A

The choice to adopt and hold gratefulness is the one that is different from those who suffer misfortune and those who enjoy a full life.

My mother died when I was 24. It was a very difficult time in my life — everything seemed to fall apart. I lost my job, and then my utilities were turned off. I had to take cold showers for six months. A neighbor who knew about my situation came to my house and made me an offer. I took care of her children as a job, and I no longer went hungry. I was surprised that someone would trust me — a young woman with her children. And it was with the very confidence that before long I began taking care of other people’s children, too. I have since moved 300 miles from Boise, Idaho. For more than 23 years I have made every effort to reach out to all the kind-hearted people who helped me when I was down and out. Without their trust, I don’t know what I would have done. I am very involved in my community and volunteer at the local food bank, and I help out whenever I can. I’d like to owe what I am to whoever has offered me generosity.

If you are grateful for what you already have, the world will work together to give you more to be grateful for. Otherwise, the world will give you more to complain about.

Moreover, the true master learns to be grateful, in advance, for the things that are desired, because, being grateful in advance for some attainment or accomplishment does two very important things: one…it tricks your subconscious into believing that the goal is certain and two…it convinces other people, with whom you must interact to achieve your desires, that you know what you are about, that you are a winner, not a whiner (哀诉者).

1.The underlined word “utilities” refers to __________ in the passage.

A．water and gas supplies	B．gas and electricity supplies
C．shower equipment and water supply	D．heating and TV signals

2.The writer was grateful mainly for ___________.

A．his neighbor’s donation	B．his community
C．having got the job	D．others’ trust

3.The writer’s personal story in the second paragraph tells us that __________.

A．to be grateful will get you nowhere but away from home

B．a grateful person is most likely to be successful

C．we need to be grateful to be helpful and useful

D．the fragrance (芳香) stays in the hand that gives the rose

4.The best title for the passage would be ____________.

A．A Thank-You Note to Trusting Neighbor

B．You Are a Winner, Not a Whiner

C．Be Grateful to Life in Advance

D．Gratefulness Brings a Great Fullness to Life

 

What to expect in the cinema this winter?

       The Golden Compass

       Running Time: 1 hour 54 min.                                         Release Date: December7, 2007

       Starring: Nicole Kidman, Dakota Blue Richards,                 Directed by: Chris Weitz

       12-year-old Lyra is a girl who lives in a world, where human souls take the form of animal companions. When her best friend disappears, Lyra promises to find him. One thing Lyra packs for the trip is a mysterious compass that many people are violently determined to get. What is awaiting her?

       I AM Legend

       Running Time: 1 hour 42min.                                     Release Date: December14, 2007

       Starring: Will Smith, Alice Braga, Dash Mihok,

      Robert Neville, a brilliant scientist, isn’t quite brilliant enough to stop a man-made virus from escaping and killing everyone in sight. Somehow, Robert is Virus-free. As Robert realizes that his time may be up, he’s determined to find a way to save the human race—using his own virus-free blood.

       This Christmas

       Running Time: 1 hour 57 min.                                    Release Date: November 29, 2007

       Starring: Laz Alonso, Chris Brown,

       It’s Christmas! Time for joy! Love! Gifts! And, oh family. For the first time in many years, the white fields are all coming home. It should be a happy time for all, but after years away, it’s clear that there are plenty of reasons they’ve grown apart. How can all these people and all their secrets survive under one roof? By the time the presents are opened, they are to find out what they have missed for these years—family.

       Into the Wild

       Running Time: 2hours 20min                                  Release Date: December 22nd, 2007

       Starring: Emile Hirsch, Marcia Harden

       Freshly graduated from Harvard with a bright future, 22 year-old Christopher instead walked out of his “good” life and into the wild in search of adventure. What happened to him on the way changed this young wanderer into an enduring symbol for countless people. Was Christopher a heroic adventurer or another American loser?

1．The film with the longest running time is _________．

       A．The Golden Compass                           B．I AM Legend

       C．This Christmas                                    D．Into the Wild

2．“This Christmas” probably_________．

       A．reveals how to choose Christmas gifts for our relatives

       B．reveals the secrets to a successful marriage

       C．reveals the importance of money to any family

       D．reveals the truth of a family and its real problems

3．In the movie “Into the Wild”, the “good” life is probably________．

       A．adventurous and dangerous                   B．steady and promising

       C．risky and exciting                                D．poor and depressing

What to expect in the cinema this winter?

       The Golden Compass

       Running Time: 1 hour 54 min.                    Release Date: December7, 2007

       Starring: Nicole Kidman, Dakota Blue Richards,                           Directed by: Chris Weitz

       12-year-old Lyra is a girl who lives in a world, where human souls take the form of animal companions. When her best friend disappears, Lyra promises to find him. One thing Lyra packs for the trip is a mysterious compass that many people are violently determined to get. What is awaiting her?

       I AM Legend

       Running Time: 1 hour 42min.                     Release Date: December14, 2007

       Starring: Will Smith, Alice Braga, Dash Mihok,

      Robert Neville, a brilliant scientist, isn’t quite brilliant enough to stop a man-made virus from escaping and killing everyone in sight. Somehow, Robert is Virus-free. As Robert realizes that his time may be up, he’s determined to find a way to save the human race—using his own virus-free blood.

       This Christmas

       Running Time: 1 hour 57 min.                    Release Date: November 29, 2007

       Starring: Laz Alonso, Chris Brown,

       It’s Christmas! Time for joy! Love! Gifts! And, oh family. For the first time in many years, the whitefields are all coming home. It should be a happy time for all, but after years away, it’s clear that there are plenty of reasons they’ve grown apart. How can all these people and all their secrets survive under one roof? By the time the presents are opened, they are to find out what they have missed for these years—family.

       Into the wild

       Running Time: 2hours 20min                      Release Date: December 22nd, 2007

       Starring: Emile Hirsch, Marcia Harden

       Freshly graduated from Harvard with a bright future, 22 year-old Christopher instead walked out of his “good” life and into the wild in search of adventure. What happened to him on the way changed this young wanderer into an enduring symbol for countless people. Was Christopher a heroic adventurer or another American loser?

1．The film with the longest running time is        .

       A．The Golden Compass                           B．I AM Legend

       C．This Christmas                                    D．Into the Wild

2．“This Christmas” probably        .

       A．reveals how to choose Christmas gifts for our relatives

       B．reveals the secrets to a successful marriage

       C．reveals the importance of money to any family

       D．reveals the truth of a family and its real problems

3．In the movie “Into the Wild”, the “good” life is probably     .

       A．adventurous and dangerous                           B．steady and promising

       C．risky and exciting                            D．poor and depressing

 You’d better not ___________ the radio, or you’ll not be able to put it together again.

   A. take apart   B. take away   C. take out    D. take in

Because we can feel that things are very heavy, we think of “weight” as being a fixed quality, but it is not really fixed at all. If you could take a one-pound packet of butter 4 000 miles out from the earth, it would weigh only a quarter of a pound.

Why would things weigh only a quarter as much as they do at the surface of the earth if we took them 4 000 miles out into space? The reason is this: all objects have a natural gravity(引力)for all other objects; this is called gravitational attraction(万有引力). But this power of attraction between two objects gets weaker as they are farther apart. When the butter was at the surface of the earth, it was 4 000 miles from the center. When we took the butter 4 000 miles out, it was 8 000 miles from the center, which is twice the distance.

If you double the distance between two objects, their gravitational attraction decreases “two times two”. If you make the distance three times far away, it gets nine times weaker (three times three). If you make it four times far away, it gets sixteen times weaker (four times four) and so on.

So this is one of the first things we need to remember: the weight of an object in space is not the same as its weight on the surface of the earth.

1.Which of the following is right?

A.A thing has the same weight everywhere in space.

B.“Weight” is a fixed quality in an object.

C.“Weight” is not a quality in an object.

D.A thing’s weight changes with its place in space.

2.There is 　　   between 　　  .

A. gravity; objects?　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　    B.power; all objects

C.gravity; the two objects only?　　　　　　　　　　  D.power; two things

3.A 400 pound man-made satellite is sent to the place 2 000 miles out from the earth. Its weight is about 　　  .

A.200 pounds　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  B.a half pounds

C.100 pounds 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D.300 pounds

4.If we make the distance between objects five times as far away, 　　  .

A. it gets twenty-five times weaker

B.their weight gets twenty-five times weaker

C.their gravity gets twenty-five times weaker

D.their gravity gets twenty-five times stronger

5.After reading this passage, we should remember that we know the usual weight of a thing 　　  .

A. because it is on the surface of the earth

B.because it is weighed

C.because it is in space

D.because it is not far away from the earth