It came as something of a surprise when Diana, Princess of Wales, made a trip to Angola in 1997,
to support the Red Cross campaign for a total ban on all anti-personnel landmines. Within hours of arriving in Angola, television screens around the world were filled with images of her comforting victims injured
in explosions caused by landmines. “I knew the statistics,” she said. “But putting a face to those figures
brought the reality home to me; like when I met Sandra, a 13- year-old girl who had lost her leg, and
people like her.”
The Princess concluded with a simple message: “We must stop landmines”. And she used every
opportunity during her visit to repeat this message.
But, back in London, her views were not shared by some members of the British government, which
refused to support a ban on these weapons. Angry politicians launched an attack on the Princess in the
press. They described her as “very ill-informed” and a “loose cannon”. (乱放炮的人)
The Princess responded by brushing aside the criticisms: “This is a distraction (干扰) we do not need. All I’m trying to do is help.”
Opposition parties, the media and the public immediately voiced their support for the Princess. To
make matters worse for the government, it soon emerged that the Princess’s trip had been approved by
the Foreign Office, and that she was in fact very well-informed about both the situation in Angola and the
British government’s policy regarding landmines. The result was a severe embarrassment for the
government.
To try and limit the damage, the Foreign Secretary, Malcolm Rifkidnd, claimed that the Princess’s
views on landmines were not very different from government policy, and that it was “working towards" a
worldwide ban. The Defence Secretary, Michael Portillo, claimed the matter was “a misinterpretation or
misunderstanding.”
For the Princess, the trip to this war-torn country was an excellent opportunity to use her popularity
to show the world how much destruction and suffering landmines can cause. She said that the experience
had also given her the chance to get closer to people and their problems.
1. Princess Diana paid a visit to Angola in 1997_____.
A. to clarify the British governments stand on landmines
B. to establish her image as a friend of landmine victims
C. to investigate the sufferings of landmine victims there
D. to voice her support for a total ban of landmines
2. Some members of the British government criticized Diana because _____.
A. she had not consulted the government before the visit
B. she was ill-informed of the governments policy
C. they were actually opposed to banning landmines
D. they believed that she had misinterpreted the situation in Angola
3. How did Diana respond to the criticisms?
A. She paid no attention to them
B. She made more appearances on TV.
C. She met the 13-year-old girl as planned
D. She rose to argue with her opponents
4. What did Princess Diana think of her visit to Angola?
A. It had caused embarrassment to the British government.
B. It had greatly promoted her popularity.
C. It had brought her closer to the ordinary people.
D. It had affected her relations with the British government.
The literal meaning of philosophy is "love of wisdom". But this meaning does not tell us very much.
Unlike the other disciplines,_philosophy cannot be defined by what you study, because it is actually
unlimited.Anything can be the subject matter of philosophy: history, law, language, literature, mathematics, and in fact, the other academic disciplines are directly related to philosophy.For this reason you get a
Doctorate (博士学位) of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in biochemistry, or computer science, or psychology.
Two broad subfields of philosophy are logic and the history of philosophy.Logic is the science of
argument and critical thinking.It provides sound methods for distinguishing good from bad reasoning.The
history of philosophy involves the study of major philosophers and periods in the development of
philosophy.
Of what use is philosophy? First it is useful in educational advancement.It is necessary for understanding other disciplines.Only philosophy questions the nature of the concepts used in a discipline, and its relation
to other disciplines.And through the study of philosophy, one develops sound methods of research and
analysis that can be applied to any field.
There are a number of general uses of philosophy.It strengthens one"s ability to solve problems, to
communicate, to organize ideas and issues, to persuade, and to take what is the most important from a
large quantity of data.These general uses are of great benefit in the career field, not necessarily for
obtaining one"s first job after graduation, but for preparing for positions of responsibility, management and
leadership later on.It is very shortsighted after all, to take a course of studies only for the purpose of
getting one"s first job.The useful skills developed through the study of philosophy have significant
longterm benefits in career advancement.No other discipline systematically follows the ideals of wisdom,
leadership, and capacity to resolve human conflict.
1. According to Paragraph 1, philosophy can best be described as the study of ________.
A. social sciences
B. natural sciences
C. both social and natural sciences
D. the subject matter of politics
2. What does the underlined word "discipline" mean in the first paragraph?
A. Subject.
B. Science.
C. Literature.
D. Occupation.
3. With the study of philosophy, you can ________.
A. become a great leader
B. succeed in everything
C. find a good job soon after graduation
D. make progress in your career development
4. According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?
A. Philosophy is an independent discipline.
B. Logic helps you to become a better thinker.
C. The study of philosophy brings you immediate benefits.
D. The meaning of philosophy is too limited to define.
5. From the passage, we can conclude ________.
A. not all the subjects have to do with philosophy
B. a person will get a Ph.D.if he/she studies philosophy
C. philosophy can be helpful for the study of any other subjects
D. philosophy is the only solution to all the problems in the world
There were red faces at one of Britain"s biggest banks recently. They had accepted a telephone
order to buy £100,000 worth of shares(股票) from a fifteen-year-old schoolboy (they thought he
was twenty-one). The shares fell in value and the schoolboy was unable to pay up. The bank lost
£ 20,000 on the deal which it cannot get back because, for one thing, this young speculator(投机者)
does not have the money and, for another, being under eighteen, he is not legally liable for his debts.
If the shares had risen in value by the same amount that they fell, he would have pocketed £ 20,000
profit. Not bad for a fifteen-year-old. It certainly is better than delivering the morning newspaper. In
another recent case, a boy of fourteen found, in his grandmother"s house, a suitcase full of foreign
banknotes. The clean, crisp, banknotes looked very convincing but they were now not used in their
country of origin or anywhere else. This young boy headed straight to the nearest bank with his
pockets filled with notes. The cashiers did not realise that the country in question had reduced the
value of its currency by 90%. They exchanged the notes the notes at their face value at the current
exchange rate. In three days, before he was found out, he took £ 200,000 from nine different banks.
Amazingly, he had already spent more than half of this on taxi-rides, restaurant meals, concert tickets
and presents for his many new girlfriends (at least he was generous!) before the police caught up with
him. Because he is also under eighteen the banks have kissed goodbye to a lot of money, and several
cashiers(出纳员) have lost their jobs.
Should we admire these youngsters for being enterprising(有创业精神的) and showing initiative
(主动精神) or condemn them for their dishonesty? Maybe they had managed for years with tiny
amounts of pocket money that they got from tight-fisted parents. Maybe they had done Saturday jobs
for peanuts. It is hardly surprising, given the expensive things that young people want to buy, such as
fashionable running shoes and computer games, if they sometimes think up more imaginative ways of
making money than delivering newspapers and baby-sitting. These lads saw the chance to make a lot
of money and took it.
Another recent story which should give us food for thought is the case of the man who paid his
six-year-old daughter £ 300 a week pocket money. He then charged her for the food she ate and for
her share of the rent and household bills. After paying for all this, she was left with a few coins for her
piggy bank. "She will soon learn the value of money," he said. "There"s no such thing as a free lunch.
Everything has to be paid for and the sooner she learns that the better." At the other extreme there are
fond parents who provide free bed and board for their grown-up children. While even the most
hard-hearted parents might hesitate to throw their children out on the streets, we all know people in
their late twenties who still shamelessly live off their parents. Surely there comes a time when everyone
has to leave the parental nest, look after themselves and pay their own way in life. But when is it?
B. lost a lot of money because the shares they bought fell in value
C. bought quite a lot of shares for a customer and caused him to lose money
D. lost money as its young customer did not have the money to pay his debts
B. paid his debts, if he had had the money to do so
C. continued to cheat banks, if he had not been found out
D. to go to prison, if he did not pay the money back
B. questioning
C. neutral
D. negative
for her living expenses was that he wanted her to learn _________.
B. how to live comfortably on her own pocket money
C. the value of money
D. how to save money
B. children should leave the parental nest as soon as possible
C. grown-up children should support themselves
D. children should learn to be economical
give a good speech. In 2004, when Massachusetts Senator(参议员) John Kerry was the Democratic
Party’s nominee(被提名者) for the presidency, a little-known senator from Illinois gave the keynote
speech at the Democratic National Convention. That senator was Obama. It was a remarkable speech -- poetic, and inspiring. The people who heard it would remember it for a long time.
Since 2004, Obama has written and delivered thousands of speeches. These are usually praised for
two reasons: he treats the audiences like intelligent adults, and he is able to express complicated ideas in
an easy, natural way. Before becoming president, Obama was a lawyer, a college professor, and a
successful writer -- his two memoirs(回忆录) have become best-sellers. The skills he needed to succeed
in his previous jobs have also contributed to his success as a speechmaker.
Writing team: Obama has a team of people who write his speeches. The writers chat with Obama for
hours about what he wants to say. They listen to recordings of past presidential addresses and seek advice from advisers. Obama usually edits and rewrites the drafts several times.
Obama’s tricks for a lighthearted speech that stays on message:
Make fun of the guests. Obama starts his speech by gently teasing his guests. His opening lines grab the audience’s attention while giving them an opportunity to relax and laugh at themselves and each other.
Make fun of yourself. A good rule for speechmakers: If you’re going to make a joke about someone
else, be sure to make one about yourself, too. Obama mocks his own poor choices for filling the position
of Commerce Secretary, saying, "No President in history has ever named three Commerce Secretaries this quickly.”
1. Obama made the poetic and inspiring speech in 2004 as________.
A. president
B. a nominee for the presidency
C. a senator
D. a secretary
2. What’s the meaning of the underlined word in paragraph 2?
A. Difficult to understand.
B. Easy to understand.
C. Different from others
D. Interesting to say.
3. According to the passage, we know that before becoming president, _________.
A. Obama was once a lawyer, a doctor and a college professor.
B. Obama was a successful writer.
C. Obama’s three memoirs have become best-sellers.
D. Obama’s former jobs have nothing to do with his speech.
4. According to paragraph 3, we know that _________.
A. Obama writes his speech himself.
B. the writers chat with Obama only for minutes before writing.
C. the writers never listen to recordings of past presidential speeches.
D. Obama is serious with his speech.
5. What’s the best title of the passage?
A. Secret of Obama’s successful speeches.
B. Obama’s successful speeches.
C. Obama’s way of making speeches.
D. Problems of Obama’s speeches.
created the organization that finally became the EU,the Treaty of Rome,stated that each country"s
language must be treated equally.The original(原来的) six countries had only three languages between
them:French,German and Dutch/Flemish.However.there are now 15 countries in the EU,with a total
of 12 languages.EU documents must be translated into all these languages,and at official meetings the
speeches must be translated into all the languages by interpreters.
All this translating is very expensive and timeconsuming(费时的).It is said that nearly half of all
employess of the EU are engaged in translating documents and speeches,and nearly half of the EU"s
administrative(管理方面) costs are spent on this task.In the near future it is probable that several
more countries,most of them having their own languages,will join the EU,thus making the situation
even worse.
The problem is not just cost;there are practical difficulties as well.With 12 languages,there are
132 possible "translation situations" that might be needed.It is often difficult to find people in the right
place at the right time who can translate from(for example) Danish into Greek,or Dutch into Portuguese,
at a high professional(专业) standard.
In practice the problem has been made less serious by the use of English in many contacts(接触)
between EU officials,since almost all of them speak some English.However,any move to reduce the
number of official languages (perhaps to four or five) would be a blow to the pride of the smaller
countries.Another commonly suggested solution is to make English the official language for all EU
business.However,this is strongly resisted by powerful member countries like France and Germany.
B.started with three countries
C.was set up by the Treaty of Rome
D.included 132 languages
B.To find out a problem and show how serious it is.
C.To criticize the European Union for inefficiency(低效率).
D.To show that the problem cannot be solved.
B.reduced the number of official languages
C.lessened the effect of the problem
D.been opposed by powerful member countries
B.a situation that occurs often
C.one of the 12 situations that requires an interpreter
D.languages easily being interpreted
Some straight talk about the American character must include the admission that Americans have their faults. The extremely competitive nature of Americans is probably their worst fault. Of course, competition isn’t always bad. As a matter of fact, it promotes excellence by encouraging individuals and businesses to try to do their best. But the desire to get ahead of others sometimes causes people to do things that are unkind and even dishonest. Also, Americans admire what is practical, fast, efficient, and fresh. Sometimes they fail to understand and appreciate practices that have greater respect for more traditional, leisurely ways of doing things. On the other hand, people from other cultures may dislike the practical, challenging American lifestyle.
Despite culture differences, most foreigners give Americans credit for their virtues. Americans are generally viewed as friendly, adaptable, energetic, and kindhearted. Most newcomers to the U.S. like Americans, and the feeling is usually mutual. Perhaps the greatest American virtue is a deep interest in new ideas and new people. In a nation of immigrants, the foreigner does not remain an outsider for long.
73.Find a word in the last paragraph closest in meaning to the underlined word immigrant?
74.Why is the extremely competitive nature considered as one of American faults?(不超过10个词)
75.What does the passage mainly talks about? (不超过2个词)
- 1设全集,集合,集合,则 ( )A.B.C.D.
- 2正常男性精子中的染色体组成为( )A.22+XB.22+YC.44+XYD.22+X或22+Y
- 3设数列的各项均为正数,其前n项的和为,对于任意正整数m,n, 恒成立. (Ⅰ)若=1,求及数列的通项公式; (Ⅱ)若,求
- 4下列各图中所示的线段的长度或正方形的面积为多少?答:A=( ),y=( ),B=( )。(注:图中三角
- 5读图回答问题(1)图 1-17中北纬 66°34′处的昼长为 小时。(2)下列四地中,这一天的正午太阳高度
- 6阅读下面的文言文,完成后面题目。记 鸽(清)管同叶侯之家获二鸽,缚其翅而畜之野。狸者知其不能飞也,攫而食其雌。雄者怒
- 7You have to be a fairly good speaker to ______ listeners" in
- 8(2011•山东)设A1,A2,A3,A4是平面直角坐标系中两两不同的四点,若(λ∈R),(μ∈R),且,则称A3,A4
- 9阅读下面的文字,完成16 ---17题。文化无界,文化无价我一直觉得,很多中国文学史家都从根子上把屈原的事情想岔了。大家
- 10草酸晶体的组成可表示为:H2C2O4·XH2O,为测定X值,进行下列实验: ①称取wg草酸晶体配成100.0mL水溶液;
- 1正奇数集合{1,3,5,…},现在由小到大按第n组有(2n-1)个奇数进行分组:{1}, {3,5,7}, {
- 2已知在溶液中氢氧化钙和碳酸钠反应生成碳酸钙和氢氧化钠。现实验室中有一包白色粉末,可能是碳酸钠,也可能是氧化钙或氢氧化钙。
- 3如图,请你填写一个适当的条件( )使AD∥BC。
- 4下图是某山地等高线地形图,据图回答以下小题。小题1:图中虚线处所示的地形是( )A.陡崖 B.鞍部C.山脊D.山谷小题2
- 5赵老师想了解本校“生活中的数学知识”大赛的成绩分布情况,随机抽取了100份试卷的成绩(满分为120分,成绩为整数),绘制
- 6我国婚姻法禁止近亲结婚,其科学道理是[ ]A.后代容易得传染病B.后代都会得遗传病C.后代得遗传病的机会增加D.
- 7已知各面均为等边三角形的四面体的棱长为2,则它的表面积是______.
- 8假如你是Daniel,请根据以下提示用英语写一份电子邮件给报社,提出环保倡议。1. 今年春天中国政府下定决心治理污染,使
- 9函数的自变量x的取值范围是( )。
- 10下列各项不属于生命系统的是[ ]A.池塘中的一只青蛙B.表皮细胞中的水和蛋白质分子C.青蛙的表皮细胞D.池塘中的