A is for always getting to work on time.

B is for being extremely busy.

C is for the conscientious(勤勤恳恳的) way you do your job.

You may be all these things at the office, and more. But when it comes to getting ahead, experts say, the ABCs of business should include a P, for politics, as in office politics.

Dale Carnegie suggested as much more than 50 years ago: Hard work alone doesn’t ensure career advancement. You have to be able to sell yourself and your ideas, both publicly and behind the scenes. Yet, despite the obvious rewards of engaging in office politics—a better job, a raise, praise—many people are still unable or unwilling—to “play the game”.

“People assume that office politics involves some manipulative(工于心计的) behavior,” says Deborah Comer, an assistant professor of management at Hofstra University. “But politics derives from the word ‘polite’. It can mean lobbying(游说) and forming associations. It can mean being kind and helpful, or even trying, to please your superior, and then expecting something in return.”

In fact, today, experts define office politics as proper behavior used to pursue one’s own self-interest in the workplace. In many cases, this involves some form of socializing within the office environment—not just in large companies, but in small workplaces as well.

“The first thing people are usually judged on is their ability to perform well on a consistent basis,” says Neil P. Lewis, a management psychologist. “But if two or three candidates are up for a promotion, each of whom has reasonably similar ability, a manager is going to promote the person he or she likes best. It’s simple human nature.”

Yet, psychologists say, many employees and employers have trouble with the concept of politics in the office. Some people, they say, have an idealistic vision of work and what it takes to succeed. Still others associate politics with flattery(奉承), fearful that, if they speak up for themselves, they may appear to be flattering their boss for favors.

Experts suggest altering this negative picture by recognizing the need for some self-promotion.

“Office politics” is used in the passage to refer to________.

A. the political views and beliefs of office workers

B. the interpersonal relationships within a company

C. the various qualities required for a successful career

D.  the code of behavior for company staff

To get promoted, one must not only be competent but________.

A. avoid being too outstanding

B. get along well with his colleagues

C. honest and loyal to his company

D. give his boss a good impression

The author considers office politics to be________.

A. unwelcome at the workplace

B. bad for interpersonal relationships

C. an important factor for personal advancement

D. indispensable to the development of company culture

It is the author’s view that________.

A. self-promotion does not necessarily mean flattery

B. hard work contributes very little to one’s promotion

C. many employees fail to recognize the need of flattery

D. speaking up for oneself is part of human nature

A new study warns that about thirty percent of the world's people may not have enough water by the year 2025.

   A private American organization called Population Action International did the new study. It says more than three-hundred-thirty-five-million people lack enough water now. The people live in twenty-eight countries. Most of the countries are in Africa or the Middle East.

   P-A-I researcher Robert Engelman says by the year 2025, about three-thousand-million people may lack water. At least 18 more countries are expected to have severe water problems. The demand for water keeps increasing. Yet the amount of water on Earth stays the same.

   Mr. Engelman says the population in countries that lack water is growing faster than in other parts of the world. He says population growth in these countries will continue to increase.

   The report says lack of water in the future may result in several problems. It may increase health problems. Lack of water often means drinking waters are not safe. Mr. Engelman says there are problems all over the world because of diseases, such as cholera, which are carried in water. Lack of water may also result in more international conflict. Countries may have to compete for water in the future. Some countries now get sixty percent of their fresh water from other countries. This is true of Egypt, the Netherlands, Cambodia, Syria, Sudan, and Iraq. And the report says lack of water would affect the ability of developing to improve their economies. This is because new industries often need a large amount of water when they are beginning.

   The Population Action International study gives several solutions to the water problem. One way, it says, is to find ways to use water for more than one purpose. Another way is to teach people to be careful not to waste water. A third way is to use less water of agriculture.

   The report also says long-term solutions to the water problem must include controls on population growth. It says countries cannot provide clean water unless they slow population growth by limiting the number of children people have.

           are expected to have severe water problems by the year 2025.

A. 18 countries                             B. No countries

    C. 46 countries                            D. 28 countries

All the following are true except            .

    A. New industries need a lot of water

    B. There are solutions to the water problem

    C. Egypt now has enough fresh water

    D. Lack of water may cause conflict between countries

It can be learned that           .

  A. The ability of developing has nothing to do with lack of water.

    B. . It is not known whether diseases have something to do with lack of water

    C. Lack of water may also result from international conflict

    D There is connection between providing clean water and slowing population growth

The best title of the passage would be          .

  A. World Water Shortage                       B. Population and Water

    C. World Conflict                           D. Diseases and Water

A Full-Time School Called Life

       You are enrolled in a full-time school called “life”. Each day in this school you will have the opportunity to learn lessons. You may like the lessons or hate them, but you have designed them as part of your curriculum.

       Why are you here? What is your purpose? Humans have sought to discover the meaning of life for a very ling time. What we and our ancestors have overlooked, however, is there is no one answer. The meaning of life is different for every individual. 全品高考网

Each person has his or her own purpose and distinct path, unique and separate from anyone else's. As you travel your life path, you will be presented with numerous lessons that you will need to learn in order to fulfill that purpose. The lessons you are presented with are specific to you; learning these lessons is the key to discovering and fulfilling the meaning and connection of your own life.

       As you travel through your lifetime, you may encounter challenging lessons that others don't have to face, while other spend years struggling with challenges that you don't need to deal with. You may never know why you are blessed with a wonderful marriage, while your friends suffer through bitter arguments and painful divorces, just as you cannot be sure why you struggle financially while your peers enjoy abundance. The only thing you can count on for certain is that you will be presented with all the lessons that you specifically need to learn; whether you choose to learn them or not is entirely up to you.

The challenge here, therefore, is to align（与…保持一致）yourself with your own unique path by learning individual lessons. This is one of the most difficult challenges you will be faced with in your lifetime, as sometimes your path will be completely different from others. But, remember, don't compare your path to the people around you and focus on the difference between their lessons and yours. You need to remember that you will only be faced with lessons that you are capable of learning and are specific to your own growth. 全品高考网

       Our sense of fairness is the expectation of equity—the assumption that all things are equal and that justice will always prevail. Life is not, in fact, fair, and you may indeed have a more difficult lift path than others around you, deserved or not. Everyone’s circumstances are unique, and everyone needs to handle his or her own circumstances differently. If you want to move toward calm, you will be required to move out of the comparing phase of “it’s not fair”. Focusing on the unfairness of circumstances keeps you comparing yourself with others rather than appreciating your own special uniqueness. You miss out on learning your individual lessons by distracting yourself with feelings of bitterness and anger.

11．According to the passage, how can the meaning of your life be realized?

       A．Having the same opinions as others.

       B．Taking the distinct path from others.

       C．Learning the lessons presented to you.

       D．Doing the different things from others.

12．From the passage we can conclude            .

       A．everyone has his own track to follow

       B．the same things usually happen to the peers

       C．a painful divorce must lie in financial problems

       D．a wealthy man must have a wonderful marriage

13．In your lifetime, the lessons you are faced with           .

       A．are beyond your power   B．keep you from growth

       C．limit your development   D．help you with your success

14．Which of the following is TRUE?

       A．All things are equal and justice will always prevail.

       B．You should learn to appreciate your specific uniqueness.

       C．One has to fix his mind on unfairness of circumstances.

       D．You have to complain “it’s not fair” whenever possible.

15．Life is called a full – time school, because           .

       A．it is full of all lessons to learn

       B．you have plenty of time to learn lessons

       C．you meet with specific lessons every day

       D．there are so many subjects for you to choose

“A very disruptive（扰乱型的）six-year old child kicked my legs and clawed at my hand.” said one teacher. “I broke up a fight but was kicked，” said another. Many people have heard stories like this. But the situation is more worrying still and it involves(涉及) parents.
Every child, regardless of(不管) the surroundings into which they are born，has the right to achieve their potential. And we recognize that, as a nation，it is a long way to achieve this goal. But rights come with responsibilities and what worries people is that we are in danger of ignoring the latter.
Far too many children are behaving badly at school，even to the point of being violent to teachers. This is terrible enough，but it is hard to be surprised since many children are just mirroring the behavior of their parents. Too many are starting school unable to hold a knife and fork, unused to eating at a table，and unable to use the toilet properly.
We are in danger of becoming a nation of families living separate lives under one roof. The bedroom, once a place to sleep，has become the living space for the young. Spending hours in front of computer screens, on social networking sites or being addicted to computer games, children and young people spend little time with their parents. Parents are unable to monitor just what their children are watching.
Schools cannot right the wrongs of society and teachers cannot become substitute (代替)parents. Both parties need to work together. Parents must be helped and given confidence to take back control. They are responsible for setting limits to their children’s behavior and sticking to those limits when things get tough(困难). They are responsible for setting a good example to their children and for devoting that most precious of resources---time---so that children come to school ready and willing to learn.
【小题1】In the opinion of the writer, what problem do people ignore?

A．The school violence.

B．The pressure of students’ learning.

C．The right to achieve students’ potential.

D．the responsibilities of the students.

【小题2】The writer’s attitude to the behaviors of parents may be ________.

A．dissatisfied

B．unconcerned

C．understanding

D．tolerant(容忍的)

【小题3】The underlined part in Para 4 may means__________.

A．parents and children live in their separate rooms

B．parents care little about children’s life at home

C．children don’t live with their parents in the same room

D．children spent little time with their parents at home

【小题4】From the last paragraph, we can infer that______.

A．schools can’t correct the wrongs that society does to teachers

B．teachers have no responsibility for playing the role of parents

C．parents should spend time with children making them ready to learn

D．students are responsible for making themselves known in society

A Full-Time School Called Life
You are enrolled in a full-time school called “life”. Each day in this school you will have the opportunity to learn lessons. You may like the lessons or hate them, but you have designed them as part of your curriculum.
Why are you here? What is your purpose? Humans have sought to discover the meaning of life for a very long time. What we and our ancestors overlooked, however, is there is no one answer. The meaning of life is different for every individual.
Each person has his or her own purpose and distinct path, unique and separate from anyone else’s. As you travel your life path, you will be presented with numerous lessons that you will need to learn in order to fulfill that purpose. The lessons you are presented with are specific to you; learning these lessons is a key to discovering and fulfilling the meaning and connection of your own life.
As you travel through your lifetime, you may encounter challenging lessons that others don’t have to face, while others spend years struggling with challenges that you don’t need to deal with. You may never know why you are blessed with a wonderful marriage, while your friends suffer through bitter arguments and painful divorces, just as you cannot be sure why you struggle financially while your peers enjoy abundance. The only thing you can count on for certain is that you specifically need to learn; whether we choose to learn them or not is entirely up to you.
The challenge here, therefore , is to align（与…保持一致）yourself with your own unique path by learning individual lessons. This is one of the most difficult challenges you will be faced with in your lifetime, as sometimes your path will be completely different from others. But, remember, don’t compare your path to the people around you and focus on the difference between their lessons and yours. You need to remember that you will only be faced with lessons that you are capable of learning and are specific to your own growth.
Our sense of fairness is the expectation of equity—the assumption that all things are equal and that justice will always prevail. Life is not, in fact, fair, and you may indeed have a more difficult lift path than others around you, deserved or not. Everyone’s circumstances are unique, and everyone needs to handle his or her own circumstances differently. If you want to move toward calm, you will be required to move out the comparing phrase of “it’s not fair”. Focusing on the unfairness of circumstances keeps you comparing yourself with others rather than appreciating your own special uniqueness. You miss out on learning your individual lessons by distracting yourself with feeling of bitterness and anger.
【小题1】.According to the passage, how can the meaning of your life be realized?

A．Having the same opinions as others.

B．Taking the distinct path from others.

C．Learning the lessons presented to you.

D．Doing the different things from others.

【小题2】. From the passage we can conclude ______.

A．everyone has his own track to follow

B．the same thing usually happen to the peers

C．a painful divorce must lie in financial problems

D．a wealthy man must have a wonderful marriage

【小题3】. In your lifetimes, the lessons you are faced with ______.

A．are beyond your power	B．keep you from growth
C．limit your development	D．help you with your success

【小题4】. Which of the following is TRUE?

A．All things are equal and justice will always prevail.

B．You should learn to appreciate your specific uniqueness.

C．One has to fix his mind on unfairness of circumstances.

D．The teachers have designed the lessons as part of your curriculum in the life school..

【小题5】. Life is called a full-time school, because ______.

A．it is full of all lessons to learn

B．you have plenty of time to learn lessons

C．you meet with specific lessons every day

D．there are so many subjects for you to choose