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Directions: In this section, there are three passages. Each passage is followed by five questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. You should choose the best choice.
Since ancient times, frugality has been one of the traditional virtues among Chinese people. Following this traditional way of life, more young people in China are looking to frugal, low-cost lifestyles in order to spend less and save more.
They are beginning to realize and project the pitfalls of consumerism, believing that simplicity can bring happiness and satisfaction.
Economic and employment pressures, as well as changing attitudes toward material life, are also resulting in more young people turning their backs on extravagance and waste.
Frugality is being practiced in a number of ways. Some young people choose discounts and low priced goods, while others are replacing well-known brands with those that are cost-effective. Some are cautious when buying nonessential items, while others say they save all they can in order to make important purchases.
He Jiazheng, 22, a college student, said he spends about 10 yuan on each meal and no more than 100 yuan on each item of clothing.
He, who is studying economics, said his pursuit of frugality stems from the idea of “realizing maximum happiness through minimum expenditure”.
The student added, “As luxury food and brand-name clothing cannot increase my happiness, why not satisfy myself by spending less for the same amount of happiness?”
1. According to the passage, what lifestyle are more young people expecting to live?
A. Plain needy lifestyles.
B. Rich high-cost lifestyles.
C. Simple low-cost lifestyles.
D. Extravagant pleasant lifestyles.
2. What do “They” (Paragraph 2, Line 1) refer to?
A. More young people in China.
B. More young people in every country.
C. More young people in any other countries.
D. More young people in many other countries.
3. Which is not the reason for more young people expecting a frugal life?
A. Rich and wealthy life.
B. Economic pressure.
C. Employment pressures.
D. Changing attitudes toward material life.
4. How many ways of frugality are there being practiced in the passage?
A. 2.
B. 3.
C. 4.
D. 5.
5. What is the passage mainly about?
A. More young people are in pursuit of happiness and satisfaction.
B. More young people never buy luxury food and brand-name clothing.
C. More young people have changed their attitudes toward consumerism.
D. Frugal, low-cost lifestyles only attract a growing number of foreign followers.
You won't be surprised to hear that sweet treats such as cakes and biscuits contain sugar, but did you know that sugar occurs naturally in most foods apart from meat and fish? We look at this remarkable substance and how it has changed the world.
Humans started growing sugar cane (甘蔗) around 10,000 years ago on the island of New Guinea (新几内亚) in the Pacific Ocean. Before that, honey and juice from fruit were almost the only sweeteners people had. Over thousands of years, knowledge of how to grow sugar cane spread to China, Southeast Asia and India. Slowly, the love of sugar travelled west.
In the 11th century, soldiers who fought in the Crusades in the Middle East brought sugar back to Britain. It took a long time for it to become popular there, partly because it was very expensive. It was used sparingly (少量地) as a flavor and a medicine for coughs and stomach problems.
For hundreds of years, sugar was a luxury reserved for royalty and nobles, but steadily the market grew. By the 17th century, the farms growing sugar in the Caribbean couldn't keep up with demand. More farms to grow more sugar cane needed more people to work on them. To feed this need, Europeans enslaved men, women and children from Africa and transported them to the Caribbean and Central and South America. There they were forced to work in terrible conditions. Britain's strong desire for sugar helped drive this trade in enslaved people. Nowadays, most companies try to make sure that the farmers and workers who produce their sugar are treated fairly.
Experts say that sugar is fine when eaten in small amounts. The trouble comes when you eat too much of it. They suggest that you enjoy sugar as an occasional treat and brush your teeth twice a day.
6. Who started growing sugar cane first?
A. Chinese.
B. British.
C. New Guineans.
D. Southeast Asians.
7. Sugar was used sparingly in Britain in the 11th century because it was______.
A. natural
B. unknown
C. unhealthy
D. expensive
8. What was the result of Britain's growing need for sugar in the 17th century?
A. Sugar products were treated fairly.
B. The trade in slaves began to develop.
C. People could make a fortune from trading sugar.
D. Sugar became a luxury reserved for royalty and nobles.
9. What is the experts’ attitude toward eating sugar?
A. Neutral.
B. Negative.
C. Supportive.
D. Indifferent.
10. What does the passage mainly talk about?
A. How sugar came to Britain.
B. How sugar has changed the world.
C. When people stared growing sugar.
D. What benefits people get from sugar.
Times change! The day I heard that the Bright Bookstore was closing, I was sad. The bookstore had been in the neighborhood for 50 years, and it was a great place where people could connect through their love of books.
When I met Old Tim, the store's owner, he told me it was difficult to run (运营) a traditional bookstore. Most young people preferred reading e-books and more people bought books online. Childhood memories came back to me so clearly. A group of us kids often went to the store. We looked at the new books, or just talked with Tim. We spent hours reading there. Tim encouraged us to share our ideas by writing them on a large board.
A few months later, I was back and was surprised to see that the Bright Bookstore was still open for business. It was still old, but inside it was like a different world. In an area, a book reading was going on. Nearby, some readers were sharing their ideas on a screen instead of the large board. Some were reading on computers. It even had a coffee shop selling nice food. Clearly, the Bright Bookstore was in good, creative hands.
Tim told me that there were more community events in the coffee shop such as book readings and even concerts and movie nights. The bookstore was turned into a place where the book lovers got together and shared ideas and experiences.
“Well, as you can see, technology and creativity have brought my old bookstore into the 21st century! I'm so glad to see that everything I wanted it to offer to the community is still here,” said Tim.
No matter how times change, there are always people who love reading. With the development of technology, traditional bookstores should also change in a creative way.
11. What made the writer sad about the old Bright Bookstore?
A. It was closing.
B. No people read there.
C. It moved to another place.
D. No people bought books there.
12. Why did the writer miss the old bookstore?
A. Because he had a good time working there.
B. Because the owner often read stories to him.
C. Because it brought him back to the good old days.
D. Because it was the only bookstore in his community.
13. How was the bookstore different a few months later?
A. The board helped people share ideas easily.
B. The coffee shop brought people closer together.
C. The new look from the outside surprised people.
D. The quiet place only sold coffee and food.
14. What did Old Tim want the bookstore to offer?
A. A way for the neighbors to sell food.
B. A chance for the kids to show their skills.
C. A place for the book lovers to read and share.
D. A person for the readers to share ideas with.
15. What does the writer want to remind us?
A. E-books will take the place of paper books.
B. Reading always plays an important role in our life.
C. Traditional bookstores will disappear in the future.
D. Technology always develops, so people should be creative.
Directions: In this section, some sentences have been removed from the following passage. For Questions 16~20, choose the most suitable one from the list A~G to fit into each of the numbered blanks. There are two extra choices, which do not fit into any of the blanks.
The benefits of having good leadership in the workplace have long been documented. A good leader can inspire employees to perform at their best, which can improve the efficiency of an organization. 16
Learn from the best. Think about leaders who you have worked under in the past. 17 You should always ensure that you have all viewpoints before you make your decision. Being a good leader is about commitment to being a better you. Consider taking an education course, which will be of great help for you.
18 Good leaders must communicate effectively about their intentions, goals, and expectations. You can organize meetings on a regular basis, receive feedback from your employees, and never speak in anger to them.
19 A good leader must be able to inspire the employees to approach tasks in the best possible way. To do this, you must become a hard working person that the employees can follow.
Honor achievers. It is important that the employees who go above and beyond their basic job description should be rewarded for doing a good job. 20 This is a recognition that it takes all the people below you to make the company succeed.
A good leader not only accepts that a business is doing well, but also pushes the employees to be better than they are in order to achieve even more.
A. Lead by example.
B. Be a good communicator.
C. Improve the efficiency of your business.
D. Here are some ways to improve your leadership.
E. You should try to acknowledge a person who works hard.
F. There are as many creative processes as they are creative leaders.
G. Their personal experience and knowledge can help you become a great leader.