Some people believe that a Robin Hood is at work, others that a wealthy person simply wants to distribute（分发）his or her fortune before dying. But the donator who started sending envelopes with cash to deserving causes, accompanied by an article from the local paper, has made a northern German city believe in fairytales（童话）.

The first envelope was sent to a victim support group. It contained ?10,000 with a cutting from the Braunschweiger Zeitung about how the group supported a woman who was robbed of her handbag; similar plain white anonymous（匿名）envelopes, each containing ?10,000, then arrived at a kindergarten and a church.

The envelopes keep coming, and so far at least ?190,000 has been distributed. Last month, one of them was sent to the newspaper’s own office. It came after a story it published about Tom, a 14-year-old boy who was severely disabled in a swimming accident. The receptionist at the Braunschweiger Zeitung opened an anonymous white envelope to find 20 notes of ?500 inside, with a copy of the article. The name of the family was underlined.

“I was driving when I heard the news,” Claudia Neumann, the boy’s mother, told Der Spiegel magazine. “I had to park on the side of the road; I was speechless.”

The money will be used to make the entrance to their house wheelchair-accessible and for a course of treatment that their insurance company refused to pay for.

“For someone to act so selflessly, for this to happen in such a society in which everyone thinks of himself, was astonishing,” Mrs. Neumann said. Her family wonder whether the donator is a Robin Hood character, taking from banks to give to the needy.

Henning Noske, the editor of the Braunschweiger Zeitung, said: “Maybe it is an old person who is about to die. We just do not know.” However, he has told his reporters not to look for the city’s hero, for fear that discovery may stop the donations.

1.The Braunschweiger Zeitung is name of _____.

A. a church       B. a bank  　　　C. a magazine      D. a newspaper

2.Which of the following is TURE about the donation to Tom?

A. The donation amounted to ?190,000.

B. The donation was sent directly to his house.

C. His mother felt greatly surprised at the donation.

D. All the money will be used for his treatment.

3.It can be inferred from the passage that      .

A. the donation will continue to come      

B. the donator is a rich old man

C. the donation comes from the newspaper

D. the donator will soon be found out

4.What would be the best title for the passage?

A. Money Is Raised by the Newspaper.

B. Unknown Hero Spreads Love in Envelopes.

C. Newspaper Distributes Money to the Needy.

D. Robin Hood Returns to the city.

 

Most of the people who appear most often and most gloriously in the history books are great conquerors (统治者) and generals and soldiers, while the people who really helped civilization forward are often never mentioned at all. We do not know who first set a broken leg, or launched a seaworthy boat, or calculated the length of the year, or manured (施肥)a field; but we know all about the killers and destroyers.

People think a great deal of them, so much that on all the highest pillars (纪念柱)in the great cities of the world you will find the figure of a conqueror or a general or a soldier. And I think most people believe that the greatest countries are those that have beaten in battle the greatest number of other countries and ruled over them as conquerors. It is just possible they are, but they are not the most civilized. Animals fight; so do savages（野蛮人）; so to be good at fighting is to be good in the way in which an animal or a savage is good, but it is not to be civilized. Even being good at getting other people to fight for you and telling them how to do it most efficiently — this, after all, is what conquerors and generals have done — is not being civilized.  People fight to settle quarrels. Fighting means killing, and civilized peoples ought to be able to find some ways of settling their disputes other than by seeing which side can kill off greater number of the other side, and then saying that the side which has killed most has won. And not only has it won, but, because it has won, it has been in the right. For that is what going to war means; it means saying that power is right.

This is what the story of mankind has on the whole been like. Even our own age has fought the two greatest wars in history, in which millions of people were killed or mutilated (disabled). And while today it is true that people do not fight and kill each other in the streets — while, that is to say, we have got to the stage of keeping the rules and behaving properly to each other in daily life — nations and countries have not learnt to do this yet, and still behave like savages.

In the opening sentence, the author indicates that           .

       A．most history books were written by conquerors, generals and soldiers

       B．history book tell us far more about conquerors, generals and soldiers than actual creators of civilization

       C．those who rally helped human civilization forward is not mentioned in history books at all

       D．conquerors, generals and soldiers should be least mentioned in history books

According to the passage, most people believe that the greatest countries are those that     .

       A．built the highest pillars for their conquerors

       B．were ruled by the greatest number of conquerors

       C．won the greatest number of battles against other countries

       D．were beaten in battle by the greatest number of other countries

In the author’s opinion, the countries that conquered a large number of other countries are

                 .

       A．certainly both the most powerful and most civilized.

       B．neither the greatest nor the most civilized in any way.

       C．possibly either the most civilized or the most powerful in a way.

       D．likely the most powerful in some sense but not the most civilized.

The meaning of the last sentence in Paragraph 2 is that          .

　　A．fighters believe that the winner is right and the loser wrong.

       B．only those who are powerful have the right to go to war.

       C．those who are right should fight against those who are wrong.

       D．only powerful nations might win the right to rule weak ones.

The $11 billion self-help industry is built on the idea that you should turn negative thoughts like “I never do anything right” into positive ones like “I can succeed.” But was positive thinking advocate Norman Vincent Peale right? Is there power in positive thinking?
　　Researchers in Canada just published a study in the journal Psychological Science that says trying to get people to think more positively can actually have the opposite effect: it can simply highlight how unhappy they are.
　　The study’s authors, Joanne Wood and John Lee of the University of Waterloo and Elaine Perunovic of the University of New Brunswick, begin by citing older research showing that when people get feedback which they believe is very positive, they actually feel worse, not better. If you tell your stupid friend that he has the potential of an Einstein, you’re just underlining his faults. In one 1990s experiment, a team including psychologist Joel Cooper of Princeton asked participants to write essays opposing funding for the disabled. When the essayists were later praised for their sympathy, they felt even worse about what they had written.
　　In this experiment, Wood, Lee and Perunovic measured 68 students’ self-esteem. The participants were then asked to write down their thoughts and feelings for four minutes. Every 15 seconds, one group of students heard a bell. When it rang, they were supposed to tell themselves, “I am lovable.”
　　Those with low self-esteem didn’t feel better after the forced self-affirmation. In fact, their moods turned significantly darker than those of members of the control group, who weren’t urged to think positive thoughts.
　　The paper provides support for newer forms of psychotherapy (心理治疗) that urge people to accept their negative thoughts and feelings rather than fight them. In the fighting, we not only often fail but can make things worse. Meditation techniques, in contrast, can teach people to put their shortcomings into a larger, more realistic perspective. Call it the power of negative thinking.
【小题1】What do we learn from the first paragraph about the self-help industry?

A．It has produced positive results.

B．It is a highly profitable industry.

C．It is based on the concept of positive thinking.

D．It was established by Norman Vincent Peale.

【小题2】 What does the word “underline” mean (Line 4, Para. 3)?

A．point out

B．lay emphasis on

C．pay no attention to

D．take for granted

【小题3】Which of the following is TRUE about the Canadian researchers’ study?

A．Encouraging positive thinking many do more good than harm.

B．Self-affirmation can bring a positive change to one’s mood.

C．There can be no simple therapy for psychological problems.

D．Forcing a person to think positive thoughts may lower their self-esteem.

【小题4】What do we learn from the last paragraph?

A．Meditation may prove to be a good form of psychotherapy.

B．People can avoid making mistakes through meditation.

C．Different people tend to have different ways of thinking.

D．The effects of positive thinking vary from person to person.

Suppose a key man in your firm had just met with a terrible accident. The doctor tell you that this man upon whom you depend for directing sales, checking your books or for performing some other important roles, will be laid up for months, You’d have to replace him, wouldn’t you? And probably at a pay about equal to his ?
　　Then you’d be faced with double paying for one job because stopping the pay of an injured man would simply be out of the question.
　　You can prevent this kind of unproductive outgo on your payroll by providing your key man with the protection of Travelers Business Accident Insurance!
　　This insurance provides total medical expense and a weekly income in case a key man is disabled for some time. Should the disability prove everlasting, an income for life is certainty. Why not make out a list of your key men now? Then get together with Travelers Insurance Company, and let us tell you how little it costs to apply this much needed protection to your business.
　　Write and we'll serve you!
【小题1】The above is most probably________．

A．a report	B．a letter
C．an announcement	D．an advertisement

【小题2】What is really true according to the above?

A．Travelers Insurance Company provides services of accident insurance．

B．An important person of the firm has just had an accident．

C．Accident Insurance will protect the important person from accident．

D．Unfortunately the important person has become disabled．

【小题3】Whom might the writing be mainly for?

A．An important person in a firm．

B．An employee of a firm．

C．The boss of a company．

D．Readers of a newspaper．

【小题4】Why would the pay be doubled?

A．Because two persons are doing one job of the same．

B．Because the important job is worth double pay．

C．Because it is necessary that the injured person should be paid．

D．Because the double pay is for two persons．

【小题5】Travelers Insurance Company ________ for a person insured．

A．will pay for all the cost of treatment and the lifelong income

B．will pay the weekly income or even that of lifetime

C．won’t get much from the firm

D．will provide everlasting pension as well as medical expense

Volunteers, as an essential part of a successful world exposition, are a major channel for the public to participate in, serve and share the world exposition and a means to showcase the image of the host country and city. The following information is about the volunteer for the World Exposition 2010 Shanghai China.

I. Basic Requirements for Volunteers

Be willing to participate in voluntary services of Expo 2010;

Age limit: Expo Site volunteers must be born before April 30, 1992 and Expo City Voluntary Service Station volunteers before April 30, 1994;

Obey the laws and regulations of the PRC;

Be able to participate in training and relevant activities before the opening of Expo 2010;

Possess necessary knowledge and skills needed by the position;

Be in good health to meet the requirements of corresponding voluntary positions.

II. Further Information for Volunteers

Source

Residents of Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, as well as overseas Chinese, and foreigners can all apply to be the volunteers.

Signup methods

Applicants may log in onto the official websites for online signup. They may also consult or connect with the Expo Volunteer Stations.

Time

May 1 – December 31, 2009

III. Volunteer Training

　　Volunteer training includes general training, special training and position training. General training is carried out through the Internet, while special training and position training are provided through classroom lectures and field practice.

IV. Volunteer Types

Expo Site volunteers refer to those offering voluntary services to visitors and the Organizer in the Expo Site, mainly including information, visitor flow management, reception, translation and interpretation, assistance for the disabled, and assistance in media service, event and conference organization and volunteer management.

Information booth volunteers are stationed in the Expo’s information booths at key transportation centers, commercial outlets, tourist attractions, restaurants, hotels and cultural event places outside the Expo Site. They offer services including information, translation, interpretation and even first aid.

What’s the purpose of this writing?

A. To give some basic information of the World Expo 2010             

B. To recruit(招募) the volunteers for the World Expo 2010

C. To praise the hard work of the volunteers

D. To attract people to visit the World Expo 2010

If you were born in April 1993, where can you be a volunteer?

A. In the Expo Site.             B. In the host country.

C. In the Expo City.             D. In Chinese mainland.

Which of the training will be done on the Internet?

A. General training.              B. Position training.

C. Classroom training.          D. Special training.      

Which of the following service is offered by information booth volunteers?

A. Visitor flow management. B. Helping the disabled.

C. Assistance in media service.      D. Emergency first aid.