Every year Chris Brogan posts his three words for a new year. Many others and I have followed his lead for the past three or four years. They helped me a lot. My words for last year were“passion”, “focus”and“delegate”and I stayed true to them. This year, 2013, my goals are more personal and less professional.
FOCUS
Focus is making a repeat appearance on my list this year because I’m too much of a multitasker. The problem is that I have trouble finishing one thing with so many things calling me. When I was working as a writer, all my projects were handled via a schedule, I’m putting a fitness and housekeeping routine into my schedule.
HEALTH
I get so busy taking care of everyone else, and I forget to take care of myself and this has to change. My health suffers and my weight suffers. I have to get my health in check, not only for me but because I promised my 9-year-old son. I’ll make good food and lifestyle choices. I miss being thin, and it’s time to get it back.
CELEBRATE
What good is having it if I’m not taking time to enjoy it? I have a wonderful job, a happy family, and so much to be thankful for. So how come I spend all my time working? Last summer my family took our first vacation in four years, the best thing I’ve done for myself and my family in a long time. This year, I’m making sure to take time to enjoy life and celebrate its many blessings.
Do you have any words for 2013?
【小题1】The underlined word “multitasker” probably refers to a person who .
A.makes a living by writing |
B.always fails to finish a task on time |
C.has several things to do at the same time |
D.pays more attention to fitness and housekeeping |
A.He wants to take better care of others. |
B.He’s gaining weight and feeling bad. |
C.He did not take any exercise in the past. |
D.He got the idea from his son. |
A.The word“CELEBRATE”can remind the writer to enjoy life. |
B.The writer has a vacation with his family every four years. |
C.The word“FOCUS”can help the writer focus on his family. |
D.The writer used to be overweight for lack of exercise. |
A.Three Words for 2013 |
B.Health Should Go First |
C.Keep Organized |
D.Goals for 2013 |
科目:高中英语 来源: 题型:阅读理解
Here’s a movie—a sharp, sugar-rush of fun that’s guaranteed to entertain the entire family.
With some terrific computer-generated effects, a great cast and a fun-packed storyline, Robots is the best animated film (动画片) since The Incredibles. Yep, it really is that good.
Set in a world populated by robots, Ewan McGregor plays Rodney Copperbottom, a young robot who leaves his small-town home to pursue his dream of becoming an inventor.
But after arriving in Robot City, his hopes of getting a job at Bigweld Industries are destroyed when he learns the firm has been taken over by the evil Ratchet (Greg Kinnear).
Egged on by his controlling mum, Madame Gasket (Jim Broadbent), Ratchet plans to reduce half of Robot City’s citizens to scrap metal by refusing to sell the spare parts they need to survive.
Instead, he wants to make a fortune selling expensive upgrades that few can afford. As he says, “Why be you when you can be new?”
Aided by a few misfit robots known as the Rustles—including Robin Williams as the cowardly' (胆小的)Fender (“I’m made of a metal called Afraidium”)—Rodney must track down the firm’s founder, Bigweld (Mel Brooks), and convince him to save the city from Ratchet’s plans.
The first thing that’ll strike you about the movie is the thought that's gone into creating Robot City. It’s a wondrous world full of mechanical marvels including wind-up cars and walking streetlamps.
Also terrific are the special effects. This might be an animated movie but at times you’ll catch yourself thinking it’s really a live-action film.
Of course, there have been plenty of animated movies that looked the part but were let down by a weak storyline (see Shark Tale, for example).
But Robots grips (扣人心弦) right from the start thanks to a heart-warming and thoroughly engaging plot that never bores.
My only complaints are with Williams who, as usual,has a one-in-10 success rate with his jokes. Also a letdown is a romantic subplot between Rodney and a shapely robot called Cappy (Halle Berry) that doesn’t go anywhere.
\Complains aside, this is a mechanical marvel that’ll have you bolted firmly to your seat.
BEST QUOTE(引述): Fender: “Even though you had a discouraging day, just remember there’s another one coming tomorrow.”
BEST BIT: Check out those amazing images.
WORST BIT: Robin Williams, character does an unfunny Britney Spears dance routine.
IF YOU LIKED…Ice Age, The Incredibles, Toy Story... YOU’LL LIKE THIS.
【小题1】This piece of writing is a _______.
A.commercial advertisement | B.film review |
C.movie poster | D.literary essay |
A.Ewan McGregor | B.Robin Williams |
C.Britney Spears | D.Halle Berry |
A.A great cast. | B.A poor plot. |
C.Special effects. | D.Clumsy animation. |
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科目:高中英语 来源: 题型:阅读理解
New technology links the world as never before. Our planet has shrunk. It's now a "global village" where countries are only seconds away by fax or phone or satellite link. And, of course, our ability to benefit from this high-tech communication equipment is greatly improved by foreign language skills.
Deeply involved with this new technology is a kind of modem businesspeople who have a growing respect for the economic value of doing business abroad. In modern markets, success overseas often helps support home business efforts.
Overseas assignments are becoming increasingly important to advancement within executive ranks (管理层). The executive stationed in another country no longer need fear being "out of sight and out of mind." He or she can be sure that the overseas effort is central to the company's plan for success, and that promotions often follow or accompany an assignment abroad. If an employee can succeed in a difficult assignment overseas, superiors will have greater confidence in his or her ability to cope back in the United States where cross-cultural considerations and foreign language issues are becoming more and more popular.
Thanks to a variety of relatively inexpensive communication devices with business applications, even small businesses in the United States are able to get into international markets.
English is still the international language of business. But there is an ever-growing need for people who can speak another language. A second language isn't generally required to get a job in business, but having language skills gives a candidate the edge when other qualifications appear to be equal.
The employee posted abroad who speaks the country's official language has an opportunity to fast-forward certain negotiations, and can have the cultural insight to know when it is better to move more slowly. The employee at the home office who can communicate well with foreign partners over the telephone or by fax machine is an obvious asset(资产)to the firm.
【小题1】What is the author's attitude toward high-tech communications equipment?
A.Negative. | B.Positive. | C.Prejudiced. | D.discontented. |
A.are eager to work overseas |
B.have to get familiar with modem technology |
C.are attaching more importance to their overseas businesses |
D.are gaining more economic benefits from domestic businesses |
A.leaving all care and worry behind |
B.being totally out of touch with business at home |
C.being unable to think properly for lack of insight |
D.missing opportunities for promotion when abroad |
A.Ability to speak the customer's language. |
B.Connections with businesses over seas |
C.Technical know-how. |
D.Business experience. |
A.fast-forward their proposals to their bosses. |
B.better control the whole negotiation process |
C.easily make friends with business people abroad |
D.easily find new approaches to meet market needs |
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科目:高中英语 来源: 题型:阅读理解
It's slimbudget time in Las Vegas
Las Vegas? It's where halfprice flights are wide open and where reservations are easily booked on a moment's notice. Tourism is down, so rooms are plentiful, as well as inexpensive.
Getting there: The best way to get there from McCarran Airport is to exit the baggage claim through Door 11 and check in at any number of shuttle booths. Shuttle vans that run between the airport and the Las Vegas Strip cost $6 for a oneway trip.
Leaving Las Vegas:Many Vegas vacationers are eager to get there and slow to leave. So take the “redeye” back home. Most redeye flights leave around midnight, leaving you with an extra night of gaming, and fun without added expense of a higher hotel charge. You can sleep the whole way home.
Romantic getaway: Las Vegas is no longer all about gaming. The artwork at the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art is certainly comparable to that at the Louvre. Speaking of Paris, take a trip up the Eiffel Tower at ParisLas Vegas. The Eiffel Tower Experience costs just $10($7 for kids) and is unquestionably worth the price of admission. For an intimate evening, don't hesitate to book reservations at the Eiffel Tower Restaurant. Get an impressive nighttime view of the Fountains at Bellagio by asking for seating alongside the floortoceiling windows. This is truly a oneofakind finedining experience. Details:www.parislasvegas.com.
Be sure to wear comfortable shoes:Casinos(娱乐场) can appear very close together, but actually may not be. Know the tram systems that run up and down the Strip. Most tram lines are free.
Shows:Purchase show tickets at one of the many “Half Priced Show” booths on the Strip. You can experience a unique show each night of your stay. Need a look at what's playing when you'll be there? Visit www.booklasvegasshows.com.
Buffets:In Vegas you can take anything to the next level—including eating. Seven casinos on the Strip have teamed up to bring you an amazing deal:seven buffets—breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner—all for just $44.99 within a 24hour period. Details:www.harrahs.com/total/lasvegas/buffetofbuffets.
【小题1】What is the author's purpose of writing the passage?
A.To introduce the present situation of Las Vegas. |
B.To attract readers to travel to Las Vegas. |
C.To tell readers how to go to Las Vegas. |
D.To show his own travel experience. |
A.visit www.parislasvegas.com |
B.visit www.booklasvegasshows.com |
C.visit www.harrahs.com/total/lasvegas/buffetofbuffets |
D.visit www.newyorknewyork.com/attractions/ |
A.$10 | B.$20 |
C.$27 | D.$34 |
A.Las Vegas is famous as a gaming city |
B.eating in Las Vegas is very expensive |
C.all the redeye flights leave around midnight |
D.a round trip in Las Vegas costs $6 |
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科目:高中英语 来源: 题型:阅读理解
Today's word, pan, takes us back to the days of the gold rush in California.
On January 24th, 1848, a man named James Wilson Marshall discovered gold in California. The news spread quickly. Thousands rushed west. They traveled on foot, on horseback and by boat to reach the gold fields. By 1849, the great gold rush was on. Towns and cities grew overnight. Throughout California --- in the mountains, along the streams and rivers --- thousands of people searched for gold.
Some found areas of mountain rock thick with gold. These men got rich. But such areas were few and quickly claimed by the first men to find them. Others searched for gold in the rivers coming down the mountains. They were after pieces of gold that the rains had washed down from above .
The only way to find this gold was by panning. First a gold miner put dirt in a metal pan and added water. Then he shook the pan so that the water would wash the dirt. Slowly, he poured the water out of the pan. If he was a lucky miner, pieces of gold would remain.
Across the nation, newspapers carried stories of the gold being found. Each one hoped that the place he claimed panned out well --- had some gold.
For many, gold mining did not pan out. For a few, it panned out well. But in time, huge machines were built that could wash many tons of dirt at a time. Panning died out.
The word, however, remained in the language. Today, Americans still say, “ It panned out well ,” when something they have done pleases them. A business, a discovery, a simple event pans out well if it is successful. Unhappily, sometimes things do not pan out.
In recent years, the word pan has taken on another meaning. Today, it also means to criticize. How it got this meaning is hard to discover. But the job of a critic is to sometimes pan the work of a writer, artist or singer.
【小题1】Why did so many people flood to California in 1848?
A.Because towns and cities there developed quickly. |
B.Because the mountains in California were a great place for travel. |
C.Because they wanted to get rich by looking for gold. |
D.Because the land of California was fertile at that time. |
A.Everything turned out well | B.Nothing could be worse |
C.It's not the case | D.It's a pity |
A.To tell us some stories about the gold rush. |
B.To introduce the word "pan" in American English. |
C.To teach us how to look for gold in rivers. |
D.To introduce the history of the gold rush in California |
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科目:高中英语 来源: 题型:阅读理解
In a society such as the United States or Canada, which has many national, religious and cultural differences, people highly value individualism--the differences among people. Teachers place a lot of importance on the qualities that make each student special. The educational systems in these countries show these values. Students do not memorize all possible basic knowledge. Instead, they work individually and find answers by themselves.There is often discussion in the classroom. At an early age, students learn to form their own ideas and opinions.
In most Asia societies, by contrast, the people have the same language, history and culture. Perhaps for this reason, the educational system in much of the orient reflects society’s belief in group goals and purposes rather than individualism. Children in China, Japan and Korea often work together and help one another on assignments.
There are advantages and disadvantages of both systems of education. For example, one advantage of the system in Japan is that students there learn much more about math, physics, biology and chemistry than American students by the end of high school. They also study more hours each day and more days each year than North Americans do. The system is difficult, but it prepares students for a society that values discipline and self-control. There is, however, a disadvantage. Memorization is an important learning method in Japanese schools, yet many students say that after an exam, they forget much of the information that they have memorized.
The advantage of the educational system in North America, on the other hand, is that students learn to think for themselves. The system prepares them for a society that values creative ideas. There is, however, a disadvantage. When students graduate from school, they haven’t memorized as many basic rules and facts as students in other countries have.
【小题1】The writer’s purpose of writing this passage is .
A.to share his idea with others in a new way |
B.to introduce two different systems of education through contrast |
C.to criticize the society that values memorization |
D.to prepare students for society |
A.The system of education in the West is more creative than that in the East |
B.Japanese students learn much more about science than American students. |
C.Canadian students are more individual than Korean students. |
D.Students in North America are not so friendly as those in Asia. |
A.Asian students are more likely to do better in teamwork than American students |
B.Chinese students are more hard-working in their studies than Mexican students |
C.the Western educational system is much better than the Eastern educational system. |
D.the Eastern educational system is as difficult as the Western educational system. |
A.Advantages and Disadvantages of Educational System. |
B.The Value of Individualism. |
C.Educational System-an Obvious Difference between the East and the West. |
D.Memorization-an Important Learning Method. |
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科目:高中英语 来源: 题型:阅读理解
People often say that money talks. They mean that a person with a lot of money can say how he or she wants things done. But it is not easy to earn enough money to gain this kind of power. Ask anyone in a business, they will tell you that it is a jungle out there. The expression probably began because the jungle is filled with wild animals and unknown dangers that threaten people. Sometimes people in business feel competing businesses are as dangerous as wild animals. And they feel that unknown dangers in the business world frighten the survival of their business.
People in business have to be careful, if they are to survive the jungle out there. They must not be led into making bogus investments. Bogus means something that it is not real. Nobody is sure how the word got started. But it began to appear in a American newspapers in 1800s. A newspaper in Boston Massachusetts said the word came from a criminal whose name was Bogazy. The newspaper said Bogazy wrote checks to people, although he did not have enough money in the bank. After he wrote the checks, he would flee from town. So people who were paid with his checks received nothing. The newspaper said Americans shortened and changed to the criminal's name Bogazy to bogus.
People try to earn money also must be aware of being ripped off. A person who is ripped off has had something stolen or at least has been treated very unfairly. A writer for the magazine American Speech said he first saw the expression used in 1971. It was on a sign that a student carried during a protest demonstration at a university. The message on the sign was that the student felt ripped off or cheated. Perhaps the best way to prevent getting ripped off in business is to not try to get rich quickly.
To be successful, a person in business works hard and tries to get down to brass tacks. This expression means to get to the bottom or most important part of something. For example, a salesman may talk and talk about his product without saying the price. You get down to brass tacks when you say it sounds good but how much does it cost?
Word expert Charles Funk thinks the expression comes from sailors on ships. They clean the bottom of a boat. When they have removed all the dirt, they are down to the brass tacks, the copper pieces that hold the boat together. So if we get down to brass tacks, we can prevent rip-offs and bogus ways of earning money in that jungle out there. And some good luck will help too.
【小题1】This passage is mainly written to________.
A.explain several expressions related to money |
B.tell us some skills of learning English words |
C.tell us the secret of how to do business |
D.tell us the power of money |
A.doing business is as exciting as living in a jungle |
B.businessmen are as dangerous as animals in a jungle |
C.doing business is as difficult as living in a jungle |
D.businessmen are as careful as people living in a jungle |
A.real | B.beautiful | C.good | D.new |
A.The name of a very successful businessman. |
B.The name of a criminal who cheated others. |
C.The name of a famous newspaper in Boston. |
D.The name of a check written by a criminal. |
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科目:高中英语 来源: 题型:阅读理解
Each year on February 2nd, there is special festival called Groundhog Day (土拨鼠日 )' forecasting event in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. When it comes, people from around the world, including 5,000 in the small town today, watch this tongue-twisting(发音饶舌的) small town for a sign from one groundhog that supposedly predicts when that years' spring will arrive.
If it's a cloudy day outside when the groundhog pops from its cave, then spring will arrive early that year. However, if it is sunny outside, the groundhog will supposedly be scared by its own shadow, hiding underground for six more weeks of cold weather.
Of course, Punxsutawney Phil's prediction is no more able to guarantee the extended forecast than your local weatherman. ABC News reports that an analysis by the National Climate Data Center found that Phil's predictions are more often wrong than right.
Philis is also found to have made some unpleasant predictions. Ever since 1887, he has predicted 99 extended winters and just 16 early springs .Nine of the years' predictions were unavailable, according to ABC.
The holiday began as a German tradition in 18th century and became even more of a cultural phenomenon after the 1993 film Groundhog Day starring Bill Murray.
Punxsutawney Phil has become a celebrity in his own right. Each year, the fatter animal with long teeth is watched by millions as he emerges from a cave in the town he is named after. Phil has become so beloved by the town that he actually lives in the local library with his “wife" Phyllis.
Taking inspiration from the hard state of Bill Murray’s character in the classic film, Yahoo contributor Owen Rust says Groundhog Day is a good time to reflect on one’s routines.
【小题1】The underlined word “pops” means “ ”.
A.escapes | B.appears | C.increases | D.hides |
A.some of the predictions were unavailable |
B.Phil wants to do that for fun |
C.Phil likes to make unpleasant predictions |
D.he has predicted more late springs |
A.By an accident. |
B.From people's life improving. |
C.By his own attractive force |
D.From much money raised by the town. |
A.The National Climate Data Center |
B.A German tradition |
C.A tongue-twisting small town |
D.Groundhog Day weather forecasting |
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科目:高中英语 来源: 题型:阅读理解
To me,life without music would not be exciting.I realize that this is not true for everybody.Many people get along quite well without going to the concert,and listening to the record. But music plays an important part in everyone’s life,whether he realizes it or not.Try to imagine,for example,what films or TV plays would be like without music.Would the feelings,the moving plot,and the greatest interests,be so interesting or dramatic? I’m not sure about it.
Now we have been speaking of music in its more common meaning—the kind of music we hear in the concert hall.We discover them in our everyday life too—in the rhythm of the sea,the melody of a bird in the woods and so on.So music surely has meaning for everyone,in some way or other. And,of course,it has special meaning for those who have spent all their lives working on playing or writing music.
It is well said,“Through music a child enters a world of beauty,expresses himself from his heart,feels the joy of doing things alone,learns to take care of others,develops his mind and makes his body strong.”
【小题1】From the text, we learn that many people .
A.don’t realize the importance of music |
B.get along quite well without music |
C.go to the concert instead of enjoying music |
D.think music would be less exciting than moving plot |
A.the cinema and theatre would be quiet |
B.we would lose some of the audience |
C.everything would be as exciting as before |
D.it would be hard to imagine the result |
A.flying | B.looking | C.singing | D.living |
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