Everyone knows that the Frenchmen are romantic, the Italians are fashionable and the Germans are serious. Are these just stereotypes or is there really such a thing as national character? And if there is, can it affect how a nation succeed or fail?

At least one group of people is certain that it can. A recent survey of the top 500 entrepreneurs (企業(yè)家) in the UK found that 70% felt that their efforts were not appreciated by the British public. Britain is hostile (敵意的) to success, they said. It has a culture of jealousy(嫉妒). 1.  Jealousy is sometimes known as the “green – eyed monster” and the UK is its home.

Scientists at Warwich University in the UK recently tested this idea. They gathered a group of people together and gave each an imaginary amount of money.  2.  Those given a little were given the chance to destroy the large amount of money given to others – but at the cost of losing their own. Two thirds of the people tested agreed to do this.

3.  . But there is also opposite evidence. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development recently reported that the UK is now the world’s fourth largest economy. That is not bad for people who are supposed to hate success. People in the UK also work longer hours than anyone else in Europe. So the British people are not lazy, either.

“It is not really success that the British dislike,” says Carey Cooper, a professor of management at the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology. “It’s people using their success in a way that seems proud or unfair or which separates them from their roots.”

 4.  They set out to do things in their way. They work long hours. By their own efforts they become millionaires.  5.  . It hardly seems worth following their example. If they were more friendly, people would like them more. And more people want to be like them.

A．This seems to prove that the entrepreneurs were right to complain.

B．The one who owns most money in the end is the winner.

C．As a result, the survey said, entrepreneurs were “unloved, unwanted and misunderstood.”

D．It is not true that British people are born jealous of others` success.

E. Some were given a little, others a great deal.

F. But instead of being happy they complain that nobody loves them.

G. Perhaps it is the entrepreneurs who are the problem.

 

Once a circle lost a piece of its own. The circle wanted to be whole, so it went around looking for its missing piece. But because it was incomplete（不完整的）, it could only roll very slowly. It enjoyed the flowers and the sunshine along the way. It talked with worms. It found lots of different pieces, but none of them fit. So it left them all by the side of the road and kept on looking for the missing piece.

Then one day the circle found a piece that fit perfectly. It put the missing piece into itself. It could be whole, with nothing missing. It was so happy and began to roll. Now that it was a perfect circle, it could roll very fast, too fast to see flowers or talk to worms. It realized how different the world was when it rolled so quickly. It felt so sad that it stopped, left its found piece by the side of the road and rolled away slowly.

Sometimes we are perfect when we lost something. A man who has everything is a poor man in some ways. He will never have hopes, dreams or something better. He will never know someone is loving him or someone is giving him something he has always wanted or never had.

We couldn’t be perfect, but we must be brave enough to love, strong enough to forgive, kind enough to share happiness with others and clever enough to know there is enough love around us and then we can always live a wonderful time in our lives.

1.The circle rolled very slowly because it __________.

A．spent much time talking to worms

B．wanted to enjoy the sunshine

C．was looking for its missing piece

D．lost a piece of its own

2.After it was whole again and rolled fast, the circle __________.

A．felt unhappy

B．could see more beautiful flowers

C．could talk to any worm

D．could go everywhere

3.If a man owns everything, he’ll be __________ in some ways.

A．perfect

B．poor

C．happy

D．strong enough

4.The story mainly tells us that __________

A．nobody loves us if we give nothing

B．a(chǎn) man who has everything is the happiest

C．losing something may not be a bad thing sometimes

D．we are not whole when we lose something

 

I was watching some little kids play soccer. These kids were only five or six years old, but they were playing a real game — a serious game — two teams, complete with coaches, uniforms, and parents. I didn’t know any of them, so I was able to enjoy the game without the distraction of being anxious about winning or losing.

The teams were pretty evenly matched. I will just call them Team One and Team Two. Nobody scored in the first period. Then came the second quarter. The Team One coach pulled out what must have been his first team and put in the scrubs(替補隊員), except for his best player who now guarded the goal.

    The game took a dramatic turn. I guess winning is important even when you’re five years old — because the Team Two coach left his best players in, and the Team One scrubs were no match for them. Team Two packed around the little guy who was now the Team One goalkeeper. He was an outstanding athlete, but he was no match for three or four who were also very good. Team Two began to score. The lone goalkeeper gave it everything he had, desperately throwing his body in front of incoming balls, trying bravely to stop them.

    Team Two scored two goals in quick succession. It angered the young boy. He became a raging maniac — shouting, running, diving. With all the strength he could gather, he covered the boy who now had the ball, but that boy kicked it to another boy twenty feet away, and by the time he repositioned himself, it was too late — they scored a third goal.

I soon learned who the goalkeeper’s parents were. They were nice, decent-looking people. I could tell that his dad had just come from the office — he still had his suit and tie on. They yelled encouragement to their son. I became totally absorbed, watching the boy on the field and his parents on the sidelines.

    After the third goal, the little kid changed. He didn’t quit, but he became quietly desperate and futility was written all over him. His father changed, too. He had been urging his son to try harder — yelling advice and encouragement. But then he became anxious. He tried to say that it was okay — to hang in there. He sorrowed for the pain his son was feeling.

    After the fourth goal, I knew what was going to happen. The little boy fetched the ball from the net and handed it to the referee(裁判). He just stood there while huge tears rolled down both cheeks. He went to his knees, and he cried the tears of the helpless and brokenhearted.

    At that moment, I saw the father start onto the field. His wife seized his arm and said, “Jim, don’t. You’ll embarrass him.” But he tore loose from her and ran onto the field. Suit, tie, dress shoe, and all — he charged onto the field, and he picked up his son so everybody would know that this was his boy, and he hugged him and held him and cried with him. I’ve never been so proud of a man in my life.

    He carried him off the field, and when he got close to the sidelines I heard him say, “Scotty, I’m so proud of you. You were great out there. I want everybody to know that you are my son.”

    “Daddy,” the boy sobbed. “I couldn’t stop them. I tried, Daddy, but they scored on me.”

    “Scotty, it doesn’t matter how many times they scored on you. You’re my son, and I’m proud of you. I want you to go back there and finish the game. I know you want to quit, but you can’t. And, son, you’re going to get scored on again, but it doesn’t matter. In my eyes, you are the winner! Go on, now.”

    The little guy ran back onto the field — and they scored two more times — but it was okay. Now in all viewers’ eyes, he is the Winner.

    When you’re all alone, and you’re getting scored on — and you can’t stop them — it means a lot to know that it doesn’t matter to those who love you. In their eyes, so long as you don’t give up, you are the winner. And they are always proud of you.

1.The phrase “took a dramatic turn” (Paragraph 3) can best be replaced by ______.

A. went on smoothly                             B. changed greatly

C. attracted less attention                    D. got interrupted

2.Which detail from the story can reflect the little boy’s losing confidence?

A. The lone goalkeeper gave it everything he had, desperately throwing his body.

B. He became a raging maniac — shouting, running, diving.

C. With all the strength he could gather, he covered the boy who now had the ball.

D. He didn’t quit, but he became quietly desperate and futility was written all over him.

3.Why did the boy’s mother try to stop her husband running onto the field?

A. She thought it would only make his son feel awkward.

B. She hoped her son could gather courage and cheer himself up.

C. She considered it useless to encourage his son at that time.

D. She knew it was not allowed when the game was still in progress.

4.Which words can best describe the change of the writer’s feelings when watching the game?

A. curious → anxious → grateful

B. bored → upset → delighted

C. calm → absorbed → moved

D. surprised → thoughtful → interested

5.Which can be seen as the climax (the most important point) of the story?

A. The boy’s going to his knees and bursting into tears helplessly.

B. Team Two’s scoring another two goals after the boy went back to the field.

C. The boy’s fighting bravely in face of Team Two’s excellent performance.

D. The father’s running onto the field and encouraging his son not to give up.

6.The best title for the story is ______.

A. A Proud Father                                          B. An Amazing Game

C. The True Winner                                        D. The Magical Encouragement

 

In Canada you can find dogs, cats, horses, etc. in almost every family. These are their pets. People love these pets and have them as their good friends. Before they keep them in their houses, they take them to animal hospitals to give them injections(注射) so that they won’t carry diseases. They have special animal food stores, though they can get animal food in almost every kind of stores. Some people spend around two hundred Canadian dollars a month on animal food.

When you visit people’s houses, they would be very glad to show you their pets and they are very proud of them. You will also find that almost every family has a bird feeder in their garden. All kinds of birds are welcomed to come and have a good meal. They are free to come and go and nobody is allowed to kill any animal in Canada. They have a law against killing wild animals. If you killed an animal, you would be punished. If an animal happened to get run over by a car, people would be very sad about it.

People in Canada have many reasons to like animals. One of them might be: Their family ties are not as close as ours. When children grow up, they leave their parents and start their own life. Then the old will feel lonely. But pets can solve this problem. They can be good friends and never leave them alone.

1.The passage mainly talks about ______.

A．how to keep diseases from pets            B．Canadians have pets as friends

C．how to take good care of pets              D．life of the old in Canada

2.Pets are given injections in animal hospitals ______.

A．in order to keep them safe                B．a(chǎn)fter being taken home

C．because they carry diseases               D．because they are sick

3.The word “bird feeder” in the second paragraph probably means ______.

A．a(chǎn) person who gives food to birds            B．a(chǎn) container that has food for birds

C．something that catches birds               D．a(chǎn)n animal that eats birds

4.In Canada, children leave their parents when they grow up because ______.

A．they don’t love their parents any more

B．they can only find jobs far from their parents

C．their parents’ houses are too small

D．they wouldn’t depend on their parents any more

5.Which of the following is TRUE?

A．Peoplebuyanimal foodonlyattheanimalfood stores.

B．Pets eat better than people.

C．Almost every family has a birdcage(鳥籠) in his house.

D．Any bird can come to the bird feeders to eat.

 

We now think of chocolate as sweet, but once it was bitter. We think of it as a candy, but once it was a medicine. Today, chocolate can be a hot drink, a frozen dessert, or just a snack. Sometimes it’s an ingredient in the main course of a meal. Mexicans make a hot chocolate sauce called mole and pour it over chicken. The Mexicans also eat chocolate with spices like chili peppers.

Chocolate is a product of the tropical cacao tree. The beans taste so bitter that even the monkeys say “Ugh!” and run away. Workers must first dry and then roast the beans. This removes the bitter taste.

The word “chocolate” comes from a Mayan word. The Mayas were an ancient people who once lived in Mexico. They valued the cacao tree. Some used the beans for money, while others crushed them to make a drink.

When the Spaniards came to Mexico in the sixteenth century, they started drinking cacao too. Because the drink was strong and bitter, they thought it was a medicine. No one had the idea of adding sugar. The Spaniards took some beans back to Europe and opened cafes. Wealthy people drank cacao and said it was good for the digestion.

In the 1800s, the owner of a chocolate factory in England discovered that sugar removed the bitter taste of cacao. It quickly became a cheap and popular drink. Soon afterwards, a factory made the first solid block of sweetened chocolate. Later on, another factory mixed milk and chocolate together. People liked the taste of milk chocolate even better.

Besides the chocolate candy bar, one of the most popular American snacks is the chocolate chip cookie. Favorite desserts are chocolate cream pie and, of course, an ice cream sundae with hot fudge sauce.

1.It was _______ that discovered sugar could remove the bitter taste of cacao.

A．The workers in the chocolate factory        B．The Spaniards

C．The people in England                    D．The owner of a chocolate factory

2.According to the passage which of the following statements is true?

A．Nobody had the idea of adding sugar until the sixteenth century.

B．The word “chocolate” comes from a Mexican word.

C．The beans taste so bitter that even the monkeys like them.

D．Workers must dry and roast the beans to remove the bitter taste.

3.The Spaniards think that cacao was a medicine because________

A．it was strong and bitter.                   B．it was good for digestion.

C．it cured man’s diseases.                 D．it was a kind of drink for good health.

4.Which is the right time order of the events regarding chocolate?

a. Chocolate became a cheap and popular drink in England.

b. A factory made the first solid block of sweetened chocolate.

c. The Spaniards started drinking cacao.

d. It was found that sugar removed the bitter taste of cacao.

e. A factory mixed milk and chocolate together.

A．a(chǎn)-b-c-d-e          B．c-d-e-b-a          C．c-d-a-b-e          D．c-d-b-e-a

5.It can be inferred from the passage that ________.

A．chocolate can be a hot drink, a frozen dessert, or a candy bar

B．Mexicans like chocolate very much

C．chocolate is a product of the cacao tree

D．people liked the taste of chocolate mixed with milk