One day when I was driving on the freeway, I noticed all the way there were large dividing walls, which had been built between it and the road running parallel to it, for noise reduction (减少) and a sense of separation. The purpose was to create a sense of privacy (隐私) for people on the other side.

This got me thinking: How often do we put up mental barriers that keep us distant from others? Lifting the artificial barriers that keep us apart can offer opportunities to express our goodwill and create better relationships. If we can do like this, maybe our life will be a little different.

There is a little post office in a nearby town, and since it is closer to me than the post office in my own town, I go there. One day, with many people jammed into the little building, a man came hurrying in to mail a letter, and the girl at the counter saw he had too little postage on it. She told him he needed 2 more cents. Obviously he was a little at a loss. He had hurried over from his office, and didn’t have any money on him or time to stand in line. He was going to run back to get the needed money and wait in line again, but he hurried to get the letter mailed in the first place.

As we were watching him, one woman volunteered a two-cent stamp, and the whole line became very quiet. It was a beautiful moment. The man hesitated for a little while and asked her if she was sure, and she assured him she was fine with giving him the stamp. He offered to go back to his office to get the two cents, and she told him not to bother.

It was a small thing, but it meant something to both of the people involved, and to the rest of us. We aren’t a yard that needs defining or a freeway that needs barriers. We are human beings who can contribute to each other’s wellbeing by taking time to pay attention and interact. After all, we are all parts of a whole living in society.

1.The purpose of the first paragraph is to __________.

A. summarize the main idea

B. give detailed information

C. tell readers the author’s opinion

D. introduce the topic

2.What happened after the man being told he needed two more cents?

A. The man went back to his office immediately.

B. The man turned to a lady for help.

C. A woman offered a stamp to the man.

D. The man waited in line patiently.

3.What can we learn about the author?

A. She pays too much attention to privacy.

B. She believes people should participate in the world around them.

C. She confuses real barriers with false ones.

D. She insists all small things always have the greatest meaning.

4.Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A. Artificial Barriers                                      B. Unnecessary Separation

C. An Unforgettable Experience                 D. The Kindness of People

 

“Image is everything．” An entire industry has been built upon the assumption that image is everything, but when it comes down to it, an appealing image is not enough．If there is no substance（事实） behind the image, the product, service or person will fail eventually．

First of all, one should consider how important image is in the selling of products and services．Advertising agencies have raised the art of creating an image to a state of near perfection．Public concept of that product or service is certainly managed by the images created by the advertising agencies．But if the product or service does not live up to the image that was created, the customer will be very dissatisfied and possibly ask for their money back．For example, the Arthur Andersen accounting firm had spent decades building up an image of trustworthiness．But the recent scandal(丑闻) showed that behind that image, it cheated in business practices．Despite the previous positive image, the firm is being accused of criminal actions and it will probably not survive as a business unit．Although the image had been nearly perfect, the reality behind the image has led to the downfall of the world famous accounting firm．

Similarly, personal advisers can build up a public image for politicians and movie stars．Putting out positive news releases, making sure that only the best photographs are published, and ensuring that the person is seen in all the right places can build up a very positive image in the view of the general commons．But once again, history is filled with examples of both politicians and movie stars that fell from grace like the story of the Hollywood actor giving in to the pressures of fame and fortune．With people, just as with products and services, image is certainly important, but without positive substance behind the image, failure is close．

To summarize, it is clear that an appealing image is extremely important to success, whether that image is related to selling a product or service or to the “selling” of a person．But image is only half of the equation．What lies behind that image is every bit as important as the image itself —— the person or product must deliver on that image or there is little chance for long-term success．

1.The downfall of the Arthour Andersen accounting firm is due to ________．

A. its dishonesty in business  B. its previous images

C. its bad management      D. its poor service

2.Why did some famous people fall from grace?

A. Their images were not well built up

B. They failed to live up to their images．

C. They felt much pressure from the public

D. They paid little attention to fame and fortune

3.The structure of the passage is ________．

A: Argument     P: Point     C: Conclusion

 

 

4.The author tries to argue that _________．

A. image creates everything

B. image is the key to success

C. truth is unlikely ever to be equaled

D. truth and image are equally important

 

One day when I was driving on the freeway, I noticed all the way there were large dividing walls, which had been built between it and the road running parallel to it, for noise reduction (减少) and a sense of separation. The purpose was to create a sense of privacy (隐私) for people on the other side.

This got me thinking: How often do we put up mental barriers that keep us distant from others? Lifting the artificial barriers that keep us apart can offer opportunities to express our goodwill and create better relationships. If we can do like this, maybe our life will be a little different.

There is a little post office in a nearby town, and since it is closer to me than the post office in my own town, I go there. One day, with many people jammed into the little building, a man came hurrying in to mail a letter, and the girl at the counter saw he had too little postage on it. She told him he needed 2 more cents. Obviously he was a little at a loss. He had hurried over from his office, and didn’t have any money on him or time to stand in line. He was going to run back to get the needed money and wait in line again, but he hurried to get the letter mailed in the first place.

As we were watching him, one woman volunteered a two-cent stamp, and the whole line became very quiet. It was a beautiful moment. The man hesitated for a little while and asked her if she was sure, and she assured him she was fine with giving him the stamp. He offered to go back to his office to get the two cents, and she told him not to bother.

It was a small thing, but it meant something to both of the people involved, and to the rest of us. We aren’t a yard that needs defining or a freeway that needs barriers. We are human beings who can contribute to each other’s wellbeing by taking time to pay attention and interact. After all, we are all parts of a whole living in society.

1.The purpose of the first paragraph is to __________.

A. summarize the main idea

B. give detailed information

C. tell readers the author’s opinion

D. introduce the topic

2.What happened after the man being told he needed two more cents?

A. The man went back to his office immediately.

B. The man turned to a lady for help.

C. A woman offered a stamp to the man.

D. The man waited in line patiently.

3.What can we learn about the author?

A. She pays too much attention to privacy.

B. She believes people should participate in the world around them.

C. She confuses real barriers with false ones.

D. She insists all small things always have the greatest meaning.

4.Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A. Artificial Barriers                                      B. Unnecessary Separation

C. An Unforgettable Experience                 D. The Kindness of People

 

How to prepare a lecture

Being invited to give a lecture is an honor．It means that people regard you as an authority on a given field, subject, or issue．It means you are worth listening to．1.   You have to make sure your lecture is interesting, and full of wisdom, from which the audience can take valuable insights．This is why it is important for you to prepare your lecture well．

1．Think of a good topic．

You most likely will be assigned to talk about a certain topic．If that's the case, you only need to make an outline and do some research．But in some cases, you will have to think of your own topic．Although it gives you more freedom to do it, thinking of a topic can be tricky．2.   Or pick a topic that is timely and socially relevant．

2．Make an outline for the lecture．

Start by listing down the points that you will discuss, and then fill in each point with subpoints．If necessary, make a research about your topic．3.   But if in so doing you end up with a very long outline, figure how you can shorten the topic or cut where cutting is needed．

3．4.  

Statistics, figures, medical information, historical accounts, and similar information should all be checked and it will save your credibility as an authority on the subject you are talking about．

4．Add humor．

Don't engage your audience in a dragging soliloquy （独白）．5.   Humor will interest your audience．Of course, make sure the elements in your lecture are in line with your main topic and are not nonsense, racial, and offensive jokes．

A．Check your lecture for accuracy．

B．Giving a lecture is challenging, though．

C．If necessary, provide your contact information, such as an email address or blog site．

D．Instead, make your audience smile, or burst into laughter at certain points in your discussion．

E．To make it easier, consider what will interest your audience．

F．It should summarize your whole talk in one sentence．

G．Don't be afraid of exploring the topic, as this will allow you to discover other points that need discussion．

 

There are some very good things about open education. This way of teaching allows the students to grow as people, and to develop their own interests in many subjects. Open education allows students to be responsible for their own education, as they are responsible for what they do in life. Some students do badly in traditional classrooms. The open classroom may allow them to enjoy learning. Some students will be happier in an open education school. They will not have to worry about grades or rules. For students who worry about these things a lot, it is a good idea to be in an open classroom．
But many students will not do well in an open classroom. For some students, there are too few rules．These students will do little in school. They will not make good use of open education．Because open education is so different from traditional education, these students may have a problem of getting used to making so many choices．For many students it is important to have some rules in the classroom．They worry about the rules even when there are no rules．Even a few rules will help this kind of students．The last point about open education is that some traditional teachers do not like it. Many teachers do not believe in open education．Teachers who want to have an open classroom may have many problems at their school．
You now know what open education is. Some of its good points and bad points have been explained．You may have your own opinion about open education．The writer thinks that open education is a good idea, but only in theory．In actual fact, it may not work very well in a real class or school. The writer believes that most students, but of course not all students want some structure in their classes．They want and need to have rules．In some cases, they must be made to study some subjects．Many students are pleased to find subjects they have to study interesting. They would not study those subjects if they did not have to．
【小题1】According to the passage, which of the following is NOT the reason why some students like open education?

A．The open classroom may allow them to enjoy learning．

B．Open education allows students to be responsible for their own future.

C．Open education allows the students to develop their own interests.

D．Open education has fewer rules.

【小题2】 From the passage we can learn that___________.

A．the writer believes that all students don’t want some structure in their classes

B．the writer believes that all students want some structure in their classes

C．nearly all teachers like open education

D．only the students that worry about rules or grades a lot like to be in an open classroom

【小题3】Some students will do little in an open classroom because __________．

A．there are too few rules

B．they hate activities

C．open education is similar to traditional education

D．they worry about the rules

【小题4】 Which is NOT mentioned according to the passage given?

A．Some advantages about open education.

B．Some disadvantages about open education.

C．Some students’ feelings in an open education school.

D．The writer’s opinion about open education is the same as all the students’.

【小题5】Which of the following can best summarize the passage?

A．Many students like open education．

B．Open education is better than traditional education．

C．Open education is a really complicated (复杂的) idea.

D．Open education is a good idea in practice．