the police.

3．What did Daryl Hannah mean when she said “It needs to be replicated, not eradicated” in the third paragraph?

       A．The new warehouse much provide jobs for the poor.

       B．More farms should grow food for the cites not fewer.

       C．The city farm was a model to be copied not destroyed.

       D．The plans must be reconsidered and changed.

4．What happened after the protesters were removed?

       A．They built the warehouse immediately.

       B．They had hardly left when construction of the new building started.   

       C．As soon as they were gone, heavy machines cut down the trees.

       D．The farm was saved.

 

“Good night, Yammine.”

“Good night, Chief，” I reply.

The cell door __36__ and I hear Chief's keys clinking as other doors clang shut further down the row. I step into my little cell and sit down. I glance up at the window, covered in mesh(铁网)，and think to myself, “This isn't a life, it's just a(n) __37__．”

Being __38__ makes me feel as though I'm being buried alive. I am a puppet(木偶) with people __39__ strings so that I eat, sleep and wake when they want me to.

I lie on my bed as night __40__ and think the same thoughts __41__. I think about how it all went so wrong, and imagine how I will __42__ for all the time I've lost.

Every day I live the same routine and nothing changes except the people. Prisoners depart for other prisons, or get __43__. Others __44__ from different prisons, or fresh from custody. It's a __45__ revolving(旋转) door.

When I committed my __46__， I was a lost young boy, but now I am __47__. Walking around the yard, I would notice my fellow prisoners reading books and writing letters to friends and family, which upset me as my __48__ at school was limited.

I longed for the day when I'd be able to sit in the sun, enjoying a cup of coffee and reading a newspaper or book __49__ my choice. I also longed to write letters to my friends and family, sharing my thoughts and feelings.

I decided not to waste my time inside and, __50__， make the most of all the resources available to me. I started to learn and was __51__ to realize my dream.

Now, after five years' persistence, heartache and hard work, I have __52__ my goal. Having __53__ a course as a reading adviser, I can now help others to read and write. And I have even started a creative writing workshop at Junee Correctional Centre. Learning to read and write at a highter level has given me the inner strength to present myself in a more __54__ manner.

And the day I've dreamed about has come true: I now enjoy my cup of coffee with a book in my other hand. Learning to read and write has changed my life and this article is my first piece of “proper” writing, and it won't be my __55__．

1.A. opens　　　　　B. closes　　　　　　　C. breaks　　　　D. sticks

2.A. existence  B. appearance  C. offence  D. holiday

3.A. at school  B. at home  C. in hospital  D. in prison

4.A. pulling  B. shaking  C. winding  D. casting

5.A. becomes  B. drops  C. feels  D. falls

6.A. once and for all  B. over and over again  C. once again  D. for good

7.A. do up  B. make up  C. fix up  D. mend up

8.A. revealed  B. sentenced  C. punished  D. released

9.A. reach  B. get  C. arrive  D. go

10.A. continually  B. occasionally  C. accidentally  D. rarely

11.A. mistake  B. crime  C. error  D. fault

12.A. caught  B. home  C. found  D. trapped

13.A. attendance  B. absence  C. allowance  D. assistance

14.A. in  B. of  C. over  D. by

15.A. however  B. instead  C. thus  D. nevertheless

16.A. devoted  B. dedicated  C. determined  D. decided

17.A. gained  B. recognized  C. arrived  D. achieved

18.A. attended  B. completed  C. started  D. organized

19.A. positive  B. negative  C. sensitive  D. passive

20.A. best  B. worst  C. latest  D. last

 

Birds that are half-asleep—with one brain hemisphere（半球）alert and the other sleeping—control which side of the brain remains awake, according to a new study of sleeping ducks．

    Earlier studies have documented half-brain sleep in a wide range of birds．The brain hemispheres take turns sinking into the sleep stage characterized by slow brain waves．The eye controlled by the sleeping hemisphere keeps shut, while the wakeful hemisphere’s eye stays open and alert．Birds also can sleep with both hemispheres resting at once．

    Decades of studies of bird groups led researchers to predict extra alertness in the end-of-the-row sleepers which tend to be attacked more easily．Sure enough, the end birds tended to watch carefully on the side away from their companions．Ducks in the inner spots showed no preference for gaze（注视）direction．

    Also, birds napping at the end of the line depend on single-hemisphere sleep, rather than total relaxation, more often than inner ducks did．Turning 16 birds through the positions in a four-duck row, the researchers found that compared with 12 percent for birds in internal spots, outer birds half-asleep during some 32 percent of napping time．

    “We believe this is the first evidence for an animal behaviorally controlling sleep and wakefulness at the same time in different regions of the brain,” the researchers say．

    The results provide the best evidence for a long-standing assumption that single-hemisphere sleep evolved（发展）as creatures scanned for enemies．The preference for opening an eye on the lookout side could be widespread, he predicts．He’s seen it in a pair of birds napping side-by-side in the zoo and in a single pet bird sleeping by a mirror．The mirror-side eye closed as if the reflection were a companion and the other eye stayed open．

    Useful as half-sleeping might be, it’s only been found in birds and such water animals as dolphins, whales, and seals．Perhaps keeping one side of the brain awake allows a sleeping animal to surface occasionally to avoid drowning．

    Studies of birds may offer unique insights（深刻的理解）into sleep．Jerome M．Siegel of the UCLA says he wonders if birds’ half-brain sleep “is just the tip of the iceberg．” He supposes that more examples may turn up when we take a closer look at other species．

1.According to the passage, birds often half sleep because ______．

       A．they have to watch out for possible attacks

       B．their brain hemispheres take turns to rest

       C．the two halves of their brain are differently structured

       D．they have to constantly keep an eye on their companions

2.What is implied about the example of a bird’s sleeping in front of a mirror?

       A．An imagined companion gives the bird a sense of security．

       B．Birds prefer to sleep in pairs for the sake of their security．

       C．The phenomenon of birds napping in pairs is widespread．

D．A single pet bird enjoys seeing its own reflection in the mirror．

3.While sleeping, some water animals tend to keep half awake in order to ______．

A．alert themselves to the approaching enemy

       B．emerge（浮现）from water now and then to breathe

       C．be sensitive to the ever-changing environment

       D．avoid being swept away by rapid currents

4.By saying “just the tip of the iceberg”, Siegel suggests that ______．

       A．half-brain sleep has something to do with icy weather

       B．the mystery of half-brain sleep is close to being solved

       C．most birds living in cold regions tend to be half sleepers

       D．half-brain sleep may exist among other species