What is time? Is it a thing to be saved or spent or wasted, like money? Or is it something we have no control over, like the weather? Is time the same all over the world?

That's an easy question, you say. Wherever you go, a minute is 60 seconds, an hour is 60 minutes, a day is 24 hours, and so forth. But in America, time is more than that. Americans see time as a valuable resource. Maybe that's why they are fond of the expression, "Time is money."

Because Americans believe time is a limited resource, they try to conserve and manage it. People in the U.S. often attend seminars or read books on time management. It seems they all want to organize their time better. Professionals carry around pocket planners -- some in electronic form -- to keep track of appointments and deadlines. People do all they can to squeeze more time out of their time. The early American hero Benjamin Franklin expressed this view best: "Do you love life? Then do not waste time, for that is the stuff life is made of."

To Americans, punctuality is a way of showing respect for other people's time. Being more than 10 minutes late to an appointment usually calls for an apology and an explanation. People who are running late often call ahead to let others know of the delay. Of course, the less formal the situation is, the less important it is to be exactly on time. At informal get-togethers, for example, people often arrive as much as 30 minutes past the appointed time.

To outsiders, Americans seem tied to the clock. People in other cultures value relationships more than schedules. In these societies, people don't try to control time, but to experience it. Even Americans would admit that no one can master time. Time -- like money -- slips all too easily through our fingers. And time -- like the weather-- is very hard to predict. Nevertheless, time is one of life's most precious gifts. And unwrapping it is half the fun.

What’s the main topic of this passage?

       A. What is time?

       B. How to control time?

       C. Make good use of time.

       D. Time among Americans.

What’s the meaning of the underlined word “conserve”?

       A. protect                            B. develop                    C. produce                    D. assist

The sentence “Americans seem tied to the clock” probably means __________.

       A. Americans often carry a clock with them.

       B. Americans can not predict the time.

       C. Americans can take control over time.

       D. Americans often make full use of time.

We can safely draw a conclusion from this passage that _________________.

       A. Americans have more time than others.

       B. by using pocket planners, people can have more time.

       C. for informal meeting, Americans often arrive 30 minutes earlier.

       D. Americans often attend seminars, because they want to use time better.

In earliest times, men considered lightning （闪电）to be one of the great mysteries（神密） of nature． Some ancient people believed that lightning and thunder were the weapons(武器) of the gods．

    In reality lightning is a flow of electricity （电流）formed high above the earth． A single flash（闪烁） of lightning 1.6 kilometers long has enough electricity to light one million light bulbs．

    The American scientist and statesman, Benjamin Franklin, was the first to show the connection between electricity and lightning in 1752． In the same year he also built the first Lightning Rod (避雷针)． His device（发明物） protects buildings from being damaged by lightning．

     Modern science has discovered that one stroke of lightning contains more than 15 million volts(伏特)． A spark（火花） between a cloud and the earth may be as long as 13 kilometers, and travel at a speed of 30 million meters per second．Scientists estimate (估计) that there are about 2,000 million flashes of lightning per year． Lightning hits the Empire, State Building in New York City 30 to 48 times a year． In the United States alone it kills an average of one person every day．

    The safest place to be in case of an electrical storm is in a closed car． Outside, one should go to low ground and not get under trees． Also, one should stay out of water and away from metal fences． Inside a house, people should avoid open doorways and windows and not touch wires or metal things．

    With lightning, it's better to be safe than sorry.?

Lightning is actually ＿＿＿＿＿．

  A．weapon     B．electricity     C．light     D．mystery

People once thought that lightning came from ＿＿＿＿＿＿．

  A．scientists     B．ground    C．lightning rod     D．gods

Benjamin Franklin ＿＿＿＿＿＿．

  A. made the first lightning rod    B．built the Empire State Building

  C. invented electricity           D．prevented lightning from hitting cars

＿＿＿＿＿＿is the best place to be in during an electricity storm．

  A．Swimming pool   B. A high place   C．Under a tree  D．A car

In 1927 Benjamin Franklin founded one of the first adult-education organizations, ____ the Junto.

A、has been called  B、to call  C、a group called   D、which group called

  The American newspaper has been around for about three hundred years. In 1721, the printer James Franklin, Benjamin’s older brother, started the New England Courant, and that was what we might recognize today as a real newspaper. He filled his paper with stories of adventure, articles on art, on famous people, and on all sorts of political subjects.

   Three centuries after the appearance of Franklin’s Courant, few believe that newspapers in their present printed from will remain alive for long. Newspaper companies are losing advertisers(广告商)，readers, market value, and in some cases, their sense of purpose at a speed that would not have been imaginable just several years ago. The chief editor(主编) of the Times said recently, “At places where they gather, editors ask one another, ‘How are you?’, as if they have just come out of the hospital or a lost law case.” An article about the newspaper appeared on the website of the Guandian, under the headline “NOT DEAD YET.”

    Perhaps not, but the rise of the Internet, which has made the daily newspaper look slow and out of step with the world, has brought about a real sense of death. Some American newspapers have lost 42% of their market value in the past three years. The New York Times Company has seen its stock(股票) drop by 54% since the end of 2004, with much of the loss coming in the past year. A manager at Deutsche Bank suggested that stock-holders sell off their Times stock. The Washington Post Company has prevented the trouble only by changing part of its business to education; its testing and test-preparation service now brings in at least half the company’s income.

53. What can we learn about the New England Courant?

   A. It is mainly about the stock market.

   B. It marks the beginning of the American newspaper.

   C. It remains a successful newspaper in America.

   D. It carries articles by political leaders.

54. What can we infer about the newspaper editors?

   A. They often accept readers’ suggestions.

   B. They care a lot about each other’s health.

   C. They stop doing business with advertisers.

   D. They face great difficulties in their business.

55. Which of the following found a new way for its development?

   A. The Washington Post.

   B. The Guardian.

   C. The New York Times.

   D. New England Courant.

56. How does the author seem to feel about the future of newspapers?

   A. Satisfied.

   B. Hopeful.

   C. Worried.

   D. Surprised.

Life is difficult.

This is a great truth, one of the greatest truths. It is a great truth because once we truly see this truth, we transcend (超越) it. Once we truly know that life is difficult — once we truly understand and accept it — then life is no longer difficult. Because once it is accepted, the fact that life is difficult no longer matters.

Most do not fully see this truth. Instead they complain about their problems and difficulties as if life should be easy. It seems to them that difficulties represent a special kind of suffering especially forced upon them or else upon their families, their class, or even their nation.

What makes life difficult is that the process of facing and solving problems is a painful one. Problems, depending on their nature, cause us sadness, or loneliness or regret or anger or fear. These are uncomfortable feelings, often as painful as any kind of physical pain. And since life causes an endless series of problems, life is always difficult and is full of pain as well as joy.

Yet, it is in this whole process of solving problems that life has its meaning. Problems are the serious test that tells us success from failure. When we desire to encourage the growth of human spirit, we encourage the human ability to solve problems, just as in school we set problems for our children to solve. It is through the pain of meeting and working out problems that we learn. As Benjamin Franklin said, those things that hurt, instruct. It is for this reason that wise people learn not to fear but to welcome the pain of problems.

1.The writer probably used just one short sentence in the first paragraph to ________.

A．save space         B．persuade readers   C．make readers laugh  D．get readers’ attention

2.According to the passage, we give school children difficult problems to solve in order to________.

A．encourage them to learn                  B．teach them to fear the pain of solving the problem

C．help them learn to deal with pain           D．teach them how to respect for problems

3.From the passage, it can be inferred that _________.

A．everybody has problems

B．we become stronger by meeting and solving the problems of life

C．life is difficult because our problems bring us pain

D．people like to complain about their problems