_______ on time, this medicine will be quite effective. 

A. Taking       B. Being taken

C. Taken  D. Having taken

Nineteenth-century writers in the United States, whether they wrote novels, short stories, poems or plays, were powerfully drawn to the railroad in its golden years. In fact, writers responded to the railroads as soon as the first were built in the 1830’s. By the 1850’s, the railroad was a major presence in the life of the nation. Writers such as Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David saw the railroad both as a boon(要求) to democracy(民主國家) and as an object of suspicion. The railroad could be and was a despoiler(掠奪者) of nature, furthermore, in its manifestation of speed and noise. It might be a despoiler of human nature as well. By the 1850’s and 1860’s, there was a great distrust among writer and intellectuals of the rapid industrialization of which the railroad was a leading force. Deeply philosophical historians such as Henry Adams lamented the role that the new frenzy for business was playing in eroding traditional values. A distrust of industry and business continued among writers throughout the rest of the nineteenth century and into the twentieth.

　 For the most part, the literature in which the railroad plays and important role belong to popular culture rather than to the realm of serious art. One thinks of melodramas, boys’ books, thrillers, romances, and the like rather than novels of the first rank. In the railroads’ prime years, between 1890 and 1920, there were a few individuals in the United States, most of them with solid railroading experience behind them, who made a profession of writing about railroading—works offering the ambience of stations, yards, and locomotive cabs. These writers, who can genuinely be said to have created a genre, the “railroad novel”, are now mostly forgotten, their names having faded from memory. But anyone who takes the time to consult their fertile writings will still find a treasure trove of information about the place of the railroad in the life of the United States.

The underlined word “it” in the passage refers to______.

　　A. railroad 　　B. manifestation　　 C. speed 　　D. nature

In the first paragraph, the author implies that writers’ reactions to the development of railroads were______.

　　A. highly enthusiastic 　 B. both positive and negative　  C. unchanging　 　D. Disinterested

According to the passage, the railroad played a significant role in literature in all of the following kinds of books except_______.　

A. thrillers 　 B. boys’ books　　C. romances　　D. important novels

The phrase “first rank” in the second paragraph is closest in meaning to______.

A. largest category(類別) 　B. highest quality　  C. earliest writers 　D. most difficult language

Which of the following topics is the main idea of passage?

A. The role of the railroad in the economy of the USA　

B. Major nineteenth century writers

C. The conflict between expanding industry and preserving nature

D. The railroad as a subject for literature

根據(jù)對話內(nèi)容，從對話后的選項中選出能填人空白處的最佳選項。選項中有兩項為多余選項。

A：Hello! This is Li Mei Calling from Jilin．May I speak to Carla?

C：Just a moment，please． ___1___

B：Hello?

A：Hi，Carla! This is Li Mei calling from Jilin．How are you?

Bt Oh，hi，Li Mei! How nice to hear your voice! I’m fine，thank you．

A：Thank you so much for giving me such a lovely time in Trindad．

B： ___2___  I hope you can come again some day!

A：I’d love to ! I wonder，though，if you are interested in visiting me during the Spring Festival this year． __3___.

B：Oh．I’d love to, but I don’t know if I will be free then. What time of year is it?

A： ___4___ but this year it’s at the beginning of February．

B：I’d love to come.  I’ll try to find out if I can take off work then．It’s very kind of you to invite me!

A：Oh，don’t mention it! I hope you can come! Say hello to Hari for me! I hope he can come to

China with you．

B：That would be fun! Thanks a lot for calling !__ 5___

A：OK, great! Have a good day!

B：Thanks，you too，bye!

A：Bye!

A .Oh．sorry．he isn’t here at the moment

    B. I’ll get her for you

    C. It was a pleasure having you here．

D. It is always the same each other．

E. I’d love to show you one of our Chinese festivals．

F. I’ll let Hari know you called．

G. It’s different every year．

溫馨提示:

請將補全對話答案涂在機讀卡上   E=AB        F=AC      G=AD

Everyone has good days and bad days.

Sometimes, you feel as if you're on top of the world．But occasionally you feel horrible, and you lose things and you cannot focus on your schoolwork.

For more than 20 years, scientists have suggested that high self-esteem (自尊) is the key to success. Now, new research shows that focusing just on building self-esteem may not be helpful. In some cases, having high self-esteem can bring bad results if it makes you less likeable or more upset when you fail at something.

"Forget about self-esteem," says Jennifer Crocker, a psychologist (心理學家) at the University of Michigan, US. "It's not the important thing."

Feeling good

Crocker's advice may sound a bit strange because it is good to feel good about yourself.

Studies show that people with high self-esteem are less likely to be depressed, anxious, shy, or lonely than those with low self-esteem.

But, after reviewing about 18,000 studies on self-esteem, Roy Baumeister, a psychologist at Florida State University, has found that building up your self-esteem will not necessarily make you a better person.

He believes that violent and wicked (邪惡的) people often have the highest self-esteem of all. He also said: "There's no evidence that kids with high self-esteem do better in school."

Problems

All types of people have problems. People with high self-esteem can have big egos (自我) that can make them less likeable to their peers (同齡人), said Kathleen Vohs, a psychology professor at Columbia University.

People with high self-esteem tend to think more of themselves, Vohs says. People with low self-esteem are more likely to rely on their friends when they need help.

What to do

Researchers say it is best to listen to and support other people. Find positive ways to contribute to society. If you fail at something try to learn from the experience. "The best therapy (藥方) is to recognize your faults," Vohs says. "It's OK to say, 'I'm not so good at that,' and then move on."

The new research comes to the conclusion that high self-esteem ______.

       A．is not important at all      B．has taken on a different meaning

       C．may not be the key to success  D．does not help you do better at school

One of the conclusions of the new research is that ______.

       A．feeling good about oneself doesn’t mean you lead a happier life

       B．people with high esteem usually do not seek other’s help

       C．people with high esteem tend to be proud

       D．people with low esteem are often more popular

The underlined part “a better person” in the passage probably means a person who is ______.

       A．helpful and supportive    B．gentle and modest

       C．likable and successful      D．friendly and kind

From the text, we can infer the best therapy mentioned in the last paragraph is mainly for

people _______.

       A．with high self-esteem      B．with low self-esteem

       C．of all kinds                D．who are focusing on building self-esteem

The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn’t know. I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder. I turned around to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me with a smile that lit up her entire being.

She said, “Hi, girl! My name is Rose. I’m 87 years old. Can I give you a hug?”

I laughed and enthusiastically（熱情地）responded, “Of course you may!” and she gave me a giant squeeze.

 “Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?” I asked. She jokingly replied, “I’m here to meet a rich husband, get married, have a couple of children, and then retire and travel!”

 “No seriously,” I said. I was curious what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age.

 “I always dreamed of having a college education and now I’m getting one!” she told me.

Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she easily made friends wherever she went. She loved to dress up and she reveled in the attention bestowed upon her from the other students. She was living it up.

At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet. I’ll never forget what she taught us.

 “We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing. There are only two secrets to staying young, being happy, and achieving success. You have to laugh and find humor everyday. You’ve got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die!” she said.

“There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up. If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don’t do one productive thing, you will turn 20 years older. If I am 87 years old, and stay in bed for a year, and never do anything, I will turn 88. Anybody can grow older. But every minute counts for young men,” she added.

 “The idea is to grow up by always finding the opportunity in change. Have no regrets. The elderly usually don’t have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those with regrets.”

She concluded her speech by courageously singing “The Song of Rose”. She challenged each of us to study the lyrics（歌詞）and live them out in our daily lives.

At the year’s end, Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those years ago. One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep.

13. Rose made herself known to the author in a ______ manner.

  A. serious          B. cold           C. humorous          D. crazy

14. From the information provided in the passage, we know ______.

A. Rose finished the college degree within a year

B. Rose did realize her dream of meeting a rich husband and getting married through college education

C. Rose enjoyed her campus life very much

D. Rose grew so old that she stopped playing

15. Rose delivered the speech ______.

  A. at the graduation                               B. which she prepared carefully

  C. ended with “The Song of Rose”                   D. to challenge all the other speakers

16. According to her speech, ______.

  A. whenever you have a dream, you succeed          

B. all people don’t grow up while growing older

C. Rose usually regretted having done something

D. a nine-year-old is as old as a 87-year-old if he doesn’t do anything