单选题It (soon) became (obviously) that (instead of) (being trained) to sing she would be trained as a dancer.A. soonB. obviouslyC. instead ofD. being trained

单选题It was 1985, and Rafe Esquith was beginning his third year of teaching in Los Angeles public schools. He faced a class of 40 sixth-graders from low-income homes where English rarely was spoken, and the best reader among them was two years below grade level. So, what the beck, he decided to teach them Shakespeare. Five families agreed to let their children play "Macbeth" for two hours after school. This proved to be so much fun that, within weeks, Esquith had 28 kids happily soaking up the drama of blood and betrayal in medieval Scotland. They were learning many words they had never heard before. But when Esquith asked a school district supervisor for official approval, he received this note: " Mr. Esquith, it is not appropriate that you stay after school to teach Shakespeare. It would be better if you did something with the children that is academic. " It would not be the last time that the narrow thinking of bigcity school administration got in Esquith's way. Yet the bearded, 6-foot-tall cyclone has proved that a teacher who thinks very big— much harder lessons, larger projects, extra class time—can help disadvantaged children in ways most educators never imagine. This was difficult at first, until he stumbled upon a concept of teaching that is at the core of his success. American children, even those from hardworking immigrant cultures, have in Esquith's view been wrongly taught that learning should always be fun, by teachers who think hard lessons are bad for kids from low-income homes. When faced with something difficult, such 'students don't know what to do. The Declaration of Independence says Americans are entitled to the pursuit of happiness, but the emphasis in public schooling has been on the happiness, he believes. "What happened to pursuit?" Esquith said. So he has created an entirely new universe in his classroom, cherishing effort and the slogan, "There Are No Shortcuts". As for their own dramatic performances, Esquith got around the original ban on his after-school "Macbeth" rehearsals by switching to Thornton Wilder's " Our Town. " When that class finally performed the Shakespeare play, a school district supervisor showed up. The high-ranking district administrator came up afterward and shook his hand. "Rare," she said, " I've never seen Shakespeare done better. /

单选题A: Mr. Smith would like to reschedule Friday's appointment to next Wednesday at 9 O'clock. B: ______.

单选题Soaring rates of interest have recently made it difficult for young couples to buy their own homes.

单选题On an average of six times a day, a doctor in Holland practices “active” euthanasia (安乐死):intentionally administering a lethal (致死的)drug to a terminally iii patient who has asked to be relieved of suffering. Twenty times a day, life-prolonging treatment is withheld or withdrawn when there is no hope that it can effect an ultimate cure. "Active" euthanasia remains a crime on the Dutch statute books, punishable by 12 years in prison. But a series of court cases over the past 15 years has made it clear that a competent physician who carries it out will not be prosecuted. Euthanasia, often called "mercy killing" is a crime everywhere in Western Europe. But more and more doctors and nurses readily admit to practicing it, most often in the "passive" form of withholding or withdrawing treatment. The long simmering euthanasia issue has lately boiled over into a, sometimes, fierce public debate, with both sides claiming the mantle of ultimate righteousness. Those opposed to the practice see themselves upholding sacred principles of respect for life, while those in favor raise the banner of humane treatment. After years on the defensive, the advocates now seem to be gaining ground. Recent polls in Britain show that 72 percent of British subjects favor euthanasia ill some circumstances. An astonishing 76 percent of respondents to a poll taken last year in France said they would like the law changed to decriminalize mercy killings. Euthanasia has been a topic of controversy in Europe since at least 1936, when a bill was introduced in the House of Lords that would have legalized mercy killing under very tightly supervised conditions. That bill failed, as have three others introduced in the House of Lords since then. Reasons for the latest surge of interest in euthanasia are not hard to find. Europeans, like Americans, are now living longer: Therefore, lingering chronic diseases have replaced critical illnesses as the primary cause of death. And the euthanasists argue that every human being should have the right to "die with dignity," by which they usually mean the right to escape the horrors of a painful or degrading hospitalization (住院治疗). Most experts believe that euthanasia will continue to be practiced no matter what the law says.

单选题A: Would you tell me what time the dormitory doors will be locked? B: ______.

单选题I can respect someone who is______for their actions, but I cannot respect someone who is always pointing the finger.

单选题The appeal of advertising to buying motives can have both negative and positive effects. Consumers may be convinced to buy a product of poor quality or high price because of an advertisement. For example, some advertisers have appealed to people's desire for better fuel economy for their cars by advertising automotive products that improve gasoline mileage. Some of the products work. Others are worthless and a waste of consumers' money. Sometimes advertising is intentionally misleading. A few years ago a brand of bread was offered to dieters with the message that there were fewer calories in every slice. It turned out that the bread was not dietetic (适合于节食的), but just regular bread. There were fewer calories because it was sliced very thin, but there were the same number of calories in every loaf. On the positive side, emotional appeals may respond to a consumer's real concerns. Consider fire insurance. Fire insurance may be sold by appealing to fear of loss. But fear of loss is the real reason for fire insurance. The security of knowing that property is protected by insurance makes the purchase of fire insurance a worthwhile investment for most people. If consumers consider the quality of the insurance plans as well as the message in the ads, they will benefit from the advertising. Each consumer must evaluate her or his own situation. Are the benefits of the product important enough to justify buying it? Advertising is intended to appeal to consumers, but it does not force them to buy the product. Consumers still control the final buying decision.

单选题(In spite of) the ever-increasing exploitation of natural resources, (that) has now reached dangerous proportion, (little) has been done on a (world-wide) scale to slow down or stop this process.

单选题We were ______ for an hour in the traffic and so we arrived late.

单选题His latest novel has ______ his already considerable reputation.

单选题She should ______ those present at the meeting to arrive at a clear-cut decision.

单选题The most (distinctive) change in American (values) of the last twenty years (has been) an increasing emphasis (in) the pursuit of self-fulfillment.

单选题It is not clear whether the increase in reports is {{U}}stemmed{{/U}} from greater human activity or is simply the result of more surveys.

单选题A: I'd like to have an economy ticket with an open return to Chicago next Monday.B: ______

单选题The brave firemen had fought for days before they managed to ______ the forest fire.

单选题This style of writing, incidentally, is suggestive of what is called the "newsreel technique" of John dos Passes.

单选题{{B}}Passage Three{{/B}} Valentine's Day is a festival of romance and affection. The holiday is an interesting combination of pagan (异教徒的) and Christian influences. Some of the day's customs probably came from an ancient Roman holiday caned Lupercalia, Which honored Juno (wife of Jupiter, the goddess of women, marriage, and childbirth) and Pan (the God of nature). During the Lupercalia festival, young women dropped poems bearing their names into a large vase. Each young man picked a name from the vase to find his sweetheart for that year. During the Middle Ages, church leaders wanted to relate this pagan holiday to Christianity, so they renamed it after a Christian saint and moved the holiday from February 15 to February 14, the feast day of St. Valentine. St. Valentine was a third-century Christian martyr, a young man who was imprisoned in Rome for refusing to worship pagan gods. According to legend, before Valentine was beheaded on February 14, he restored the eyesight of his jailer's blind daughter. Then he sent her a farewell letter signed, "From your Valentine". This phrase is now a common expression of affection that appears on many of the holiday greeting cards. Perhaps another reason that February 14 was picked as a holiday for lovers was that the ancient Romans believed that birds began to mate on this date. In modern times, early in February of each year, card shops, drugstores, and department stores begin displaying a wide variety of greeting cards called valentines. Most of them are illustrated with the symbolic red heart, which stands for love. Many also show a picture of Cupid with his bow and arrow. Some valentines are very fancy--decorated with paper lace, scented satin, feathers, ribbons, or bows. Some contain affectionate verses, while others simply say, "Be my Valentine". There are special Valentines for various family members, sweet hearts, and friends. People sometimes send anonymous valentines to the persons whom they are in secret love with. On that day, children usually buy packages of small, inexpensive valentines to give to classmates and teachers. Sweet-hearts and married couples may exchange more expensive cards, along with small gifts. Men often give red roses or chocolates wrapped up beautifully in red, heart-shaped boxes to their girlfriends or wives.

单选题It is not unusual for chief executives to collect millions of dollars a year in pay, stock options, and bonuses. In the last fifteen years, while executive remuneration rose, taxes in the highest income bracket went down. Millionaires are now commonplace. Amiability is not a prerequisite for rising to the top, and there are a number of chief executive officers with legendary bad tempers. It is not the boss's job to worry about the well-being of his subordinates although the man with many enemies will be swept out more quickly in hard times; it is the company he worries about. His business savvy is supposed to be based on intimate knowledge of his company and the industry so he goes home nightly with a full briefcase. At the very top—and on the way up—executives are exceedingly dedicated. The American executive must be capable of enough small talk to get him through the social part of his schedule, but he is probably not a highly cultured individual or an intellectual. Although his wife may be on the board of the symphony or opera, he himself has little time for such pursuits. His reading may largely concern business and management, despite interests in other fields. Golf provides him with a sportive outlet that combines with some useful socializing. These days, he probably attempts some form of aerobic exercise to "keep the old heart in shape" and for the same reason goes easy on butter and alcohol, and substances thought to contribute to taking highly stressed executives out of the running. But his doctor's admonition to "take it easy" fails on deaf ears. He likes to work. He knows there are younger men nipping at his heels. Corporate head-hunting, carried on by "executive search firms", is a growing industry. America has great faith in individual talent, and dynamic and aggressive executives are so in demand that companies regularly raid each other's managerial ranks.

单选题{{B}}Passage Two{{/B}} Why is Valentine's Day, a holiday dedicated to the sweet bloom of love, celebrated in a cold month more suited to hats and gloves than to thoughts of love? "It's very mysterious," says Henry Kelly, director of the Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies at the University of California. Kelly theorizes lovers everywhere can thank two guys from the 14th century: renowned poet Geoffrey Chaucer—famous for penning "The Canterbury Tales"—and a not-so-famous saint who went by the name of Valentine. In 1381, Chaucer was busy composing a poem in honor of the arranged marriage between England's Richard II and Anne of Bohemia. Chaucer was looking for just the right saint to honor on May 3, the day Richard II signed the papers of engagement to his Bohemia beauty. His search ended, Kelly guesses, when Chaucer learned that a Saint Valentine of Genoa had an honorary feast day on May 3. So he wrote the poem "The Parliament of Fowls" in the couple's honor. "The Parliament of Fowls" literally means "the meeting of birds" , says Kelly. "Chaucer dreamed up the idea that all birds chose their mates on May 3rd. When the spring brought its sunny smile back to the earth, it was easy to imagine the winged animals fluttering about and flirting with their lovers. " After Chaucer's death in ld00, Valentine's Day celebrations got pushed back to February. The date may have changed because the first song birds that traditionally warble(鸟鸣) after a winter tend to debut in mid-February. But the holiday that honors lovebirds everywhere with rhymed verse and colored candy hearts has not always been so popular. The very celebration of Valentine's Day has gone in and out of vogue. In the 16th century in Genoa you have it, but there is not much notice of it in other countries. The sweet-toothed holiday experienced renewed vigor in England just prior to 1800, and publishing companies came to the aid of tongue-tied lovers by distributing booklets of passages lovers could use to stir hearts. If they couldn't find the words in their hearts, companies figured, at least these Romeos could find some coins in their pocket to make their sweethearts happy. The celebration suffered a popularity plunge in the 19th century, but by the next century, Americans had rescued Valentine's Day from the trash heap, turning it into a commercial {{U}}bonanza{{/U}}.